7th Parliament of Singapore
| 7th Parliament of Singapore | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
 | |||||||
| Overview | |||||||
| Legislative body | Parliament of Singapore | ||||||
| Meeting place | Old Parliament House | ||||||
| Term | 9 January 1989 – 14 August 1991 (2 years, 7 months and 5 days) | ||||||
| Election | 3 September 1988 | ||||||
| Government | People's Action Party | ||||||
| Opposition | Workers' Party Singapore Democratic Party | ||||||
| Parliament of Singapore | |||||||
| Members | 81 + 2 NCMPs + 2 NMPs | ||||||
| Speaker | Tan Soo Khoon | ||||||
| Leader of the House | Wong Kan Seng | ||||||
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew (until 28 November 1990) Goh Chok Tong (from 28 November 1990) | ||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | Chiam See Tong | ||||||
| Party control | PAP supermajority | ||||||
| Sessions | |||||||
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The 7th Parliament of Singapore was a meeting of the Parliament of Singapore. Its first session commenced on 9 January 1989 and was prorogued on 21 April 1990. Its second session commenced on 7 June 1990 and was prorogued on 29 January 1991. It commenced its third session on 22 February 1991 and was dissolved on 14 August 1991.[1]
The members of the Seventh Parliament were elected in the 1988 general election. Parliament was controlled by a People's Action Party majority, who were led by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his Cabinet until 28 November 1990, when Goh Chok Tong and his Cabinet assumed power. Tan Soo Khoon served as Speaker.[2] The de facto Leader of the Opposition was Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Party.
The Seventh Parliament saw the introduction of the Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) scheme, which allowed for the appointment of non-partisan members of certain functional groups to Parliament. Cardiologist Maurice Choo and Chairman of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board Leong Chee Whye were appointed as NMPs on 22 November 1990.[3]
Shortly after assuming the role of Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong would call a snap election on 14 August 1991, in order to court a fresh mandate.[4] With a tenure of two years and seven months, the Seventh Parliament was the shortest in Singapore's history, as well as being the only one as of 2026 to have three sessions.
Results of the 1988 general election
[edit]| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People's Action Party | 848,029 | 63.17 | 80 |  3 | |
| Workers' Party | 224,473 | 16.72 | 2 | 1 | |
| Singapore Democratic Party | 158,341 | 11.80 | 1 |  | |
| National Solidarity Party | 50,432 | 3.76 | 0 | New | |
| United People's Front | 17,282 | 1.29 | 0 | | |
| Singapore Justice Party | 14,660 | 1.09 | 0 | | |
| Singapore Malay National Organisation | 13,526 | 1.01 | 0 | | |
| Angkatan Islam Singapura | 280 | 0.02 | 0 | | |
| Independents | 15,412 | 1.15 | 0 | | |
| Total | 1,342,435 | 100.00 | 83 | 4 | |
| Valid votes | 1,342,435 | 97.77 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 30,629 | 2.23 | |||
| Total votes | 1,373,064 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,669,013 | 94.70 | |||
| Source: Singapore Elections | |||||
Officeholders
[edit]- Speaker: Tan Soo Khoon (Brickworks GRC, PAP)
- Deputy Speaker:
- Lim Boon Heng (Kebun Baru SMC, PAP), from 16 January 1989
- Abdullah Tarmugi (Siglap SMC, PAP), from 16 January 1989
- Prime Minister:
- Lee Kuan Yew (Tanjong Pagar SMC, PAP), until 28 November 1990
- Goh Chok Tong (Marine Parade GRC, PAP), from 28 November 1990
- Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore:
- Goh Chok Tong (Marine Parade GRC, PAP), until 28 November 1990
- Ong Teng Cheong (Kim Keat SMC, PAP)
- Lee Hsien Loong (Teck Ghee SMC, PAP), from 28 November 1990
- Leader of the Opposition: Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir SMC, SDP)
- Leader of the House: Wong Kan Seng (Toa Payoh GRC, PAP)
- Government Party Whip: Lee Boon Yang (Jalan Besar GRC, PAP)
- Deputy Government Party Whip: Ho Kah Leong (Jurong SMC, PAP)
Composition
[edit]| Party | Members | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| At election | At dissolution | ||
| People's Action Party | 80 | 80 | |
| Workers' Party | 2 NCMPs | 1 NCMP | |
| Singapore Democratic Party | 1 | 1 | |
| Nominated Members of Parliament | 0 | 2 | |
| Vacant seats | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 83 | 85 | |
| Government majority | 79 | 79 | |
Members
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ Francis Seow fled to the United States soon after the 1988 elections and did not take up his seat. He was removed from Parliament on 17 December 1988 after being convicted of tax evasion in absentia.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Sessions of Parliament". Parliament of Singapore. 8 June 2017.
- ↑ "List of Former Speakers". Parliament of Singapore. 7 August 2017.
- ↑ "Nominated MPs to be sworn-in today at Parliament sitting". The Straits Times. 1990-12-20. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
- ↑ Mutalib, Hussin (1992). "Singapore's 1991 General Election". Southeast Asian Affairs: 299–309. ISSN 0377-5437. Retrieved 14 May 2025.