A special constitutional committee has nominated nine Singaporeans to the parliament. Among the nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs), five are new faces while the rest are currently serving their term as members of parliament
An eight-member committee headed by Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob made the recommendation to the president, who will formally appoint the new members to a two-and-a-half-year term in the parliament.
The committee screened as many as 41 candidates proposed by the general public and functional groups in a nation-wide search process before choosing the final nine. "Most of the persons proposed were of a high quality and this made the selection of nine candidates a challenge," Speaker Halimah Yacob said, according to the Channel News Asia.
Under a constitutional provision made in 1990, up to 9 Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) can be appointed, to ensure a wide representation of community views in Parliament.
President Tony Tan will formally appoint the nine nominated members on March 22.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said In January that NMPs will have equal voting rights as elected members of parliament and that the Constitution will be amended to increase the number of NMPs 12.
New faces among the nominated Members of Parliament
Azmoon Ahmad
Azmoon, who currently serves as a member of the Committee on the Future Economy, is the Senior Vice-President of Desay SV Automotive (Global). He had previously served as the Chairman of Association of Muslim Professionals.
Ganesh Rajaram
Rajaram, the Executive Vice-President (Asia) of Fremantlemedia International, is also currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Media Development Authority of Singapore.
Kok Heng Leun
Theatre personality Kok is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Drama Box. He is also a member of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Programme Committee.
Mahdev Mohan
Academic Mohan is an Assistant Professor of Law at Singapore Management University (SMU). He is also the Executive Director of the Singapore Society of International Law.
K Thanaletchimi
Healthcare expert Thanaletchimi is the President of Healthcare Services Employees' Union (HSEU) and an elected member of the NTUC Central Committee and a board member of Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP).
Re-nominated members
Chia Yong Yong
Lawyer Chia is currently working with Yusarn Audrey and she has been the President of the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) since 2008.
Thomas Chua Kee Seng
Chua is Chairman and Managing Director of Teckwah Industrial Corporation and President of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Kuik Shiao-Yin
Ms Kuik is the co-founder and Creative Director of The Thought Collective and a board member of *SCAPE Youth Talent and Leadership Development.
Randolph Tan Gee Kwang:
Economist Tan is a Deputy Director of the Centre for Applied Research at SIM University (UniSIM).
