Indranee Rajah named Leader of the House, Tan Chuan-Jin to be nominated again as Speaker of Parliament: PMO

SINGAPORE — Ms Indranee Rajah has been named Leader of the House for the 14th Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced in a statement on Thursday (Aug 20).

The Leader of the House is responsible for the arrangement of government business and Parliament’s legislative programme.

The Leader also proposes appropriate actions to be taken on any procedural matter that arises in Parliament and moves procedural motions relating to the business of the House during sittings.

Ms Indranee, a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, succeeds Ms Grace Fu, who was Leader of the House from October 2015 until Parliament was dissolved in late June for the General Election in July. Ms Indranee is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development. 

Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Defence, will be the Deputy Leader of the House. He takes over from National Development Minister Desmond Lee. 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong intends to nominate Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, who has been Speaker of Parliament since September 2017, to continue in the role, PMO said. 

The Speaker will be formally elected next Monday, before the opening of the 14th Parliament. 

Speaking to TODAY by phone, Ms Indranee said that she was honoured and humbled to be named Leader of the House. 

Her appointment comes at a time when Singapore — which is still in the grip of the Covid-19 crisis — faces unprecedented challenges, she said. 

“Being the Leader of the House at this time is a heavy responsibility and an important one,” she said. 

“I am determined to make sure I discharge (my duties) to the utmost of my abilities because the House does make a difference… the laws that are passed there will all affect people’s lives.”

Mr Zaqy told TODAY over the phone that it is a privilege to be given the opportunity to serve as Deputy Leader of the House.

Said Mr Zaqy: “Coming into a term that will see Singapore in a crisis, there will be many items on the agenda that we need to look out for, and I think in the office of the Leader, how we set the programmes and the agenda will matter as well, in terms of ensuring we have robust debates.”

In a post on Facebook, Mr Tan thanked PM Lee for his confidence in proposing him to be re-elected as Speaker of Parliament.

“If chosen, I will continue to be fair and impartial, and firm, in discharging my responsibility and upholding the honour and integrity of our Parliament,” he said.