SINGAPORE: Former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Raj Joshua Thomas is being appreciated online after he stepped back from contesting the coming election, amid mounting criticism over NMPs resigning from their posts to immediately join partisan politics.
Acknowledging the views Singaporeans have shared on this issue, Mr Thomas, a lawyer, said on Facebook, “I will not be running in the upcoming general election. I have instead been spending time on the ground, and would like to earn my stripes first.”
He added that he is grateful to his well-wishers and those who contacted him to express support. He said, “I will do my best to keep and build on your trust and confidence in me,” he said.
Mr Thomas’ decision has been widely welcomed online, with netizens appreciating how healthily he seems to have taken the criticism over NMPs turning election candidates. Some online are also calling on psychiatrist Syed Harun Alhabsyi to follow in Mr Thomas’ footsteps.
Both Mr Thomas and Dr Syed Harun were NMPs who resigned on February 14, midway through their terms in Parliament. Their resignations came suspiciously close to the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report, a pre-election occurrence that typically signals the polls might be around the corner.
Mr Thomas later commented that he has joined the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) as a member, while Dr Syed Harun has been seen with Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam’s team at Nee Soon GRC, fuelling speculation that he will be fielded as a candidate at the ward.
Mr Shanmugam has defended the right of NMPs to resign and subsequently join political parties to contest in elections. He added that while NMPs must remain independent while they are in active NMP service, constitutional documents had “clearly envisaged” NMPs joining political parties and do not prohibit them from doing so.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing also asserted that “safeguards are in place to ensure the non-partisan nature of the NMP scheme,” in a parliamentary reply to Workers’ Party (WP) MP Jamus Lim.
Assoc Prof Lim had asked whether there are plans to further safeguard public confidence in the non-partisan nature of the NMP scheme. He had also asked whether the Government will “consider a cooling-off period before NMPs can run for elected office, especially on a partisan platform.”
Pointing out that the Special Select Committee on Nominations for Appointment as NMPs includes MPs from both the ruling and opposition parties, Mr Chan noted that Singapore’s constitution “expressly requires an NMP to vacate his seat if he stands as a candidate for any political party in an election”.
Revealing that the Government currently has no plan to review the NMP scheme, he added, “I believe that many members of this House would agree that our NMPs have, over the years, enriched our debates in Parliament and that they have been non-partisan in their conduct, even as they participate actively in the parliamentary process.”
The minister, however, seemed to skirt the second part of Assoc Prof Lim’s question — the question about whether the government would consider imposing a cooling-off period.
Critics have called on the government to implement a cooling-off period, preventing NMPs from joining a political party or contesting elections for a set period after resigning or completing their term. Advocates for such a measure argue that this would help prevent immediate political affiliations and reduce the perception that NMPs are using the system as a political springboard.