The Special Select Committee has nominated nine persons to the President to fill the Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) vacancies, said a statement from the Office of the Clerk of Parliament on Thursday (March 17) evening.
They are:
1. Mr Azmoon Ahmad, 54
2. Ms Chia Yong Yong, 54
3. Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng, 62
4. Mr Ganesh Rajaram, 49
5. Mr Kok Heng Leun, 50
6. Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin, 39
7. Assistant Professor Mahdev Mohan, 37
8. Associate Professor Randolph Tan Gee Kwang, 52
9. Ms K Thanaletchimi, 50
Submissions closed at 4.30pm on Feb 23 and a total of 41 proposal forms were received by closing time.
Each proposal form had to be signed by a proposer and a seconder and by no less than four others, whose names appear in a current register of voters.
Each applicant was also required to submit a curriculum vitae form which included an essay on the kind of contribution he or she hoped to make as an NMP and to submit written references from two referees sealed in separate envelopes to the Committee.
The Committee also decided that it would continue the practice of inviting the seven functional groups to submit names of suitable candidates for consideration.
These groups are namely: the business and industry; labour; the professions; tertiary education institutions; social service organisations; civic and people sector; and the media, arts and sports organisations.
Of the total of 41 proposal forms received, 17 names were submitted by these functional groups. The other 24 were individual applications.
Of the nine who were selected, four have served previous terms as NMPs. They are Ms Chia, Mr Chua, Ms Kuik, and Assoc Prof Tan.
The Special Select Committee said in its report: “Most of the persons proposed were of a high quality and this made the selection of nine candidates a challenge.”
President Tony Tan Keng Yam will present Instruments of Appointment to the NMPs at the Istana on March 22 and they will take their oath when Parliament next sits on March 24.
sujint@sph.com.sg
