Michael Anthony Palmer (born 14 July 1968) is a Singaporean lawyer and politician who served as

Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore The speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Singapore. The speaker is nominated by the prime minister before being appointed by the Parliament. The speaker is also second in the presidential line ...

from 2011 until his resignation in 2012. A former member of the governing

People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...

(PAP), he was the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) representing the Punggol East ward of

Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC Pasil ( fa, پسيل, also Romanized as Pasīl; also known as Pasīr) is a village in Sepiddasht Rural District, Papi District, Khorramabad County, Lorestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 469, in 92 families. References

between 2006 and 2011, and

Punggol East SMC Punggol East Single Member Constituency was a single member constituency (SMC) located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. Following the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review committee report for the 2020 general elections, Punggol Eas ...

between 2011 and 2012.

Career

Palmer was called to the Singapore Bar in 1995 and joined the law firm Harry Elias Partnership as a legal consultant before becoming a partner in 1998. In April 2013, Palmer left Harry Elias Partnership and joined the law firm Lawrence Quahe & Woo. The firm was renamed Quahe Woo & Palmer when he joined.

Political career

Palmer made his political debut in the 2006 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in

and won. Palmer served as Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2011, and as Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs and Law from 2011 until in resignation in 2012. Palmer contested in

during the 2011 general election and won. He was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Punggol East SMC after defeating

Lee Li Lian Lee Li Lian (; born 19 July 1978) is a Singaporean politician. A member of the opposition Workers' Party (WP), she was the Member of Parliament for Punggol East SMC between 2013 and 2015. Lee made her political debut in the 2011 general election ...

of the Workers' Party and Desmond Lim of the

Singapore Democratic Alliance The Singapore Democratic Alliance (abbreviation: SDA) is a political coalition between the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Singapore Justice Party (SJP) in Singapore. History Prior to the founding in 2001, then-opposition Member of Parli ...

. Palmer was subsequently nominated by Prime Minister

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...

for the office of Speaker of Parliament, before being elected by the House on 10 October 2011.

Extramarital affair and resignation

Palmer announced his resignation as Speaker of Parliament, Member of Parliament for Punggol East SMC and a member of the PAP on 12 December 2012 due to an extra-marital affair with Laura Ong Hui Hoon, Constituency Director of the

People's Association The People's Association (PA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) of the Government of Singapore that oversees neighbourhood grassroots communities and social organisations. Established in 1960, it wa ...

(PA) office in

. At a press conference, alongside Deputy Prime Minister

Teo Chee Hean Teo Chee Hean ( zh, s=张志贤, poj=Tiuⁿ Chì-hiân, p=Zhāng Zhìxián; born 27 December 1954) is a Singaporean politician and former two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Senior Minister of Singapore since 2019 and Coordinating Min ...

, Palmer admitted he had made "a grave mistake" and that it was "a serious error of judgment". He resigned "in order to avoid further embarrassment". The PA staff member concerned also resigned. The PAP subsequently lost the by-elections in Punggol East SMC in January 2013 when Lee Li Lian of the Workers' Party—who Palmer had defeated in the 2011 general election, won the seat, defeating the PAP candidate

Koh Poh Koon Koh Poh Koon ( zh, s=许宝琨, p=Xú Bǎokūn; born 1972) is a Singaporean politician and former colorectal surgeon who has been serving as Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment since 2022 and Senior Minister of Stat ...

Other roles

Palmer was also Chairman of the

National Police Cadet Corps The National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) is one of the national uniformed group for youths between age 13 to 17 in Singapore. The organisation is supported by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Established in 1959, it tra ...

(NPCC) Council. He was replaced by Assistant Commissioner Zuraidah as Covering Chairperson after the scandal.

Education

Palmer attended St Andrew's Junior School, St Andrew's Secondary School and St Andrew's Junior College before graduating from the

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

in 1992 with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

with honours degree.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Michael 1968 births Alumni of University College London Living people Members of the Parliament of Singapore People's Action Party politicians Saint Andrew's Junior College alumni Saint Andrew's School, Singapore alumni Singaporean people of English descent Speakers of the Parliament of Singapore 21st-century Singaporean lawyers 21st-century Singaporean politicians 20th-century Singaporean lawyers