21-7-2023 (SINGAPORE) The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Friday (Jul 21) that Marine Parade Member of Parliament (MP) Seah Kian Peng will be nominated as Singapore’s new Speaker of Parliament at the upcoming sitting in August. This appointment comes after the vacancy left by Tan Chuan-Jin, who resigned from both parliament and the People’s Action Party (PAP) this week due to an affair with fellow MP Cheng Li Hui.
Mr. Tan, 54, had earlier made headlines this month for his use of “unparliamentary language” during a session, muttering an expletive following a speech by Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim.
Taking over the Speaker’s role, Mr. Seah, 61, currently serves as the Group CEO of NTUC Enterprise. He stepped down from his position as Group CEO of NTUC FairPrice last year, responsible for managing Singapore’s largest supermarket chain.
Since his first election in 2006, Mr. Seah has been a dedicated MP representing Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC). He held the role of Deputy Speaker from October 2011 to January 2016.
Beyond his parliamentary duties, Mr. Seah is an esteemed board member of various organizations, including the Singapore Olympic Foundation. He has also served on the boards of the Centre for Fathering, the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprises, the National Parks Board, and Singtel, among others.
The upcoming parliament sitting is scheduled for August 2, during which Mr. Seah will become the 11th Speaker if elected.
As per the standing orders of parliament, any MP has the privilege to nominate another MP for the Speaker’s position. If only one candidate is proposed, the Clerk of Parliament will declare them elected. However, if there are multiple candidates, the Speaker will be elected by ballot.
Currently, the Speaker is supported by two Deputy Speakers, namely MP Christopher de Souza (PAP-Holland-Bukit Timah) and MP Jessica Tan (PAP-East Coast). Ms. Tan has been serving as the Acting Speaker since Mr. Tan’s resignation.
