Nominated Member of Parliament
Encyclopedia
A Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) is a Member
of the Parliament
of Singapore
who is appointed instead of being elected into office by the people, and who does not belong to any political party or represent any constituency
. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament. The introduction of NMPs in September 1990, effected to bring more independent voices into Parliament, was an important modification of the traditional Westminster parliamentary system
that Singapore had.
NMPs are appointed by the President
for a term of two and a half years on the recommendation of a Special Select Committee chaired by the Speaker of Parliament
. The Committee may nominate persons who have rendered distinguished public service or who have brought honour to Singapore, and also invites proposals of candidates from community groups in the fields of arts and letters, culture, the sciences, business, industry, the professions, social or community service, and the labour movement. In 2009, Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
proposed in Parliament that the Committee should also invite nominations from the people sector such as candidates from the environmental movement, young activists, new citizens, and community and grassroots
leaders. In addition, the Committee must have regard to the need for NMPs to reflect as wide a range of independent and non-partisan
views as possible.
In Parliament, NMPs may participate in debates and may vote on all issues except amendments to the Constitution
, motions
relating to public funds, votes of no confidence
in the Government
, and removing the President from office.
The NMP scheme has been criticized on the grounds that it is undemocratic
, and that unelected NMPs have no incentive to express the electorate's views in Parliament. It has also been claimed that the scheme reinforces the ruling People's Action Party
's technocratic and elitist
view of politics. On the other hand, it is said that NMPs have placed pressure on PAP MPs to be more competent in Parliament.
NMPs have made contributions to Singapore's political landscape. In 1996, the Maintenance of Parents Act became the first public Act
originating from a private member's bill
initiated by an NMP, Professor Walter Woon. During parliamentary debates, NMPs have also offered critical views on Government policies. The scheme was declared a success by the Prime Minister in 2009, and NMPs were made a permanent feature of Parliament – before this change, Parliament had to resolve within six months of every election
whether NMPs should be appointed.
(MP) who is not elected, but chosen by a committee of MPs. Introducing the NMP scheme was a progression of the plan by the Government
, the first step of which was the introduction of the Non-constituency Member of Parliament
(NCMP) scheme, to increase the number of non-government MPs to enable "alternative views to be expressed and dissenting voices to be heard".
During a debate in Parliament
on 29 and 30 November 1989, the First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong
set out the Government's reasons for implementing the scheme. The NMP scheme was a move to provide more opportunities for Singapore
ans to participate in politics. It was a "privilege" extended to Singaporeans who could make valuable contributions to public policy but for good reasons did not desire to enter politics and look after constituencies
. Women were mentioned as an example of people who might be more willing to become NMPs, as many have to handle their families and careers and therefore do not have much spare time.
The aim of the scheme was to create a more "consensual style of government where alternative views are heard and constructive dissent accommodated". NMPs could play a constructive role in contributing to good governance that the Opposition and MPs of the ruling People's Action Party
(PAP) could not provide. While PAP MPs had been encouraged to air opposing views, they were after all Government MPs and were not allowed to vote against the Government unless the Whip was lifted. Moreover, there were very few Opposition MPs. According to Goh, the Opposition had not been constructive as their objective was to discredit the Government so that they could win office. In contrast, NMPs would not belong to any political party, and could therefore represent the views of people who did not identify themselves with the PAP or the Opposition. Thus, NMPs would be able to concentrate on the "substance of the debate rather than form and rhetoric", and provide dissenting and constructive views that would contribute to good government.
Furthermore, with NMPs Parliament would be able to better represent the views of the people. While the ruling party attempted to represent the mainstream political opinion in Singapore and fielded as representative a range of candidates as possible during general elections
, it would inevitably not be able to succeed in completely representing every viewpoint. On the other hand, the Opposition MPs and NCMPs represented anti-establishment voters. Goh expressed the view that people who stood as Opposition candidates usually believed that having the PAP government was bad for Singapore and wished to oust the PAP. Therefore, the range of people likely to be elected to Parliament as Opposition MPs was limited. NMPs could represent the people who disagreed with the PAP but did not wish to oust them from government.
Goh also pointed out that at least 20 other countries had nominated Members in their Houses of Representatives, while noting that each variant of the NMP system had to be tailored to the country in which it was implemented.
