SINGAPORE: When parliament sits next week, the Workers’ Party’s (WP) two incoming Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) will take their seats alongside the party’s 10 elected MPs – but their role is expected to go well beyond filling opposition benches.
The selection of Mr Andre Low and Ms Eileen Chong reflects the WP’s renewal strategy, with both seen as potential future leaders being groomed for bigger responsibilities – a route past NCMPs from the party have taken with some success.
The pair are “not merely stopgap NCMPs", said Mr Malminderjit Singh, managing director of political consultancy Terra Corporate Affairs. “They’re key players in the party's next chapter and part of its succession planning.”
Both Mr Low, 34, and Ms Chong, 33, were swiftly co-opted into the party’s Central Executive Committee following the May General Election. Mr Low was appointed deputy head of the WP’s media team, while Ms Chong was named president of the youth wing – roles seen as significant for party positioning and public engagement.
Mr Low had narrowly lost to the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Mr Ng Chee Meng in Jalan Kayu SMC, while Ms Chong's WP team was edged out by the ruling party in Tampines GRC.
The Workers’ Party declined CNA’s requests to interview Mr Low and Ms Chong for this article.
While the WP has publicly opposed the NCMP scheme, former chief Low Thia Khiang has said the party does not stop members from taking up the role.
"We do not oppose individual members who are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to contribute to the national debate in parliament," Mr Low said during a parliamentary sitting in January 2016.
He also said WP believes that the NCMP scheme is "not the way forward to make our political system more robust".
While campaigning during the 2020 General Election, current WP chief Pritam Singh also made clear the party's stance.
"There's a long history of the position that the Workers' Party has taken on the NCMP scheme," he said. "That stand hasn't changed."
Historically, the party has used the scheme as a political proving ground. Of the 14 NCMPs since the scheme was introduced in 1984, the WP has been most effective in transitioning them to elected MPs – four of its eight NCMPs have made the leap in subsequent elections.
The most notable examples include current WP chairman Sylvia Lim and former Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera, both of whom credited their NCMP stints for giving them a critical foundation in legislative work and public engagement.
Terra Corporate Affairs' Mr Singh said Ms Lim's NCMP term from 2006 to 2011 allowed her to champion issues such as hospital means-testing and GST, gaining media attention and public recognition.
“Her articulate and consistent advocacy helped boost her reputation as a credible opposition voice, ultimately contributing to her successful bid as an elected MP in Aljunied GRC in 2011,” he added.
Similarly, Mr Gerald Giam, now head of WP’s policy research team, used his NCMP term from 2011 to 2015 to deepen his understanding of legislative processes before being elected in 2020.
Mr Perera, who served as NCMP from 2015 to 2020 before winning in Aljunied GRC, told CNA that the experience helped him understand parliamentary procedures and also allowed him to engage political office holders directly on important issues.
“My experience serving on parliamentary committees – the Public Accounts Committee and the committee to select NMPs (Nominated MPs) – was an eye-opener as to the inner workings of the state,” he added.
Still, Mr Perera cautioned that parliamentary performance alone is not enough: “You need to convince voters that your work in parliament outweighs the ground presence of your PAP opponent.”
The WP’s decision to prioritise Mr Low and Ms Chong over more senior figures – including veteran MP Faisal Manap – reflects the party's intent to develop fresh talent, said observers.
Mr Faisal, 50, has served three terms as an elected MP and proven himself a "very experienced and credible MP", said independent analyst Felix Tan, but the party appeared keen to give younger members exposure in parliament.
Mr Faisal's health scare in 2023, when he was hospitalised for a cardiac condition, may also have influenced the decision. The party may be preparing for his possible retirement from politics soon due to his age or health, said Dr Tan.
“Given the current size and organisational structure of the WP, the people they nominate for NCMPs would definitely have to be the ones who they identify as having a lot of promise,” said Dr Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies.
Dr Teo noted that the NCMP role provides an elevated public platform without the administrative load of constituency work, making it a strategic space to test emerging talent.
“If they are unable to meet expectations of the party, they would be unlikely to go further,” she said.
Analysts also described Ms Chong’s selection as a strategic bid to widen WP’s reach among Chinese-speaking and female voters. Dr Tan said her strong Mandarin skills were a valuable asset, noting that few current WP MPs are fluent in the language.
“She is able to capture the Chinese majority segment in Singapore, as she is quite articulate in Mandarin. So far in the WP leadership, few in parliament are able to be eloquent in Mandarin. The WP needs to extend itself beyond the English-speaking Singaporean,” said Dr Tan.
“During the Low Thia Kiang era, the connection to the Chinese ground was there, as Low could speak colloquially and connect with the segment very well.”
Gender representation was another factor, the analysts said. Ms Chong’s appointment over fellow newcomer Michael Thng helped balance a slate that currently has only two women among WP’s 10 elected MPs.
Ultimately, Mr Singh said, the parliamentary performances of both Mr Low and Ms Chong will be watched closely within the party and by the public as a gauge of WP’s renewal strategy.
The Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme was introduced in 1984 to ensure a minimum level of opposition representation in parliament, even if opposition parties failed to win enough seats.
Since its inception, there have been 14 NCMPs – 10 from the Workers' Party, two from the Progress Singapore Party, one from the Singapore Democratic Alliance and one from the Singapore People's Party.
Under the scheme, NCMP seats are offered to the best-performing losing opposition candidates, up to a total of 12 opposition MPs (elected and NCMPs combined). This ensures a plurality of voices in the House, particularly during periods of dominant one-party rule.
The WP’s Lee Siew Choh was the first to take up an NCMP seat in 1988, after the position went unfilled in the previous term. At the time, the scheme was controversial, with vigorous debate in parliament over whether it diluted the value of direct electoral mandates.
“There was a lot of argument in parliament about instituting the role, and a lot of disagreement on whether it actually helps politics in Singapore and helps political parties,” said Dr Felix Tan.
However, perceptions of the scheme have shifted over time. Political watchers now say the NCMP role grants opposition candidates legitimacy and visibility.
Reforms introduced in 2016 gave NCMPs the same voting rights as elected MPs – a significant shift in their status – and increased the quota from nine to 12. Since then, NCMPs have been able to vote on all bills, including constitutional amendments.
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While the NCMP scheme has helped raise political profiles, it is no guarantee of future electoral success, said Singapore Management University’s (SMU) associate professor of law Eugene Tan.
Even among WP NCMPs, only one – Ms Lim – has been elected in the same constituency she lost in as an NCMP.
But observers noted that in some cases, NCMPs who did not manage to get elected went on to assume top leadership positions within their parties.
Taking on leadership or strategic roles, even if they do not immediately secure an elected seat, often keeps them relevant within the party machinery and positions them as potential candidates for future elections, said Mr Singh.
Some NCMPs who did not win elections have still gone on to lead their parties. Singapore People’s Party secretary-general Steve Chia was an NCMP from 2001 to 2006, when he represented the Singapore Democratic Alliance, while Progress Singapore Party secretary-general Leong Mun Wai was an NCMP in the last term of parliament from 2020 to earlier this year.
“It helps them strengthen and secure their position in the party, as they are also seen as representatives of their party in parliament,” said Dr Felix Tan.
Progress Singapore Party's Leong Mun Wai was an NCMP in the last term of parliament from 2020 to earlier this year.
Mr Leong said his NCMP term allowed him to push for changes on issues such as housing and foreign talent policy.
Being in parliament provides a platform with “weight and credibility that's not easy to achieve outside of the House” while just pursuing advocacy on the ground, he told CNA.
Mr Chia described his time as NCMP from 2001 to 2006 as “both challenging and rewarding”, saying it gave him national visibility and legislative experience despite being the only NCMP in parliament then.
But not all NCMPs remain in the public eye. Some former NCMPs, including Ms Hazel Poa and Mrs Lina Chiam, have chosen to step back from politics after their parliamentary terms.
Mrs Chiam, an NCMP from 2011 to 2015 after narrowly losing in Potong Pasir, contested again in 2015 but was not returned to parliament. The wife of former opposition stalwart Chiam See Tong did not contest in subsequent elections.
Still, she told CNA that her time as NCMP did not go to waste. “Being an NCMP enabled me to speak and ask parliamentary questions concerning Singaporeans, without fear or favour,” she said.
Former NCMP Daniel Goh said that during his term, the WP had deployed him to Aljunied GRC as a likely future candidate in the next General Election.
Former Workers' Party member Daniel Goh was an NCMP between 2015 and 2020.
“I backed out of an assignment to a party-held GRC in favour of early retirement, and disappointed and even angered the party leaders,” he said. He was later expelled from the party after making public comments about the Raeesah Khan case.
Associate Professor Goh, now the vice-dean at NUS College, said: “I was just not cut out to be a politician."
Despite the platform it offers, the NCMP role has clear trade-offs.
Former NCMPs Mr Chia, Mr Perera and Mr Leong said that without constituency responsibilities, they had constraints in engaging constituents directly and accessing town council facilities to organise events. These constraints can hamper efforts to translate parliamentary work into on-the-ground credibility.
Mr Perera said he realised during his NCMP term that parliamentary speeches alone rarely shift public opinion or bring about policy change.
“It requires activity outside parliament to enable the public to know about and understand the arguments made in parliament and how those connect with their everyday lives,” he said.
However, only the fully elected MPs have those means to engage constituents, build relationships with them and understand their sentiments, he said.
