Hands down, former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Anthea Ong is the ideal candidate to bring together the voices of 20 NMPs, past and present, in the first book dedicated to the NMP scheme. Ong, after all, is particularly known for speaking up at every single Parliament sitting from 2018 to 2020, as well as for championing multiple social issues fiercely.
As well as being a trailblazer, she is also a mental health advocate, social entrepreneur, impact investor, life and leadership coach, strategy consultant, yoga and wellness facilitator and author, among other roles. Hush TeaBar, WorkWell Leaders, and A Good Space are a few of the initiatives she founded.
A collection of essays, The Nominated Member of Parliament Scheme: Are Unelected Voices Still Necessary in Parliament? presents the perspectives and reflections of at least one NMP from each of the scheme’s eight Parliaments, with the intent to capture the significance of the NMP scheme and its place in Singapore’s parliamentary evolution.
The idea for the book first came to her during a daily meditation session last June — one year after she completed her NMP term. Only then did she realise that the experience had been “phenomenal and monumental”, and that she wanted to find a way to pull together insights from this most “special group of people”.
As a result, she sought out World Scientific as a publisher and the likes of exNMPs former Attorney-General Walter Woon and Kuik Shiao-Yin to contribute.
“It’s no secret that I’m a geek. I’m a big fan of investigative work and data analysis,” says Ong, a self-described mad hatter who is articulate, warm and vivacious.
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