Jason Lee /
Notwithstanding the Government’s recent announcements (ie. review of Ministerial salaries) and actions (ie. PM’s apology during an election rally) which received lavish praise from many Singaporeans – especially journalists and political watchers, I’d argue that this Government could go one step further by not “discouraging” potential candidates who might be keen to contest in the next Presidential Election which must be held by 31 August 2011.
I do not know if Singaporeans – or even foreign investors – would genuinely be concerned over who will succeed the incumbent President on 1 September 2011.
After all, many cynics of the Elected Presidency (EP) would argue that the Head of State has always been a ceremonial post, and has never shaped or changed any policies which would impact Singaporeans.
A recent statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (on the issue of salaries’ review) said:
“While the salary of the President should reflect the President’s high status as the head of state and his critical custodial role as holder of the second key (to the Reserves), it should also take into account the fact that unlike the Prime Minister, he does not have direct executive responsibilities except as they relate to his custodial role.”
However, the significance of the President’s role becomes apparent when one examines the six-year period between September 1993 and August 1999 when the late President Ong Teng Cheong was in office.
Regardless of our political affiliation or views, I believe many Singaporeans would agree with me that President Ong’s term in office demonstrated that his “loyalty is, first and foremost, to the people of Singapore”, a statement he emphasised during the presidential campaign of August 1993.
The Constitution was amended to provide for a President elected by the people in 1992, and I believe I speak for many in saying that we should have a contest this time – after walkovers in 1999 and 2005.
The stringent criterias would however rule out many good men and women who otherwise would be eligible to contest.
The challenge for us now is to persuade the few (less than 1,000, I reckon) eligible candidates whom we know would face no difficulties in receiving the Certificate of Eligibility (issued by the Presidential Elections Committee).
Following that, it is for Singaporeans to decide if he or she has the experience and ability in administering and managing financial affairs to effectively discharge the duties and responsibilities of the office of the President.
That candidate should be persuaded to come forward and serve Singaporeans by his/her fellow Singaporeans. It would therefore be ideal if the Government “refrains” from endorsing any candidate in the upcoming Presidential Election.
As President Ong demonstrated, it does not matter if a former PAP heavyweight holds the highest office in the land. What is more important is that this person has the courage and conviction to make bold decisions in the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans.
If the Government comes to him with a request within his jurisdiction, he should seek to gain a full understanding of the issue, and the consequences of his decision.
If he has to reject the Government’s request, he should not shy away from doing so.
Many of us would remember that President Ong tested several issues during his six-year term. He had also pushed for the publication of the ‘White Paper on the Determination and Safeguarding of the Protection of the reserves of the Government’ which was tabled in Parliament in July 99.
Such moves and decisions are for the good of Singapore in general. After all, the President is not beholden to the Government.
As the late Mr Ong said during the presidential campaign in August 1993: “I am no longer partisan and I will no longer come under the control of the party whip. So I am an independent person and my main duty, if elected as President, is to look after the interests of the nation and the people as a whole – not any sectoral interests.”
It is therefore crucial that we have an independent-minded President to assume office on 1 September 2011.
In an interview with AsiaWeek in early 2000, President Ong said: “I was elected to do a job. And I had to do that job whether the government — or anyone else — liked it or not.”
That’s the mentality our next President should have. His or her actions in office will help shape our political destiny, even if indirectly.
You can join the Facebook group here: Vote for an independent-minded President.
Headline picture from Wikipedia.
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How about Nicole Seah? :)
1) Lily Neo 2) Amy Khor 3) Sylvia Lim 4) Fang Ai Lian 5) Any other choices?
Female President 1 June 2011
1) Lily Neo 2) Amy Khor 3) Sylvia Lim 4) Fang Ai Lian 5) Any other choices?
nicole seah and jeanete whatever(smc candidate of mntbatten)
I feel ex DPM Tony Tan would make a very good president…no Nathan, George Yeo or Tan Cheng Bok who somehow hasn’t the cut for the presidency.
Let’s be down to earth.In Sinkapore,does it really matter who will be the next President? We already know that our president is just a figure head and nothing good will come to the common citizens.All these set-ups and props are just a cover-up of the evil designs of MIWs.Let’s get real and not put too much hope on this issue.
