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  Today Online 13 Jan 07
Parliament's 9 new faces
Latest NMP line-up includes four members under the age of 40
Lee U-Wen

Channel NewsAsia 14 Dec 06
NMP nominations attract new faces under 30 years old
By Farah Abdul Rahim/Noor Aziz

The Straits Times 29 Nov 06
Three green advocates to seek NMP posts
Geh Min hoping for second term; other two are young men heading green groups
By Zakir Hussain

THREE leaders of conservation groups, including two who are below the age of 30, want to be considered as Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs). They plan to submit their nomination forms soon.

Nature Society Singapore president Geh Min, 56, is seeking a second stint, and is keen to see the two young men she has worked with on conservation issues join her.

They are Mr Louis Ng, 28, executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), and Mr Wilson Ang, 25, president of Environmental Challenge Organisation (ECO).

Both are full-time heads of the non-profit organisations they founded. They hope to represent not just animal welfare and environmental concerns, but also those of volunteers and youth.

Mr Ng said he became interested in standing two months ago, when he read about Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's call to young Singaporeans to come forward and make Singapore better.

Mr Lee made the call at a dialogue with young Singaporeans. 'I'm responding to the Prime Minister's call, ' said Mr Ng, who holds a master's degree in primate conservation. 'There is not much focus on animal welfare, and I hope that once there is a voice, hopefully policies can start moving in this area,' he added.

Mr Ng founded Acres in 2001. It campaigns against all forms of animal abuse and has helped Dr Geh research issues on the conservation of endangered species.

Mr Ang, who was approached by Dr Geh to consider applying, felt he could help heighten awareness of the need to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. 'Youth and environmental issues are growing in importance in Singapore, and affect our future,' said the former air force officer who founded ECO in 2002.

Said Dr Geh: 'It would be good to have young blood in the NMP ranks and there is room for more than one person to speak up for the environment.'

Lawyer and former NMP Chandra Mohan noted that as Singapore becomes a more caring society, environmental issues gain greater prominence. Though the issues have been talked about for the past 20 years, he believes raising them in Parliament would make more of an impact.

Parliament can have up to nine NMPs and nominations for the seats, which started on Nov 16, will close on Dec 14.

A committee of eight MPs, chaired by Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi, will consider and interview the nominees before getting President S R Nathan to approve their recommendations.

Jurong GRC MP Halimah Yacob, a member of the committee, said all applications will be considered. 'We look for people with a track record in terms of their career as well as their contributions to the community,' she added.

In 2004, 37 nominations were made and nine were appointed.

Members of the public can nominate anyone who is suitable, and six groups have been invited to propose candidates. The groups represent business and industry; labour; the professions; social and community service organisations; tertiary institutions; and media, arts and sports groups.

NMPs serve for 2 1/2 years, but the last batch served only 1 1/2 years because Parliament was dissolved in April, ahead of the General Election.

Only three among them have said they will seek another term: Dr Geh, biomedical firm chief executive Tan Sze Wee, and social volunteer Eunice Olsen. Academic Ivan Png said he was not while the others declined to comment or were not available for comment.

Channel NewsAsia 14 Dec 06
NMP nominations attract new faces under 30 years old
By Farah Abdul Rahim/Noor Aziz

SINGAPORE: The deadline to apply for the posts of Nominated MPs closed on Thursday. Some NMPs are seeking a second stint while there are also several fresh faces, some of whom are under 30.

25-year-old Wilson Ang made a dash for it just before nominations came to a close at 4.30pm. The president of the Environmental Challenge Organisation almost did not make it as verifications were needed on his application forms. So his friend (Cheung Kar Onn) came to his rescue.

Wilson is possibly the youngest applicant in the running to be a NMP. But will his age work for or against him? Said Mr Ang, "Young, being inexperienced but at the same time, I connect closer to the youth from my generation. I hope to be a more informed voice for youth opinions and issues they want to raise (that are) linked to the environment."

Another nominee from the environmental camp is 28-year-old Louis Ng, who is the executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).

He hopes to focus on educating the young about animal welfare in Singapore. And he has already mapped out his plans. "I hope to engage the youth in a more sustained fashion. I will hold fortnightly meet-the-youth sessions, very similar to the MPs' meet-the-people sessions but just that they are only for youths, for them to raise social community issues," said Mr Ng.

