Seah Kian Peng

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Seah Kian Peng
謝健平
Party Affiliation PAP  
Current Role • Speaker of Parliament
• MP of Marine Parade GRC
Past Roles • Deputy Speaker of Parliament
Others • NTUC FairPrice CEO
Pending
Background
Education • University of New South Wales


Personal Details
Age 63
Others Pending


Seah Kian Peng (Chinese: 謝健平; pinyin: Xiè Jiànpíng; born 5 December 1961) is presently the Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore sworn in on 2 Aug 2023 after previous Tan Chuan-Jin stepped down over an extramarital affair with fellow People's Action Party MP Cheng Li Hui, who also resigned.

Unlike in western countries which practice a strictly non-partisan Speaker of Parliament who must renounce his party membership once appointed, Singapore's Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, like all his earlier predecessors, is a member of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and he has represented the Braddell Heights division of Marine Parade GRC as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2006. Prior to his current role, he was the Deputy Speaker of Parliament from 2011 to 2016. Beyond politics, Seah held leadership positions within Singapore’s cooperative and retail sectors, including serving as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NTUC FairPrice from 2010 to 2022.

Early Life and Education

Seah was born in Singapore into a working-class family of six. His father worked as a line operator in a printing firm, while his mother was a homemaker who supplemented the household income through sewing. He was the third of four children. Seah attended Raffles Institution before receiving a Colombo Plan scholarship to study at the University of New South Wales, where he graduated with first-class honours in building.


Early career

After completing his National Service, Seah began his career at Indeco Engineers, a government-linked company, before transitioning to the Singapore Civil Service. He was later seconded to the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), where he played a key role in corporate planning and helped establish NTUC Healthcare's pharmacy chain.

Between 1994 and 1996, Seah worked in the private sector at Sum Cheong Corporation, a piling and engineering firm, before returning to NTUC. Over the years, he held leadership roles at NTUC Healthcare and NTUC Media before becoming chief operating officer (COO) of NTUC FairPrice in 2001. In 2010, he was appointed CEO of NTUC FairPrice, a position he held until 2022.

Political career

Seah entered politics in the 2006 general election as a PAP candidate for Marine Parade GRC, representing the Braddell Heights ward. He was elected unopposed and has since been re-elected in subsequent 2011, 2015, and 2020 general elections, where the PAP faced challenges from the National Solidarity Party and Workers’ Party.

In 2011, Seah was appointed Deputy Speaker of Parliament, a role he held until 2016. During his tenure, he led a parliamentary initiative to amend the Maintenance of Parents Act, which was passed in November 2010 after consultation with a 10-person workgroup.

From 2020 to 2022, Seah served as chairperson of the Social and Family Development Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC).

For the full list of positions, refer to PARL link

On 21 July 2023, following the resignation of Tan Chuan-Jin, Seah was nominated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as the next Speaker of Parliament. He was formally sworn in on 2 August 2023. In his inaugural speech as Speaker, he emphasized the importance of integrity and personal conduct among parliamentarians.

Controversies

Safe Distancing Ambassador controversy

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Seah drew public attention in April 2020 for acting as a safe distancing ambassador during Singapore’s circuit breaker lockdown. His actions sparked debate, with some viewing them as proactive while others raised concerns about overreach.[1]

Criticism over political neutrality

Seah faced criticism over his PAP team's impartiality in response to the parliamentary incident involving MPs from the opposing sides. Some claimed that in the past debates, MPs from the opposition parties never had a chance to clarify.

The criticism came following the statement from NCMP Leong Mun Wai, who said in a podcast that he was often one of the last to speak in the parliament".

Seah responded by confirming that his team upholds the principles of fairness and impartiality in the parliament.[2]

Shuttle Service Landmark Controversy

  • Seah Kian Peng was also one of the MPs featured on the shuttle bus service in Marine Parade cluster. See Tan See Leng's page for detail.

Social Media Pages

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References

Template:Reflist

14th Parliament
MP  : Ang Wei NengBaey Yam KengCheryl Chan Wei LingChan Chun SingChee Hong TatCheng Li HuiEdward Chia Bing HuiChong Kee HiongDesmond ChooChua Kheng Wee LouisEric ChuaDarryl DavidChristopher de SouzaFoo Mee HarGrace Fu Hai YienGan Kim YongGan Siow HuangGan Thiam PohDerrick GohHe Ting RuHeng Chee HowHeng Swee KeatShawn Huang Wei ZhongIndranee RajahS IswaranJanil PuthuchearyAmy Khor Lean SuanKoh Poh KoonKwek Hian Chuan HenryDesmond LeeLee Hsien LoongLiang Eng HwaLim Biow ChuanJamus Jerome LimSylvia LimLim Wee KiakLow Yen LingMariam JaafarMasagos Zulkifli Bin Masagos MohamadMohamad Maliki Bin OsmanMohd Fahmi Bin AlimanMuhamad Faisal Bin Abdul ManapMuhammad Faishal IbrahimMurali PillaiNadia Ahmad SamdinNg Eng HenNg Ling LingLouis Ng Kok KwangRachel Ong Ong Ye KungJoan PereiraLeon PereraDenise Phua Lay PengPoh Li SanPritam SinghRaeesah KhanRahayu MahzamSaktiandi SupaatSeah Kian PengK ShanmugamSharael TahaSim AnnSitoh Yih PinHany SohSun XuelingAlvin TanCarrie TanTan Chuan-JinDennis Tan Lip FongDesmond TanJessica Tan Soon NeoTan Kiat HowTan See LengTan Wu MengPatrick Tay Teck GuanTeo Chee HeanJosephine TeoTharman ShanmugaratnamTin Pei LingEdwin Tong Chun FaiVikram NairVivian BalakrishnanWan RizalDon WeeLawrence WongXie Yao QuanAlex Yam ZimingYeo Wan LingYip Hon WengMelvin Yong Yik ChyeZaqy MohamadZhulkarnain Abdul Rahim
NCMP  : Leong Mun WaiHazel Poa