I believe since the Pap control parliament then the President should either be from the opposition or should never be from the Pap or ex Pap. Only then can he be objective and work for the interest of Singaporean and be independent of government controlled.
The eligibility of becoming a President should not be dictated by Pap
Because as can be seen the Pap had made it impossible for a good, honest, decent And ‘qualified’ person to stand as President unless it is approved by their select committee created by the Pap.
The whole screwed up system must be changed else Singaporean should just stay home and watch a good movie instead of wasting our time.
President Nathan jokingly admitted S’poreans look at him as a PAP puppet, yesman and oldman desperate for money doing nothing.
Looks like he himself hopes he does not run another term as could be forced by party and oldman LKY to prevent any repeat of Late Ong Teng Cheong reserve check incident.
Look at the poor guy, he even said he even farts without a single sound other then the stench which will giveaway_that is how quietly he works. For last 12 years we did not even know whether he opened his mouth or he was President until we saw some photos-that quiet.He needs a constitutional law to lift a single finger but Billions of pay ok.
So believe he should retire physically as his human self (whatever left)has retired from existence years back as the “quiet” President of the Party.
If tomorrow Istana is flooded, he would mistake it to be an extension of the swimming pool and yes he needs the constitutional law to criticise the repeat floods outside his Istana at orchard rd.
Maybe we need ordinary “boxing ring” trained Elected President who farts loudly and opens his mouth to ask on anything affecting Singaporeans-least his food digest better even if Billions paid as salary.
All the best in your retirement President and have fun with the Billions.Let the real President takeover and continue where President Ong left after 12 years of hibernation. Bye Bye.
anyone who bravely takes govt to task and checks reserves and transparently reports to people. Willingly to donate some of the obscene salary President gets and elast do something raising issues on Sg and singaporeans than sleeping for 12 years.Our vote is yours
In Russia the President Putin created the post of a Prime Minister, became the PM and let someone else be the President. Why. In order to distance his illegal and demonic acts from himself.
Jayakumar’s spelling out the President’s limitations shows clearly that the President post in Singapore is a just such an eyewash. Sounds nice, keeper of the reserve etc, but part of the PAP programme to milk the country nevertheless, pointing to the scapegoat, the President’s acquiescence in any controversial action by the PM.If the would be President aspires to be another Ong Teng Cheong, he better not live long for the ISD would have found their way into the Istana in due course. Billions are paid for such a prop, and the prop better toe the line while being President. Taxpayers’ money are liberally spent on a magnificently high salary for the President to make it worthwhile for him to merge into the monolithic structure of the PAP rule. The stakes for the Ruling Party to stay in Power and continue to do powerful things for themselves are very high, compared to which the expenditure on a President is peanuts as they are wont to say.
Everything that is done is done to protect the PAP’s power over the honeypots of the country-those institutions which make wealth for the Nation. So when you complain that the Ministers and President have mockingly large salaries, the PAP present you with a Salary Review Committee whose members are clones of themselves but not actual PAP members. When you think that a good President can act as a bulwark against the greed of the PAP members, Jayakumar sprank up to remind you that he still has to toe the Law as promulgated by the PAP.My fellow citizens, recall that one wrong word from you will send you to a cell without trial or will have you face a judge who is the bulldog of the PAP. In other words you are tightly watched and tightly gagged. Over the 50 years PAP and their relatives and friends have become managers of the wealth producing State Institutions making magnificent money as salaries and fees. They will not allow any of you to stray inside and witness and disrupt what a fortune producing apparatus they have control of. So understand that Review Committee and the elected President are created to ensure a secure environment for the Ruling Party to continue the status quo at the honey pots of the country. Real change will only come when we as a Society are willing to lose our lives and livelihoods like in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. Mere shuffling with the existing systems just shuffles how the ISD will deal with you and how the judges will deal with your indiscretions.
When we as a Society are confronted with many many more cardbox collecting citizens in the midst of glittering towers of wealth, then you will have to take the requisite action, for then you will have lost everything.
