Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
The speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Singapore. The speaker is nominated by the prime minister before being appointed by the Parliament. The speaker is also second in the presidential line of succession. The incumbent speaker is Tan Chuan-Jin, who took office on 11 September 2017.
| Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore | |
|---|---|
| Parliament of Singapore | |
| Style |
|
| Type | Presiding officer |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Singapore |
| Appointer | Parliament of Singapore |
| Term length | No term limit |
| Inaugural holder | George Oehlers |
| Formation | 5 June 1955 |
| Salary | S$550,000 annually (including S$192,500 MP salary) |
| Website | www.parliament.gov.sg |
Although Singapore is modelled after the Westminster system, unlike their counterpart in the United Kingdom—where the speaker must remain strictly non-partisan and renounce all affiliation with their former political parties when taking office and afterwards, the speaker of the Parliament of Singapore can choose to remain partisan.
The speaker is assisted by two deputy speakers, Christopher de Souza and Jessica Tan, who both took office on 31 August 2020. In the event when the speaker is unavailable, the deputy speakers will preside over the parliamentary session.
Election
Parliament must elect a Speaker at the beginning of each new parliamentary term after a general election.[1] Parliament has the freedom to choose how to elect the Speaker. By recent tradition, the Prime Minister nominates a person for the role. The person's name is then proposed and seconded by the Members of Parliament (MPs), before being elected as Speaker.[2] The Constitution states that Parliament has the freedom to decide how to elect its Speaker.[3]
The Speaker may or may not be an elected MP, but must possess the qualifications to stand for election as an MP as provided for in the Constitution.[4] The Speaker cannot be a Cabinet Minister or Parliamentary Secretary,[3] and must resign from those positions prior to being elected as Speaker.
Once elected, a Speaker continues in office until the dissolution of Parliament, unless the speaker resigns, is appointed as a Cabinet minister, Minister of State or Parliamentary Secretary, or is disqualified from holding their seat as an MP.[5]
Role
The role of the Speaker in Singapore is similar to that in most Commonwealth legislatures. The Speaker presides over the sittings of Parliament, and enforces the rules prescribed in its Standing Orders for the orderly conduct of parliamentary business. In carrying out their duties, the Speaker must remain impartial and fair to all MPs.[4]
The Speaker regulates and enforces the rules of debate. They decide who has the right to speak, and put the question for Parliament to debate on and vote. The Speaker does not take part in the debates, but can abstain or vote for or against a motion if they have a vote, as an elected MP.[4]
As the guardian of parliamentary privileges, MPs look to the Speaker for guidance on procedures, and for rulings on any points of order.[4]
The Speaker is second in the line of succession for the office of President of Singapore. Should the President's office be vacant, and the chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers is unable to take up the role, the Speaker will assume the duties of the President until a new President is elected.[6] In terms of state protocol, the Speaker sits at the same level as the Chief Justice of Singapore.[2]
The Speaker acts as Parliament's representative in its relations with other legislatures and outside bodies. The Speaker also welcomes visiting dignitaries, and represents Parliament at national events and during official visits abroad. The Speaker is overall in charge of the administration of Parliament and its Secretariat.[4]
The Speaker is one of the few public sector roles which allow its officeholder to automatically qualify as a candidate in the Singapore presidential elections.[7]
List of speakers
| Portrait | Speaker | Party | Took office | Left office | Parliament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Oehlers (1908–1968) | Independent | 22 April 1955 | 31 March 1959 | 1st Legislative Assembly | |
| 3 June 1959 | 3 September 1963 | 2nd Legislative Assembly | |||
| Edmund William Barker MP for Tanglin (1920–2001) | People's Action Party | 22 October 1963 | 30 October 1964 | 3rd Legislative Assembly | |
| Arumugam Ponnu Rajah (1911–1999) | Independent | 2 November 1964 | 8 August 1965 | ||
| 9 August 1965 | 5 August 1966 | 1st Parliament | |||
| Punch Coomaraswamy (1925–1999) | Independent | 17 August 1966 | 7 February 1968 | ||
| 6 May 1968 | 18 January 1970 | 2nd Parliament | |||
| Yeoh Ghim Seng MP for Joo Chiat (1918–1993) | People's Action Party | 27 January 1970 | 14 August 1972 | ||
| 12 October 1972 | 5 December 1976 | 3rd Parliament | |||
| 7 February 1977 | 4 December 1980 | 4th Parliament | |||
| 3 February 1981 | 3 December 1984 | 5th Parliament | |||
