Bhavan Jaipragas/
The Council of Presidential Advisers’s fundamental role is to advise and make recommendations to the president on certain key issues. Wee Kim Wee was the first president who enjoyed the services of the council, albeit only for two years before he stepped down. Ong Teng Cheong, Wee’s successor and Singapore’s first elected president, had more opportunities to work with the council throughout his term of office (1993– 99). The following are the current members of the council:
Mr J Y Pillay (Chairman)
Mr Joseph Yubaraj Manuel Pillay is a former top ranking civil servant who served in various ministries and government linked organizations over nearly five decades. Once hailed by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong as ‘the civil servant able to stand up to his prime minister’ Mr Pillay’s most significant contribution was as chairman of Singapore Airlines, a post he held for 24 years until he relinquished it in 1996. Mr Pillay, 77, has been the chairman of various organizations including OCBC, DBS, Temasek Holdings and Neptune Orient Lines. Mr Pillay, who served as Singapore’s High Commissioner to Britain and Ambassador to Ireland from 1996 to 1999, was also the founding chairman of SINDA.
Mr Pillay was first appointed to the CPA in 2001 for a six-year term. He assumed the chairmanship of the Council in 2005, succeeding Mr Sim Kee Boon, the former chairman of Keppel Corp. He has since been reappointed twice on four-year terms, in 2007 and again early this year. As Chairman of the CPA, Mr Pillay will assume the post of Acting President in the absence of the President.
Mr Dhanabalan
Former high-profile Cabinet Minister Suppiah Dhanabalan started his career as an Administrative Officer in the Ministry of Finance before taking up senior positions in the Economic Development Board and the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS). He held the position of Executive Vice President of DBS from 1970-1978. Mr Dhanabalan held several Cabinet portfolios during his tenure in the Singapore government from 1978 to 1994. He is currently the Chairman of Temasek Holdings. Mr Dhanabalan was first appointed as a member of the CPA in 2004. He was reappointed for a second four-year term last year.
Mr Po’ad Bin Shaik Abu Bakar
One of the three minority members of the CPA, Mr Po’ad Bin Shaik Abu Bakar Mattar is also a member of the Public Service Commission (PSC). An accountant by training, Mr Mattar, 63, was a Senior Partner in Big 4 accounting firm Deloitte and Touche until he retired from the position in 2006. According to the PSC website, Mr Mattar currently sits on the Board of Directors of Hong Leong Finance Limited, Tiger Airways Holdings Limited, Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited and NIE International Private Limited. Mr Mattar was appointed as a member of the CPA in 2007 on a six-year term.
Mr Yong Pung How
Mr Yong Pung How was post-independence Singapore’s second Chief Justice, serving as the Republic’s top judge from 1990 to 2006. 85-year-old Mr Yong, who was born in Kuala Lumpur, moved to Singapore after the 1969 racial riots in Malaysia. Prior to his 16-year tenure as Chief Justice, Mr Yong enjoyed an illustrious career in the corporate sector, including stints as the chairman and chief executive officer of OCBC, as well as managing director of GIC. Mr Yong was appointed as a member of the CPA in 2007 on a six-year term.
Mr Goh Joon Seng
Mr Goh Joon Seng served as a Supreme Court judge for two decades until his retirement from the Bench in 2000. Mr Goh, 76, is currently a consultant in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution department at Lee & Lee. Mr Goh also served as the chairman of the Committee of Inquiry into the escape of former Jemaah Islamiyah leader Mas Selamat Kastari. Mr Goh was appointed as a member of the CPA in 2008 for a six-year term.
Mr Bobby Chin Yoke Choong
Mr Bobby Chin is the newest member of the CPA. He was appointed for a six-year term last year. An accountant by training, Mr Chin served as the managing partner in Big 4 firm KPMG from 1992 to 2005. He is currently the chairman of the Tote Board and is one of OCBC Bank’s board of directors. He is also one of the two non-Indians in the SINDA board of trustees.
Mr Lim Chee Onn (Alternative member)
Mr Lim Chee Onn is currently the chairman of Singbridge International, a Temasek Holding owned company that focuses on sustainable urban development. Mr Lim, who was the Executive Chairman of Keppel Corp from 2000 to 2008, was previously the secretary-general of NTUC and a former minister without portfolio.
