Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore

Head officer of legislature

Speaker of the
Parliament of Singapore

Incumbent
Seah Kian Peng
since 2 August 2023

Parliament of Singapore
Style|

* Mr Speaker
(informal)
* The Honourable
(formal)

Type| Presiding officer
Nominator| Prime Minister
Appointer| Parliament
Term length| No term limit
Inaugural holder| George Oehlers
Formation| 5 June 1965; 58 years ago (1965-06-05)
Salary| S$550,000 annually
(including S$192,500 MP salary)
Website| www.parliament.gov.sg
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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[edit]

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[edit]

The wig and ceremonial gown of the Speaker of Parliament on display in Parliament House. The speaker will only wear the gown during the Opening of Parliament ceremony however, the wearing of wig was discontinued in 1993.

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[edit]

No.  | Portrait  | Name
(Birth–Death) | Took office  | Left office  | Party  | Parliament

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 |  | Sir George Oehlers
(1908–1968) | 22 April
1955  | 3 September
1963  |  | Independent  | 1st Legislative Assembly
2nd Legislative Assembly
2 |  | Edmund W. Barker
MP for Tanglin
(1920–2001) | 22 October
1963  | 30 October
1964  |  | People's Action Party | 3rd Legislative Assembly
3 |  | Arumugam Ponnu Rajah
(1911–1999) | 2 November
1964  | 5 August
1966  |  | Independent
1st Parliament
4 |  | Punch Coomaraswamy
(1925–1999) | 17 August
1966  | 18 January
1970  |  | Independent
2nd Parliament
5 |  | Yeoh Ghim Seng
MP for Joo Chiat
(1918–1993) | 27 January
1970  | 17 August
1988  |  | People's Action Party
3rd Parliament
4th Parliament
5th Parliament
6th Parliament
6 |  | Tan Soo Khoon
MP for Brickworks GRC (until 1991)
MP for Bedok GRC (1991–1996)
MP for East Coast GRC (from 1996)
(born 1949) | 9 January
1989  | 17 October
2001  |  | People's Action Party | 7th Parliament
8th Parliament
9th Parliament
7 |  | Abdullah Tarmugi
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1944) | 22 March
2002  | 18 April
2011  |  | People's Action Party | 10th Parliament
11th Parliament
8 |  | Michael Palmer
MP for Punggol East SMC
(born 1968) | 10 October
2011  | 12 December
2012  |  | People's Action Party | 12th Parliament
– |  | Charles Chong
MP for Joo Chiat SMC
(born 1953)
Acting | 12 December
2012 | 14 January
2013 |  | People's Action Party
9 |  | Halimah Yacob
MP for Jurong GRC (until 2015)
MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC (from 2015)
(born 1954) | 14 January
2013  | 7 August
2017  |  | People's Action Party
13th Parliament
– |  | Charles Chong
MP for Punggol East SMC
(born 1953)
Acting | 7 August
2017 | 11 September
2017 |  | People's Action Party
10 |  | Tan Chuan-Jin
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1969) | 11 September
2017  | 17 July
2023  |  | People's Action Party
14th Parliament
– |  | Jessica Tan
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1966)
Acting | 17 July
2023 | 2 August
2023 |  | People's Action Party
11 |  | Seah Kian Peng
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1961) | 2 August
2023  | Incumbent  |  | People's Action Party

