Christopher de Souza, Xie Yao Quan to be nominated as Deputy Speakers of Parliament

SINGAPORE – Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Xie Yao Quan will be nominated as Deputy Speakers of Parliament for the new term by Deputy Leader of the House Zaqy Mohamad.

Mr Zaqy will put the two PAP MPs up for nomination when Parliament resumes on Sept 22 to debate the President’s Address.

This will be Mr de Souza’s second term if he is elected, while Mr Xie is being nominated for the first time.

In a Facebook post on Sept 12, Mr Zaqy, who is Senior Minister of State for Defence and Sustainability and the Environment, said he is confident that the pair will bring to the role a strong sense of duty, sound judgment, and respect for the rules and spirit of parliamentary democracy.

“Both are deeply committed to good governance and to fostering meaningful dialogue that reflects the aspirations and concerns of Singaporeans,” Mr Zaqy said.

If elected, both men will take over the responsibilities of Speaker Seah Kian Peng when he is not around. As Deputy Speakers, their duties include presiding over parliamentary proceedings and regulating the time allotted to various MPs during debates.

Mr Seah was re-elected as the Speaker of Parliament on Sept 5 during the first sitting of the 15th Parliament before the newly elected MPs were sworn in. The 15th term has 97 elected MPs and two Non-Constituency MPs.

Mr de Souza, a five-term MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, is familiar with the role. He was Deputy Speaker alongside Ms Jessica Tan for the entire 14th term of Parliament – from Aug 31, 2020, till Parliament dissolved in April ahead of the general election.

Mr Zaqy said that Mr de Souza, who is a lawyer by training, has earned respect across the House for his calm demeanour, legal clarity and fairness when presiding over debates.

He also acknowledged Mr de Souza’s role as chairman of the government parliamentary committees (GPCs) for home affairs and law during the previous parliamentary term, where “he strengthened policy discourse on justice and public trust, and notably moved a motion in Parliament to reinforce Singapore’s fight against drugs”.

GPCs are groups of PAP backbenchers set up to scrutinise government policy and serve as an additional feedback channel.

Mr Zaqy said Mr Xie, who was recently appointed as chairman of the social and family development GPC and deputy chairman of the national development GPC for the current 15th term of Parliament, has championed issues close to the ground in the House, including housing affordability and ComLink+ support for lower-income families.

The speeches by Mr Xie, who is MP for Jurong Central, reflect “thoughtfulness, empathy and a keen focus on practical solutions”, Mr Zaqy said. Mr Xie is in his second term as an MP.

“If elected, I am confident Christopher and Yao Quan will work closely with Speaker Seah Kian Peng to uphold the integrity of the House, ensure balanced and inclusive debate, and support a Parliament that is relevant to the needs of Singapore and Singaporeans,” Mr Zaqy added.

Deputy Speakers play a vital role in ensuring the orderly and effective conduct of proceedings, said Mr Zaqy.

“They must uphold the dignity of Parliament, safeguard impartiality, and promote constructive, respectful debate across party lines,” he said.

In separate Facebook posts, Mr de Souza and Mr Xie said they were grateful for the nominations.

Mr de Souza said that if elected, he would do his best to keep the proceedings smooth and efficient, and pledged to help Mr Seah care for each Parliament Secretariat officer.

Reflecting on his first term in the role, Mr de Souza told The Straits Times that keeping the parliamentary proceedings in proper order during the Covid-19 pandemic stood out for him.

It was also a very trying time, “because we had to ensure that nothing prejudiced the proceedings in order for the policies to be enacted into laws and the citizenry would receive the needed assistance to get through the crisis”, he said.

Across the many Budgets, he also assisted Mr Seah in ensuring that the MPs’ concerns and suggestions to fine-tune policies were sufficiently and adequately aired in the debate in a fair manner.

“Although a very trying time in terms of procedure and proceedings, I would say that it gelled the whole Parliament Secretariat together, and also, by extension, it put into sharp focus for each member the importance of their deliberation, their debates and their eventual decisions,” he said.

Mr Xie said in his post: “If elected, I look forward to supporting the Speaker to ensure fair and efficient proceedings in the House conducted with decorum, foster robust debate that advances the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans, represent the Singapore Parliament with dignity and bring Parliament closer to the public.”

While previous Deputy Speakers have typically been more experienced MPs, Mr Xie pointed to the make-up of the 15th term of Parliament. With a record number of 32 new faces, it presents a good balance of experience and fresh perspectives, he said.

He told ST: “I see my nomination as a further reflection of this balance and the constant evolution of our Parliament to be an ever better representation of our society and the Singaporean people.”