In Singapore, constitutional amendment proposed to allow president and ministers to accept roles in foreign and international organisations in their private capacities

An amendment to the Constitution has been proposed to allow the president and ministers to accept appointments in foreign and international organisations in their private capacities, if required by national interest. The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No. 3) Bill was introduced in Parliament on [6 November]. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that, from time to time, the president or ministers are invited to take up key positions in foreign and international organisations. [...] These organisations typically invite individuals to serve in their private instead of official capacities. However, the Constitution currently does not provide for the president, as head of state, to take up public roles where he acts in his private capacity. The Bill proposes to amend the Constitution to create a framework that enables the president to perform such roles in his private capacity, when the Cabinet advises that it is in the national interest for him to do so. While the law currently does not prohibit ministers from serving in foreign and international organisations in their private capacities, the Bill aims to put in place a similar framework for ministers to ensure more comprehensive coverage, said the PMO. [...] President Tharman currently holds several international appointments, including being chairman of the board of trustees of the Group of Thirty, a member of the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees, co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and co-chair of the Advisory Board for the UN Human Development Report. On Sept 2, the day after he won the presidential election, he told the media that he would be reviewing his positions given that he was set to be Singapore’s ninth president. He said then that he would also need to go along with the advice of the Cabinet on whether keeping some of these appointments would be in Singapore’s interest.
Read the full article here: Singapore Law Watch