| 25 February 1985 | 17 August 1988 | 6th Parliament | |||
| Tan Soo Khoon MP for Brickworks GRC (until 1991) MP for Bedok GRC (1991–1997) MP for East Coast GRC (from 1997) (born 1949) | People's Action Party | 9 January 1989 | 13 August 1991 | 7th Parliament | |
| 6 January 1992 | 15 December 1996 | 8th Parliament | |||
| 26 May 1997 | 17 October 2001 | 9th Parliament | |||
| Abdullah Tarmugi MP for East Coast GRC (born 1944) | People's Action Party | 22 March 2002 | 19 April 2006 | 10th Parliament | |
| 2 November 2006 | 18 April 2011 | 11th Parliament | |||
| Michael Palmer MP for Punggol East SMC (born 1968) | People's Action Party | 10 October 2011 | 12 December 2012 | 12th Parliament | |
| Halimah Yacob MP for Jurong GRC (until 2015) MP for Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC (from 2015) (born 1954) | People's Action Party | 14 January 2013 | 24 August 2015 | ||
| 15 January 2016 | 7 August 2017 | 13th Parliament | |||
| Tan Chuan-Jin MP for Marine Parade GRC (born 1969) | People's Action Party | 11 September 2017 | 22 June 2020 | ||
| 24 August 2020 | Incumbent | 14th Parliament |
List of deputy speakers
| Portrait | Speaker | Party | Took office | Left office | Parliament | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Lim Chuan Hoe Nominated Member (1904–1968) | Labour Front (until 1959) | 26 April 1955 | 31 March 1959 | 1st Legislative Assembly | Sir George Oehlers | |
| Malayan Chinese Association (from 1959) | ||||||
| G. Kandasamy MP for Kampong Kapor (1921-1999) | People's Action Party | 15 July 1959 | 24 September 1961 | 2nd Legislative Assembly | ||
| John Mammen MP for Telok Blangah | People's Action Party | 16 November 1961 | 3 September 1963 | |||
| Fong Kim Heng MP for Joo Chiat (1923-1975) | People's Action Party | 9 December 1963 | 8 August 1965 | 3rd Legislative Assembly | Edmund William Barker Arumugam Ponnu Rajah | |
| 9 August 1965 | 9 December 1965 | 1st Parliament | Arumugam Ponnu Rajah | |||
| Punch Coomaraswamy (1925–1999) | Independent | 23 February 1966 | 16 August 1966 | |||
| Yeoh Ghim Seng MP for Joo Chiat (1918–1993) | People's Action Party | 11 July 1968 | 26 January 1970 | 2nd Parliament | Punch Coomaraswamy | |
| Tang See Chim MP for Chua Chu Kang (born 1930) | People's Action Party | 22 November 1972 | 5 December 1976 | 3rd Parliament | Yeoh Ghim Seng | |
| 22 February 1977 | 4 December 1980 | 4th Parliament | ||||
| Hwang Soo Jin MP for Jalan Kayu (born 1937) | People's Action Party | 6 March 1981 | 3 December 1984 | 5th Parliament | ||
| Tan Soo Khoon MP for Alexandra (born 1949) | People's Action Party | 1 March 1985 | 17 August 1988 | 6th Parliament | ||
| Lim Boon Heng MP for Kebun Baru SMC (born 1947) | People's Action Party | 16 January 1989 | 13 August 1991 | 7th Parliament | Tan Soo Khoon | |
| Abdullah Tarmugi MP for Siglap SMC (until 1991) MP for Bedok GRC (from 1991) (born 1944) | People's Action Party | 16 January 1989 | 13 August 1991 | |||
| 6 January 1992 | 30 June 1993 | 8th Parliament | ||||
| Eugene Yap Giau Cheng MP for Mountbatten SMC (until 1997) MP for Marine Parade GRC (from 1997) | People's Action Party | 26 February 1993 | 15 December 1996 | |||
| 26 May 1997 | 17 October 2001 | 9th Parliament | ||||
| Lim Hwee Hua MP for Marine Parade GRC (born 1959) | People's Action Party | 1 April 2002 | 11 August 2004 | 10th Parliament | Abdullah Tarmugi | |
| Chew Heng Ching MP for East Coast GRC (born 1953) | People's Action Party | 1 April 2002 | 19 April 2006 | |||
| S. Iswaran MP for West Coast GRC (born 1962) | People's Action Party | 1 September 2004 | 19 April 2006 | |||
| Indranee Rajah MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC (born 1963) | People's Action Party | 8 November 2006 | 18 April 2011 | 11th Parliament | ||
| Matthias Yao MP for Marine Parade GRC (born 1956) | People's Action Party | 8 November 2006 | 18 April 2011 | |||
| Seah Kian Peng MP for Marine Parade GRC (born 1961) | People's Action Party | 17 October 2011 | 24 August 2015 | 12th Parliament | Michael Palmer Halimah Yacob | |
| Charles Chong MP for Joo Chiat SMC (until 2015) MP for Punggol East SMC (from 2015) (born 1953) | People's Action Party | 17 October 2011 | 24 August 2015 | |||
| 25 January 2016 | 22 June 2020 | 13th Parliament | Halimah Yacob Tan Chuan-Jin | |||
| Lim Biow Chuan MP for Mountbatten SMC (born 1963) | 25 January 2016 | 22 June 2020 | ||||
| Jessica Tan Soon Neo MP for East Coast GRC (born 1966) | People's Action Party | 31 August 2020 | Incumbent | 14th Parliament | Tan Chuan-Jin | |
| Christopher de Souza MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC (born 1976) | People's Action Party | 31 August 2020 | Incumbent |
See also
Notes
- ^ Constitution, Art. 40(1).
- ^ a b Lee, Min Kok (8 January 2016). . The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ a b Constitution, Art. 40(2).
- ^ a b c d e "Speaker of Parliament". Parliament of Singapore. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ Constitution, Art. 40(4).
- ^ Constitution, Art. 22N.
- ^ Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, Art. 19(3)(a).