SINGAPORE — Singapore Aquatics president Mark Chay recently took to social media to share details of a tea reception held at the Istana, hosted by outgoing Singapore President Halimah Yacob to honour the contributions by the previous batch of Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP).
Chay was present alongside seven others; Abdul Samad Wahab, Janet Ang, Cheng Hsing Yao, Prof Hoon Hian Teck, Prof Koh Lian Pin, Dr Shahira Abdullah, and Dr Tan Yia Swam. Only Joshua Thomas Raj continued to serve as an NMP from this batch. They were appointed on 21 Jan 2021, and their term ended in July this year.
President Halimah, elected unopposed on 13 Sept 2017, will soon end her term as the nation goes to the polls on Sep 1 to elect a new president. There are three presidential hopefuls, former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, ex-GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song, and former NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian.
“Thank you, Madam President Halimah Yacob, for your unwavering dedication and service to the people of Singapore. As your term will soon come to an end, I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for your leadership and the tremendous impact you’ve made during your time in office,” posted Chay on his Facebook page.
Chay added that it was an honour to be invited to the Istana and have the opportunity to meet the President. The tea session with past NMPs will surely be an unforgettable experience.
“Being able to discuss our experiences in Parliament and exchange views on the duties of Members of Parliament was truly enlightening. What stood out the most during our conversation was your candid sharing about your term as President and what it meant to you. Your honesty and graciousness left a lasting impression on me. Your dedication is truly commendable,” added Chay, who represented the sports fraternity during his tenure in parliament.
Among the issues raised by Chay while he was a parliamentarian is the need to protect the needs of national sports training dates at the Sports Hub after the government took over the management of the facility under Kallang Alive Sports Management in Dec 2022.
Nine NMPs were presented with the Instruments of Appointment by President Halimah at the Istana on Jul 24, and they took their Oath during the Aug Parliamentary session. Serving his second term as an NMP is Joshua Raj, a partner at Wee Swee Teow LLC and currently serving as president of the Security Association Singapore.
The newly appointed NMPs are Chandradas Usha Ranee (co-founder of Plural Art Mag), Chua Tiang Choon Keith (Vice President of Singapore Anglican Community Services), Mark Lee Kean Phi (CEO of Sing Lun Holdings Pte Ltd), Ong Hua Han (Asst VP, Deutsche Bank AG), Parekh Nimil Rajnikant (Chairperson of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce), Assoc Prof Razwana Begum (Head of Public Safety & Security Programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences), See Jinli (Director of the NTUC Freelancers and Self-employed Unit), Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi (Consultant Psychiatrist at Starfish Psychiatry Pte Ltd).
Welcoming the new batch of NMPs to Parliament, Indranee Rajah, Leader of the House and member of the Special Select Committee, said, “We are pleased to welcome to this House the new cohort of NMPs who have made significant contributions to society and excelled in their respective domains. We look forward to their participation which will add to the spectrum of views and experiences 2 shared in the House. I would also like to thank all applicants for their time and interest. The Committee is heartened by their passion and enthusiasm to contribute to the betterment of Singapore.”