Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
{{Short description|Presiding officer of the Parliament of Singapore}}
{{Use Singapore English|date=July 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox Political post
| post = Speaker
| body = the
Parliament of Singapore
| native_name =
| nativenamelang =
| department = Parliament of Singapore
| image = File:Seah Kian Peng.jpg
| imagesize =
| alt =
| incumbent = Seah Kian Peng
| incumbentsince = 2 August 2023
| type = Presiding officer
| style = {{plainlist|
- Mr Speaker
(informal) - The Honourable
(formal)
}}
| residence =
| nominator = Prime Minister
| nominatorpost =
| appointer = Parliament
| appointerpost =
| termlength = No term limit
| formation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1965|6|5}}
| inaugural = George Oehlers
| last =
| abolished =
| succession =
| salary = S$550,000 annually
(in addition to S$192,500 in MP allowance)
| website = [https://www.parliament.gov.sg/about-us/structure/speaker-of-parliament www.parliament.gov.sg]
}}
{{Politics 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 current speaker is the People's Action Party MP for Marine Parade GRC, Seah Kian Peng.
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.
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.
Election
Parliament must elect a speaker at the beginning of each new parliamentary term after a general election.Constitution, Art. 40(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.{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Min Kok|title=Halimah Yacob to be renominated as Speaker of Parliament: 7 things you may not know about the post|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/halimah-yacob-to-be-renominated-as-speaker-of-parliament-7-things-you-may-not-know-about|access-date=7 August 2017|work=The Straits Times|date=8 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807172539/http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/halimah-yacob-to-be-renominated-as-speaker-of-parliament-7-things-you-may-not-know-about|archive-date=7 August 2017|language=en}} The Constitution states that Parliament has the freedom to decide how to elect its speaker.Constitution, Art. 40(2).
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.{{cite web|title=Speaker of Parliament|url=https://www.parliament.gov.sg/about-us/structure/speaker-of-parliament|website=Parliament of Singapore|access-date=7 August 2017}} The speaker cannot be a cabinet minister or parliamentary secretary, 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.Constitution, Art. 40(4).
Role
File:Ceremonial gown of the Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore, ParlConnect, Parliament House, Singapore - 20150306-02.jpg. The speaker will only wear the gown during the Opening of Parliament ceremony however, the wearing of wig was discontinued in 1993.|left]]
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.
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.
As the guardian of parliamentary privileges, MPs look to the speaker for guidance on procedures, and for rulings on any points of order.
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.Constitution, Art. 22N. In terms of state protocol, the speaker sits at the same level as the chief justice of Singapore.
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.
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.Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, Art. 19(3)(a).
List of speakers
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; border:1px #aaf solid;" |
| No.
!Portrait !Name ! width="85" | Took office ! width="85" | Left office ! colspan="2" |Party !Parliament |
|---|
| rowspan="2" |1
| rowspan="2" | | rowspan="2" |Sir George Oehlers | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|22 April}} | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|3 September}} | rowspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Independent}};"| | rowspan="2" |Independent |
| 2nd Legislative Assembly |
| 2
| |E. W. Barker |{{smaller|22 October}} |{{smaller|30 October}} |style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};"| | rowspan="2" |3rd Legislative Assembly |
| style="height:30px;"
| rowspan="2" |3 | rowspan="2" |File:Arumugam Ponnu Rajah, 1951.jpg | rowspan="2" |A. P. Rajah | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|2 November}} | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|5 August}} | rowspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Independent}};"| | rowspan="2" |Independent |
| style="height:30px;"
| rowspan="2" |1st Parliament |
| style="height:30px;"
| rowspan="2" |4 | rowspan="2" | | rowspan="2" |Punch Coomaraswamy | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|17 August}} | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|18 January}} | rowspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Independent}};"| | rowspan="2" |Independent |
| style="height:30px;"
| rowspan="2" |2nd Parliament |
| style="height:30px;"
| rowspan="5" |5 | rowspan="5" | | rowspan="5" |Yeoh Ghim Seng | rowspan="5" |{{smaller|27 January}} | rowspan="5" |{{smaller|17 August}} | rowspan="5" style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};"| | rowspan="5" |People's Action Party |
| 3rd Parliament |
| 4th Parliament |
| 5th Parliament |
| 6th Parliament |
| rowspan="3" |6
| rowspan="3" | | rowspan="3" |Tan Soo Khoon | rowspan="3" |{{smaller|9 January}} | rowspan="3" |{{smaller|17 October}} | rowspan="3" style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};"| | rowspan="3" |People's Action Party |
