Swearing-In and Re-Appointment of Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers

SWEARING-IN AND RE-APPOINTMENT OF

CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTIAL ADVISERS

In accordance with Article 37F(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore,
Mr Edie Teo, Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA), vacated the office of Chairman of the CPA when Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam assumed office as the ninth President of Singapore.

The President, acting in his discretion, has re-appointed Mr Eddie Teo as Chairman of the CPA under Article 37B(3A) of the Constitution with effect from 29 September 2023.

Mr Eddie Teo was first appointed to the CPA on 15 August 2018, and served as Chairman of the CPA from 2 January 2019 to 13 September 2023. As Chairman of the CPA, Mr Eddie Teo 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.

The composition of the Council is as follows:

Chairman 

Mr Eddie Teo

Members

Mr Lim Chee Onn

Mr Chua Thian Poh

Mr Bahren Shaari

Ms Chua Sock Koong

Mr Peter Seah Lim Huat

Mrs Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei

Mr Chao Hick Tin

Alternate Members

Mr Gan Seow Kee

Dr Sudha Nair 

PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
29 SEPTEMBER 2023 

Biography of Mr Eddie Teo 

Mr Eddie Teo

Mr Eddie Teo was appointed as a Member of the Council of Presidential Advisers on 15 August 2018. He was appointed as the Chairman of the Council from 2 January 2019 to 13 September 2023, and was re-appointed as the Chairman on 29 September 2023. He is currently the Pro-Chancellor of Singapore Management University (SMU), Distinguished Fellow of School of Social Sciences, SMU and a Director of Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship. 

Previous Career

He served in the Singapore Public Service for 35 years before retiring in 2005. He began his public service career in 1970 in the Security and Intelligence Division (SID) of the Ministry of Defence. He became Director, SID in 1979 and was in that post until 1994. From 1982 to 1986, he held the concurrent position of Director, Internal Security Department, Ministry of Home Affairs. He was Permanent Secretary (Defence) from 1994 to 2000 and Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s Office) from 1998 to 2005, and was concurrently Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister’s Office from 1998 to 2000. He was Singapore's High Commissioner to Australia from 2006 to 2008. He served two terms as the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, from August 2008 to July 2018. He was Chairman of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony from 15 September 2017 to 2 January 2019 and Senior Advisor of Temasek International Advisors Pte Ltd from 1 April 2019 to 13 April 2020.

Additional Information on the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA)      

The Constitution of Singapore gives the Elected President custodial and discretionary powers in the safeguarding of the past reserves of the Government and 5th Schedule Statutory Boards and Government Companies (5th Schedule SBGCs¹), and in the appointments of key personnel in the public service and 5th Schedule SBGCs. 

The Constitution also provides for a Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) to advise the President in the exercise of these custodial and discretionary powers. It is obligatory for the President to consult the CPA when exercising his discretionary powers related to all fiscal and appointment-related matters.

The Council comprises eight members and two alternate members. Three members are appointed by the President in his discretion; three are the Prime Minister's nominees; one is the Chief Justice's nominee; and one is the nominee of the Chairman of the Public Service Commission. One alternate member is appointed by the President in his discretion while the other is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, after consulting the Chief Justice and Chairman of Public Service Commission.

CPA membership is drawn into 3 divisions. Each division has one member appointed by the President in his discretion and one member appointed on the Prime Minister’s advice. In addition, the first division has a member appointed on the Chief Justice’s advice, and the second division has a member appointed on the PSC Chairman’s advice. Each member’s appointment expires every sixth year. The 3 divisions are staggered so that every 2 years, all seats in a division will expire together. If a seat is prematurely vacated, the Constitution provides that the term of the replacement member is subject to the expiry date of the member he replaces, so as to preserve the staggering. Alternate members are appointed on a four-year term.

[1] The 5^th Schedule SBGCs are: Central Provident Fund Board, Housing and Development Board, JTC Corporation, Monetary Authority of Singapore, GIC Pte Ltd and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd.