Seah Kian Peng to be nominated as next Speaker of Parliament after Tan Chuan-Jin resigned over affair
SINGAPORE — Mr Seah Kian Peng, a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency, will be nominated as the next Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office said on Friday (July 21).
- Mr Seah Kian Peng, a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency, will be nominated as the next Speaker of Parliament
- Mr Seah was previously the Deputy Speaker between 2011 and 2016
- Outside of politics, he is the chief executive officer of NTUC Enterprise
- The Speaker position was vacated following the resignation on Monday of then Marine Parade GRC MP Tan Chuan-Jin over his extramarital affair with then Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui
SINGAPORE — Mr Seah Kian Peng, a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC), will be nominated as the next Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office said on Friday (July 21).
"The Prime Minister intends to nominate Mr Seah Kian Peng to be the Speaker of the Parliament at the next sitting of Parliament in August," the office said in a statement.
Mr Seah was previously the Deputy Speaker between 2011 and 2016.
Outside of politics, he is the chief executive officer of NTUC Enterprise.
In a response to queries from TODAY, NTUC Enterprise said that its board and management team will "work together with Mr Seah to facilitate the nomination", and that it will share more details in due course.
Mr Seah was quoted in the reply as saying: "It is an honour and privilege to be nominated by PM Lee. As there is a process to the appointment, it is a bit premature to talk about plans."
The Speaker position was vacated following the resignation on Monday of then Marine Parade GRC MP Tan Chuan-Jin over his extramarital affair with then Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui. Both Mr Tan and Ms Cheng also quit from the ruling People's Action Party.
Mr Tan had also cited his "hot mic" incident as a reason for his resignation. The former Speaker was filmed muttering the words "f****** populist" following a speech by Associate Professor Jamus Lim from the Workers' Party during a Parliamentary sitting.
Mr Tan has apologised to Assoc Prof Lim for his comment, and the latter has accepted the apology.
In his place, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jessica Tan was appointed the Acting Speaker until a new Speaker is elected by Parliament.
WHY SEAH KIAN PENG?
Analysts said that Mr Seah was chosen because apart from being a veteran MP, he has also served as Deputy Speaker between 2011 and 2015.
Former Nominated MP Eugene Tan said that PM Lee would want in a new Speaker "someone who is authoritative and confident in the chair while also seen to be impartial" as it is imperative that the credibility of the Speaker be restored.
"As such, Mr Seah fits the bill," said the associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University.
However, the appointment of Mr Seah, a fellow Marine Parade GRC MP alongside the recently resigned Mr Tan, could raise questions from residents there.
"If I were a Marine Parade resident, I would probably be having mixed feelings," said Assistant Professor Walid Jumblatt Abdullah of the School of Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University.
"On one hand, my GRC has more political office holders, which is good. On the other, the absence of backbenchers would mean that there is perhaps no one to speak on my behalf in Parliament."
However, political scientist Chong Ja Ian at the National University of Singapore said that it is not uncommon for MPs to "double hat" as ministers, and so the Speaker role should be no different.
"If they are unable to serve their constituents while facing other duties, they should not take those additional duties regardless of whether they are political appointments or private sector employment," he said.
The analysts added that Mr Seah need not leave his role at NTUC Enterprise, as the Speaker is not a full-time position.
The Public Service Division website states that Parliament applies a 50 per cent discount to the allowances of both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker as they are "not full-time positions".
However, even though there is no constitutional provision for the Speaker to be a full-time role, a Speaker can still treat it as such.
Said Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, senior international affairs analyst at management consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore: "Given the demands and rigours of the role alongside the responsibilities of being an MP, it is prudent and customary for the Speaker role to be a full-time job."
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
According to the standing orders of Parliament, any MP may nominate another person or himself to the office. If only one candidate is proposed, he shall be declared by the Clerk of Parliament to be elected as the Speaker.
If more than one candidate is proposed, Parliament shall proceed to elect a Speaker by ballot.
The next Parliament sitting will be on Aug 2.
Political pundits previously told TODAY that the circumstances of Mr Tan's resignation meant more intense scrutiny on his successor, with an increased focus on the importance of the Speaker's impartiality.
Prior to Mr Tan's term as Speaker from 2017 to 2023, Madam Halimah Yacob served for four years from 2013 to 2017 before she stood down to successfully run for the Elected Presidency.
Her predecessor, Mr Michael Palmer, served for one year and resigned in 2012 after admitting to an extramarital affair.
Before that, those serving in the role did so for relatively long periods.
Mr Abdullah Tarmugi served for nine years from 2002 to 2011 while Mr Tan Soo Khoon served for 13 years from 1989 to 2002.
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