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The selection of Mr Andre Low and Ms Eileen Chong reflects the WP’s renewal strategy, with both seen as potential future leaders being groomed for bigger responsibilities – a route past NCMPs from the party have taken with some success.
The pair are “not merely stopgap NCMPs", said Mr Malminderjit Singh, managing director of political consultancy Terra Corporate Affairs. “They’re key players in the party's next chapter and part of its succession planning.”
Both Mr Low, 34, and Ms Chong, 33, were swiftly co-opted into the party’s Central Executive Committee following the May General Election. Mr Low was appointed deputy head of the WP’s media team, while Ms Chong was named president of the youth wing – roles seen as significant for party positioning and public engagement.
Mr Low had narrowly lost to the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Mr Ng Chee Meng in Jalan Kayu SMC, while Ms Chong's WP team was edged out by the ruling party in Tampines GRC.
The Workers’ Party declined CNA’s requests to interview Mr Low and Ms Chong for this article.
STEPPING STONES TO ELECTED OFFICE
While the WP has publicly opposed the NCMP scheme, former chief Low Thia Khiang has said the party does not stop members from taking up the role.
"We do not oppose individual members who are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to contribute to the national debate in parliament," Mr Low said during a parliamentary sitting in January 2016.
He also said WP believes that the NCMP scheme is "not the way forward to make our political system more robust".
While campaigning during the 2020 General Election, current WP chief Pritam Singh also made clear the party's stance.
"There's a long history of the position that the Workers' Party has taken on the NCMP scheme," he said. "That stand hasn't changed."
Historically, the party has used the scheme as a political proving ground. Of the 14 NCMPs since the scheme was introduced in 1984, the WP has been most effective in transitioning them to elected MPs – four of its eight NCMPs have made the leap in subsequent elections.
The most notable examples include current WP chairman Sylvia Lim and former Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera, both of whom credited their NCMP stints for giving them a critical foundation in legislative work and public engagement.
Terra Corporate Affairs' Mr Singh said Ms Lim's NCMP term from 2006 to 2011 allowed her to champion issues such as hospital means-testing and GST, gaining media attention and public recognition.
“Her articulate and consistent advocacy helped boost her reputation as a credible opposition voice, ultimately contributing to her successful bid as an elected MP in Aljunied GRC in 2011,” he added.
Similarly, Mr Gerald Giam, now head of WP’s policy research team, used his NCMP term from 2011 to 2015 to deepen his understanding of legislative processes before being elected in 2020.
Mr Perera, who served as NCMP from 2015 to 2020 before winning in Aljunied GRC, told CNA that the experience helped him understand parliamentary procedures and also allowed him to engage political office holders directly on important issues.
“My experience serving on parliamentary committees – the Public Accounts Committee and the committee to select NMPs (Nominated MPs) – was an eye-opener as to the inner workings of the state,” he added.
Still, Mr Perera cautioned that parliamentary performance alone is not enough: “You need to convince voters that your work in parliament outweighs the ground presence of your PAP opponent.”
INTERNAL APPOINTMENTS POINT TO RENEWAL
The WP’s decision to prioritise Mr Low and Ms Chong over more senior figures – including veteran MP Faisal Manap – reflects the party's intent to develop fresh talent, said observers.
Mr Faisal, 50, has served three terms as an elected MP and proven himself a "very experienced and credible MP", said independent analyst Felix Tan, but the party appeared keen to give younger members exposure in parliament.
Mr Faisal's health scare in 2023, when he was hospitalised for a cardiac condition, may also have influenced the decision. The party may be preparing for his possible retirement from politics soon due to his age or health, said Dr Tan.
“Given the current size and organisational structure of the WP, the people they nominate for NCMPs would definitely have to be the ones who they identify as having a lot of promise,” said Dr Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies.
Dr Teo noted that the NCMP role provides an elevated public platform without the administrative load of constituency work, making it a strategic space to test emerging talent.
“If they are unable to meet expectations of the party, they would be unlikely to go further,” she said.
Analysts also described Ms Chong’s selection as a strategic bid to widen WP’s reach among Chinese-speaking and female voters. Dr Tan said her strong Mandarin skills were a valuable asset, noting that few current WP MPs are fluent in the language.
“She is able to capture the Chinese majority segment in Singapore, as she is quite articulate in Mandarin. So far in the WP leadership, few in parliament are able to be eloquent in Mandarin. The WP needs to extend itself beyond the English-speaking Singaporean,” said Dr Tan.
“During the Low Thia Kiang era, the connection to the Chinese ground was there, as Low could speak colloquially and connect with the segment very well.”
Gender representation was another factor, the analysts said. Ms Chong’s appointment over fellow newcomer Michael Thng helped balance a slate that currently has only two women among WP’s 10 elected MPs.
Ultimately, Mr Singh said, the parliamentary performances of both Mr Low and Ms Chong will be watched closely within the party and by the public as a gauge of WP’s renewal strategy.
