The Singapore’s Office of the Clerk of Parliament announced on Wednesday that nominations for Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) will be open from Thursday until 4:30 pm on 19 April.
Members of the public can submit names of individuals from various fields, including arts, sports, culture, sciences, business, industry, professions, social or community service, and the labour movement.
Introduced in 1990, the NMP scheme aims to ensure a wide representation of views in Parliament. Nominees should have distinguished public service, brought honor to Singapore, or excelled in their respective fields.
Each term, there can be up to nine NMPs, with terms lasting two and a half years.
Eligible candidates must:
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is a citizen of Singapore;
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is of the age of 21 years or above on the day of nomination;
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whose name appears in a current register of electors;
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is resident in Singapore at the date of his/her nomination and has been so resident for periods amounting in the aggregate to not less than 10 years prior to that date;
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is able, with a degree of proficiency sufficient to enable him/her to take an active part in the proceedings of Parliament, to speak and, unless incapacitated by blindness or other physical cause, to read and write at least one of the following languages, that is to say, English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil; and
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is not disqualified from being a Member of Parliament under Article 45 of the Constitution.
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An eight-member Special Select Committee chaired by Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin will review the candidates.
The committee includes Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for National Development and Finance Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman, Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera, and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Seven functional groups are also invited to submit names of suitable candidates, with appointed coordinators seeking views from constituent organizations.
The groups are: Singapore Business Federation, National Trades Union Congress, National Council of Social Service, People’s Association, National University of Singapore, National Arts and Singapore Academy of Medicine.
After the submission period, the committee will inform elected MPs and seek their views on the proposed individuals, considering various criteria and conducting interviews. The committee will then decide on nominations and submit a list of candidates to the President for appointment as NMPs.
In 2021, nine NMPs were selected from 61 nominations, comprising individuals from various fields, including Olympic swimmer Mark Chay and Singapore Medical Association president Tan Yia Swam.
The term of these NMPs will end in July.
To submit a nomination, download the forms from the Parliament website and submit them online via FormSG or in person at the Office of the Clerk of Parliament at Parliament House.
