9 new NMPs to give fresh ideas on ageing, heritage, economic restructuring

SINGAPORE - A disabled lawyer, a veteran historian and a social entrepreneur are among nine people who have been selected to be new Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) to provide fresh perspectives on the social and economic challenges facing Singapore in the coming years.

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Here is the statement from the office of the Clerk of Parliament:

On February 9, 2012, the President, on the nomination of the Special Select Committee of Parliament, appointed nine persons as nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) for a two and a half year term. The term of service of the nine Nominated Members of Parliament expired on August 8, 2014.

The Special Select Committee had invited the general public and functional groups to submit names of persons for its consideration for appointment as NMPs on 15 April 2014. Submissions closed on 20 May 2014 and a total of 36 proposal forms were received. The Committee considered all 36 candidates in its assessment of suitable candidates for appointment as NMPs.

At the conclusion of its deliberations, the Special Select Committee nominated the following nine persons to the President to fill the NMP vacancies:

1. Ms Chia Yong Yong

Ms Chia is a lawyer with Yusarn Audrey. She has been the President of the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) since 2008. Under her leadership, SPD has expanded the number of satellite centres to serve the disabled and launched a variety of programmes to help people with disabilities to integrate with the community. Ms Chia was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2013 and the President's Social Service Award in 2011.

2. Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng

Mr Chua is the Chairman and Managing Director of Teckwah Industrial Corporation Limited. He is also the President of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Chinese Development Assistance Council, is Vice-President of the Singapore Hokkien Kuay Huan and is a Director of Business China. He was previously a Board Member of SPRING Singapore. Mr Chua was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2012.

3. Mr Karthikeyan s/o R. Krishnamurthy

Mr Karthikeyan is the Vice-President of the National Trades Union Congress and the General Secretary of the United Workers of Petroleum Industry. His interests are in promoting workplace safety and health, and workers' skills upgrading. He is the Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Chemical Industries Committee. He has been a Member of the Economic Review Committee, National Wages Council and the Public Transport Council. Mr Karthikeyan was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2008.

4. Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin

Ms Kuik is the co-founder and Creative Director of the The Thought Collective, a local group of enterprises. Her interest is in working with youths and she is a Board Member of *SCAPE Youth Talent and Leadership Development. She writes regularly for the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre's monthly e-newsletter "SALT", a platform for social issues.

5. Mr Mohd Ismail bin Hussein

Mr Mohd Ismail is the Head of the Islamic Community Financial Services of Maybank Singapore. He also serves as a Director on the Board of Directors of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP). Mr Mohd Ismail has been active in the area of corporate social responsibility, focussing on the disadvantaged and youth-at-risk.

6. Ms Rita Soh Siow Lan

Ms Soh is a Director of RDC Architects Pte Ltd. She has been President of the Singapore Board of Architects since 2010 and was President of the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) from 2004 to 2007. As the SIA President, she had worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to review policies and guidelines on conservation, urban design and development control. She had previously served in the URA in various capacities and was also a Board Member of the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).

7. Dr Benedict Tan Chi'-Loong

Dr Tan is the Chief and Senior Consultant at the Changi Sports Medicine Centre. He is a former national sailor, who had won gold medals in the 1994 Asian Games and the SEA Games in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1995. He won many awards including the National Youth Council's Singapore Youth Award and the Public Service Star in 1995, the Singapore Medical Association's Merit Award in 2003, the Best Healthcare Provider Award 2005/2006 and the NUS Certificate of Commendation in 2013. He serves on various committees and boards related to sports.

8. Assoc Prof Randolph Tan Gee Kwang

Assoc Prof Tan is a Deputy Director of the Centre for Applied Research at SIM University. He has published many academic articles and taught on the subjects of statistics, econometrics and applied economics. His research work includes labour and housing matters. Assoc Prof Tan was conferred the "Teacher of the Specialisation Award" by the Nanyang Business School in 1997.

9. Prof Tan Tai Yong

Prof Tan is the Vice Provost of the National University of Singapore and a founding Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies. A professor of history, he has published books and academic articles. He is the Honorary Chairman of the National Museum of Singapore and had served on history and heritage organisations including the National Heritage Board and the National Archives of Singapore. Prof Tan was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2009.

Mdm Halimah Yacob, Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Committee said: "We looked for eligible candidates who had distinguished themselves through their contributions to society or in their respective fields, and who could bring their specialised knowledge to add to the depth and breadth of the debates in Parliament. The Committee also took into consideration the candidates' ability to contribute alternative ideas and fresh perspectives as this will help Singapore navigate challenges in the years ahead."

Dr Ng Eng Hen, Leader of the House, Minister of Defence and a member of the Committee said: "We had many high quality candidates to choose from and the Committee had a difficult task to nominate only a maximum of nine NMPs. In addition to the qualities enumerated by the Speaker, we also looked for new NMPs who could add to the discussions of issues facing Singapore in this term. These included, among others, issues related to ageing, economic restructuring and productivity, sporting excellence, a better living environment, retention of our heritage and appreciation of Singapore's history, challenges of working mothers, aspirations of the youth and the entrepreneurial spirit. We believe that the new NMPs will help Singapore deal with these challenges."