• The Mandarin term “后座议员” is a paraphrase of the English term “backbencher”.
• The English term originated from the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. As Members of Parliament who do not hold public or government office usually sit in the back row, they came to be
  known as “backbenchers”. For historical reasons, Singapore and most Commonwealth countries continue to use the British parliamentary system.
• In 1987, then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong proposed forming Government Parliamentary Committees to allow backbenchers of the ruling party to monitor and inspect various Government
  departments, providing an additional platform to collect opinions and feedback.
• During their term in parliament, backbenchers are allowed to continue running their own businesses or holding their own jobs.

The People’s Action Party announced the list of names for the Government Parliamentary Committees of the new Parliament. The 12 committees admitted seven backbenchers who will serve as chairpersons and vice-chairpersons for the first time, and another four new Members of Parliament were appointed as vice-chairpersons. (Lianhe Zaobao, 20/8/2020)