Nominated Member of Parliament

In Singapore, Members of Parliament (MPs) comprise elected, non-constituency, and nominated members. A Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) is not affiliated with any political party and does not represent any electoral constituency. Their role is to contribute independent and non-partisan views in Parliament. The NMP scheme has given Tamils the opportunity to play an active role in parliamentary affairs and make significant contributions without contesting elections.

NMPs are appointed by the President of Singapore for a term of two and a half years on the recommendation of a Special Select Committee of Parliament chaired by the Speaker. The Committee may nominate persons who have rendered distinguished public service or who have brought honour to Singapore. It can also invite nominations of candidates from community groups in the fields of arts and letters, culture, the sciences, business, industry, the professions, social or community service, and the labour movement.

A constitutional provision for the appointment of up to nine NMPs was made in 1990 to ensure a wide representation of community views in Parliament. NMPs can participate in debates and vote on all issues except amendments to the Constitution, motions relating to public funds, votes of no confidence in the Government, and removing the President from office.

The origin of the NMP scheme can be traced to the period (1970s to 1980s) when the ruling People’s Action Party won all or most of the seats in Parliament. To foster greater debate in Parliament and to represent a broader range of views from society, several mechanisms were considered. One of them was the NMP scheme, which was introduced in 1990. In the initial stage, Parliament had to decide within six months after every election whether to appoint NMPs. In 2010, NMPs were made a permanent feature of Parliament. Then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong rationalised the move on the basis that the NMP scheme had improved the quality of debate in the House.

Below are brief entries on past Tamil NMPs.
Arasu Duraisamy
Dhinakaran, R
Ganesh Rajaram
Karthikeyan, K
Mahdev Mohan
Mohamed Irshad
Nithiah Nandan, A
Raj Joshua Thomas
Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim
Thanaletchimi, K



For more information
“Nominated Member of Parliament.” Wikipedia. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominated_Member_of_Parliament.
“Members of Parliament.” Parliament of Singapore. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://www.parliament.gov.sg/about-us/structure/members-of-parliament.
Benjamin Ho and John Choo. “Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP).” BiblioAsia 20, no. 4 (Jan–Mar 2025). https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-20/issue-4/jan-mar-2025/nominated-member-of-parliament-nmp/.

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.