Retirement of Clerk of Parliament

Hon Members, I wish to inform the House that our Clerk of Parliament, Ms Ng Sheau Jiuan, will retire on 23 September 2025, that is, tomorrow. This is after 33 years of distinguished service.

Ms Ng began her parliamentary career in 1992 and became our sixth – and first woman – Clerk of Parliament in 2005.

I first met her when I entered the House in 2006. From my early days as a new Member of Parliament, through my time as Deputy Speaker and now as Speaker, her patient guidance and deep knowledge of parliamentary procedures have been invaluable.

Renowned for her mastery of the Standing Orders, Ms Ng has served as the principal adviser to Speakers and Members with impartiality and meticulous care. She strengthened the work of various Committees, steered the House through the challenges of the pandemic and led the Secretariat through three decades of technological change, ensuring Parliament kept pace with the times. When in doubt about procedure, we and I do not turn to Mr Google. We all turn to Ms Ng.

As head of the Secretariat, her leadership has kept Parliament running seamlessly and enhanced Singapore’s profile through many international and regional conferences and meetings. Her legacy of excellence and innovation will endure.

I am also pleased to announce that Mr Siow Peng Han, our current Deputy Clerk since 2008, will succeed as Clerk of Parliament tomorrow, on 23 September 2025. I extend, on behalf of all Members, our heartiest congratulations to Mr Siow on his appointment.

Finally, on behalf of all Members and Speakers past and present, I convey our deepest gratitude to Ms Ng for her exemplary service and wish her every happiness in the next chapter of her life. Sheau Jiuan, we will miss your wise counsel and unwavering dedication. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr Speaker, please allow me, on behalf of Members, to pay tribute to our Clerk of Parliament, Ms Ng Sheau Jiuan. Ms Ng joined the Parliamentary Service as an Assistant Clerk in 1992 and was appointed Clerk of Parliament in 2005.

As Clerk, she has seen us through more than two decades and six terms of Parliament, and worked with five Speakers and Leaders of the House. Through it all, she has been a constant and reliable presence in this House, whom Members have been able to turn to for guidance on Parliamentary procedure.

By nature, Ms Ng is unassuming. But that belies her great expertise, knowledge and capability. In the last 20 years, she has played a crucial role in ensuring that every Parliament Sitting runs smoothly.

To the Chamber and to the public, it appears as though this is effortless. But the reality is that it takes an enormous amount of the work behind the scenes to ensure that every Sitting runs smoothly, and this is due in very large part to the work of the Clerks, who have been ably overseen and guided by Ms Ng. Thanks to her tireless dedication, our Parliamentary proceedings run like clockwork, even when things hit a fever pitch during the frenzy of the Committee of Supply debates each year. This task has become even more challenging in recent years, with a higher number of Parliamentary Questions, Motions and other Parliamentary Business. Through it all, she has been the invisible hand behind the smooth proceedings that this House has enjoyed, notwithstanding the increasing workload and the massive amount of coordination required.

As Clerk of Parliament, Ms Ng has also been our foremost in-house expert on Parliamentary procedure and the Standing Orders. Her command of Parliamentary procedure is built on not only her wealth of experience but her legal training prior to joining the Parliamentary Service. And here, on a more personal note, I should mention that Ms Ng and I were classmates in law school, from the graduating cohort of 1986. I do not think that at that time, we both envisaged that we would end up in the same Chamber, but it has been a pleasure to work with her here. In law school, she was the same – friendly, diligent and always a pleasure to work with.

Ms Ng has also overseen key transformations of our Parliament over the last two decades. These include the livestreaming of Parliamentary proceedings, efforts to simplify the language used in Parliament and increased public outreach to demystify Parliament's work. What these initiatives have in common is Ms Ng's commitment to making Parliamentary proceedings more accessible to the public. She also personally oversaw the implementation of the improvements in the Members' Room, including the improved menu. So, Members know whom you have to thank for that.

Ms Ng has carried the heavy responsibilities of her office with a steady hand, a faithful heart and an enduring devotion to this House. On behalf of all Members, thank you Sheau Jiuan, for your 33 years of distinguished service. We wish you a fulfilling and thoroughly well-deserved retirement.

On behalf of all Members, I also wish to extend our warmest congratulations to Mr Siow Peng Han on his appointment as the new Clerk of Parliament, with effect from tomorrow. Mr Siow is no stranger to us, having served as Deputy Clerk since 2008. I have no doubt that we are in good hands with Mr Siow as Clerk for the 15th Parliament. [Applause.]