It is with a sense of pride and loss at once that we welcome Madam Halimah Yacob’s appointment as Speaker of Parliament. While this is a refreshingly positive step for women leadership and political representation in Singapore, we are sad to see her leave her post as Minister of State for Social and Family Development, as she has been a stellar Minister, deeply committed to promoting the rights and status of women.

AWARE has enjoyed a very good working relationship with Madam Halimah while she was in Cabinet and hopes to sustain our connection with her despite her leaving political office. A vocal advocate of gender equality, she has been approachable and open to new ideas. We are delighted that she has expressed interest to pursue her work in social causes, as the different communities she serves look forward to her empathetic and sincere approach.

With her strong background in law, grassroots work and politics, as well as her international credentials, she is a highly qualified candidate to take on the responsibilities of the Speaker of Parliament. The prospects of her new position are exciting, and we wish her the very best in this well-suited role. We hope her appointment is the harbinger of a louder political voice for women in Singapore, and on behalf of Singaporean women, we applaud the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint her.