Role of the Council
The Constitution of Singapore was amended in 1991 to give the Elected President custodial powers to safeguard Singapore’s past reserves and the integrity of the public service. The Constitution provided for the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) to advise the President in the exercise of these custodial powers. It is obligatory for the President to consult the CPA when exercising the discretionary powers related to all fiscal and appointment-related matters.
| 8 Members |
|
| 2 Alternate Members |
|
(From left to right) Dr Sudha Nair, Mr Chao Hick Tin, Mr Peter Seah Lim Huat, Mr Bahren Shaari, Mr Lim Chee Onn, Mr Eddie Teo, Dr Chua Thian Poh, Ms Chua Sock Koong, Mrs Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei and Mr Gan Seow Kee.
Appointing a CPA Member
CPA membership is drawn into three divisions. Each member's appointment expires every sixth year.
The three divisions are staggered so that every two years, all seats in a division will expire at the same time. If a seat is prematurely vacated, the term of the replacement member will have the same expiry date as that of the member he replaces, so as to preserve the staggering.
| 1st Division |
|
| 2nd Division |
|
| 3rd Division |
|
Current CPA Members
The Chairman of the CPA is Mr Eddie Teo.
Members: Mr Lim Chee Onn, Dr Chua Thian Poh, Mr Bahren Shaari, Ms Chua Sock Koong, Mr Peter Seah Lim Huat, Mrs Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei and Mr Chao Hick Tin.
Alternate members: Mr Gan Seow Kee and Dr Sudha Nair.
The Chairman of the CPA also exercises the functions of the Office of the President in the absence of the President. If he is unavailable, this duty falls on the Speaker of Parliament.
Biographies of CPA Members
| Tenure in CPA | Tenure as Alternate Member* | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr Eddie Teo (Chairman) | Since Aug 2018 |
- |
| 2 | Mr Lim Chee Onn | Since Apr 2017 | Jan 2008 to Mar 2017 |
| 3 | Dr Chua Thian Poh |
Since Jan 2019 |
Apr 2017 to Jan 2019 |
| 4 | Mr Bahren Shaari |
Since Jan 2020 |
Apr 2017 to Jan 2020 |
| 5 | Ms Chua Sock Koong |
Since Jun 2020 |
Jan 2019 to Jun 2020 |
| 6 | Mrs Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei |
Since Jun 2021 |
Jan 2020 to Jun 2021 |
| 7 | Mr Gan Seow Kee |
- | Since Jun 2020 |
| 8 | Mr Peter Seah Lim Huat |
Since Jan 2021 |
|
| 9 | Dr Sudha Nair | Since Jun 2021 | |
| 10 | Mr Chao Hick Tin | Since Jun 2022 | - |
*Alternate Members were introduced in 2008.
CPA proceedings are private. The CPA may ask public officers to furnish information. Should any public officer appear before the CPA, the officer is prohibited from disclosing the discussions.
Past CPA Members
| Name / Appointment | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr Lim Kim San / Chairman | Jan 1992 to Jan 2004 |
| 2 | Dr Michael Fam Yue Onn / Member | Jan 1992 to Jan 2004 |
| 3 | Dr Cheong Siew Keong / Member | Jan 1992 to Jan 2008 |
| 4 | Mr Ridzwan bin Haji Dzafir / Member | Jan 1992 to Jan 2007 |
| 5 | Mr Lee Seng Wee / Member | Jan 1992 to Jan 2001 |
| 6 | Dr Ee Peng Liang / Member | July 1992 to Aug 1994 |
| 7 | Mr Teo Cheng Guan / Member | Nov 1994 to May 2002 |
| 8 | Mr Sim Kee Boon | Jan 1997 to Jan 2004 (Member) Jan 2004 to Sep 2005 (Chairman) Sep 2005 to Jan 2007 (Member) |
| 9 | Prof Cham Tao Soon / Member | Jan 2004 to Jan 2010 |
| 10 | Mr Yong Pung How / Member | Jan 2007 to Jan 2013 |
| 11 | Mr Lee Tzu Yang / Member | Jan 2013 to Aug 2018 |
| 12 | Mr J Y Pillay | Jan 2001 to Sep 2005 (Member) Sep 2005 to Jan 2019 (Chairman) |
| 13 | Mr Bobby Chin Yoke Choong | Jan 2010 to Jan 2020 (Member) |
| 14 | Mr Stephen Lee Ching Yen | Jan 2008 to Jun 2020 (Member) |
| 15 |
Mr Po'ad Bin Shaik Abu Bakar Mattar / Member |
Jan 2007 to Jan 2021 |
| 16 | Mr Goh Joon Seng / Member | Jan 2008 to Apr 2021 |
| 17 | Mr S Dhanabalan / Member | Jan 2004 to Jun 2022 |