| Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore | |
|---|---|
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| Parliament of Singapore | |
| Style |
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| Type | Presiding officer |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | Parliament |
| Term length | No term limit |
| Inaugural holder | George Oehlers |
| Formation | 5 June 1965; 60 years ago (1965-06-05) |
| Salary | S$550,000 annually (in addition to S$192,500 in MP allowance) |
| Website | www.parliament.gov.sg |
| This article is part ofa series on |
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Thespeaker of the Parliament of Singapore[a] is thepresiding officer of theParliament of Singapore. They are nominated by theprime minister before being appointed by Parliament. The speaker is also second in thepresidential line of succession. The current speaker isSeah Kian Peng, aMember of Parliament (MP) for the governingPeople's Action Party (PAP) representingMarine Parade–Braddell Heights Group Representation Constituency (GRC), who took office on 2 August 2023.
The speaker is assisted by two deputy speakers. In the event when the speaker is unavailable, the deputy speakers will preside over the parliamentary session. The current deputy speakers areChristopher de Souza, MP forHolland–Bukit Timah GRC, who took office on 31 August 2020, andXie Yao Quan, MP forJurong Central Single Member Constituency (SMC), who took office on 22 September 2025.
Although Singapore is modelled after theWestminster system, the speaker of Parliament can remainpartisan, which is unlike theircounterpart in the United Kingdom who must remain strictlynon-partisan and renounce all affiliation with their former political parties when taking office.
Parliament must elect a speaker at the beginning of each new parliamentary term after ageneral election.[1] TheConstitution states that Parliament has the freedom to decide how to elect its speaker.[2] By recent tradition, theprime minister nominates a person for the role. The person's name is then proposed and seconded by MPs, before they can be elected as speaker.[3]
The speaker may or may not be an elected MP, but must possess the qualifications to stand for election as an MP as listed in the Constitution.[4] They cannot be an incumbent cabinet minister or parliamentary secretary.[2]
Once elected, a speaker continues in office until the dissolution of Parliament, unless they resign, are appointed as a cabinet minister,minister of state orparliamentary secretary, or are disqualified from being an MP.[5]
The role of the speaker in Singapore is similar to that in mostCommonwealth legislatures. They preside over the sittings of Parliament, and enforces the rules prescribed in its Standing Orders for the orderly conduct of parliamentary business. In carrying out their duties, the speaker must remain impartial and fair to all MPs.[4]
The speaker regulates and enforces the rules of debate. They decide who has the right to speak, and put the question for Parliament to debate on and vote. The speaker does not take part in debates, but, being an elected MP, can abstain from or vote on a motion if they have a vote.[4]
As the speaker is considered the guardian of parliamentary privileges, MPs look to them for guidance on procedures, and for rulings on anypoints of order.[4]
The speaker is second in theline of succession for the office ofPresident of Singapore. In situations where the president's office is vacant, and the chairperson of theCouncil of Presidential Advisers is unable to take up the role, the speaker will assume the duties of the president until a new president iselected.[6] In terms of state protocol, they sit at the same level as thechief justice of Singapore.[3]
The speaker acts as Parliament's representative in its relations with other legislatures and outside bodies. They also welcome visiting dignitaries, and represent Parliament at national events and during official visits abroad. Overall, they are in charge of the administration of Parliament and its Secretariat.[4]
The speakership is one of the few public sector roles in Singapore which allow their officeholders to automatically qualify as candidates inpresidential elections.[7]
| No. | Portrait | Name Constituency (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Party | Parliament | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | SirGeorge Oehlers (1908–1968) | 22 April 1955 | 3 September 1963 | Independent | 1st Legislative Assembly | |
