SINGAPORE, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's former Minister of Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin was formally elected as the 10th Speaker of Parliament on Monday.
Tan said in his first speech as the speaker that the parliament needs to be the institution that channels and reflects the voices of the people, so that the members of parliament (MP) can query, answer and debate in a manner that provides hope and clarity.
"We need to be a beacon from where Singaporeans can take reference, with confidence, when addressing and understanding issues that will matter greatly for our collective well-being," he said.
Tan was nominated as the house speaker by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last week, as the former Speaker Halimah Yacob resigned from the post in August to participate in the upcoming presidential election. He left his post as the minister because the house speaker in Singapore cannot be elected from Members of Parliament (MP) who are office holders.
