Singaporean Mandarin Database

This database contains a collection of Mandarin terms which have cultural, historical or sentimental value unique to Singapore. These terms may be used by Singaporeans in the past or at present. Some of the terms are read in print while others are used in our everyday conversations.

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后

hòu

座

zuò

议

yì

员

yuán

Backbencher

Legal/Politics

法政

Legal / Politics

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Backbencher

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Legal/Politics

法政

Legal / Politics

释义

名词

不担任公职并且不是反对党前座发言人的普通议员。

DEFINITION

Noun

A Member of Parliament who does not hold public office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition.

由来
  • 英文“backbencher”的意译。
  • 这个词源自英国下议院（House of Commons），因为这些没有公职的议员一般都坐在后排，所以被称为“后座议员”。基于历史因素，新加坡与大多数英联邦国家（Commonwealth countries）一样，延用了英国的议会制度。
  • 1987年，时任副总理吴作栋提出组建政府国会委员会（Government Parliamentary Committee），让执政党后座议员监督与审查各政府部门，同时也提供多一个收集相关人士的意见与反馈的平台。
  • 后座议员在任期内可继续做自己的生意或工作。

ETYMOLOGY
  • 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.

例句
人民行动党宣布新一届国会的政府国会委员会名单，12个委员会中迎来七名首次担任正副主席的后座议员，另有四名新任议员受委副主席。（《联合早报》，20/8/2020）
SAMPLE SENTENCE
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)
参考资料
点击查看后座议员的参考资料
REFERENCES

Click here to view references for Backbencher

 

 

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