Tuesday, July 07, 2009

9 NMP names submitted

TWO creative industry leaders and a former national swimmer are among the nine names submitted by a Special Select Committee of Parliament for appointment by the President as Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs).

They are three-time Sportswoman of the Year Joscelin Yeo, 30, fashion and media entrepreneur Calvin Cheng, 33, and arts manager Audrey Wong, 41.

The others who have been nominated for appointment later this month are Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) president Teo Siong Seng, 54, consultancy firm boss Viswa Sadasivan, 49, labour unionist Terry Lee, 57, academic Paulin Tay Straughan, 46, Gerontological Society immediate past president Laurence Wee, 63, and Ernst & Young Advisory managing director Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei, 50.

They were whittled down from a list of 46 candidates nominated by different fields and professions as well as members of the public. Three of these names, said the committee, were ineligible as they did not meet the criteria of persons who have rendered distinguished public service, brought honour to Singapore, or distinguished themselves in their fields.

Their selection also means that two current NMPs seeking a second term, lawyer Siew Kum Hong, 34, and PricewaterhouseCoopers executive chairman Gautam Banerjee, 54, were not successful. The term of service of the current nine NMPs will expire on Friday, July 17.

The new NMPs will receive their instruments of appointment from the President at the Istana on July16, followed by a briefing in Parliament the next day. They will then take their oaths of allegiance in Parliament on July20, which is when Parliament next sits.

The eight-member select committee of MPs, chaired by Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi, announced the line-up in a report to Parliament on Monday, a copy of which was obtained by The Straits Times. On appointment by President SR Nathan, the nine will serve a 21/2-year term.

They told The Straits Times they intend to raise a diverse range of issues in Parliament, ranging from those concerning families and the elderly, to the problems facing small- and medium-sized enterprises. Issues relating to culture, identity and how to keep youths engaged are also likely to take centre stage.

NMPs were first introduced in 1990, to give neutral, non-partisan feedback on issues. In July 1997, the Constitution was changed to allow the maximum number of NMPs to be raised from six to nine.

Six functional groups, as well as members of the public, are invited to put up candidates for NMPs. The six are: business and industry; the professions; the labour movement; social and community organisations; the media, arts and sports; and tertiary education institutions.

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