The bill
for amending the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore
to implement the NMP scheme was introduced in Parliament and underwent its First Reading on 6 October 1989. On 30 November 1989, the bill was read a second time, and referred to a select committee. The report of the select committee was presented to Parliament on 15 March 1990, and the bill read a third time and enacted as the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Act 1990 on 29 March 1990. It came into force on 10 September 1990.
in Parliament for the second reading of the constitutional amendment bill that was eventually passed to effect the change, the Minister for Home Affairs
Wong Kan Seng
said that the NMP scheme was now well accepted by practically all MPs as it had proven its usefulness and worth. The Government intended to expand the scheme "so that more NMPs can be in Parliament to air views which may not be canvassed by the PAP or by the Opposition. ... We are now proposing to increase the number of NMPs so that a wider cross-section of such views can be canvassed and expressed."
In 2002, an NMP's term of office was extended from two to two and a half years. This was done to avoid the need to select NMPs three times if a particular Parliament lasted its full five-year term. In fact, during the Ninth Parliament, the NMPs had only served 17 days from 1 to 17 October 2001 and attended three sittings before Parliament was dissolved for the 2001 general election.
NMPs were made a permanent feature of Parliament with effect from 1 July 2010. Prior to this change, Parliament had to decide within six months after every election whether to appoint NMPs. The rationale for the changes was given by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament on 27 May 2009. According to him, the main motivation behind having NMPs as a permanent part of the system of government in Singapore was the fact that the scheme had been a great success and had improved the quality of debate in the House: "The scheme has worked well. The NMPs represent non-partisan alternative views in Parliament, and the NMPs have made effective contributions and raised the quality of debate in Parliament. Sometimes, if I may say so, they may have outshone even the Opposition MPs. This NMP scheme should be a permanent part of our political system."
A Special Select Committee chaired by the Speaker of Parliament
and consisting of seven other MPs nominates not more than nine persons to be appointed as NMPs by the President
. The Committee invites the general public and also formally invites groups in the community to submit the names of persons who may be considered for nomination by the Committee. These community groups are in the fields of arts and letters, culture, the sciences, business, industry, the professions, social or community service, and the labour movement. In 2009, Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
proposed in Parliament that the Committee should also invite nominations from the people sector such as candidates from the environmental movement, young activists, new citizens, and community and grassroots
leaders. He felt that "[t]his will give civil society a voice in Parliament and encourage civil society to grow and to mature further". In addition, nominees may be persons who have rendered distinguished public service or who have brought honour to Singapore, and the Committee must have regard to the need for NMPs to reflect as wide a range of independent and non-partisan
views as possible.
The usual term of office for an NMP is two and a half years from the date of appointment. NMPs must vacate their seats if they stand as candidates for any political parties in elections
, or if they are elected as MPs for any constituencies. In addition, like other MPs, an NMP ceases to be a Member of Parliament when Parliament is dissolved, or in a number of situations specified in the Constitution such as ceasing to be a Singapore citizen
, resignation or bankruptcy.
NMPs can vote in Parliament on any bill or motion, except a bill to amend the Constitution; a supply bill, supplementary supply bill or final supply bill; a money bill
; a vote of no confidence
in the Government; and removing the President from office. However, NMPs can still voice their opinions and join debates on the bills and motions they cannot vote on.
in nature given the fact that NMPs are nominated rather than elected by the people for the people. Insofar as the choice of NMP is concerned, the electorate is deprived of its right to personally evaluate each candidate's credentials and exercise control over who gets into Parliament. Secondly, it has also been argued that since Singapore practices representative democracy
, NMPs are useless to the people as, being unelected, they have no incentive to present their views to Parliament. In other words, one should not enjoy the privilege of representing views without bearing the responsibility of serving those whom one represents. At the time the NMP scheme was introduced these points were made by Chiam See Tong
, Leader of the Opposition. The Opposition perceived the scheme as a plan to make it look unnecessary. A similar point has been made by an academic, who has argued that the NMP scheme co-opts more moderate dissenting voices and is thus an attempt to de-legitimize the need for more aggressive opposition. The scheme was also opposed by a number of PAP MPs, including Dr. Tan Cheng Bock
, Dr. Dixie Tan, Aline Wong, and Arthur Beng, though in accordance with party discipline they were eventually required to vote in favour of the constitutional amendment. As Beng said: "This is the constraint upon us, and I guess I will have to continue to live a schizophrenic political life – speaking against, yet voting for a Bill."
From the beginning, the process of appointing NMPs has been weighted towards functional representation of discrete interests. In effect, the NMP scheme reinforces the PAP's technocratic and elitist
view of politics. It is also argued that the Special Select Committee lacks transparency in the manner it chooses its candidates. The Committee is made up of eight PAP MPs and one Opposition Member, and it has been suggested that it is not too far-fetched to think that this could be an underhand method to bring into Parliament persons sharing the PAP's views on policies.