## List of deputy speakers[edit]

Portrait  | Name
(Birth–Death) | Took office  | Left office  | Party  | Parliament

|
|
|
|
|

| Richard Lim Chuan Hoe
Nominated MP
(1904–1968) | 26 April
1955  | 31 March
1959  |  | Labour Front
(until 1959) | 1st Legislative Assembly
| Malayan Chinese Association
(from 1959)
| G. Kandasamy
MP for Kampong Kapor
(1921–1999) | 15 July
1959  | 24 September
1961  |  | People's Action Party | 2nd Legislative Assembly
| John Mammen
MP for Telok Blangah | 16 November
1961  | 3 September
1963  |  | People's Action Party | 2nd Legislative Assembly
| Fong Kim Heng
MP for Joo Chiat
(1923–1975) | 9 December
1963  | 9 December
1965  |  | People's Action Party | 3rd Legislative Assembly
1st Parliament
| Punch Coomaraswamy
(1925–1999) | 23 February
1966  | 16 August
1966  |  | Independent  | 1st Parliament
| Yeoh Ghim Seng
MP for Joo Chiat
(1918–1993) | 11 July
1968  | 17 August
1970  |  | People's Action Party | 2nd Parliament
| Tang See Chim
MP for Chua Chu Kang
(born 1930) | 22 November
1972  | 4 December
1980  |  | People's Action Party | 3rd Parliament
4th Parliament
| Hwang Soo Jin
MP for Jalan Kayu
(born 1937) | 6 March
1981  | 3 December
1984  |  | People's Action Party | 5th Parliament
| Tan Soo Khoon
MP for Alexandra
(born 1949) | 1 March
1985  | 17 August
1988  |  | People's Action Party | 6th Parliament
| Lim Boon Heng
MP for Kebun Baru SMC
(born 1947) | 16 January
1989  | 13 August
1991  |  | People's Action Party | 7th Parliament
| Abdullah Tarmugi
MP for Siglap SMC (until 1991)
MP for Bedok GRC (from 1991)
(born 1944) | 16 January
1989  | 30 June
1993  |  | People's Action Party | 7th Parliament
8th Parliament
| Eugene Yap Giau Cheng
MP for Mountbatten SMC (until 1996)
MP for Marine Parade GRC (from 1997) | 26 February
1993  | 17 October
2001  |  | People's Action Party | 8th Parliament
9th Parliament
| Lim Hwee Hua
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1959) | 1 April
2002  | 11 August
2004  |  | People's Action Party | 10th Parliament
| Chew Heng Ching
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1953) | 1 April
2002  | 19 April
2006  |  | People's Action Party | 10th Parliament
| S. Iswaran
MP for West Coast GRC
(born 1962) | 1 September
2004  | 19 April
2006  |  | People's Action Party | 10th Parliament
| Indranee Rajah
MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC
(born 1963) | 8 November
2006  | 18 April
2011  |  | People's Action Party | 11th Parliament
| Matthias Yao
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1956) | 8 November
2006  | 18 April
2011  |  | People's Action Party | 11th Parliament
| Seah Kian Peng
MP for Marine Parade GRC
(born 1961) | 17 October
2011  | 14 January
2016  |  | People's Action Party | 12th Parliament
| Charles Chong
MP for Joo Chiat SMC (until 2015)
MP for Punggol East SMC (from 2015)
(born 1953) | 17 October
2011  | 22 June
2020  |  | People's Action Party | 12th Parliament
13th Parliament
| Lim Biow Chuan
MP for Mountbatten SMC
(born 1963) | 25 January
2016  | 22 June
2020  |  | People's Action Party | 13th Parliament
| Jessica Tan
MP for East Coast GRC
(born 1966) | 31 August
2020  | Incumbent  |  | People's Action Party | 14th Parliament
| Christopher de Souza
MP for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC
(born 1976) | 31 August
2020  | Incumbent  |  | People's Action Party | 14th Parliament

## See also[edit]

* Lists of members of parliament in Singapore

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Constitution, Art. 40(1).
2. ^ a b Lee, Min Kok (8 January 2016). "Halimah Yacob to be renominated as Speaker of Parliament: 7 things you may not know about the post". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
3. ^ a b Constitution, Art. 40(2).
4. ^ a b c d e "Speaker of Parliament". Parliament of Singapore. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
5. ^ Constitution, Art. 40(4).
6. ^ Constitution, Art. 22N.
7. ^ Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, Art. 19(3)(a).

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