The Parliament of Singapore

• Main Author: EUGENE, Tan K. B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2023
• Subjects: Political system; parliament; Singapore; Asian Studies; Political Science; Public Law and Legal Theory
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/4286
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Legislative power is vested in a unicameral Parliament. Since 1959, the People's Action Party (PAP) has dominated political life in Singapore. It has won every general election since 1959 when Singapore first attained self-government. The PAP's one-party dominance remains relatively robust even after more than six decades of being in government. Parliament consists of the President and Members of Parliament. Parliament presently has 104 members, comprising 93 elected members, 2 Non-Constituency members and 9 Nominated members. The political intent of maintaining Parliament's relevance and legitimacy in a one-party dominant system necessitated innovations to sustain the central idea of representation. The PAP government recognised the need to ensure a minimum, if not nominal, representation of opposition and non-partisan parliamentarians. The innovations sought to keep pace with and manage the desire for more non-government voices in the legislature by regulating it. This attempt to introduce non-government members was aimed at reducing the perception that Parliament was but a mere rubber stamp institution.