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SINGAPORE: Social entrepreneur Anthea Ong has put her name in the ring for a second term as a nominated member of Parliament.
The app was an “eleventh hour effort” after a friend’s suggestion last week, it said in a Facebook post on Monday (November 23). The deadline for submissions is November 23 at 4.30 pm
The term of an NMP typically lasts two and a half years. Ms Ong’s previous term ended when Parliament was dissolved on June 23, less than two years after she was sworn in on October 1, 2018.
READ: Public invited to submit names of nominated members of Parliament
Up to nine MPNs can be appointed in each Parliament.
Various functional or interest groups are generally represented by NMPs, including business and industry, work, the professions, social service organizations, the civic and people sector, tertiary education institutions, and media organizations, arts and sports.
The National Trade Union Congress has nominated 48-year-old trade union leader Abdul Samad Abdul Wahab, while environmental groups have introduced Dr. Andie Ang, 35, a primatologist and president of the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore).
Applications will be considered by a Special Select Committee of Parliament, which will recommend candidates for appointment by the President.
Those nominated to be PNM should have performed a distinguished public service, “brought honor to the Republic,” or distinguished themselves in one of the above fields, the Office of the Secretary of Parliament said when calling applications.
READ: NTUC, environmental activists submit their picks for nominated members of parliament
Ms. Ong said in her Facebook post that, in addition to “the 3M of her heart” (mental health, marginalized communities, including migrant workers and “Mother Earth”), she is willing to advocate for “strengthening the system of NMP as a non-partisan institution, especially when she sees the evils of divisive partisan politics around the world. “
The founder of A Good Space, a cooperative to support active citizenship, has often pushed for a higher priority on mental health. She is known for highlighting the rights of migrant workers and was among those who signed a recent open letter calling for more diverse representation on the Emerging Stronger Task Force.
During a parliamentary debate in May on the COVID-19 outbreak, Ms Ong asked Human Resources Minister Josephine Teo if the government would apologize to Singaporean migrant workers for the “appalling conditions” in the bedrooms.
Ms. Teo then responded that the workers are focused on how the authorities are helping them deal with the situation and she has not come across any worker who has demanded an apology.
Among the NMPs in her tenure, Ms Ong submitted the most parliamentary questions and responded to the most bills, according to a tally by the CNA in February.
READ: For nominated members of Parliament, it’s not just about speaking in Parliament
The other NMPs from the previous term were Mr. Mohamed Irshad Abbas Ali, founder of the interfaith group Roses of Peace; the labor representative Arasu Duraisamy; Sakae Holdings President Douglas Foo; the executive director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Terence Ho; Communications and Media Professor Lim Sun Sun; the president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore Irene Quay; associate professor labor economist Walter Theseira, as well as Paralympic gold medalist Yip Pin Xiu.
