Koh Poh Koon moves to the backbench in Parliament after leaving political office
Former Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon has moved to the parliamentary backbench following his resignation from political office in May. Citing family reasons for his departure, the colorectal surgeon will now focus on his medical practice while continuing his duties as a Member of Parliament.
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SINGAPORE – Former senior minister of state Koh Poh Koon on July 7 took a new seat on the backbench after resigning from political office in May.
Koh now sits in the second row facing the frontbench, between Workers’ Party chair Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) and Melvin Yong (Radin Mas), according to a seating plan released by Parliament, dated July 2026.
Koh was senior minister of state for manpower and health, and was previously seated between senior ministers of state Zaqy Mohamad and Low Yen Ling on the opposite side of the House.
Koh left political office for family reasons. His last day as senior minister of state was June 1.
In a Facebook post after the Prime Minister’s Office announced his resignation on May 22, Koh said he was immensely grateful for the trust and confidence put in him, but he had to refocus his priorities.
“I have been an absent husband, father and son since I stepped into politics in 2015, placing the needs of Singapore and my constituents above my family,” said the father of two daughters.
Koh, a colorectal surgeon, later said he would return to medical practice.
He entered politics in 2013, losing a four-cornered by-election to the WP’s Lee Li Lian, with a vote share of 43.73 per cent against her 54.5 per cent.
He ran again and was elected to Parliament in the 2015 General Election as part of the Ang Mo Kio GRC team. He was appointed to political office shortly after in 2016.
MPs are seated in the House by rank and role.
Koh now sits in the second row facing the frontbench, between Workers’ Party chair Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) and Melvin Yong (Radin Mas), according to a seating plan released by Parliament, dated July 2026.
PHOTO: MDDI
In February, WP chief Pritam Singh moved from sitting directly opposite Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Parliament following his removal as Leader of the Opposition.
An updated seating plan that Parliament put up on its website on Feb 3 showed that Deputy Speaker of Parliament Christopher de Souza was moved to that seat.
source: The Straits Times https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/koh-poh-koon-moves-to-the-backbench-in-parliament-after-leaving-political-office?ref=top-stories
