Singapore: Seah Kian Peng to be nominated new Speaker of Parliament

Seah Kian Peng, a famous Singaporean politician who served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 2011 and 2016, can be nominated as the new Speaker of Parliament in August.

The Singaporean Prime Minister’s Office announced the news on Friday. Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People’s Action Party (PAP), will nominate Peng as the next Speaker of Parliament at the next sitting in August. 

Earlier this week, Tan Chuan-Jin resigned from parliament and the People’s Action Party (PAP) over an affair with Cheng Li Hui, a former member of the governing People’s Action Party. Cheng Li Hui also resigned from parliament and party on July 17. Reportedly, they have had an affair since 2020. 

The Prime Minister of Singapore called their relationship “inappropriate” because Tan, 54, is married with two children, while Cheng, 47, is not married.

Tan Chuan-Jin has been in the spotlight in recent days. Recently, he made headlines for his use of “unparliamentary language” in the parliament. He reportedly used bad language after a speech by Workers’ Party member Jamus Lim.

Peng is currently the Group CEO of NTUC Enterprise. He is also a Member of Parliament (MP), representing the Braddell Heights division of Marine Parade GRC. He is also a board member of the Singapore Olympic Foundation.

In 2022, Peng stepped down from his role as Group CEO of NTUC FairPrice. Peng previously served on the boards of the Centre for Fathering, the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprises, the National Parks Board and Singtel, a Singaporean telecommunications conglomerate. 

Currently, MP Christopher de Souza (PAP-Holland-Bukit Timah) and MP Jessica Tan (PAP-East Coast) are the two Deputy Speakers of the Parliament. Deputy Speakers assist the Speaker of the Parliament. Peng is currently Acting Speaker following Tan’s resignation.

The next parliament sitting will be held on August 2.