2 Nominated MPs resign 1 year before terms end, both considering serving S’pore in other ways

2 Nominated MPs resign on the same day, were appointed in July 2023

About one year before their 2.5-year terms were set to end, two Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) have resigned on the same day.

Both Mr Raj Joshua Thomas and Dr Syed Harun Taha Alhabsyi submitted their resignations to Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng on Friday (14 Feb).

Lawyer contemplating serving Singapore ‘in a different way’

In a Facebook post on Friday, Mr Thomas, a lawyer, shared his resignation letter.

He said that while he “remains dedicated to serving Singapore and Singaporeans to the best of (his) abilities”, he is “contemplating doing so in a different way”.

Thus, it would be “appropriate” for him to resign as an NMP.

It has been a “privilege and honour” to serve as an NMP over two terms since 2021, he added.

Psychiatrist intends to explore political service

Dr Syed Harun, a consultant psychiatrist, also shared his resignation letter in a Facebook post on Friday.

In it, he stated that he intends to “explore opportunity for political service”.

Thus, it’s “most appropriate” to resign from his NMP role.

He also described it as a “great honour” and “deep privilege” to have served in this capacity, saying:

I am exploring opportunity to do so in a different capacity.

Both Nominated MPs resign one year early

Both Mr Thomas and Dr Syed Harum were appointed NMPs along with seven others in July 2023, for a term of about 2.5 years.

While it was Mr Thomas’ second term as an NMP, it was Dr Syed Harum’s first.

This means both have left their positions about one year before their terms were set to end.

A check on the Singapore Parliament’s website shows that their names have already been removed, with seven NMPs remaining.

First time that NMPs have resigned

A political observer told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that this is the first time NMPs have resigned before their terms are over.

Associate Professor Eugene Tan from the Singapore Management University’s Law Faculty believes both men are “on the threshold of entering partisan politics”.

As NMPs are supposed to be non-partisan, the resignations could be a bid to avoid conflicting interests if they have joined a political party, said Prof Tan, who used to be an NMP himself.

The upcoming General Election must be held by November this year. The process is already in motion, with the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee convened on 22 Jan.

Singapore’s voter rolls have also been revised and will be open for public inspection by citizens from 15 to 28 Feb, according to a media release from the Elections Department on Friday.

Also read: Ex-Olympic Swimmer & SISTIC Chairman Among 9 New Nominated MPs To Be Sworn Into Parliament

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Featured image adapted from Raj Joshua Thomas on Facebook and Syed Harun Alhabsyi on Facebook.