The view has been taken that the presence of NMPs and their participation in Parliamentary debates have placed pressure on PAP MPs to be less complacent and to be more competent in Parliament.
has expressed the view that the scheme serves a function and purpose in the current socio-political climate, though it should not be viewed as a permanent solution for Singapore. The scheme could evolve into a selection–election hybrid, or the selection process itself could become more transparent with clearer criteria on which candidates and selected NMPs alike could be assessed.
It has also been recommended that fringe or minority groups should go through formal, mandatory elections to choose the representatives that will provide them with a voice in Parliament. Thereafter, they may be called "elected representatives". The Government may assist by providing guidelines for the conduct of proper elections. Furthermore, the maximum number of NMPs – nine – is said to be far too small to ensure proper representation of minority groups. Hence, it has been recommended that there should not be any limitation on the number of NMPs.
Professor Maurice Choo and company executive Leong Chee Whye.
As of December 2010, one NMP – Professor Walter Woon Cheong Ming, a law lecturer at the National University of Singapore
– had succeeded in having a public law
enacted based on a private member's bill
he or she had initiated. The law in question is the Maintenance of Parents Act, which entitles parents at least 60 years old and unable to maintain themselves adequately to apply to a tribunal for their children to be ordered to pay maintenance to them. The bill was introduced in Parliament by Woon on 23 May 1994, and eventually passed on 2 November 1995. In that year, the first woman NMP, Dr. Kanwaljit Soin
, also introduced a Family Violence Bill but it did not pass.
Following his term as an NMP, Gerard Ee, a Roman Catholic
, was invited in November 2002 to join a team of seven parliamentarians of different faiths tasked to refine the Declaration of Religious Harmony
, which was presented as the product of interfaith dialogue and understanding. This is an example of how NMPs have influenced soft law
and the legal culture
in Singapore.
On 25 May 2009 during a debate in Parliament, Siew Kum Hong called for a hybrid Parliament in which a limited number of seats would be allocated by way of proportional representation
, while the majority would still be filled the way they are now. He felt this would allow for more diverse views in Parliament, adding that it would be "more consistent with democratic principles than a scheme like the Nominated MP scheme". Siew also noted that while the act of voting was key to democracy and political participation, a large number of Singaporeans do not get to vote at each election because walkovers are prevalent.
NMPs are supposed to be non-partisan but after it had been announced on 7 July 2009 that Calvin Cheng
would be one of the nine people nominated to be NMPs it was disclosed by Today
newspaper that he was a member of Young PAP, the youth wing of the People's Action Party. The following day, Cheng wrote to the newspaper stating that he had formally resigned from Young PAP on 8 July, and that in any case he had been an inactive member, having never collected his membership card or attended any PAP branch activities. This led to criticism that his attitude had been "cavalier" and "whimsical", and that his remarks had raised doubts about the Young PAP's credibility. The Constitution does not explicitly bar NMPs from being members of political parties, and Gerard Ee was also a PAP member when he was an NMP. He did not feel he had to resign, as since he was not subject to the party whip he would not be prevented from expressing independent views in Parliament. Despite these initial criticisms, The Straits Times
reported that Cheng "left the strongest impression on many elected Members of Parliament", following speeches he made during his maiden budget debate in Parliament in 2010. In his final speech during Budget 2011 before Parliament was dissolved for the general election that year, Cheng argued for the Government to educate the Internet generation instead of regulating the Internet to deal with threats such as "misinformation and disinformation", calling it "pointless". He went on to say that the Internet might be a "wild card" during the general election. Subsequently, the Internet was indeed regarded as having played a crucial role in the election.
On 18 August 2009, Viswa Sadasivan
moved a motion for Parliament to reaffirm "its commitment to the nation building tenets as enshrined in the National Pledge
when debating national policies, especially economic policies". He identified one of the tenets of the Pledge as the need to strive to become a "united people, regardless of race, language or religion", and expressed the view that Singaporean society needed to address "apparent contradictions and mixed signals" by unnecessarily emphasizing racial differences. He gave examples where this had occurred: the existence of ethnic based self-help groups, Special Assistance Plan
schools and cultural elitism
; policies concerning Malay-Muslims in the Singapore Armed Forces
and maintaining the current racial distribution in the population; and discussions about whether Singapore was ready for an ethnic minority Prime Minister. The next day, Minister Mentor
Lee Kuan Yew
refuted what he termed Viswa's "false and flawed" arguments, saying he wanted to "bring the House back to earth" on the issue of racial equality in Singapore. He noted that Articles 152 and 153 of the Constitution, which make it the Government's responsibility to care for racial and religious minorities and to recognize the special position of Malays as the indigenous people of Singapore, explicitly impose a duty on the Government not to treat everyone equally. He felt that the tenet in the Pledge that Viswa had referred to was only an aspiration: "It is not reality, it is not practical, it will lead to grave and irreparable damage if we work on that principle. ... [W]e are trying to reach a position where there is a level playing field for everybody which is going to take decades, if not centuries, and we may never get there." Thus, it was not feasible to dismantle institutions that provided assistance to Singaporeans on an ethnic basis. It was the first time since 2007 that Lee had chosen to speak during a debate in Parliament.
