SINGAPORE: Deputy Leader of the House Zaqy Mohamad said on Friday (Sep 12) that he would nominate Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Xie Yao Quan for election as Deputy Speakers of parliament.
Mr de Souza was Deputy Speaker from 2020 to 2025, while Mr Xie is being nominated for the role for the first time. Ms Jessica Tan was the other Deputy Speaker in the last parliamentary term.
“I am confident that Christopher and Yao Quan will bring to the role a strong sense of duty, sound judgment, and respect for the rules and spirit of parliamentary democracy,” said Mr Zaqy in a Facebook post.
“Both are deeply committed to good governance and to fostering meaningful dialogue that reflects the aspirations and concerns of Singaporeans.”
While supporting the Speaker in overseeing the House, Deputy Speakers also preside over sittings in the Speaker’s absence.
Mr de Souza is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2006 and an intellectual property lawyer at Lee and Lee.
He has earned respect across the House for his “calm demeanour, legal clarity, and fairness when presiding over debates”, said Mr Zaqy.
“As chair of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Home Affairs and Law in the previous term of parliament, he strengthened policy discourse on justice and public trust, and notably moved a motion in parliament to reinforce Singapore’s fight against drugs.”
Mr Xie currently serves as GPC chair for Social Development and Family and is also deputy GPC chair for National Development.
“In parliament, Yao Quan has championed issues close to the ground from housing affordability and ComLink+ support for lower-income families, to better policies for sandwiched households,” said Mr Zaqy.
He added: “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.”
Singapore’s 15th Parliament opened on Friday (Sep 5) with the re-election of Mr Seah as Speaker and the swearing-in of 94 elected MPs, along with two Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs).
A total of 32 MPs took their oaths for the first time. This is the largest number of new faces sworn in for a new term of parliament.
