Latest news with #IndraneeRajah
CNA
9 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Seah Kian Peng to be appointed Speaker of Parliament, Indranee Rajah will remain House Leader
SINGAPORE: Mr Seah Kian Peng will be nominated for re-election as Speaker of Parliament when the House convenes on Sep 5 in the first sitting since the May General Election. Mr Seah, who is Member of Parliament for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, has served as Speaker since 2023. Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah will remain Leader of the House, while Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad will continue as Deputy Leader, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Friday (Jun 20). All three positions were nominated by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, but the Speaker will be elected by MPs at the start of a new parliament. The Speaker presides over the sittings of the House and enforces the rules prescribed in the Standing Orders of Parliament for the orderly conduct of parliamentary business. Although the Speaker need not be an MP, he or she must possess the qualifications to stand for election as an MP. In carrying out his or her duties, the Speaker must remain impartial and fair to all MPs. The Speaker regulates and enforces the rules of debate, deciding who has the right to speak and putting the questions for the House to debate and vote on. The Speaker does not take part in the debates of the House, but can abstain or vote for or against a motion if he or she has an original vote as an elected member. He or she has no casting vote. The Speaker is overall in charge of the administration of parliament and acts as the representative of the House. In order duties, the Speaker also welcomes visiting dignitaries and represents parliament at national events and during official visits abroad. Ms Indranee, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development, has been House Leader since 2020. Senior Minister of State for Defence and Sustainability and the Environment Zaqy Mohamad has also been Deputy Leader since 2020. The Leader of the House is responsible for the arrangement of government business and the legislative programme of parliament. He or she also proposes appropriate actions to be taken on any procedural matters arising in parliament. House Leaders also move procedural motions relating to the business of the House during sittings, such as to extend the times of sittings beyond the usual time as set out in the Standing Orders. The 15th parliament will have 97 elected MPs and two non-constituency MPs. The new session will kick off with the election of the Speaker and the swearing-in of MPs at 5pm on Sep 5.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
S'pore's 15th Parliament to open on Sept 5; President's Address to set out Govt's priorities
SINGAPORE – The 15th Parliament will sit for its first session at 5pm on Sept 5, and all newly elected MPs will be sworn in then. The sitting will start with the election of the Speaker of Parliament and swearing-in of MPs, said Leader of the House Indranee Rajah in a statement on June 13. Mr Seah Kian Peng, an MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, is the current Speaker. At the session, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will deliver an opening address to outline the Government's priorities, policies and programmes. This will be followed by a debate on his address from Sept 22 to 26. The President's Address is important as it will set out strategies and key policies to steer Singapore through the current challenging geopolitical climate and economic uncertainties, said Ms Indranee in a Facebook post on June 13. This address is delivered by the President on behalf of the Government whenever Parliament reopens. At the opening of the 14th Parliament after the 2020 General Election, then president Halimah Yacob said Singapore stood at a time of great change, and that the country had to rethink its problems and evolve its social models and policies to suit the new circumstances. This included taking a fresh look at crucial pillars of society, such as its concept of meritocracy, multiracialism, and the way it conducted its politics, she said then. In her Facebook post, Ms Indranee noted that while MPs are already on the ground doing constituency work, parliamentary work begins only after its official opening. The 14th Parliament last sat in early April before dissolving on April 15 ahead of the general election on May 3. In total, 99 MPs will be sworn in, up from 95 in the 14th Parliament. Of the 99, 97 were elected at the polls while another two – Mr Andre Low and Ms Eileen Chong from the WP – were elected as Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs). The pair were elected as the best-performing losers at the polls as part of the NCMP scheme that provides for opposition representation in Parliament. Overall, the ruling PAP will have 87 seats, with the rest filled by the WP. There will be a total of 29 first-time MPs sworn in – 24 from the PAP and five from the WP. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
AsiaOne
10 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
PM Wong to nominate Seah Kian Peng as Speaker of Parliament, Indranee Rajah as Leader of House, Singapore News