Prof Jayakumar is absolutely right in saying that the President has no real political power. However, by the sheer stature of his office, he has tremendous power of influence. A good President is expected to speak his mind for the interest of the people, which may be against the policies of the ruling party. We should therefore vote in a president who is upright, just, insightful, non-partisan, out-spoken, fearless and has a genuine love for the people.
I wonder whether the President’s voluptous increase of salary of almost $900,000 in March 2011 soon after he was brought down by Justice Chong in the Yong Vui Kong case in August 2010 as having no powers for clemency is a perverse show of power by the PAP. For it has been clarified by the bigwigs that the power of clemency has always resided in the Cabinet of Ministers in Parliament. I wonder what other of his powers will be usurped when expedient to do so.I wonder why have a President at all, if you do not leave him with a modicum of self propulsion. Why pay 4 million dollars a year to a useless caricature of a President? I think the answer lies in the legitimization of the Acts of the PAP.In the last 10 years they have been doing great things for themselves: Appointing themselves to choice honey pots of the Land, paying themselves farcifically high salaries, bringing a million foreigners to work here,adding 120,000 new citizens per year for the last five years and of course suing the life out of their opponents by means of a corrupt judiciary. If things turn bad, they could always recoil and have the President protect their acts. In fact he is assumed to listen to all proceedings in Parliament and demur to those he does not like.Characteristically he has in fact not demurred to anything, but that would not absolve him if a wrong is committed by the PAP. At the rate they go, the PAP is bound to overstep common decency very soon ( as in raising their own paychecks). The President is their steady lifeguard lolling in beaches of bright sand, intrinsically harmless, showing the benign face of a ju-ju. He also serves who only stads and wait, on the beach of strategy. For the waiting he reaps millions of taxpayers’ money. But this is to ensure billions being paid to the PAP cohorts throughout the Land continue to flow.
Piercegreen,
Laws and regulations are only the form, or intention.
Government have to implement the laws and regulations with fairness to solve many problems and to prevent abuses.
Professor Jayakumar is only talking of form whereas the spirit of the law may be even more important.
If government is to use the libel law or ISA for prosecution of “Marxist Conspirators” and political opposition or benchmark ministerial pays by plucking any figures it like by clever selective comparison, it is a situation requiring the president to offer moral advices to the government to prevent abuse on the matter.
President should also have the moral duty to advise the government to avoid causing losses of the people’s monies in careless investments like Shin Corp. Ex-president Ong Ten Cheong was not wrong in asking for valuation of the assets under the reserve whom he is elected to exercise.
Professor Jayakumar should not just give a rather lopsided advice on the role of president forgetthing his moral duty to check on possible abuses.
No one in the circle of Power in Singapore is allowed to have a mind much less exercise it. An independent minded president is ruled out by PAP’s rulings and also by Nature. If you are paid so much that your existence on Earth is no different from existence in Paradise before the Fall, why rock the boat?
How did we ever let slip such large remuneration to be paid to Parliamentarians of this country. The PAP pay themselves more than Officeholders of Super Powers saying that if they are not paid at such a rate they will be corrupt. Can you believe that such a reason can be the basis of millions of dollars in payout? My fellow citizens, the PAP will never change because change will mean that they will earn normal sums of money and that is intolerable to them. After such a trip to Paradise will they come down to this planet?.You will see that the review committee on their salaries will come up with bizarre reasons why these exceptionally capable and noble people deserve such heavenly sums. Maybe they will say that Singapore is a SuperPower in a multiverse and all these officeholders are actually deities in a planet in a parallel universe.
My fellow citizens, we have to take this matter to an International Tribunal, otherwise we will be paying out for a long long time millions upon millions in salaries and pensions to them, while the average citizen has to plow his way through work and that too among foreign talents brought in by the PAP to milk. The PAP is so thorough, they think of everything to ensure the continued flow of their paychecks. They and their friends also hold all the CEO positions at the honeypots of the country. To add to the insult, they will say that they have been earning peanuts compared to the money they bring to Singapore. This is the way they pooh pooh our hard earned money.Ask the wife of one of them about peanuts.
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