Members of the Singapore Parliament
The following is a historical list of members for the current and past ten Parliaments of Singapore:-See also:*1st Parliament of Singapore*2nd Parliament of Singapore*3rd Parliament of Singapore*4th Parliament of Singapore*5th Parliament of Singapore...
of the Parliament
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
who is appointed instead of being elected into office by the people, and who does not belong to any political party or represent any constituency
Constituencies of Singapore
Constituencies in Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies are classified as either single member or group representation constituencies...
. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament. The introduction of NMPs in September 1990, effected to bring more independent voices into Parliament, was an important modification of the traditional Westminster parliamentary system
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
that Singapore had.
NMPs are appointed by the President
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
for a term of two and a half years on the recommendation of a Special Select Committee chaired by the Speaker of Parliament
Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
The speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the head officer in the Parliament of Singapore.The role of the Speaker in Singapore is similar to that in most Commonwealth legislatures. The Speaker presides over the Parliament and enforces the rules in the Standing Orders of Parliament to allow for...
. The Committee may nominate persons who have rendered distinguished public service or who have brought honour to Singapore, and also invites proposals of candidates from community groups in the fields of arts and letters, culture, the sciences, business, industry, the professions, social or community service, and the labour movement. In 2009, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
proposed in Parliament that the Committee should also invite nominations from the people sector such as candidates from the environmental movement, young activists, new citizens, and community and grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
leaders. In addition, the Committee must have regard to the need for NMPs to reflect as wide a range of independent and non-partisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
views as possible.
In Parliament, NMPs may participate in debates and may vote on all issues except amendments to the Constitution
Constitution of Singapore
The Constitution of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore and it is a codified constitution.The constitution cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of the members of parliament on the second and third readings . The president may seek opinion on constitutional issues...
, motions
Motion (parliamentary procedure)
In parliamentary procedure, a motion is a formal proposal by a member of a deliberative assembly that the assembly take certain action. In a parliament, this is also called a parliamentary motion and includes legislative motions, budgetary motions, supplementary budgetary motions, and petitionary...
relating to public funds, votes of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the Government
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
, and removing the President from office.
The NMP scheme has been criticized on the grounds that it is undemocratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, and that unelected NMPs have no incentive to express the electorate's views in Parliament. It has also been claimed that the scheme reinforces the ruling People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
's technocratic and elitist
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...
view of politics. On the other hand, it is said that NMPs have placed pressure on PAP MPs to be more competent in Parliament.
NMPs have made contributions to Singapore's political landscape. In 1996, the Maintenance of Parents Act became the first public Act
Public bill
In the legislative process, a public bill is a bill which proposes a law of general application throughout the jurisdiction in which it is proposed, and which if enacted will hence become a public law or public act....
originating from a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
initiated by an NMP, Professor Walter Woon. During parliamentary debates, NMPs have also offered critical views on Government policies. The scheme was declared a success by the Prime Minister in 2009, and NMPs were made a permanent feature of Parliament – before this change, Parliament had to resolve within six months of every election
Parliamentary elections in Singapore
Parliamentary elections in Singapore must be held within three months after five years have elapsed from the date of the first sitting of a particular Parliament of Singapore. However, in most cases Parliament is dissolved and a general election called at the behest of the Prime Minister before the...
whether NMPs should be appointed.
Implementation
A Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) is a member of the Parliament of SingaporeMembers of the Singapore Parliament
The following is a historical list of members for the current and past ten Parliaments of Singapore:-See also:*1st Parliament of Singapore*2nd Parliament of Singapore*3rd Parliament of Singapore*4th Parliament of Singapore*5th Parliament of Singapore...
(MP) who is not elected, but chosen by a committee of MPs. Introducing the NMP scheme was a progression of the plan by the Government
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
, the first step of which was the introduction of the Non-constituency Member of Parliament
Non-Constituency Member of Parliament
Non-Constituency Members of Parliament are members of the opposition parties who are appointed as members of the Parliament of Singapore even though they had lost in the parliamentary election....
(NCMP) scheme, to increase the number of non-government MPs to enable "alternative views to be expressed and dissenting voices to be heard".
