SINGAPORE - Opportunities for Singapore’s president to participate in respected international institutions do not come by all the time, and should be welcomed as they give the country a voice in global conversations, said People’s Action Party MPs on Nov 22 as Parliament debated amendments to the Constitution.

Opposition MPs, however, warned that any time spent serving on foreign and international bodies, no matter the benefits to Singapore, will mean time away from national responsibilities. They also suggested that the changes were being pushed through Parliament too hastily.

In the end, the House passed the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No. 3) Bill 75 to eight, with all seven Workers’ Party MPs and one Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP present voting no.

The Bill paves the way for President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to take up international appointments in his private capacity, allowing him to contribute his expertise independently without being limited to representing the official position of Singapore in everything he says.

Currently, he chairs the board of trustees of the Group of Thirty, an international body of financiers and academics, co-chairs the Global Commission on the Economics of Water and the United Nations Human Development Report Advisory Board, and is also a member of the World Economic Forum board of trustees, in his official capacity.

Supporting the amendments, Ms Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC), Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio GRC), and Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang GRC) said having Mr Tharman take up the roles would enhance Singapore’s international standing and advance the country’s national interests.

“It is easy for the international arena to ignore tiny nations like us. We need to have a presence wherever possible,” said Mr Gan.

Nominated MP Keith Chua added that it was especially important to have a seat at the table amid a more troubled world.

But Workers’ Party MPs Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) and Dennis Tan (Hougang) questioned the need for President Tharman to take on these roles in his private capacity, adding that doing so in his official capacity would suffice.

Mr Giam said: “Any time he spends serving private interests will be time taken away from his national duties and his constituents – who are the people of Singapore.”

But DPM Wong said this objection stemmed from confusion between “private capacity” and “private interests”. Allowing the president to take up the roles in his private capacity means he can contribute his private views, but he will still be serving the national interest, he explained.

In fact, Singapore is at a stage of development where the country’s national interests are becoming more closely intertwined with global interests, he added, noting that the Bill is one of the ways that will allow the Republic to fulfil both interests.

Another issue that MPs brought up was the timing of the Bill.

Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai suggested that it was being rushed through Parliament, saying: “The constitutional amendments that we are debating today were brought to this House for First Reading less than three weeks ago, and Parliament has been recalled today specifically to approve this fait accompli.”

Associate Professor Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC), meanwhile, took issue with the backdating of the amendments to Sept 14, asking why the Government had not drafted the changes into law since there had been invitations to the President and ministers to take on international roles in the past.

“Has the Government itself treated the matter lightly, taking for granted the fact that – with a supermajority in Parliament – it is able to alter the Constitution at will, and hence it would be simply a fait accompli to roll out a retroactive amendment?” he said.

However, DPM Wong said that such suggestions of impropriety were completely unfounded and could not be further from the truth.

“Let’s not use this language, technical language to camouflage political grandstanding,” he said. He reiterated that President Tharman’s international appointments would be made on a prospective basis, and any backdating was out of an abundance of caution.

Mr Chris de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) charged that Assoc Prof Lim was making a “political point”, noting that if the opposition had enough members in the house, they would “railroad” the amendment to the detriment of Singapore.

“I am humbly proud that I am part of the two thirds that pushes through constitutional legislations that are robustly in favour of our national interests,” he said.

DPM Wong also told opposition MPs that “there is no need to oppose for the sake of opposition”.

“There is no need to oppose something that will clearly advance Singapore’s interests and bring benefits to Singapore and Singaporeans,” he said.