2-8-2023 (SINGAPORE) Seah Kian Peng, Singapore’s new Speaker of Parliament, urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to be vigilant in their personal conduct after being sworn in on Wednesday, August 2. Mr Seah becomes the country’s 11th Speaker, following the resignation of his predecessor Tan Chuan-Jin over an extramarital affair with fellow People’s Action Party MP Cheng Li Hui, who also resigned. Mr Seah pledged to perform his duties “impartially, firmly and fairly” in his speech after taking the oath.
He paid tribute to Mr Tan’s efforts to demystify parliamentary processes and engage younger people on the institution of parliament, but also stressed the importance of MPs performing their parliamentary duties responsibly. “We must therefore remember and bear the weight of our office with dignity and a constant sense of duty,” he said.
Mr Seah has been an MP for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency since 2006 and served as Deputy Speaker from October 2011 to January 2016. Leader of the House Indranee Rajah said Mr Seah’s previous experience as Deputy Speaker was “especially pertinent” to his appointment.
Nine Nominated MPs (NMPs) also took their oaths on Wednesday, including second-term NMP Raj Joshua Thomas and eight first-timers. NMPs are appointed for a two-and-a-half year term to ensure a wide representation of community views in parliament. Up to nine NMPs can be appointed in each parliament.
The NMP scheme was introduced in 1990, and in addition to submissions from the public, seven functional groups, including business and industry, labour, and the professions, are invited to submit names of candidates. A total of 30 names were submitted from March to April this year. A special committee of MPs chaired by then Speaker Mr Tan considered all the eligible candidates and nominated them to President Halimah Yacob.