| 8th Parliament |
| 9th Parliament |
| rowspan="2" |7
| rowspan="2" |133x133px | rowspan="2" |Abdullah Tarmugi | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|22 March}} | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|18 April}} | rowspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};"| | rowspan="2" |People's Action Party |
| 11th Parliament |
| 8
|Michael Palmer |{{smaller|10 October}} |{{smaller|12 December}} |style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};"| | rowspan="3" |12th Parliament |
| –
| |Charles Chong |{{smaller|12 December}} |{{smaller|14 January}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| style="height:30px;"
| rowspan="2" |9 | rowspan="2" |130x130px | rowspan="2" |Halimah Yacob | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|14 January}} | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|7 August}} | rowspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};"| | rowspan="2" |People's Action Party |
| rowspan="3" |13th Parliament |
| –
| |Charles Chong |{{smaller|7 August}} |{{smaller|11 September}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| style="height:30px;"
| rowspan="2" |10 | rowspan="2" |127x127px | rowspan="2" |Tan Chuan-Jin | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|11 September}} | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|17 July}} | rowspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | | rowspan="2" |People's Action Party |
| style="height:30px;"
| rowspan="3" |14th Parliament |
| style="height:30px;"
|– |Jessica Tan |{{smaller|17 July}} |{{smaller|2 August}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| 11
|Seah Kian Peng |{{smaller|2 August}} |Incumbent | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
List of deputy speakers
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; border:1px #aaf solid;" |
| Portrait
!Name ! width="85" | Took office ! width="85" | Left office ! colspan="2" |Party !Parliament |
|---|
| rowspan="2" |File:Richard Lim Chuan Hoe.jpg
| rowspan="2" |R. C. H. Lim | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|26 April}} | rowspan="2" |{{smaller|31 March}} |style="background:{{party color|Labour Front}};" | | rowspan="2" |1st Legislative Assembly |
| style="background:{{party color|Malayan Chinese Association}};" | |
| File:G. Kandasamy, 1953.jpg
|G. Kandasamy |{{smaller|15 July}} |{{smaller|24 September}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |John Mammen {{small|MP for Telok Blangah}} |{{smaller|16 November}} |{{smaller|3 September}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Fong Kim Heng {{small|MP for Joo Chiat (1923–1975)}} |{{smaller|9 December}} |{{smaller|9 December}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Punch Coomaraswamy {{small|(1925–1999)}} |{{smaller|23 February}} |{{smaller|16 August}} |style="background:{{party color|Independent}};"| |
| |Yeoh Ghim Seng {{small|MP for Joo Chiat (1918–1993)}} |{{smaller|11 July}} |{{smaller|17 August}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Tang See Chim {{small|MP for Chua Chu Kang (born 1930)}} |{{smaller|22 November}} |{{smaller|4 December}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Hwang Soo Jin {{small|MP for Jalan Kayu (born 1937)}} |{{smaller|6 March}} |{{smaller|3 December}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Tan Soo Khoon {{small|MP for Alexandra (born 1949)}} |{{smaller|1 March}} |{{smaller|17 August}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Lim Boon Heng {{small|MP for Kebun Baru SMC (born 1947)}} |{{smaller|16 January}} |{{smaller|13 August}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |132x132px
|Abdullah Tarmugi |{{smaller|16 January}} |{{smaller|30 June}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Eugene Yap Giau Cheng {{small|MP for Mountbatten SMC (until 1996) MP for Marine Parade GRC (from 1997)}} |{{smaller|26 February}} |{{smaller|17 October}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| 110x110px
|Lim Hwee Hua |{{smaller|1 April}} |{{smaller|11 August}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Chew Heng Ching {{small|MP for East Coast GRC (born 1953)}} |{{smaller|1 April}} |{{smaller|19 April}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| 132x132px
|S. Iswaran |{{smaller|1 September}} |{{smaller|19 April}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| 125x125px
|Indranee Rajah |{{smaller|8 November}} |{{smaller|18 April}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Matthias Yao {{small|MP for Marine Parade GRC (born 1956)}} |{{smaller|8 November}} |{{smaller|18 April}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| 127x127px
|Seah Kian Peng |{{smaller|17 October}} |{{smaller|14 January}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| |Charles Chong {{small|MP for Joo Chiat SMC (until 2015) MP for Punggol East SMC (from 2015) (born 1953)}} |{{smaller|17 October}} |{{smaller|22 June}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| 127x127px
|Lim Biow Chuan |{{smaller|25 January}} |{{smaller|22 June}} | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| 127x127px
|Jessica Tan |{{smaller|31 August}} |Incumbent | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
| 133x133px
|Christopher de Souza |{{smaller|31 August}} |Incumbent | style="background:{{party color|People's Action Party}};" | |
See also
Notes
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Speakers of the Parliament of Singapore}}
{{Constitution of Singapore}}