Big news from the Elections Department today! Singapore’s 15th parliament will see two new faces from the Workers’ Party joining as Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs). Andre Low and Eileen Chong have been appointed to fill the two available NCMP seats, adding to the opposition presence in Parliament.
For those new to Singapore’s political scene, NCMP seats are a unique feature designed to ensure a minimum level of opposition representation. If the number of elected opposition MPs falls below 12, these seats are offered to the best-performing losing opposition candidates based on their vote share.
In this recent General Election, the Workers’ Party successfully defended their 10 elected parliamentary seats – securing Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC, and Hougang SMC. This meant there were two NCMP seats available to reach the minimum threshold of 12 opposition voices.
So, who are these two?
Andre Low, 34, contested in the hotly-contested Jalan Kayu SMC. While he didn’t win the seat against labour chief Ng Chee Meng (56), securing a strong 48.53% of the vote, he achieved the highest percentage among all the opposition candidates who weren’t elected.
Joining him is Eileen Chong, 33. She was part of the Workers’ Party’s five-member team in Tampines GRC. Their team garnered 47.37% of the vote in a four-cornered fight against the PAP team led by Minister Masagos Zulkifli, earning them the second-highest percentage among the unelected opposition candidates or teams.
Notably, both Mr Low and Ms Chong were contesting in the General Election for the first time, making their entry into Parliament via the NCMP route a significant step.
The process for Ms Chong’s appointment from her GRC team was also clarified by the Elections Department. They wrote to the Tampines GRC group on May 9, allowing the team to decide among themselves by May 19 who would be declared the NCMP. The team informed the Returning Officer on May 18 of their decision to nominate Ms Eileen Chong.
The NCMP scheme itself saw significant changes in 2016, increasing the minimum number of opposition MPs (including NCMPs) from nine to twelve. Crucially, these changes also granted NCMPs the same voting rights as elected MPs, allowing them to fully participate in parliamentary debates and decisions on nearly all matters.
With Andre Low and Eileen Chong taking their seats, the Workers’ Party will now have a total of 12 representatives in the 15th Parliament – their 10 elected MPs plus these two NCMPs.
