Lee Hsien Loong to nominate Seah Kian Peng as next Speaker of Parliament
Singapore Prime Minister to put up Marine Parade GRC MP's name and deliver ministerial statement at next Parliament sitting
SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced his intention to nominate Seah Kian Peng as the next Speaker of Parliament, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office on Friday (21 July).
This comes after the resignation of former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin on Monday. Tan stepped down due to an extramarital affair with former Tampines GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Cheng Li Hui, who also resigned on the same day.
Currently, Deputy Speaker Jessica Tan is serving as the acting Speaker.
Seah has been serving as the MP for Marine Parade GRC since 2006. He also held the position of Deputy Speaker from October 2011 to January 2016.
He is also currently the group chief executive officer of NTUC Enterprise, as well as a board member of the Singapore Olympic Foundation.
PM Lee to deliver ministerial statement at next Parliament sitting
PM Lee had announced his intention to officially nominate the new Speaker during the next Parliament sitting, which has been scheduled for 2 August. He will also be delivering a ministerial statement.
In explaining the reasons behind the resignations of Tan and Cheng, PM Lee stated that it was necessary to uphold the high standards of propriety and personal conduct that the People's Action Party has maintained over the years.
During a press conference on Monday, PM Lee disclosed that he became aware of the "inappropriate relationship" between Tan and Cheng sometime after the 2020 General Election. He had counselled both individuals, most recently in February 2023. However, he later obtained information that strongly suggested the relationship had continued.
The Prime Minister emphasised that it is not appropriate nor acceptable for the Speaker to be involved in a relationship with one of the MPs, leading to the decisions taken.
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