FAQs on Nominated Members of Parliament in Singapore

During election season, you may hear of acronyms such as “MP”, “NMP”, and “NCMP”. These stand for “Members of Parliament”, “Nominated Members of Parliament” and “Non-constituency Members of Parliament” respectively, which are all different types of members of Parliament.

This article focuses on Nominated Members of Parliament, also known as NMPs. It will answer the following FAQs:

• What is an NMP?
• Who can be an NMP?
• How is an NMP appointed?
• What are the roles/functions of an NMP?
• What are some accomplishments by previous NMPs?
• What is an NMP’s term of appointment?
• Are NMPs precluded from joining a political party?

What is an NMP?

An NMP is a member of parliament who is appointed by the President and not affiliated with any political party. The NMP scheme was first introduced in 1990 to provide an independent, non-partisan voice in Parliament.

Then-First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, when arguing for the appointment of NMPs in Parliament, stated that NMPs would “further strengthen our political system by offering Singaporeans more opportunities for political participation and to evolve a more consensual style of government where alternative views are heard and constructive dissent accommodated.”

Who Can be an NMP?

The Constitution provides for the appointment of NMPs. To be an NMP, a person must have achieved at least one of the following:

• Rendered distinguished public service
• Brought honour to Singapore
• Distinguished themselves in the field of arts and letters, culture, the sciences, business, industry, the professions, social or community service or the labour movement

For example, in 2009, Audrey Wong, who had contributed greatly to a notable non-profit art space in Singapore, was appointed as the first NMP distinguishing herself in the field of the arts. In 2018, social entrepreneur Anthea Ong was appointed as an NMP to champion social issues such as mental health and volunteerism. Prior to her appointment, she had raised awareness about mental health issues through founding a silent tea bar which employed the deaf and individuals with mental health issues. She also co-founded a co-operative that aimed to create change for social issues in Singapore.

How is an NMP Appointed?

The procedure for the appointment of an NMP is as follows:

• Within 6 months after Parliament first sits after any general election, a Special Select Committee of Parliament (SSCP) consisting of the Speaker as Chairman and 7 Members of Parliament will be appointed by the Committee of Selection of Parliament
• The SSCP will invite the public to propose people as potential NMPs in a specific proposal form
• The SSCP will consult other Members of Parliament on whether an NMP should be proposed
• The SSCP will propose a maximum of 9 persons to the President as potential NMPs and the President shall decide on which of the 9 proposed persons shall be appointed as NMPs

What are the Roles/Functions of an NMP?

An NMP is nominated by the SSCP and the President to provide a non-partisan view in Parliament. This differs from Members of Parliament (MPs), who are directly elected by the people, and Non-constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs). NCMP seats are offered to opposition candidates who scored the most votes among the losing candidates, if the total number of opposition MPs is below twelve.

Because NMPs do not belong to a specific political party, they can voice concerns that are not necessarily seen as mainstream concerns. NMPs also speak for vulnerable groups even if they do not form a significant voting body. In line with this, former NMP Anthea Ong (mentioned above) has said that the position allowed her “courage and conviction to speak up without fear or favour whether for then-present or future opportunities”.

NMPs have the same voting rights as MPs in Parliament and can also introduce independently-proposed bills or amendment bills to be made to the law.

What are Some Accomplishments by Previous NMPs?

A notable example of an NMP’s contribution to Parliament took place in 1994 when former NMP Walter Woon, who was then vice-dean of the Faculty of Law in the National University of Singapore, proposed the Maintenance of Parents Bill in Parliament. The Bill would allow parents over the age of 60 who are unable to financially maintain themselves to claim maintenance from their children. The Bill was passed in 1995 and became the first law tabled by a non-party member in Parliament.

Unfortunately, other NMPs who also proposed bills have not had much success. In 1996, former NMP Imram Mohamed planned to propose the Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) Bill to allow Muslims to donate their kidneys under the legal protection of the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). Imram Mohamed was a former chairman of the Association of Muslim Professionals and spoke for the Muslim community during his time as NMP. He ultimately withdrew his proposal as there was not enough time for consideration of the Bill before Parliament had to be dissolved. The HOTA was only amended to include Muslims in 2007.

