Parliament to discuss LPA omission and Israel-Hamas conflict in MOE's CCE lessons

SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament will debate a law on Tuesday (Apr 2) that would retroactively validate tens of thousands of legal documents missing a statement that left them open to being challenged.

A total of 87,000 digital Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) documents - certified between Nov 14, 2022, and Jan 4, 2024 - did not explicitly state that they are deeds, as required by the current Mental Capacity Act.

An LPA allows an appointed person to make medical and financial decisions on behalf of another individual should they lose mental capacity.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), which apologised for the omission on Mar 4, said the affected documents are still legally valid.

The omission was discovered in October 2023 after MSF received feedback from a member of the public. Electronic LPAs certified on or after Jan 5, 2024, now include the required statement: “I intend this instrument to be a deed.”

Nominated MP Usha Chandradas filed a question asking about the circumstances that led to the omission of that sentence, how MSF discovered the omission, if the ministry had assessed the potential loss or harm suffered by donees and doners, and the steps taken to prevent a recurrence.

MP Tan Wu Meng (PAP-Jurong) asked why the omission had not been discovered sooner, if there were process checks such as proofreading or end-user experience validations when such key documentary processes are digitised, and if they were conducted by legally trained or laypersons.

MOE AND THE ISRAEL-HAMAS CONFLICT

According to the parliament order paper released on Monday, questions were also submitted on the Ministry of Education’s Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in February that his ministry’s CCE lessons are not intended to be history lessons, nor are they meant to ascribe who is right or wrong, but are instead designed to help students reflect on how to safeguard cohesion and harmony in a multiracial society and to empathise with others.

Mr Chan’s comments came after concerns arose online about what schools are teaching students about the conflict in Gaza, with some posts claiming that lessons only covered developments from the Hamas attack on Oct 7, without giving a historical context of the wider conflict between Israel and Palestine that dates back several decades.

Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai (PSP) asked if and at which levels students are being taught about the Israel-Hamas conflict - either in the CCE curriculum or otherwise. He also wanted to know how the contents are differentiated among the various levels to take into account student maturity levels.

Mr Chan had also noted that some teachers may feel conflicted that the CCE lessons may be against their personal beliefs, with some teachers experiencing abuse due to online uproar about the CCE lessons.

NCMP Hazel Poa (PSP) submitted a question asking if content and materials of the CCE lessons on the Israel-Hamas conflict could be made public, and whether any teacher has declined to deliver a lesson.

MP Sharael Taha (PAP-Pasir Ris-Punggol) asked how, in light of the CCE lessons, the Education Ministry can ensure a safe space for students to share diverse views and arrive at their own conclusions on complex issues.

VAPING

In January, CNA reported that while demand for professional help to quit smoking remains strong, the evasive habit of vaping is tripping up efforts by healthcare personnel to help smokers stub out for good.

In March, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said they were monitoring the use of “energy stick” inhalers in Singapore on worries that, like vaping, the sticks could become a gateway to drug abuse.

MP Ang Wei Neng (PAP-West Coast) asked for an update on MOH’s anti-vaping efforts, the size of HSA’s vaping enforcement team and the number summons on vaping offences issued by the authorities in the last three years.