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong intends to nominate Seah Kian Peng as Speaker of the Parliament and Indranee Rajah as Leader of the House when Parliament convenes in September. This was announced through a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Friday (June 20). The 15th Parliament is set to meet for the first time on Sept 5, following the last session in April 15 when the 14th Parliament was dissolved ahead of the General Election. Seah has served as the Speaker since 2023, and has "presided over our debates with fairness and ensured that proceedings are conducted with dignity and decorum," said PM Wong in a Facebook post on Friday (June 20). "I am confident he will continue to discharge his responsibilities with distinction." In a Facebook post on Friday, Seah thanked PM Wong for his "confidence, support and nomination" and expressed his gratitude to the Members of the House, past and present, for their support. "I also have my two Deputy Speakers and colleagues at Parliament Secretariat to thank for their solid support to me since I assumed this appointment in August 2023," he wrote. "If elected, I will as always endeavour to do my best and discharge my duties and responsibilities to the best of my ability." Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for National Development, has served as Leader since 2020 and will remain so. Senior Minister of State for Defence and Sustainability and the Environment, Zaqy Mohamad, will also be nominated to continue his role as the Deputy Leader. The 15th Parliament will have 99 MPs consisting of 97 elected MPs — 87 from the People's Action Party (PAP) and 10 from the Worker's Party (WP) — and two Non-Constituency MPs, Andre Low and Eileen Chong, both from WP. [[nid:718519]]
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Seah Kian Peng to be nominated Speaker of Parliament; Indranee Rajah will remain Leader of the House
Mr Seah Kian Peng has served in the role since 2023, and Ms Indranee Rajah has been Leader of the House since 2020. PHOTO: MDDI Seah Kian Peng to be nominated Speaker of Parliament; Indranee Rajah will remain Leader of the House SINGAPORE – Mr Seah Kian Peng will be nominated for reelection as Speaker of Parliament when the House reopens on Sept 5, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said on June 20. Mr Seah is the current Speaker and has served in the role since 2023. Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah has been nominated by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as Leader of The House, the PMO added in its statement. Senior Minister of State for Defence and Sustainability and the Environment Zaqy Mohamad will remain Deputy Leader. Both the Speaker and the Leader of the House are nominated by the prime minister, but the Speaker is subsequently elected by the House when it meets. Both roles do not have term limits. The Speaker is in charge of the administration of Parliament and its secretariat, and presides over its conduct. He or she also decides who has the right to speak and puts the question for the House to debate and vote on. The Speaker also acts as the representative of the House in its relations with other parliaments and welcomes visiting dignitaries. He or she also represents Parliament at national events and during official visits abroad. The Leader of the House is responsible for arranging Government business and the legislative programme of Parliament, and also proposes appropriate actions to be taken on any procedural matters arising in Parliament. He or she also moves procedural motions, such as to extend the times of sittings beyond the usual. For example, during her term as Leader, Ms Indranee has addressed and issued notes on MPs' behaviour, and wrapped up or extended debates on key issues such as the Budget and the 14th Parliament's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Seah, who is MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC , has served as Speaker since 2023. He was nominated and elected following the resignation of the previous Speaker Mr Tan Chuan-Jin after an affair he had with fellow MP Cheng Li Hui was made public. Ms Indranee, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development and MP for Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, has been Leader of the House since 2020. She took over from Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. The opening of a new Parliament following a general election traditionally begins with the election of the Speaker. This will happen on Sept 5 this year, following the polls on May 3. The MPs will then be sworn in, and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam is scheduled to deliver an address to the 15th Parliament. The President's Address will set out the agenda and plans of the Government for its five-year term. Ng Wei Kai is a journalist at The Straits Times, where he covers politics. He writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
AsiaOne
6 days ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Singapore's 15th parliament to open on Sept 5, Singapore News
Singapore's 15th Parliament will hold its first session on Sept 5 at 5pm. The sitting would commence with the election of the Speaker and the swearing-in of Members of the Parliament (MP) who were elected during General Election 2025, said Leader of the House Indranee Rajah in a media release on Friday (June 13). Seah Kian Peng has been serving as Speaker since 2023. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will then deliver his opening address, where he will outline the priorities, policies and programmes of the Government. Debates on the President's Address will subsequently occur between Sept 22 and 26. The 14th Parliament was dissolved on April 15 ahead of the General Election on May 3. The 15th Parliament will have 99 MPs consisting of 97 elected MPs and two Non-Constituency MPs comprising Andre Low and Eileen Chong from the Workers' Party. Indranee also posted about the upcoming Parliament session on Facebook, noting: "While MPs are already on the ground doing their constituency work, the parliamentary work begins only after the Official Opening of Parliament. "As Leader of the House, one of my responsibilities is to liaise with Parliament on the arrangement of Parliamentary business." She shared further that "work is currently ongoing" about outlining the Government's agenda for the new term, which will be discussed in the President Tharman's address. "The President's Address will set out our strategies and key policies to steer Singapore through the current challenging geopolitical climate and economic uncertainties, and secure a brighter future ahead for Singaporeans and our nation," Indranee added. [[nid:718283]] drimac@