During a debate in Parliament
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
on 29 and 30 November 1989, the First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
set out the Government's reasons for implementing the scheme. The NMP scheme was a move to provide more opportunities for Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
ans to participate in politics. It was a "privilege" extended to Singaporeans who could make valuable contributions to public policy but for good reasons did not desire to enter politics and look after constituencies
Constituencies of Singapore
Constituencies in Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies are classified as either single member or group representation constituencies...
. Women were mentioned as an example of people who might be more willing to become NMPs, as many have to handle their families and careers and therefore do not have much spare time.
The aim of the scheme was to create a more "consensual style of government where alternative views are heard and constructive dissent accommodated". NMPs could play a constructive role in contributing to good governance that the Opposition and MPs of the ruling People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP) could not provide. While PAP MPs had been encouraged to air opposing views, they were after all Government MPs and were not allowed to vote against the Government unless the Whip was lifted. Moreover, there were very few Opposition MPs. According to Goh, the Opposition had not been constructive as their objective was to discredit the Government so that they could win office. In contrast, NMPs would not belong to any political party, and could therefore represent the views of people who did not identify themselves with the PAP or the Opposition. Thus, NMPs would be able to concentrate on the "substance of the debate rather than form and rhetoric", and provide dissenting and constructive views that would contribute to good government.
Furthermore, with NMPs Parliament would be able to better represent the views of the people. While the ruling party attempted to represent the mainstream political opinion in Singapore and fielded as representative a range of candidates as possible during general elections
Parliamentary elections in Singapore
Parliamentary elections in Singapore must be held within three months after five years have elapsed from the date of the first sitting of a particular Parliament of Singapore. However, in most cases Parliament is dissolved and a general election called at the behest of the Prime Minister before the...
, it would inevitably not be able to succeed in completely representing every viewpoint. On the other hand, the Opposition MPs and NCMPs represented anti-establishment voters. Goh expressed the view that people who stood as Opposition candidates usually believed that having the PAP government was bad for Singapore and wished to oust the PAP. Therefore, the range of people likely to be elected to Parliament as Opposition MPs was limited. NMPs could represent the people who disagreed with the PAP but did not wish to oust them from government.
Goh also pointed out that at least 20 other countries had nominated Members in their Houses of Representatives, while noting that each variant of the NMP system had to be tailored to the country in which it was implemented.
The bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
for amending the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore
Constitution of Singapore
The Constitution of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore and it is a codified constitution.The constitution cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of the members of parliament on the second and third readings . The president may seek opinion on constitutional issues...
to implement the NMP scheme was introduced in Parliament and underwent its First Reading on 6 October 1989. On 30 November 1989, the bill was read a second time, and referred to a select committee. The report of the select committee was presented to Parliament on 15 March 1990, and the bill read a third time and enacted as the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Act 1990 on 29 March 1990. It came into force on 10 September 1990.
Modifications
From 1 September 1997, the maximum number of NMPs in Parliament was increased from six to nine. Introducing a motionMotion (parliamentary procedure)
In parliamentary procedure, a motion is a formal proposal by a member of a deliberative assembly that the assembly take certain action. In a parliament, this is also called a parliamentary motion and includes legislative motions, budgetary motions, supplementary budgetary motions, and petitionary...
in Parliament for the second reading of the constitutional amendment bill that was eventually passed to effect the change, the Minister for Home Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore)
The Ministry of Home Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for public safety, civil defence and immigration. It is also known as the Home Team. It is headed by the Minister for Home Affairs....
Wong Kan Seng
Wong Kan Seng
Wong Kan Seng is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he served as the country's Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2011...
said that the NMP scheme was now well accepted by practically all MPs as it had proven its usefulness and worth. The Government intended to expand the scheme "so that more NMPs can be in Parliament to air views which may not be canvassed by the PAP or by the Opposition. ... We are now proposing to increase the number of NMPs so that a wider cross-section of such views can be canvassed and expressed."
In 2002, an NMP's term of office was extended from two to two and a half years. This was done to avoid the need to select NMPs three times if a particular Parliament lasted its full five-year term. In fact, during the Ninth Parliament, the NMPs had only served 17 days from 1 to 17 October 2001 and attended three sittings before Parliament was dissolved for the 2001 general election.
NMPs were made a permanent feature of Parliament with effect from 1 July 2010. Prior to this change, Parliament had to decide within six months after every election whether to appoint NMPs. The rationale for the changes was given by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament on 27 May 2009. According to him, the main motivation behind having NMPs as a permanent part of the system of government in Singapore was the fact that the scheme had been a great success and had improved the quality of debate in the House: "The scheme has worked well. The NMPs represent non-partisan alternative views in Parliament, and the NMPs have made effective contributions and raised the quality of debate in Parliament. Sometimes, if I may say so, they may have outshone even the Opposition MPs. This NMP scheme should be a permanent part of our political system."
