SINGAPORE - Allegations that Sergeant Uvaraja Gopal made about the Singapore Police Force (SPF) before his suicide were addressed at the Feb 6 sitting of Parliament, where Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam delivered a ministerial statement.

Mental health was also brought to the fore in a nearly six-hour marathon debate, as 23 MPs spoke about how the matter should be tackled at a national level.

Here are key takeaways:

1. Allegations against the police must be investigated to avoid loss of public trust

Before Sgt Uvaraja died by suicide in July 2023, he put up a Facebook post alleging workplace bullying, cover-ups of police misconduct, being unfairly held back and ostracism. He also claimed to have faced racial discrimination at work.

Mr Shanmugam said there was “no choice” but to set out the facts as Sgt Uvaraja had made “serious allegations, and it is in the public interest that these allegations are dealt with”.

All allegations were investigated, said the minister. Some were found to be true – actions were taken, and some officers were disciplined and punished – while others were untrue.

Efforts to help Sgt Uvaraja included professional support to deal with his personal issues and substantial time off, said Mr Shanmugam.

The sergeant faced three ongoing criminal and disciplinary investigations at the time of his death.

Why it matters

Mr Shanmugam said safety and security in Singapore are based on “high levels of public trust and confidence” in the police. In this instance, he noted that allegations were made against the police – by a police officer.

As such, a full investigation was important to deal with wrongdoing or errant officers. Mr Shanmugam said if this was not done, the public would lose trust in the police over time.

Should the allegations be unfounded, the facts must be set out and the police defended “publicly and robustly”, said Mr Shanmugam.

He added that if untruths were allowed to fester, morale in the SPF would decline and public trust would be eroded. Citing how this has happened in other countries, he said: “We don’t want to go down that path.”

Mr Shanmugam said since the incident, the police have conducted a review of their policies, and there is a framework of approach for these cases.

He also revealed that cases involving racial slurs or casual racism will now be investigated as misconduct and a disciplinary breach.

READ MORE HERE: Home Team has processes to deal with harassment, grievances: Shanmugam

2. More needs to be done to advance mental health

There can be check-ups for young people in schools to screen for mental health distress, more support extended to parents and caregivers of persons with mental health conditions, and paid medical leave granted to employees who need to seek medical help during work days.

These were among suggestions from more than 20 MPs who spoke on what can and should be done to improve mental healthcare and overcome stigma during a parliamentary motion debate on advancing mental health.

The motion aims to recognise the importance of mental health as a health, social and economic issue; affirm the importance of a robust national mental health ecosystem; and call for a whole-of-Singapore effort to implement a national strategy to enhance mental health and well-being.

Calls were also made to get insurers to stop excluding individuals with mental health conditions from physical health coverage. The debate continues on Feb 7.

Why it matters

The National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy was launched by the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being in October 2023.

The strategy, which was worked on for 2½ years, aims to create a comprehensive and holistic mental health ecosystem for people with mental health needs to receive support and help early in community settings, and without stigma.

READ MORE HERE: MPs propose ways to fight mental health stigma, improve care

3. Most Singaporean households have claimed 2024 CDC vouchers

More than $255 million in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers has been spent so far in 2024, said Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and Trade and Industry.

Around 1.2 million Singaporean households, or 95 per cent, have claimed their 2024 CDC vouchers as at Feb 6. The 2024 tranche of vouchers was launched on Jan 3.

The majority of these vouchers, or $156 million, has been spent at supermarkets, while $99 million has been spent at participating merchants and hawkers.

Ms Low also told the House that there are now 327 charities that Singaporeans can donate their unused vouchers to. This is a 20 per cent increase from when the scheme started in 2022 with 270 charities.

Participating charities support a range of causes, such as the environment, arts and heritage, and migrant communities.

Why it matters

Ms Low said the highest number of CDC vouchers were claimed in 2023, as compared with previous years. The CDC vouchers scheme first started in June 2020.

Around 1.27 million Singaporean households, or 97.7 per cent, had claimed their CDC vouchers by the end of 2023.

More Singaporeans are using their CDC vouchers, but those who do not need them are also increasingly donating their vouchers.

Ms Low said that for the 2021 and 2022 tranches of CDC vouchers, 9,880 households donated close to $1.19 million to 245 charities. The figures for 2023 are not yet available.

READ MORE HERE: More than $255m in CDC vouchers spent, 95% of households have claimed vouchers

If you have a few more minutes:

Residents’ complaints led to temporary closure of, restrictions on HDB facilities

In the last three years, there have been 27 cases of town councils temporarily closing or restricting the opening hours of recreational facilities in Housing Board estates due to complaints from residents on issues like noise, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee.

In a written reply on Feb 5, Mr Lee said this move is a last resort when disruptive behaviour by inconsiderate users of the facilities persists.

Mr Shanmugam said in a separate written reply that the Government is looking at making mediation mandatory for certain dispute cases.

It will also study concerns that may arise from this move, such as the risk of potential retaliation and those who demand mediation without intending genuine resolution.

Ministry of Manpower set to issue guidelines on restrictive employment clauses

The Government, together with unions and employers, is developing guidelines on reasonable use of clauses in employment contracts that restrict retrenched and other employees from finding a new job, said Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng.

Targeted to be released in the second half of 2024, these guidelines will be in addition to the existing Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment, and the Tripartite Guidelines on Mandatory Retrenchment Notifications, Dr Tan said.

The minister fielded questions from MPs on retrenchment practices and the use of non-compete clauses and restricted stock units after e-commerce company Lazada let an undisclosed number of its Singapore workforce go in January without informing the local union.