Seah Kian Peng to be nominated Singapore's new Speaker of Parliament

SINGAPORE: Marine Parade MP Seah Kian Peng will be nominated as Singapore's new Speaker of Parliament at the next sitting in August, announced the Prime Minister's Office on Friday (Jul 21).

The Speaker's post became vacant after Tan Chuan-Jin resigned from parliament and the People's Action Party (PAP) this week over an affair with fellow MP Cheng Li Hui. 

Mr Tan, 54, also made headlines earlier this month for his use of "unparliamentary language" in the House. He was heard muttering an expletive following a speech by Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim.

Mr Seah, 61, spent a large part of his career with the NTUC group of companies, helming different portfolios.

He is currently the Group CEO of NTUC Enterprise, which includes social enterprises like Singapore's largest supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice, NTUC LearningHub and Kopitiam.

He stepped down last year as Group CEO of NTUC FairPrice, a role he held concurrently with his appointment as CEO of NTUC Enterprise.

Mr Seah has been a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC since 2006 when he was first elected. He was Deputy Speaker from October 2011 to January 2016.

He most recently spoke in parliament on the Maintenance of Parents Act, having led a nine-member workgroup formed in 2022 to review the legislation.

Mr Seah is also a board member of the Singapore Olympic Foundation, and previously served on the boards of the Centre for Fathering, the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprises, the National Parks Board and Singtel, among others.

The next parliament sitting will be on Aug 2, when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong intends to nominate Mr Seah. He will become the 11th Speaker if elected.

“It is an honour and privilege to be nominated by PM Lee. As there is a process to the appointment, it is a bit premature to talk about plans,” Mr Seah said.

NTUC Enterprise said its board and management team will work with Mr Seah to "facilitate the nomination". "We will share details in due course," a spokesperson said in response to CNA's queries.

According to the standing orders of parliament, any MP may nominate another to be Speaker. If only one candidate is proposed, he or she will be declared by the Clerk of Parliament to have been elected.

If there is more than one candidate, parliament will elect a Speaker by ballot.

The Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers, who are currently MP Christopher de Souza (PAP-Holland-Bukit Timah) and MP Jessica Tan (PAP-East Coast). Ms Tan is currently Acting Speaker following Mr Tan's resignation. 

Mr Tan, a former Marine Parade MP, became Speaker in 2017 after Madam Halimah Yacob resigned to contest the presidential election. 

The former brigadier-general had been in politics since 2011 and was part of the PAP’s fourth-generation, or 4G, leadership.

In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister on Jul 17, Mr Tan said the recent incident involving his use of unparliamentary language has added to the hurt he has caused his family. 

"There are areas where I have fallen short. I need to take responsibility for them and help heal my family. We need space to recover and work through the issues. I have discussed the matter with my wife and agreed I must step away from politics and devote myself to my family," he added.