Mr Stephen Lee (Alternative member)
Mr Stephen Lee Ching Yen is currently the President of the Singapore National Employers’ Federation. He is also the Chairman of Singapore Airlines Limited, and Managing Director of Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank Ltd (Taiwan) and Great Malaysia Textile Investments Pte Ltd. He was a nominated Member of Parliament from 1994 to 1997. He is also part of the Ministerial pay review committee headed by Mr Gerard Ee.
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Now you have got it right. This time it is Lim Chee Onn.
What is the point of having such a powerful Council if it cannot check the GIC? The mind boggles.
Thanks for getting the picture right this time !
The council should also include someone with vast experience of the role of EP, and who previously performed the role effectively. In this aspect, Nathan should be in the council.
“All the President’s Men”– President does not have half of society, the women of Singapore represented in his Council :-(
Chau Lang
Ga Kee Lang
Ho Lang
ha ha ha ….where is the HELL ?
@Waste of time,
the council is there to check on the president to make sure that he toes the pap line lah. You really think the advisers are there to help him meh?
The President of Singapore does not have independent staff to assist him with research into the areas covered by his responsibilities. It is thus a farcical and ineffectual office.
His relationship with the CPA is complex. In a nutshell, he cannot override the council’s advice without the matter being referred back to Parliament. Parliament can overrule the President on most issues with a sufficiently large majority.
Famously, in 1999 the late Ong Teng Cheong was rebuffed by the Attorney General, saying it would take 52 man-years to provide him with a list of the country’s physical assets.
Every member of the US House of Representatives and every US Senator has personal staff paid for by the state. In addition, they have support staff for a wide variety of purposes. The President of Singapore only has secretarial and general administrative support but no staff to look into matters independently of the government.
The CPA, on which he is dependent, is made up largely of tried and trusted and long term members of the establishment. In itself, this is not a criticism but without the ability to look into things independently of the government, how is the President to discharge his duties?
They call it rats and snakes in the same nest. Council takes orders from the Cabinet to bound up the President like a bound up crab at the fishmonger.
We’ve repeated countless times, it’s a waste of taxpayers’ contributions to service a tied up President, gagging his mouth to silence him.
In the first place, what is government, laws and regulations?
If laws are regulations are everything as represented by minister for law K. Shanmugam, that is the end of all discussions.
There is no need for government, MPs, Ministers and judges or president.
Because, the minister for law will say, the laws say this or that and all discussions end on this note of finality.
What do our many ancient and recent wise men say?
Apart from the laws which represent the form or intention, there are important basic laws on behaviors of leaders, such as those expressed by Confucius in his tenets on human behavior – leadership’s duties to lead by virtue and good characters of honesty and integrity, leadership by examples etc.
Albert Einstein clearly said that the highest duty of an individual is to serve rather than to rule.
Because our leaders have chosen to ignore such basic principles setting high standards on personal integrity and honesty, there is a big hollow in our system of government.
When the basics are not established in the relevant codes of nation building, as suggested in feedback to PM Lee, he will have to continue to contend autocratic self-praising government with people’s needs and aspirations ad nausem.
I welcome minister for law to enlighten people whether laws are indeed the be-all-end-all and everything and as long as the party can pass a law in parliament, they can do anything like writing their own pay cheques and avoiding answering for performance like rising costs of living or avoiding accountability for leaders’ duty to serve the people’s basic moral and ethical needs and aspiration.
In order not to wayang anymore, for true usefulness of a President and waste taxpayers money no more, we need a truly independent elected president from PAP to check and balance. Replace this bunch of cronies advisers for the new president as well.
Else get rid of this President post all together.
All are pro PAPs.
Did stephen lee had any contribution to the influx ?
Why now they say reducing influx?
Enough influx already?
PRs are glad the influx reducing since once you become resident u become affected by influx.
Never ending influx affects both new citizend n PRs.
Thanks to the 40%, especially hg and aljunied, the pap are forced to make changes. Singaooreans who voted pap but now rejoice at feelgood news owe this to opposition supporters.