Appointment, term of office, and powers
The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution sets out the process for the appointment of NMPs.A Special Select Committee chaired by the Speaker of Parliament
Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
The speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the head officer in the Parliament of Singapore.The role of the Speaker in Singapore is similar to that in most Commonwealth legislatures. The Speaker presides over the Parliament and enforces the rules in the Standing Orders of Parliament to allow for...
and consisting of seven other MPs nominates not more than nine persons to be appointed as NMPs by the President
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
. The Committee invites the general public and also formally invites groups in the community to submit the names of persons who may be considered for nomination by the Committee. These community groups are in the fields of arts and letters, culture, the sciences, business, industry, the professions, social or community service, and the labour movement. In 2009, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
proposed in Parliament that the Committee should also invite nominations from the people sector such as candidates from the environmental movement, young activists, new citizens, and community and grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
leaders. He felt that "[t]his will give civil society a voice in Parliament and encourage civil society to grow and to mature further". In addition, nominees may be persons who have rendered distinguished public service or who have brought honour to Singapore, and the Committee must have regard to the need for NMPs to reflect as wide a range of independent and non-partisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
views as possible.
The usual term of office for an NMP is two and a half years from the date of appointment. NMPs must vacate their seats if they stand as candidates for any political parties in elections
Parliamentary elections in Singapore
Parliamentary elections in Singapore must be held within three months after five years have elapsed from the date of the first sitting of a particular Parliament of Singapore. However, in most cases Parliament is dissolved and a general election called at the behest of the Prime Minister before the...
, or if they are elected as MPs for any constituencies. In addition, like other MPs, an NMP ceases to be a Member of Parliament when Parliament is dissolved, or in a number of situations specified in the Constitution such as ceasing to be a Singapore citizen
Singaporean nationality law
Singaporean nationality law is derived from the Constitution of Singapore and is based on jus sanguinis and a modified form of jus soli...
, resignation or bankruptcy.
NMPs can vote in Parliament on any bill or motion, except a bill to amend the Constitution; a supply bill, supplementary supply bill or final supply bill; a money bill
Money bill
In the Westminster system , a money bill or supply bill is a bill that solely concerns taxation or government spending , as opposed to changes in public law.- Conventions :...
; a vote of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the Government; and removing the President from office. However, NMPs can still voice their opinions and join debates on the bills and motions they cannot vote on.
Assessment
Right from the Parliamentary debates that led to the introduction of the NMP scheme, it has been argued that the scheme is undemocraticDemocracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in nature given the fact that NMPs are nominated rather than elected by the people for the people. Insofar as the choice of NMP is concerned, the electorate is deprived of its right to personally evaluate each candidate's credentials and exercise control over who gets into Parliament. Secondly, it has also been argued that since Singapore practices representative democracy
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
, NMPs are useless to the people as, being unelected, they have no incentive to present their views to Parliament. In other words, one should not enjoy the privilege of representing views without bearing the responsibility of serving those whom one represents. At the time the NMP scheme was introduced these points were made by Chiam See Tong
Chiam See Tong
Chiam See Tong is a politician and lawyer from Singapore. He is the country's longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament . Between 1984 and 2011, he represented the constituency of Potong Pasir in Singapore's Parliament....
, Leader of the Opposition. The Opposition perceived the scheme as a plan to make it look unnecessary. A similar point has been made by an academic, who has argued that the NMP scheme co-opts more moderate dissenting voices and is thus an attempt to de-legitimize the need for more aggressive opposition. The scheme was also opposed by a number of PAP MPs, including Dr. Tan Cheng Bock
Tan Cheng Bock
Tan Cheng Bock is a politician and physician from Singapore. Tan was a People's Action Party Member of Parliament in Singapore politics for 26 years and the first non cabinet minister elected into the People's Action Party Central Executive Committee .-Early life:Tan was educated at Radin Mas...
, Dr. Dixie Tan, Aline Wong, and Arthur Beng, though in accordance with party discipline they were eventually required to vote in favour of the constitutional amendment. As Beng said: "This is the constraint upon us, and I guess I will have to continue to live a schizophrenic political life – speaking against, yet voting for a Bill."
From the beginning, the process of appointing NMPs has been weighted towards functional representation of discrete interests. In effect, the NMP scheme reinforces the PAP's technocratic and elitist
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...
view of politics. It is also argued that the Special Select Committee lacks transparency in the manner it chooses its candidates. The Committee is made up of eight PAP MPs and one Opposition Member, and it has been suggested that it is not too far-fetched to think that this could be an underhand method to bring into Parliament persons sharing the PAP's views on policies.
