SINGAPORE — Two Nominated Members of Parliament — lawyer Raj Joshua Thomas and psychiatrist Syed Harun Alhabsyi — resigned on Feb 14, the first time any NMP has done so before the end of his term.
Parliament informed MPs about their resignations on Feb 14 in separate e-mails seen by The Straits Times.
Their biodata was removed from the Parliament website the same day.
The move has fuelled speculation that they could be fielded as candidates in the coming general election.
The e-mails, signed off by Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, state that both men resigned at around noon.
Seah said that, in accordance with the Constitution, both seats are vacant with effect from the time of resignation.
A formal announcement to the House will be made at the next Parliament sitting, he added.
When contacted for comment, Dr Syed Harun referred ST to his Facebook post, which had his resignation letter attached.
In the letter, Dr Syed Harun said it would be most appropriate that he resign as he intends to "explore opportunity for political service".
Though there is much that nominated and elected MPs contribute together to parliamentary proceedings, their representative roles in the parliamentary process are distinct and different, he said.
"I have learnt much in this journey and, truly, it has been a great honour and my deep privilege to have served in this capacity," he added in his post.
Thomas also referred ST to his Facebook post when contacted. In his resignation letter, he said he remains "dedicated to serving Singapore and Singaporeans to the best of (his) abilities".
"I am contemplating doing so in a different way, in which it would be appropriate for me to resign as an NMP at this time," he added.
Thomas said he is "grateful for the privilege and honour to have served as an NMP over two terms", adding that he spoke up on issues he felt were important, including low-wage workers, fair employment opportunities for Singaporeans, as well as racial and religious harmony.
He said he has come to appreciate even more the "values of conviction, integrity and commitment in our system of governance" and looks forward to the opportunity to continue serving Singapore and Singaporeans in the future.
Their resignations come days before the busiest period in Parliament's calendar — the Budget announcement on Feb 18 and subsequent debates on ministries' budgets.
The two men were appointed as NMPs in July 2023, and had about a year left on their 2½-year terms.
This was Thomas' second term as NMP, having first been appointed in January 2021.
He is managing partner at law firm Tang Thomas and president of the Security Association Singapore (SAS), while Dr Syed Harun is consultant psychiatrist and medical director at The Starfish Clinic of Psychiatry & Mental Wellness.
Introduced in 1990, the NMP scheme aims to ensure a wide representation of views in Parliament, and nominees should have performed distinguished public service, brought honour to Singapore or distinguished themselves in their respective fields.
Up to nine NMPs can be appointed at any one time.
The Constitution does not explicitly bar NMPs from being members of political parties.
It states that the NMP selection committee "shall have regard to the need for nominated Members to reflect as wide a range of independent and non-partisan views as possible".
Past NMPs linked to political parties include banker Tan Su Shan, who left the People's Action Party in 2011 to become an NMP.
Entrepreneur Calvin Cheng, whose membership in Young PAP was revealed after he was announced as an NMP in 2009, also quit the party.
Former National Kidney Foundation chairman Gerard Ee remained in the PAP after becoming an NMP in 1997, stating that he would not be subject to the party whip in the role.
SMU law don Eugene Tan said that if both men plan to contest the general election, their resignations suggest that they want to avoid being accused of conflicts of interest, especially with the Budget debates coming up.
"Timing is everything. The urgency in vacating their seats is evident," said Associate Professor Tan, who is a former NMP.
Both their social media posts make clear that they probably want to engage in party politics going forward, he added.
In Thomas' tenure as SAS president, he established an Office of Industry Transformation within the SAS Secretariat and the Security Consultants Accreditation Programme to recognise security consultancy as a new career path and to set standards.
He has been a volunteer lawyer under the Law Society's Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and has chaired the NUS political science department's Singapore Forum on Politics and Policy, which contributes to encouraging dialogue and engagement with policymakers.
Dr Syed Harun is the president of bursary institution Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud.
He was a recipient of the Commendation Medal (Covid-19) for his contribution during the pandemic in supporting the efforts of the joint task force at the Ministry of Manpower in the two key areas, namely the socio-religious needs of migrant workers and their state of mental health in a protracted period of lockdown.
Dr Syed Harun's other posts include being a member of the governing council of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or Muis, from 2016 to 2023 and council member of the National Youth Council since 2020.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