Another nominee is 44-year-old businessman Dr Ameen Talib, who is a board member with the Association of Muslim Professionals.

65-year-old Ooi Boon Ewe also threw his hat into the ring. Mr Ooi contested the single seat of Joo Chiat in the recent General Election. He had also made previous attempts to apply for the NMP position.

Three former NMPs, including Nature Society president Dr Geh Min, social work volunteer Eunice Olsen and biotech businessman Tan Sze Wee, confirmed they are seeking a second term.

Six groups representing business, the labour movement and social-community organisations have also nominated candidates.

In 2004, 37 nominations were made and nine were appointed. A maximum of nine NMPs can be appointed to serve for a term of up to two-and-a-half years. They will be selected and interviewed by a committee of eight MPs chaired by the Speaker of the House, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, before President SR Nathan approves the recommendations.

Those nominated should have been involved in public service, or distinguished themselves in their respective fields.

Under the Constitution, NMPs must be Singaporean, be at least 21 years of age and lived in Singapore for the past 10 years. They must also not be disqualified from being an MP under Article 45 of the Constitution that bars the unsound and undischarged bankrupts. - CNA/ir

Today Online 13 Jan 07
Parliament's 9 new faces
Latest NMP line-up includes four members under the age of 40
Lee U-Wen

THE latest line-up of Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) will once again feature a young slate of Singaporeans, with four of the nine born after independence. Leading the way is former beauty queen Eunice Olsen, 29, who returns for a second term. The others below the age of 40 are constitutional law expert Professor Thio Li-ann, 38; NTUC industrial relations director Cham Hui Fong, 38; and Today columnist and lawyer Siew Kum Hong, who, at 31, is the youngest of the seven rookie NMPs.

The move to introduce younger voices in the House is in line with the Government's aim to engage an increasingly younger electorate in Singapore.

Many eyes will be on what Dr Thio — who has been openly critical of the NMP scheme in the past — has to offer in Parliament. She wrote in her application essay that she was concerned about the " legitimacy of unelected MPs who lack the mandate and burden of serving a constituency".

The outspoken professor told Today that she plans to bring in "alternative, non-partisan views". "I see this latest responsibility as a risky step," she said. "I'll either be credible or come out looking ridiculous. But I'll be as well prepared as I can."

In New York on a business trip, Mr Siew was fast asleep at 4.20am when he was woken up by a telephone call from Parliament with the good news. He told Today: "I'm very honoured ... My priority will be to address the widening income gap in Singapore and look at ways to help the less fortunate. We have to get the problem solved now because it could escalate down the road."

Among the other new NMPs — who can serve terms of up to two-and-a-half years — are Singapore Bowling Federation president Jessie Phua, who said she wants to do her part in helping sports in Singapore flourish. "I want to see more corporate citizens stepping up to do their part for sports here. I hope to get ministers to be matchmakers, to see people adopting some sports and help them out in terms of funding," she said.

Apart from Ms Olsen, the only other person returning for a consecutive term is Raffles Medical Group executive chairman Dr Loo Choon Yong, 57. They were among the previous batch of nine NMPs whose term ended mid-way when Parliament was dissolved last April for the General Election.

Three other ex-NMPs from the 2004 batch who re-applied but were unsuccessful were Nature Society Singapore president Dr Geh Min, biomedical company chief executive Tan Sze Wee and lecturer Associate Professor Ong Soh Khim.

The eight-member special Select Committee, chaired by Speaker Abdullah Tarmugi, had met earlier this year to decide on the names to recommend to Parliament.

The nine, who were chosen from a pool of 48 applicants, will receive their Instruments of Appointment from President S R Nathan next Thursday. They will be sworn in on Jan 22 before the first Parliament sitting of the year gets underway.

Jalan Besar GRC MP Denise Phua, who sits on the Select Committee, hailed the group as "a very good mix and representative of the newer and older generations ..." "It was not an easy decision because there was a strong slate to pick from, but all of us were unanimous in the final list. I'm looking forward to vibrant and constructive exchanges in Parliament," she said.
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