SINGAPORE - An amendment to the Constitution has been proposed to allow the president and ministers to accept appointments in foreign and international organisations in their private capacities, if required by national interest.

For example, this would allow President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to continue with his roles in the World Economic Forum and Group of Thirty.

The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No. 3) Bill was introduced in Parliament on Monday.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that, from time to time, the president or ministers are invited to take up key positions in foreign and international organisations.

“Accepting such positions can enhance Singapore’s international standing and help to advance our national interest,” it said.

These organisations typically invite individuals to serve in their private instead of official capacities.

However, the Constitution currently does not provide for the president, as head of state, to take up public roles where he acts in his private capacity.

The Bill proposes to amend the Constitution to create a framework that enables the president to perform such roles in his private capacity, when the Cabinet advises that it is in the national interest for him to do so.

While the law currently does not prohibit ministers from serving in foreign and international organisations in their private capacities, the Bill aims to put in place a similar framework for ministers to ensure more comprehensive coverage, said the PMO.

President Tharman currently holds several international appointments, including being chairman of the board of trustees of the Group of Thirty, a member of the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees, co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and co-chair of the Advisory Board for the UN Human Development Report.

On Sept 2, the day after he won the presidential election, he told the media that he would be reviewing his positions given that he was set to be Singapore’s ninth president.

He said then that he would also need to go along with the advice of the Cabinet on whether keeping some of these appointments would be in Singapore’s interest.

The Straits Times has contacted the President’s Office and PMO to clarify the foreign and international roles being held by President Tharman or the ministers.

The proposed amendments in the Bill set out the legal parameters for Mr Tharman and the ministers to take on these roles in their private capacities.

These parameters include: The Cabinet must advise the president that it is in the national interest for the president to accept and hold the office, and that the president, acting in his discretion, concurs with the advice of the Cabinet.

The Cabinet may also from time to time advise the president against saying or doing anything in performing the functions of such an office. The president must also relinquish the office, if so advised by the Cabinet.

For ministers to take on such roles, the prime minister must consider it to be in the national interest for the minister to accept and hold that office and give permission for the minister to do so.

Similarly, the prime minister may also from time to time instruct the minister against saying or doing anything in performing the functions of such an office, and the minister must also relinquish the office, if so instructed by the prime minister.

Any acceptance or relinquishment of an office under this framework by the president or a minister, must be published in the Government Gazette.

The Bill will be debated at the next parliamentary sitting.