SINGAPORE - Mr Abdullah Tarmugi has been reappointed as a member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights for a further three years.

The reappointment, which took effect from Saturday, was made by President Tony Tan Keng Yam, according to the government gazette on Monday.

Mr Abdullah, 70, was first appointed to the Council in January 2012 after his retirement from politics in 2011. He was a former Speaker of Parliament and was also previously Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs.

The Presidential Council for Minority Rights ensures that laws passed in Parliament do not discriminate against any racial or religious community.

It also advises the President on nominees to the Malay Community Committee and the Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee. The two committees certify minority candidates for parliamentary elections.

The Council has 17 members, all of whom are appointed by the President on the advice of the Cabinet.

Six permanent members on the Council are appointed for life. They are: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and former Cabinet ministers Othman Wok and S. Dhanabalan.

The Council's other members serve three-year terms. It is chaired by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.