| 2nd Legislative Assembly | |||||||
| 2 | | E. W. Barker MP forTanglin (1920–2001) | 22 October 1963 | 30 October 1964 | PAP | 3rd Legislative Assembly | |
| 3 |  | A. P. Rajah (1911–1999) | 2 November 1964 | 5 August 1966 | Independent | ||
| 1st | |||||||
| 4 | | Punch Coomaraswamy (1925–1999) | 17 August 1966 | 18 January 1970 | Independent | ||
| 2nd | |||||||
| 5 | | Yeoh Ghim Seng MP forJoo Chiat (1918–1993) | 27 January 1970 | 17 August 1988 | PAP | ||
| 3rd | |||||||
| 4th | |||||||
| 5th | |||||||
| 6th | |||||||
| 6 | | Tan Soo Khoon MP forEast Coast GRC (born 1949) | 9 January 1989 | 17 October 2001 | PAP | 7th | |
| 8th | |||||||
| 9th | |||||||
| 7 |  | Abdullah Tarmugi MP forEast Coast GRC (born 1944) | 22 March 2002 | 18 April 2011 | PAP | 10th | |
| 11th | |||||||
| 8 |  | Michael Palmer MP forPunggol East SMC (born 1968) | 10 October 2011 | 12 December 2012 | PAP | 12th | |
| – | | Charles Chong MP forJoo Chiat SMC (born 1953) Acting | 12 December 2012 | 14 January 2013 | PAP | ||
| 9 |  | Halimah Yacob MP forMarsiling–Yew Tee GRC (born 1954) | 14 January 2013 | 7 August 2017 | PAP | ||
| 13th | |||||||
| – | | Charles Chong MP forPunggol East SMC (born 1953) Acting | 7 August 2017 | 11 September 2017 | PAP | ||
| 10 |  | Tan Chuan-Jin MP forMarine Parade GRC (born 1969) | 11 September 2017 | 17 July 2023 | PAP | ||
| 14th | |||||||
| – |  | Jessica Tan MP forEast Coast GRC (born 1966) Acting | 17 July 2023 | 2 August 2023 | PAP | ||
| 11 | | Seah Kian Peng MP forMarine Parade GRC (until 2025) andMarine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC (from 2025) (born 1961) | 2 August 2023 | Incumbent | PAP | ||
| 15th | |||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name Constituency (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Party | Parliament | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Richard Lim Nominated MP (1904–1968) | 26 April 1955 | 31 March 1959 | LF (until 1959) | 1st Legislative Assembly | |
| MCA (from 1959) | |||||||
| 2 |  | G. Kandasamy MP forKampong Kapor (1921–1999) | 15 July 1959 | 24 September 1961 | PAP | 2nd Legislative Assembly | |
| 3 | | John Mammen MP forTelok Blangah | 16 November 1961 | 3 September 1963 | PAP | 2nd Legislative Assembly | |
| 4 | | Fong Kim Heng MP forJoo Chiat (1923–1975) | 9 December 1963 | 9 December 1965 | PAP | 3rd Legislative Assembly | |
| 5 | | Punch Coomaraswamy (1925–1999) | 23 February 1966 | 16 August 1966 | Independent | 1st | |
| 6 | | Yeoh Ghim Seng MP forJoo Chiat (1918–1993) | 11 July 1968 | 17 August 1970 | PAP | 2nd | |
| 7 | | Tang See Chim MP forChua Chu Kang (born 1930) | 22 November 1972 | 4 December 1980 | PAP | 3rd 4th | |
| 8 | | Hwang Soo Jin MP forJalan Kayu (born 1937) | 6 March 1981 | 3 December 1984 | PAP | 5th | |
| 9 | | Tan Soo Khoon MP forAlexandra (born 1949) | 6 March 1985 | 17 August 1988 | PAP | 6th | |
| 10 | | Lim Boon Heng MP forKebun Baru SMC (born 1947) | 16 January 1989 | 13 August 1991 | PAP | 7th | |
| 11 | | Abdullah Tarmugi MP forSiglap SMC (until 1991) andBedok GRC (from 1991) (born 1944) | 16 January 1989 | 30 June 1993 | PAP | 7th 8th | |
| 12 | | Eugene Yap MP forMountbatten SMC (until 1996) andMarine Parade GRC (from 1997) | 26 February 1993 | 17 October 2001 | PAP | 8th 9th | |
| 13 |  | Lim Hwee Hua MP forMarine Parade GRC (born 1959) | 1 April 2002 | 11 August 2004 | PAP | 10th | |
| 14 | | Chew Heng Ching MP forEast Coast GRC (born 1953) | 1 April 2002 | 19 April 2006 | PAP | 10th | |
| 15 | .jpg) | S. Iswaran MP forWest Coast GRC (born 1962) | 1 September 2004 | 19 April 2006 | PAP | 10th | |
| 16 | .jpg) | Indranee Rajah MP forTanjong Pagar GRC (born 1963) | 8 November 2006 | 18 April 2011 | PAP | 11th | |
| 17 | | Matthias Yao MP forMarine Parade GRC (born 1956) | 8 November 2006 | 18 April 2011 | PAP | 11th | |
| 18 | | Seah Kian Peng MP forMarine Parade GRC (born 1961) | 17 October 2011 | 14 January 2016 | PAP | 12th | |
| 19 | | Charles Chong MP forPunggol East SMC (born 1953) | 17 October 2011 | 22 June 2020 | PAP | 12th 13th | |
| 20 |  | Lim Biow Chuan MP forMountbatten SMC (born 1963) | 25 January 2016 | 22 June 2020 | PAP | 13th | |
| 21 | | Jessica Tan MP forEast Coast GRC (born 1966) | 31 August 2020 | 22 September 2025 | PAP | 14th 15th | |
| 22 | .jpg) | Christopher de Souza MP forHolland–Bukit Timah GRC (born 1976) | 31 August 2020 | Incumbent | PAP | 14th 15th | |
| 23 | .jpg) | Xie Yao Quan MP forJurong Central SMC (born 1984) | 22 September 2025 | Incumbent | PAP | 15th | |
