Nominated Members of Parliament and Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam

7.36 pm

The Leader of the House (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mdm Deputy Speaker, we are nearly at the end of today's Sitting, but there are a couple of matters that need to be attended to first before we adjourn.

First, today is also the end of the term for this cohort of Nominated Members of Parliament, or NMPs, and it is also Senior Minister Tharman's last Sitting day in Parliament, with his last day in office being tomorrow.

With your permission, I would like to make a few remarks in recognition of their service to this House.

Mdm Deputy Speaker: Please proceed.

Ms Indranee Rajah: The current cohort of NMPs – Mr Abdul Samad Bin Abdul Wahab, Ms Janet Ang Guat Har; Mr Chay Jung Jun, Mark; Prof Hoon Hian Teck; Mr Cheng Hsing Yao; Prof Koh Lian Pin; Mr Raj Joshua Thomas; Dr Shahira Binte Abdullah and Dr Tan Yia Swam – joined us in Parliament in the most unusual circumstances. It was in the midst of a global pandemic and while we were still in DORSCON Orange.

Their first experience of Parliament was one where all had to be masked and we had split seating: first, two seats apart, with some Members having to sit in up the Galleries; and this gradually changed to one seat apart, with all having to speak from the central table behind glass enclosures and having to wipe microphones and the tabletop with disinfectant wipes.

The fact that this all now seems to be in the distant past shows how far we have come and what an amazing journey was made in these last two-and-a-half years, a journey that this cohort of NMPs walked with us.

They covered several important milestones with us during their tenure: (a) measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and position Singapore for a post-pandemic future; (b) support to households through rising costs of living; (c) Singapore's Green Plan; (d) the White Paper on women's development; (e) the repeal of section 377A and the Constitutional amendment regarding challenges to the definition of marriage; and (f) support for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, thereby ensuring the viability of publicly funded healthcare for Singaporeans in the years ahead, as our population ages.

They championed causes they cared deeply about, ranging from economic growth and employment opportunities, healthcare, sports and sustainability. At the last Parliament Sitting, three NMPs tabled the Motion on Supporting Healthcare to call for the Government to provide consistent and sustainable support for healthcare beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

They have presented their views passionately and contributed constructively to the robust debates in this House over the last two years. They were also mindful of what this Parliament represents and stands for. In the Committee of Supply earlier this year, Mr Cheng Hsing Yao made an important cut on "An Effective Parliament" and what that means, as well as the values and principles which underpin it.

The NMPs are leaving this House in very different circumstances from when they first joined. We are now back in DORSCON Green. Things have stabilised and life is mostly back to normal. While as a country and a people, we still face many challenges, we are in a much better place than we were two to three years ago and we are now poised to bring forward with the Forward SG exercise to refresh our social compact and make Singapore a fairer and more inclusive society.

By their participation in this Parliament, they have helped to achieve this current state of affairs. I hope the NMPs will remember their time in Parliament fondly and that they will continue to give close attention to issues of national interest, follow Parliamentary proceedings and contribute to our nation-building efforts in their personal or professional capacities.

Now, let me say a few words on Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Today is his last Sitting day as he has announced his intention to step down as a Member of Parliament. Senior Minister Tharman has served as a Member of Parliament for more than two decades, since 2001. In fact, we entered Parliament at the same time, in the same batch.

In that time, he has made many contributions through his different Ministerial appointments, including Minister for Education, Minister for Finance, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies and, most recently, Senior Minister. The Senior Minister was also Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Deputy Chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and chaired its Investment Strategies Committee, and was Chairman of the Economic Development Board's International Advisory Council.

As Minister for Finance, Senior Minister Tharman, through his many Budget Statements in this Parliament, boosted our economic growth and helped steer Singapore through the Global Financial Crisis of 2007 to 2009. He oversaw economic restructuring efforts, including chairing the Economic Strategies Committee post-crisis, to promote inclusive and resilient economic growth, and ensured fiscal sustainability. He introduced the Net Investment Returns, or NIR, framework which provided additional resources for Government spending to benefit Singaporeans, while balancing today's needs and savings for the future needs of generations to come. He also introduced the permanent GST Voucher scheme to help lower- to middle-income Singaporeans cope with their GST expenses.

As Minister for Education, the Senior Minister broadened the definition of merit and provided students with more educational pathways and opportunities to explore their diverse talents and excel in their chosen fields. He initiated major policy changes, including the introduction of the Direct School Admission scheme and removal of streaming at primary levels.

In his economic and manpower portfolios, he pushed for inclusive growth that translates into good jobs and wages for all Singaporeans. He led the SkillsFuture programme to encourage lifelong learning and upskilling among Singaporeans. The Senior Minister also paid special attention to uplift wages and improve retirement adequacy, especially for the lower-wage workers, through measures, such as the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), Wage Credit Scheme, Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and refining our Central Provident Fund (CPF) system. More recently, during the pandemic, the Senior Minister chaired the National Jobs Council to safeguard jobs and create employment and training opportunities for Singaporeans.

We will miss Senior Minister Tharman in this Chamber, not least, his commanding presence and his erudite speeches. I think Senior Minister's greatest gift is really in making very complex economic principles sound simple. At least, I thought it sounded simple. They sounded very profound; you were not quite sure exactly what he was saying, but it sounded like they made a lot of sense. [Laughter.]

But we also will miss his wit and his dry humour. I think, most of all, we will miss a friend and a fellow Member of Parliament.

In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, on behalf of this House, I would like to place on record our appreciation to the NMPs and Senior Minister Tharman for their contributions to this House and service to the nation. [Applause.]

7.45 pm

Mdm Deputy Speaker: I believe that all Members of the House will join the Leader in thanking the nine Nominated Members of Parliament – Mr Abdul Samad, Prof Hoon Hian Teck, Ms Janet Ang, Prof Koh Lian Pin, Dr Shahira Abdullah, Mr Mark Chay, Dr Tan Yia Swam, Mr Raj Joshua Thomas and Mr Cheng Hsing Yao – as well as Senior Minister Tharman for their service in Parliament. [Applause.]