Parliament: Singapore proposes new laws that allow President and ministers to take on international roles

SINGAPORE — An amendment to the Constitution has been proposed to allow the President and ministers to accept appointments in foreign and international organisations in their private personal capacities, if required by national interest.

For example, this would allow President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to continue with his roles with the World Economic Forum and Group of 20.

The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No. 3) Bill was introduced in Parliament on Monday (Nov 6).

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that from time to time, the President or ministers are invited to take up key positions in foreign and international organisations.

“Accepting such positions can enhance Singapore’s international standing and help to advance our national interest,” it said.

These organisations typically invite individuals to serve in their private instead of official capacities.

However, the Constitution currently does not provide for the President, as the head of state, to take up public roles where he acts in his private capacity.

The Bill proposes to amend the Constitution to create a framework that enables the President to perform such roles in his private capacity, when Cabinet advises that it is in the national interest for him to do so.

While the law currently does not prohibit ministers from serving in foreign and international organisations in their private capacities, the Bill aims to put in place a similar framework for ministers to ensure more comprehensive coverage, said PMO.

Mr Tharman currently holds several international appointments, including being chairman of the Group of 20’s Eminent Persons Group on Global Financial Governance and a member of the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees.

On Sept 2, the day after he won the presidential election, he told the media that he would be reviewing these positions given that he was set to be Singapore’s ninth president.

He said then that he would also need to go along with the advice of the Cabinet on whether keeping some of these appointments would be in Singapore’s interests.

The Straits Times has contacted the President’s Office and Prime Minister’s Office to clarify the foreign and international roles being held by the President or ministers.

The proposed amendments in the Bill set out the legal parameters for the President and ministers to take on these roles in foreign and international organisations in their private capacities.

These include that the Cabinet must advise the President that it is in the national interest for the President to accept and hold the office, and that the President, acting in his discretion, concurs with the advice of the Cabinet.

The Cabinet may also from time to time advise the President against saying or doing anything in performing the functions of such an office. The President must also relinquish the office, if so advised by the Cabinet.

For ministers to take on such roles, the Prime Minister must consider it to be in the national interest for the minister to accept and hold that office and give permission for the minister to do so.

Similarly, the Prime Minister may also from time to time instruct the minister against saying or doing anything in performing the functions of such an office, and the minister must also relinquish the office, if so instructed by the Prime Minister.

Any acceptance or relinquishment of an office under this framework by the President or a minister, must be published in the government’s gazette.

The Bill will be debated at the next parliamentary sitting.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.