The new cohort of nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) yesterday received their appointment papers, marking the start of a 2½-year term.
They received their instruments of appointment from President Tony Tan Keng Yam at a ceremony at the Istana yesterday.
Four of them - businessman Thomas Chua, 62; corporate lawyer Chia Yong Yong, 54; labour economist Randolph Tan, 52; and social entrepreneur Kuik Shiao-Yin, 39 - are returning to Parliament for a second term.
The other five are new faces, namely, auto company senior vice-president Azmoon Ahmad, 54; theatre group artistic director Kok Heng Leun, 50; unionist K. Thanaletchimi, 50; media company executive vice-president Ganesh Rajaram, 49; and Singapore Management University law don Mahdev Mohan, 37.
The group will be sworn in at a Parliament sitting tomorrow, before Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat delivers his Budget address.
A select committee chaired by Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob had picked the nine NMPs - the maximum allowed under the Constitution - from among 41 applicants.
