Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore


The Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the presiding officer of the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore. Currently, Tan Chuan-Jin is the incumbent Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore.

Election

Parliament must elect a Speaker at the beginning of each new parliamentary term after a general election. Parliament has the freedom to choose how to elect the Speaker. By recent tradition, the Prime Minister nominates a person for the role. The person's name is then proposed and seconded by the Members of Parliament, before being elected as Speaker. The Constitution states that Parliament has the freedom to decide how to elect its Speaker.
The Speaker may or may not be an elected MP, but must possess the qualifications to stand for election as an MP as provided for in the Constitution. The Speaker cannot be a Cabinet Minister or Parliamentary Secretary, and must resign from those positions prior to being elected as Speaker.
Once elected, a Speaker continues in office until the dissolution of Parliament, unless he or she resigns, is appointed as a Cabinet minister or Parliamentary Secretary, or is disqualified from holding their seat as an MP.

Role

The role of the Speaker in Singapore is similar to that in most Commonwealth legislatures. The Speaker presides over the sittings of Parliament, and enforces the rules prescribed in its Standing Orders for the orderly conduct of parliamentary business. In carrying out their duties, the Speaker must remain impartial and fair to all MPs.
The Speaker regulates and enforces the rules of debate. They decide who has the right to speak, and put the question for Parliament to debate on and vote. The Speaker does not take part in the debates, but can abstain or vote for or against a motion if they have a vote as an elected MP.
As the guardian of parliamentary privileges, MPs look to the Speaker for guidance on procedures, and for rulings on any points of order.
The Speaker is second in the order of succession for the office of the President of Singapore. Should the President's office be vacant, and the chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers is unable to take up the role, the Speaker will assume the duties of the President until a new President is elected. In terms of state protocol, the Speaker sits at the same level as the Chief Justice of Singapore.
The Speaker acts as Parliament's representative in its relations with other legislatures and outside bodies. The Speaker also welcomes visiting dignitaries, and represents Parliament at national events and during official visits abroad. The Speaker is overall in charge of the administration of Parliament and its Secretariat.
The Speaker is one of the few public sector roles which allow its office-holder to automatically qualify as a candidate in the Singapore presidential elections.

List of Speakers

A list of people who have served as Speakers of Parliament is set out below:
#SpeakerPartyConstituencyTook officeLeft officeParliament
1Sir George OehlersIndependentNo constituency22 April 195531 March 19591st Legislative Assembly
1Sir George OehlersIndependentNo constituency1 July 19593 September 19632nd Legislative Assembly
2Edmund W BarkerTanglin22 October 19631 November 19643rd Legislative Assembly
3Arumugam Ponnu RajahIndependentNo constituency19648 August 19653rd Legislative Assembly
3Arumugam Ponnu RajahIndependentNo constituency9 August 196519661st Parliament
4Punch CoomaraswamyIndependentNo constituency19668 February 19681st Parliament
4Punch CoomaraswamyIndependentNo constituency6 May 196819702nd Parliament
5Yeoh Ghim SengJoo Chiat197016 August 19722nd Parliament
5Yeoh Ghim SengJoo Chiat12 October 19726 December 19763rd Parliament
5Yeoh Ghim SengJoo Chiat7 February 19775 December 19804th Parliament
5Yeoh Ghim SengJoo Chiat3 February 19814 December 19845th Parliament
5Yeoh Ghim SengJoo Chiat25 February 198517 August 19886th Parliament
6Tan Soo KhoonBrickworks GRC9 January 198914 August 19917th Parliament
6Tan Soo KhoonBedok GRC6 January 199216 December 19968th Parliament
6Tan Soo KhoonEast Coast GRC26 May 199718 October 20019th Parliament
7Abdullah TarmugiEast Coast GRC25 March 2002 20 April 200610th Parliament
7Abdullah TarmugiEast Coast GRC2 November 200619 April 201111th Parliament
8Michael PalmerPunggol East SMC10 October 201112 December 201212th Parliament
9Halimah YacobJurong GRC14 January 201325 August 201512th Parliament
9Halimah YacobMarsiling–Yew Tee GRC15 January 20167 August 201713th Parliament
10Tan Chuan-JinMarine Parade GRC11 September 201723 June 202013th Parliament
-----13th Parliament

List of Deputy Speakers

The following table contains a list of Deputy Speakers of Parliament:
Deputy SpeakerPartyTerm of office
R C H LimIndependent1955–1959
G Kandasamy1959–1961
John Mammen1961–1963
Dr Fong Kim Heng1963–1965
Punch CoomaraswamyIndependentFebruary - August 1966
Dr Yeoh Ghim Seng1968–1970
Tang See Chim1972–1981
Hwang Soo Jin1981–1985
Tan Soo Khoon1985–1989
Lim Boon Heng1989–1991
Abdullah Tarmugi1989–1993
Eugene Yap Giau Cheng1993–2002
Lim Hwee Hua2002–2004
Chew Heng Ching2002–2006
S. Iswaran2004–2006
Indranee Rajah2006–2011
Matthias Yao2006–2011
Seah Kian Peng2011–2016
Charles Chong2011–2020
Lim Biow Chuan2016–present