What is the NCMP scheme?
The Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme was introduced in 1984 to ensure a minimum level of opposition representation in parliament, even if opposition parties failed to win enough seats.
Since its inception, there have been 14 NCMPs – 10 from the Workers' Party, two from the Progress Singapore Party, one from the Singapore Democratic Alliance and one from the Singapore People's Party.
Under the scheme, NCMP seats are offered to the best-performing losing opposition candidates, up to a total of 12 opposition MPs (elected and NCMPs combined). This ensures a plurality of voices in the House, particularly during periods of dominant one-party rule.
The WP’s Lee Siew Choh was the first to take up an NCMP seat in 1988, after the position went unfilled in the previous term. At the time, the scheme was controversial, with vigorous debate in parliament over whether it diluted the value of direct electoral mandates.
“There was a lot of argument in parliament about instituting the role, and a lot of disagreement on whether it actually helps politics in Singapore and helps political parties,” said Dr Felix Tan.
However, perceptions of the scheme have shifted over time. Political watchers now say the NCMP role grants opposition candidates legitimacy and visibility.
Reforms introduced in 2016 gave NCMPs the same voting rights as elected MPs – a significant shift in their status – and increased the quota from nine to 12. Since then, NCMPs have been able to vote on all bills, including constitutional amendments.
Collapse Expand
FROM NCMP TO PARTY LEADER?
While the NCMP scheme has helped raise political profiles, it is no guarantee of future electoral success, said Singapore Management University’s (SMU) associate professor of law Eugene Tan.
Even among WP NCMPs, only one – Ms Lim – has been elected in the same constituency she lost in as an NCMP.
But observers noted that in some cases, NCMPs who did not manage to get elected went on to assume top leadership positions within their parties.
Taking on leadership or strategic roles, even if they do not immediately secure an elected seat, often keeps them relevant within the party machinery and positions them as potential candidates for future elections, said Mr Singh.
Some NCMPs who did not win elections have still gone on to lead their parties. Singapore People’s Party secretary-general Steve Chia was an NCMP from 2001 to 2006, when he represented the Singapore Democratic Alliance, while Progress Singapore Party secretary-general Leong Mun Wai was an NCMP in the last term of parliament from 2020 to earlier this year.
“It helps them strengthen and secure their position in the party, as they are also seen as representatives of their party in parliament,” said Dr Felix Tan.
Progress Singapore Party's Leong Mun Wai was an NCMP in the last term of parliament from 2020 to earlier this year.
Mr Leong said his NCMP term allowed him to push for changes on issues such as housing and foreign talent policy.
Being in parliament provides a platform with “weight and credibility that's not easy to achieve outside of the House” while just pursuing advocacy on the ground, he told CNA.
Mr Chia described his time as NCMP from 2001 to 2006 as “both challenging and rewarding”, saying it gave him national visibility and legislative experience despite being the only NCMP in parliament then.
FADING FROM THE SPOTLIGHT
But not all NCMPs remain in the public eye. Some former NCMPs, including Ms Hazel Poa and Mrs Lina Chiam, have chosen to step back from politics after their parliamentary terms.
Mrs Chiam, an NCMP from 2011 to 2015 after narrowly losing in Potong Pasir, contested again in 2015 but was not returned to parliament. The wife of former opposition stalwart Chiam See Tong did not contest in subsequent elections.
Still, she told CNA that her time as NCMP did not go to waste. “Being an NCMP enabled me to speak and ask parliamentary questions concerning Singaporeans, without fear or favour,” she said.
Former NCMP Daniel Goh said that during his term, the WP had deployed him to Aljunied GRC as a likely future candidate in the next General Election.
Former Workers' Party member Daniel Goh was an NCMP between 2015 and 2020.
“I backed out of an assignment to a party-held GRC in favour of early retirement, and disappointed and even angered the party leaders,” he said. He was later expelled from the party after making public comments about the Raeesah Khan case.
Associate Professor Goh, now the vice-dean at NUS College, said: “I was just not cut out to be a politician."
TRADE-OFFS AND LIMITATIONS
Despite the platform it offers, the NCMP role has clear trade-offs.
Former NCMPs Mr Chia, Mr Perera and Mr Leong said that without constituency responsibilities, they had constraints in engaging constituents directly and accessing town council facilities to organise events. These constraints can hamper efforts to translate parliamentary work into on-the-ground credibility.
Mr Perera said he realised during his NCMP term that parliamentary speeches alone rarely shift public opinion or bring about policy change.
“It requires activity outside parliament to enable the public to know about and understand the arguments made in parliament and how those connect with their everyday lives,” he said.
However, only the fully elected MPs have those means to engage constituents, build relationships with them and understand their sentiments, he said.
Continue reading...