The Nominated Member of Parliament Scheme

Although more than 30 years have passed since the Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) scheme was introduced in 1990, it remains controversial and poorly understood today. Have NMPs raised views that elected MPs — on both sides of the House — could or did not? Have they kept voters away from the Opposition, or been a bulwark of loving critics in the midst of a parliamentary supermajority? In this first book devoted to the NMP scheme, former NMP Anthea Ong brings together 19 colleagues past and present to discuss their experiences in office, from the Population White Paper to the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, and what being appointed has meant to them personally. In exploring the workings and impact of the NMP scheme, the contributors hope this book will invite Singaporeans to consider how their NMPs should and must represent them, aside from their elected representatives. And in doing so, ask: What sort of Parliament does Singapore, as an evolving society, deserve? Contents: Foreword (Lee Hsien Loong) Prologue (Anthea Ong) (N)OVEL: Preface One Way (Maurice Choo) Origins of the NMP Scheme: Contributing an Independent Perspective (Walter Woon) Democracy, Legitimacy and Civil Society (Simon Tay) NMPs as 'Loving Critics' of Singapore (Chandra Mohan Nair) Then and Now, for the Future (Braema Mathiaparanam) (M)ERITS: Preface Lessons from My Extended Classroom: Tempering Technological Utopianism with Circumspection (Lim Sun Sun) Sport and Institutionalising a Sports NMP (Nicholas Fang) Speaking for the Trees in Parliament (Faizah Jamal) POFMA: Duty, Conscience or Both? (Walter Theseira) Dilemmas and Challenges for the Labour NMP (Thomas Thomas) A Baptism of Fire (Viswa Sadasivan) NMP as Advocate, or Advocate as NMP? (K Thanaletchimi) Speaking…