In 2007, former NMP Siew Kum Hong submitted a petition calling for the repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalised intercourse between two men, on the basis that it was unconstitutional. Siew Kum Hong is a lawyer by trade who championed various social causes during his term as NMP. Unfortunately, most members of Parliament opposed the repeal of the law, though it was ultimately repealed in 2022.

Even if not many bills tabled by NMPs have been passed, NMPs have managed to raise awareness about various social issues by debating them publicly in Parliament. In 1995, former NMP Dr Kanwaljit Soin introduced a Family Violence Bill which was not passed in Parliament but managed to raise awareness about the issue of family violence.

In 2012, former NMP Laurence Lien, spoke extensively in Parliament about a “social recession” – i.e. that Singaporeans were losing social bonds and a shared identity – and called for a social review committee. Laurence Lien was then the CEO of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre in Singapore and he focused on the communication between people and the government as NMP. Later that year, the government announced the setting up of Our Singapore Conversation as a way to engage with the public and identify Singaporeans’ priorities, values and preferences. Our Singapore Conversation has led to policy changes in housing, healthcare, and education to better reflect the concerns of Singaporeans.

What is an NMP’s Term of Appointment?

Appointed NMPs will have a maximum term of service of 2 ½ years. This term of service is not renewable, though NMPs can be appointed more than once.

NMPs can be removed from their position if they are disqualified or they can voluntarily resign from their position as well. A person is disqualified from being an NMP if the person is:

• Of an unsound mind
• Is an undischarged bankrupt
• Is the holder of a whole time office in service of the Government (eg. A civil servant)
• Has been convicted of an offence by a Singapore or Malaysian court and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than $10,000, and has not been pardoned
• Has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of, or exercised rights of citizenship in, a foreign country or has declared allegiance to a foreign country
• Did not file returns respecting elections expenses within the time required by law at any previous parliamentary or presidential election (ie. Did not show that they kept under the expenses limit in a previous election – the current expense limit is $5 per voter)
• Is disqualified under the Parliamentary Elections Act or Presidential Elections Act for having committed one of the election offences (eg. Forged a ballot paper, offers to sell any ballot paper to another person, or takes out ballot paper out of a polling station without permission)

NMPs receive an annual allowance of 15% of an MP’s allowance, which is currently $28,900.

Are NMPs Precluded From Joining a Political Party?

On 14 February 2025, two NMPs, Mr Raj Joshua Thomas and Dr Syed Harun Taha Alhabsyi, resigned from their positions before their term was completed. Mr Raj Joshua Thomas is a lawyer and president of the Security Association Singapore who spoke on labour issues such as the Workplace Fairness Bill and a review of the means testing criteria for cases in the Public Defender’s Office when he was NMP. Dr Syed Harun is the first and only Malay-Muslim psychiatrist in Singapore, and spoke on diverse topics such as foreign policy and mental healthcare as an NMP.

Their resignations fuelled speculations that they intended to contest in the 2025 General Elections. Ultimately, Mr Raj Joshua Thomas did not run for the 2025 General Elections while Dr Syed Harun Taha Alhabsyi was elected to run Nee Soon GRC under the People’s Action Party (PAP).

Currently, there is no law excluding the two ex-NMPs from joining a political party after stints as NMPs. There is also no law precluding an NMP from being partisan to a political party while serving time as an NMP. Former National Kidney Foundation chairman Gerard Ee was a member of the People’s Action Party (PAP) when he was an NMP in 1997. His explanation for this was that he would not be subject to the party whip in the role of NMP. Also, on 7 July 2009, it was reported in the newspapers that Calvin Cheng, one of the nine people nominated to be an NMP that year, was a member of Young PAP. He resigned from Young PAP the day after the reports, before he officially became an NMP.

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In conclusion, NMPs are members of parliament nominated by the SSCP and the President to provide diverse, non-partisan views in Parliament.

Today, decades after the NMP scheme was implemented, some say that the NMP scheme is not as relevant as the ruling PAP has become “more progressive” and there are more opposition voices in Parliament nowadays. However, the non-elected, non-partisan NMP position allows members to advocate for contentious issues and potentially implement new laws for the betterment of Singapore society. In order to achieve this, NMPs must continue to speak without fear or favour and steel themselves against those who disagree with them.