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SINGAPORE – Olympic swimmer Mark Chay, conservation scientist Koh Lian Pin and Security Industry Association Director Joshua Thomas Raj are among the nine New Nominee MPs (NMPs) to be appointed by President Halimah Yacob for a period of two and a half years starting next Thursday (January 21).
The others are trade union leader Abdul Samad Abdul Wahab, Sistic chairwoman Janet Ang, GuocoLand Group CEO Cheng Hsing Yao, Singapore Management University professor and economist Hoon Hian Teck, dental surgeon and member of the National Youth Council Shahira Abdullah, and the president of the Singapore Medical Association, Tan Yia Nadó.
They are all PNM for the first time and Parliament announced their names on Thursday (January 14).
They were chosen by a Special Select Committee of Parliament, chaired by Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, from a total of 61 nominated candidates.
Tan said, “With many high-caliber candidates coming forward for consideration, it was not an easy task for the select committee to nominate the maximum of nine NMPs.”
“After careful deliberation, we have determined that the nine nominees have met all constitutional criteria and are eligible for appointment,” he added.
Collectively, they also have meritorious achievements in their individual fields and a good understanding of the subjects they are passionate about. Therefore, I look forward to the rich diversity of knowledge and experience that you can bring to the House when we discuss issues related to Singapore and Singaporeans. “
House Leader Indranee Rajah, who is a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and was also on the eight-member committee, said it had been a difficult task to shortlist these nine out of 61 applicants.
“We have a good list of nine NMPs who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to society or in their respective fields, and whose specialized knowledge will add to the depth and breadth of the debates in Parliament,” he said.
“I look forward to the new perspectives and ideas that the new NMPs will bring to Parliament as we work to help Singapore navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and emerge stronger.”
Also on the committee were Ministers Chan Chun Sing, Gan Kim Yong, Maliki Osman and Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of State Gan Siow Huang and Workers’ Party MP for Aljunied GRC Leon Perera.
Here are more details on the nine new national production plans, provided by the committee.
1. Mr. Abdul Samad Abdul Wahab
Abdul Samad is one of the three vice-presidents of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), the general secretary of the Energy and Gas Employees Union and president of the NTUC Cluster of Oil, Petrochemical, Energy and Chemical Unions (OPEC). He has been involved with the labor movement for the last 14 years.
As vice president of NTUC, Mr. Abdul Samad directs the work of the NTUC committees. He represents the trade union movement on the boards of SkillsFuture Singapore and NTUC Learning Hub and is part of the NTUC team at the National Wages Council. Abdul Samad received the Public Service Medal in 2020.
2. Ms. Janet Ang Guat Har
Ms. Ang is currently the President of Sistic.com and a Non-Executive Director of Singapore Press Holdings. She was appointed Singapore’s designated non-resident ambassador to the Holy See in 2020.
Ms. Ang also chairs the boards of the NUS Institute for Systems Science and Singapore Polytechnic, and is the Vice President of the Singapore Business Federation Foundation (SBF). At SBF, he chairs the digitization committee that works closely with government agencies, trade associations and chambers of commerce to address the digital needs of Singapore businesses. He was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2019.
3. Mr. Mark Chay Jung Jun
Mr. Chay is director of the secretariat of the Global Esports Federation and a national para-swimming coach at the Singapore Disability Sports Council. He was a national athlete and represented Singapore in swimming at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
Mr. Chay is a multiple gold medalist and record holder at the Southeast Asian Games. He was named Athlete of the Year in 2001 and Athlete of the Year in 2002. He was named Chief of Mission at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He continues to contribute by serving as Chairman of the Council’s Athletes Commission National Olympic Singapore.
4. Mr. Cheng Hsing Yao
Mr. Cheng is currently Group Managing Director at GuocoLand Singapore. He is also First Vice President of the Singapore Real Estate Developers Association and a member of the executive committee of the Urban Land Institute Singapore.
Mr. Cheng is a board member of the National Parks Board and serves as a member of the URA Design and Advisory Committee and the Identity and Heritage Association. He is also co-chair of BCA’s Integrated Digital Delivery Steering Committee and Central Buyers Panel. Mr. Cheng received the Medal of Public Administration (Bronze) in 2006 during his service at URA.
5. Professor Hoon Hian Teck
Professor Hoon is currently dean of the Faculty of Economics at Singapore Management University. He has published numerous publications on macroeconomics, international economics, and the Singapore economy and has brought recognition to Singapore through his numerous book publications and academic journal articles, as well as his visiting professor appointments at Columbia University and the University of Harvard.
Professor Hoon received the Fulbright Research Fellowship in 2001 and was a member of the Tripartite Committee for Low Income Workers and Inclusive Growth from 2015 to 2017.
6. Professor Koh Lian Pin
Professor Koh is a world-renowned conservation scientist who has recently returned to Singapore under the National Research Foundation’s Singapore Returning Scientists Program to lead the new Center for Nature-based Climate Solutions at the University. Singapore National (NUS).
It is the sixth beneficiary of this scheme, which seeks to attract overseas-based Singaporean research leaders to Singapore to take up leadership positions at Singapore’s research institutes.
Professor Koh is currently Professor of Conservation Science, Technology and Policy in the NUS Department of Biological Sciences and a member of the Strongest Emerging Task Force to guide Singapore’s economic recovery out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
7. Mr. Joshua Thomas Raj
Mr. Raj is a partner at Tang Thomas and a director of TwinRock, a security agency. He currently serves as president of the Singapore Security Association (SAS). During his tenure as president of SAS, the association was recognized by labor movements for its contributions to workers when it received two May Day Awards (Partner of Labor Movement) in 2018.
He also works as a volunteer lawyer under the Criminal Legal Assistance Program of the Lawyers Association. As chair of the Singapore Forum on Policy and Policy in the NUS Department of Political Science, Mr. Raj helped foster dialogue and engagement with policy makers.
8. Dr. Shahira Abdullah
Dr. Shahira is an associate consultant on the dental surgery team at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. He is also serving his first term as a member of the 16th National Youth Council (NYC). Prior to her involvement in New York, Dr. Shahira has been a dedicated youth leader and was the immediate past Vice President of the Mendaki Club (MClub), with a focus on enhancing professional development opportunities for youth.
In 2019, she was appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth as one of the members of SG’s Youth Action Plan to reach young people about her vision for Singapore 2025.
9. Dr. Tan Yia Swam
Dr. Tan is a physician and currently clinical director of the Thomson Breast Center. She is one of the youngest people and the first woman to be elected president of the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) in 2020 and is also a member of the Singapore Academy of Medicine.
She has been a member of the editorial board and board member of the SMA since 2008 and the news editor of the SMA from 2014 to 2020. She is also a member of the Singapore Doctors Association.
Dr. Tan received the NUS Yong Loo Lin College of Medicine Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2013 and the Singapore Health Quality Service Award (Gold) in 2018.
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