The view has been taken that the presence of NMPs and their participation in Parliamentary debates have placed pressure on PAP MPs to be less complacent and to be more competent in Parliament.
Suggestions for improvement
Singapore opposition parties generally feel that the NMP scheme cannot be improved as it goes against the most fundamental democratic ideals of fair representation and elections. Despite such calls to do away entirely with the NMP system, there are also those who believe in the scheme and have raised points for its improvement. NMP Viswa SadasivanViswa Sadasivan
Viswaroopan Sadasivan is a Nominated Member of Parliament in the Parliament of Singapore.-Biography:Viswa had his secondary school education at Raffles Institution, before going on to do a degree in political science at the National University of Singapore...
has expressed the view that the scheme serves a function and purpose in the current socio-political climate, though it should not be viewed as a permanent solution for Singapore. The scheme could evolve into a selection–election hybrid, or the selection process itself could become more transparent with clearer criteria on which candidates and selected NMPs alike could be assessed.
It has also been recommended that fringe or minority groups should go through formal, mandatory elections to choose the representatives that will provide them with a voice in Parliament. Thereafter, they may be called "elected representatives". The Government may assist by providing guidelines for the conduct of proper elections. Furthermore, the maximum number of NMPs – nine – is said to be far too small to ensure proper representation of minority groups. Hence, it has been recommended that there should not be any limitation on the number of NMPs.
Notable NMPs
The first two NMPs appointed with effect from 22 November 1990 were cardiologistCardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
Professor Maurice Choo and company executive Leong Chee Whye.
As of December 2010, one NMP – Professor Walter Woon Cheong Ming, a law lecturer at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
– had succeeded in having a public law
Public bill
In the legislative process, a public bill is a bill which proposes a law of general application throughout the jurisdiction in which it is proposed, and which if enacted will hence become a public law or public act....
enacted based on a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
he or she had initiated. The law in question is the Maintenance of Parents Act, which entitles parents at least 60 years old and unable to maintain themselves adequately to apply to a tribunal for their children to be ordered to pay maintenance to them. The bill was introduced in Parliament by Woon on 23 May 1994, and eventually passed on 2 November 1995. In that year, the first woman NMP, Dr. Kanwaljit Soin
Kanwaljit Soin
Dr Kanwaljit Soin is a consultant orthopaedic & hand surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore.She studied in Tanjong Katong Girls' School for her secondary education and Victoria School for her pre-university education, and received her MBBS Hons in 1966 when she graduated top of her class...
, also introduced a Family Violence Bill but it did not pass.
Following his term as an NMP, Gerard Ee, a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholicism in Singapore
Roman Catholicism is practiced by about 4.6% of Singapore's populace, or about 210,000 people. Roman Catholicism is practiced by people of Chinese and Eurasian descent, along with a Filipino, Indian and European minority.- History :...
, was invited in November 2002 to join a team of seven parliamentarians of different faiths tasked to refine the Declaration of Religious Harmony
Declaration of Religious Harmony
The Declaration of Religious Harmony of Singapore is a statement that affirms the importance of, and the commitment of Singaporeans towards, religious harmony...
, which was presented as the product of interfaith dialogue and understanding. This is an example of how NMPs have influenced soft law
Soft law
The term "soft law" refers to quasi-legal instruments which do not have any legally binding force, or whose binding force is somewhat "weaker" than the binding force of traditionallaw, often contrasted with soft law by being referred to as "hard law"...
and the legal culture
Legal culture
Legal cultures are described as being temporary outcomes of interactions and occur pursuant to a challenge and response paradigm. Analyses of core legal paradigms shape the characteristics of individual and distinctive legal cultures....
in Singapore.
On 25 May 2009 during a debate in Parliament, Siew Kum Hong called for a hybrid Parliament in which a limited number of seats would be allocated by way of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, while the majority would still be filled the way they are now. He felt this would allow for more diverse views in Parliament, adding that it would be "more consistent with democratic principles than a scheme like the Nominated MP scheme". Siew also noted that while the act of voting was key to democracy and political participation, a large number of Singaporeans do not get to vote at each election because walkovers are prevalent.
