NTUC Director, Jean See Jinli, appointed as one of nine new nominated members of parliament

She has been credited as the "go-to person for all issues related to freelancers and self-employed persons (SEPs)".

As announced on 17 July 2023 (Monday) by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Jean See Jinli, Director of NTUC Freelancers and Self-Employed (U FSE) Unit (pictured above), has been appointed by the Special Select Committee of Parliament as one of the nine new Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs).

The development follows from 21 January 2021, where the President, on the nomination of the Special Select Committee of Parliament, appointed nine persons as nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) for a term of two-and-a-half years. Their term of service will expire on 20 July 2023.

As such, under section 4(1) of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, the vacancies that arise shall be filled by the President by making appointments on the nomination of the Special Select Committee, which comprises Chan Chun Sing (Tanjong Pagar), Minister for Education; Gan Kim Yong (Chua Chu Kang), Minister for Trade and Industry, Gan Siow Huang (Marymount), Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower, and others.

Per the Committee's report, the following are the nine persons to be appointed NMPs in this round:

• Chandradas Usha Ranee, Co-founder, Plural Art Mag
• Chua Tiang Choon Keith, Executive Chairman, ABR Holdings
• Mark Lee Kean Phi, CEO, Sing Lun Holdings
• Ong Hua Han, Assistant Vice President, Deutsche Bank AG
• Parekh Nimil Rajnikant, CEO, Pegasus Asia
• Joshua Thomas Raj, Partner, Wee Swee Teow LLC
• Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Bt Abdul Rahim, Head, Public Safety & Security Programme, SUSS
• Jean See Jinli, Director, Freelancers & Self-employed Unit, NTUC-ARU
• Dr Syed Harun Bin Taha Alhabsyi, Consultant Psychiatrist, Starfish Psychiatry

After starting out with a pool of 30 candidates assessed to be suitable, the Committee agreed that the above nine nominees "have fulfilled all Constitutional criteria and are eligible for appointment", per the statement. They also have notable achievements in their respective domains and a strong understanding of the issues they are passionate about."

Indranee Rajah, Leader of the House and a member of the Committee said :"We are pleased to welcome to this House the new cohort of NMPs who have made significant contributions to society and excelled in their respective domains. We look forward to their participation which will add to the spectrum of views and experiences shared in the House."

About NTUC's Jean See Jinli

In response to her appointment as Nominated Member of Parliament, See shares: "I will strive to speak up for the self-employed community and prioritise their concerns in my speeches in Parliament.

"Some of our freelancers and self-employed persons’ concerns, which were especially more evident during the pandemic, include fair terms and payment for work done, workplace safety, training opportunities, the move towards digitalisation, as well as a more holistic ecosystem of protection and support for platform workers. By working closely with tripartite partners and stakeholders, I will endeavour to make meaningful contributions to parliamentary discussions based on insights from our workers, towards uplifting their lives and livelihoods."

In addition to being the Director of NTUC U FSE Unit, See is also the Executive Secretary of NTUC-affiliated associations, namely, the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), National Instructors and Coaches Association (NICA) and Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association (Singapore) (VICPA). She is the 14^th Labour Movement representative since 1992 to be appointment as an NMP. 

During her time at NTUC, she has been credited with supporting and co-implementing learning initiatives for early childhood educators and well as hospitality workers, as well as has pioneered strategies that enabled NTUC and affiliated associations to quickly become recognised as a strong voice for freelancers and the SEP community, particularly for areas such as protection, income security, welfare and training.

See has also been credited to have contributed extensively to the Tripartite Recommendations for SEPs in 2018 and the recommendations for platform workers under the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers in 2022 as the Labour Movement representative in tripartite setups.

NTUC President Mary Liew has commented on See's appointment: "With a heart for workers and years of experience in various unions and associations, Sister Jean constantly listens to ground concerns and speaks up for them. We have confidence that she will do her best to be a strong voice for our workers, especially the growing group of freelancers and self-employed persons."

NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng added: "Sister Jean See is a go-to person for all issues related to freelancers and self-employed persons (SEPs)."

He shared more about her experience at NTUC: "She championed for our rank-and-file workers in both manufacturing and service sectors to ensure that their interests and welfare are protected. With more than two decades with NTUC, Jean is dedicated and committed to uplift the lives and livelihoods of workers."

Lead image / Provided by NTUC (featuring Jean See Jinli)