But its a shame pap making changes as this can affect opposition progress in getting more votes just by them not changing.
Is pap doing this to win votes?
So impact the people already suffered. Reducing influx now sounds like they bettering our lives?
Wow everything they do is always right?
Influx they right.
Reduce infux they also right?
I can be the next pm
I do hope that all the Presidential Advisers are to engage and be with the president. Also to respect the president decision when he is under taking a course of actions which may not be within president roles.
Is it Po’ad or Mattar?
http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/08/14/who-would-you-prefer-to-be-the-next-president-of-singapore/
Why need to complain?
Presisent advisor means :
1. They are HONEST Gentlemen as in they will definitely not be BIASED towards Pap right?
2. They must have high MORAL values such that they won’t dishonestly betray the people’s trust by siding pap in an unbiased way?
3. They are Wealthy because they earn an HONEST LIVING where they always are successful not because of being biased?
I think they must be whiter than white.
Btw , who appointed them?
Regrads
Hum
I am not sure those advisors are “independent” or are they planted there for a purpose – to protect and defend the ruling party? If so, what a waste of tax monies. Looking at their profile, my doubt is not too far fetched.
Looks like all the CPA has more credibility than all the 4 Tan except one….
The PAP wants to have its cake and eat it too. It wants to have the presidency but only if the presidency is subservient to it. That is why the Minister for Law is not mincing his words about the limitations of the President under the Law. I have always said that the President is a costly puppet foisted on the citizenry. This President will have to be paid in millions of dollars per annum. His freewill and freedom of speech is less than the common man because he can only talk of what is allowed and approved by the cabinet. So whatever comes out of his own mind will be disregarded by the Government or if he persists, a judge in Court will tell him to behave. And we the citizenry will have to pay top dollar for an uninteresting drama at best and at worst be crushed by this extension of the Ruling Party.
Singaporeans are only electing a load of trouble for themselves in the form of an echo chamber for the PAP. This load of trouble will lounge about in the Istana doing annual charity shows and will swing into action only at the command of his master who is the One enthroned at the concentration of Power-rather like the relationship between Putin and Medvedev.Medvedev became president in trust for Putin against the day when Putin can come back as President. So politicians are creative, they crown only those who are of service to them. The man crowned as President in Singapore will be forced to serve the PAP loyally no matter who he is.
Looking at the names and the people in the CPA it might as well have LKY, GCT, LHL,and the other cabinet Ministers in the Council!
To me it makes no difference! Same same lah!!
Peter Sellers has good insight. The pay of $4mil pa can be used to fund manpower for research. Hmm I will vote for one who can do that: garner manpower and lead them to understand the people’s needs and how to position Singapore’s niche in the dark clouds ahead, one who loves the country and its people more than self and family, and believes in us sons and daughters of Singapore. .
This is it ! Look at who are the president council? All pro LKY. There are only these scenario :
1) PAP remains Govt and EP is their own kaki, then everything is for show, including council.
2) PAP remains Govt but EP is not their choice, then council can use to curb EP.
3) Alternative Govt is formed and EP is PAP endorsed, then you will see lots of power exerted by EP and council.
4) Alternative Govt is formed and EP is also someone not PAP’s choice, then the council will curb the EP in turn to curb the Govt.
See how this works? It’s your scissor paper stone, scissor cuts paper, paper wrap stone, and stone smash scissor! Now you know how smart and deep thinking is LKY???
CPA members ahould include singaporeans who are more closely in touch with the marginalised like leaders of charitable organisations.
i am sure the EP is not just a static ‘key’ to the reserves but must also be concerend with the larger society especailly the concerns of more common singaporeans.
these corporate leaders are hardly compassionate people or truly feels for the ordinary singaporeans on the street.
Is the President so dumb to need 8 eunuchs to tell him what to do?
Who really does all the work?
kangaroos
I see nothing wrong with the list. These are capable people and people who have contributed to the development of Singapore from third world to first world.
No women?
yamagata15 August 2011
The council should also include someone with vast experience In this aspect, Nathan should be in the council.
……………
indeed prataa presidente so macho weildin his katana kempatai sword
who else you 1st to change a light bulb?