• The term “Party Whip” is said to be taken from the popular British term “whipper-in” in the 18th century, which means a person who urge hounds to stay in formation during a hunt. In the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Party Whip supervises members of the Parliament, especially in coordinating their activities and to administer the whipping system.
• In Singapore, the Party Whip is similarly the disciplinarian of a political party, responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient party members to support and vote according to the party’s position.
• Under certain circumstances, the Party Whip may “lift the whip” and allow MPs to vote freely.

The Party Whip originated from the Parliament of the United Kingdom, where some members of the party were appointed to the position of Party Whip to control the comments of members from the same political party. (Lianhe Wanbao, 20/6/2017)