A marathon Parliament session unfolded last week, as MPs debated the President’s Address over five days.

A total of 81 MPs spoke in support of the motion, including the 32 newly elected members who delivered their maiden speeches. They raised issues ranging from job and wage anxieties to bridging the wealth inequality gap and the disruption caused by artificial intelligence (AI).

In this episode of The Usual Place, I spoke with Workers’ Party MPs Fadli Fawzi and Kenneth Tiong about their Parliament debut.

I chatted with both Aljunied GRC MPs about their speeches, and what life has been like after the 2025 General Election.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:25 Prepping for their Parliament debut

4:01 “It’s like the teacher calling your name.”

6:45 Social mobility is the true test of meritocracy: Fadli

9:24 Pitfalls of idealising meritocracy

12:03 An elderly woman and her pigeons

14:13 Leading the Meet-the-People sessions

16:11 Speaking in Parliament versus at GE2025

20:46 The supportive wives behind these MPs

22:46 Challenging the PAP-lite claims

27:20 A need for direct answers from the Government

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

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Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh, Teo Tong Kai and Chen Junyi

Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis

Editorial producer: Lynda Hong

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