NMPs are supposed to be non-partisan but after it had been announced on 7 July 2009 that Calvin Cheng
Calvin Cheng
Calvin Ern-Lee Cheng is a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore, and a leading figure in the fashion modelling industry in Asia, having had senior roles in Elite Model Management, Ford Models, the world's two best known and oldest model agencies...
would be one of the nine people nominated to be NMPs it was disclosed by Today
Today (Singapore newspaper)
Today is a free English-language compact in Singapore published by government-owned MediaCorp print media arm. It is distributed from Monday to Sunday....
newspaper that he was a member of Young PAP, the youth wing of the People's Action Party. The following day, Cheng wrote to the newspaper stating that he had formally resigned from Young PAP on 8 July, and that in any case he had been an inactive member, having never collected his membership card or attended any PAP branch activities. This led to criticism that his attitude had been "cavalier" and "whimsical", and that his remarks had raised doubts about the Young PAP's credibility. The Constitution does not explicitly bar NMPs from being members of political parties, and Gerard Ee was also a PAP member when he was an NMP. He did not feel he had to resign, as since he was not subject to the party whip he would not be prevented from expressing independent views in Parliament. Despite these initial criticisms, The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
reported that Cheng "left the strongest impression on many elected Members of Parliament", following speeches he made during his maiden budget debate in Parliament in 2010. In his final speech during Budget 2011 before Parliament was dissolved for the general election that year, Cheng argued for the Government to educate the Internet generation instead of regulating the Internet to deal with threats such as "misinformation and disinformation", calling it "pointless". He went on to say that the Internet might be a "wild card" during the general election. Subsequently, the Internet was indeed regarded as having played a crucial role in the election.
On 18 August 2009, Viswa Sadasivan
Viswa Sadasivan
Viswaroopan Sadasivan is a Nominated Member of Parliament in the Parliament of Singapore.-Biography:Viswa had his secondary school education at Raffles Institution, before going on to do a degree in political science at the National University of Singapore...
moved a motion for Parliament to reaffirm "its commitment to the nation building tenets as enshrined in the National Pledge
Singapore National Pledge
The Singapore National Pledge is an oath of allegiance to Singapore. It is commonly recited by Singaporeans in unison at public events, especially in schools, in the Singapore Armed Forces and during the National Day Parade.-Origin:...
when debating national policies, especially economic policies". He identified one of the tenets of the Pledge as the need to strive to become a "united people, regardless of race, language or religion", and expressed the view that Singaporean society needed to address "apparent contradictions and mixed signals" by unnecessarily emphasizing racial differences. He gave examples where this had occurred: the existence of ethnic based self-help groups, Special Assistance Plan
Special Assistance Plan
The Special Assistance Plan is a programme in Singapore which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is only available in selected secondary schools. In a SAP school, several subjects may be taught in the mother tongue, alongside other...
schools and cultural elitism
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with...
; policies concerning Malay-Muslims in the Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
and maintaining the current racial distribution in the population; and discussions about whether Singapore was ready for an ethnic minority Prime Minister. The next day, Minister Mentor
Minister Mentor
Minister Mentor is a Singapore cabinet position created in 2004 as part of a leadership transition.The newly appointed Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong , announced Lee Kuan Yew's new title together with the naming of his Cabinet on August 12, 2004...
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
refuted what he termed Viswa's "false and flawed" arguments, saying he wanted to "bring the House back to earth" on the issue of racial equality in Singapore. He noted that Articles 152 and 153 of the Constitution, which make it the Government's responsibility to care for racial and religious minorities and to recognize the special position of Malays as the indigenous people of Singapore, explicitly impose a duty on the Government not to treat everyone equally. He felt that the tenet in the Pledge that Viswa had referred to was only an aspiration: "It is not reality, it is not practical, it will lead to grave and irreparable damage if we work on that principle. ... [W]e are trying to reach a position where there is a level playing field for everybody which is going to take decades, if not centuries, and we may never get there." Thus, it was not feasible to dismantle institutions that provided assistance to Singaporeans on an ethnic basis. It was the first time since 2007 that Lee had chosen to speak during a debate in Parliament.
| List of NMPs | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7th Parliament (22 November 1990 – 13 August 1991)
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8th Parliament (7 September 1992 – 6 September 1994)
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8th Parliament (7 September 1994 – 15 December 1996)
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| 9th Parliament (1 October 1997 – 30 September 1999)
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9th Parliament (1 October 1999 – 30 September 2001)
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9th Parliament (1–17 October 2001)
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| 10th Parliament (2 July 2002 – 1 January 2005)
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10th Parliament (2 January 2005 – 19 April 2006)
|
11th Parliament 11th Parliament of Singapore The 11th Parliament of Singapore is the current Parliament of Singapore, and has been in session since November 2, 2006. The membership was set by the 2006 Singapore General Election on May 7, 2006, and it has changed twice due to the deaths of Jurong GRC MP Dr Ong Chit Chung in 2008, and Ang Mo... (18 January 2007 – 17 July 2009)
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| 11th Parliament (18 July 2009 – 19 April 2011)
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