Due to his heavy commitment as one of two chefs de mission for next year’s SEA Games, Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Nicholas Fang has decided not to apply for a second term in Parliament.

The former national fencer said: “This is a major event for Team Singapore athletes, and the next 12 months will be crucial for us, in terms of training and preparing to deliver a strong result for Singapore.”

Mr Fang, who is an associate editor at Channel NewsAsia, said he wanted to focus all his energies on making sure that “we do all that is needed to deliver the best possible result for Team Singapore in 2015”.

“We are all in this massive undertaking together, and it will be a wonderful and exciting experience for each one of us,” said Mr Fang, adding that he hoped he had contributed as an NMP “in a small way”.

Mr Fang’s decision means that out of the eight outgoing NMPs who are eligible to seek a second term, only two — Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan and Jay Gee Melwani Group managing director R Dhinakaran — are putting themselves forward again.

JOY FANG