By Asia Samachar | Singapore |
Three Indians are among the nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) who will take oath at the next Parliament sitting in August 2023, with lawyer Raj Joshua Thomas returning for a second term.
The other two are Plural Art Mag co-founder Chandradas Usha Ranee and Pegasus Asia CEO Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant.
They rank among the nine NMPs announced yesterday (July17) by the Office of the Clerk of Parliament after being chosen by the Parliament’s Special Select Committee.
The scheme was introduced in 1990, during the prime ministership of Goh Chok Tong, to provide alternative nonpartisan views in the House. NMPs are shortlisted by a Special Select Committee of Parliament from a list of candidates nominated by the public. They serve a term of two-and-a-half years, and up to nine NMPs can be appointed in each Parliament.
“They’re generally there to provide expert advise or opinion,” a political analyst told Asia Samachar.
Dr Kanwaljit Soin, Singapore’s first female orthopaedic surgeon, holds the distinction of being the first female NMP, serving from 1992 to 1996.
The new NMP list includes ABR Holdings Ltd Executive Chairman Chua Tiang Choon Keith, Sing Lun Holdings Pte Ltd CEO Mark Lee Kean Phi, Deutsche Bank AG AVP Ong Hua Han, Singapore University of Social Sciences head of the public safety and security programme Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Freelancers and Self-employed unit director See Jinli and Starfish Psychiatry Pte Ltd consultant psychiatrist Syed Harun Taha Alhabsyi.
Raj, a partner at law firm Wee Swee Teow LLC,was first made a NMP in 2021. He has been a board member of the Workforce Singapore since October 2022, a council member of the Workplace Safety and Health Council since Apr 2022 and president of the Security Association Singapore (SAS) since 2017.
Usha, who worked for 12 years in a tax law in Singapore, is the co-founder of the digital art magazine. She is a board member of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) since April 2022 as well as a council member of the Singapore Red Cross since August 2021.
Neil, a veteran banker, was elected last year as chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI). He is a partner and head of Asia, Australia & New Zealand at Temasek-backed Tikehau Capital and also concurrently serves as the CEO of SGX-listed Pegasus Asia, a company backed by Tikehau Capital as one of its sponsors.
RELATED STORY:
Veteran banker Neil Parekh to lead Singapore Indian chamber (Asia Samachar, x 2023)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
