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26-08-2016, 05:10 AM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
Whilst the nation continues its outpouring of grief (including the LCS displays at bus stops and malls as reminders), the social media space is already bracing itself for the next hot topic - one observations amongst pundits has been that the MIW are in top form to tackle the revamp of the Presidency and the more significant act of amending the Constitution to accommodate it - the succinct timeline of events:
Timeline
Jan 27 2016: Announced by PM that a Constitutional Commission will be appointed to study changes to the Elected Presidency system, including reviewing the qualifying criteria of candidates.
Jan 31, 2016: Discussion on "Changes to Elected Presidency: Ensuring minorities have a turn" in ST: http://www.straitstimes.com/politics...es-have-a-turn (http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/changes-to-elected-presidency-ensuring-minorities-have-a-turn)
Feb 10 2016: ST reports that "9-member Constitutional Commission formed to review Elected Presidency" http://www.straitstimes.com/politics...ted-presidency (http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/9-member-constitutional-commission-formed-to-review-elected-presidency)
Chaired by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon
Other eight members appointed to the Commission are:
- Justice Tay Yong Kwang, Judge, Supreme Court
- Mr Eddie Teo, Chairman, Public Service Commission
- Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Member, Presidential Council for Minority Rights
- Professor Chan Heng Chee, Chairman, Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design
- Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman and CEO, Ho Bee Land
- Mr Philip Ng, CEO, Far East Organization
- Mr Peter Seah, Chairman, DBS Bank
- Mr Wong Ngit Liong, Chairman and CEO, Venture Corporation
CJ Menon established Senior Assistant Registrar Christopher Tan as a Secretariat to assist the Commission in its work.
Mr Tan in turn be assisted by Mr Shaun Pereira and Mr Ramasamy Nachiappan, who are both Assistant Registrars of the Supreme Court.
Scope of Commission:
The Commission, according to its Terms of Reference, will review the qualifying process for potential presidential candidates.
In doing so, it will consider whether existing provisions are adequate, taking into account the President’s custodial role in safeguarding financial reserves, and the need to ensure that those eligible for candidacy are individuals of character and standing.
It will also make recommendations to “safeguard minority representation in the Presidency”, taking into account the President’s status as a unifying figure that represents multi-racial Singapore, and the need to ensure minority candidates “have fair and adequate opportunity to be elected to Presidential office”.
Lastly, it will also review the framework governing the exercise of the President’s custodial powers, particularly the role and composition of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA), which is an independent body to counsel and advise the President on the exercise of his powers.
31 Jul 2016: ex-President Nathan suffers stroke
Aug 9, 2016: 51st National Day
Aug 11, 2016: CNA announces "Let's talk about race, in ground-breaking documentary" http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...n/3034336.html (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/let-s-talk-about-race-in/3034336.html)
"In a documentary that takes an unprecedented look at racial prejudice and privilege, presenter Janil Puthucheary finds out if Singaporeans are ready to have an open discussion on race....But to Dr Puthucheary’s surprise, over the five months of filming – hitting the streets, bars and institutions to interview academics, celebrities, sportsmen, taxi drivers and school children to find out where Singaporeans really stand on race relations – his interviewees did not shy away from the challenging topic."
Aug 12, 2016: ST article: "We need to talk about race issues, says Dr Janil" http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...-says-dr-janil (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/we-need-to-talk-about-race-issues-says-dr-janil)
Aug 15, 2016: Regardless Of Race, hosted by Dr Janil premieres on Channel NewsAsia on Aug 15 at 8pm. http://video.toggle.sg/en/series/reg...ace/ep1/439373 (http://video.toggle.sg/en/series/regardless-of-race/ep1/439373)
Aug 17, 2016: CC completes review and report delivered to PM: http://www.straitstimes.com/politics...port-to-pm-lee (http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/constitutional-commission-on-elected-presidency-completes-review-submits-report-to-pm-lee)
Aug 18, 2016: Channel NewsAsia (CNA) on Facebook announced one of their reports, ‘Most Singaporeans want someone of same race as Prime Minister, President: IPS survey’ "Racism still a problem for some Singaporeans, CNA-IPS survey finds" http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...m/3043764.html (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/racism-still-a-problem/3043764.html)
Aug 19, 2016: ST reports "Singaporeans respect people from all races but quite a number find racism still an issue: CNA-IPS survey" (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...still-an-issue (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singaporeans-respect-people-from-all-races-but-quite-a-number-find-racism-still-an-issue))
Aug 21, 2016: National Day Rally - Changes for the Elected Presidency featured in PM speech "Mr Lee did not reveal the changes afoot for the elected presidency, but said the Government accepts in principle the main recommendations submitted by a constitutional commission that reviewed the elected president scheme." - the Government will ensure that, from time to time, minorities will be elected as President."
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...pm-lees-speech (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/national-day-rally-2016-7-things-you-need-to-know-from-pm-lees-speech)
Aug 22, 2016: ex-President Nathan passes
Some early salvos:
Alfian Sa'at; 9 hrs
"Some critiques of a system that would mandate the election of a minority-race President mention that the process will 'undermine the principle of meritocracy'. The assumption is that in a truly meritocratic system, everyone, regardless of race, will have a fair shot at running for President under the present scheme.
One of the criteria laid out for the Elected President include: 3 years in service as a Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, Attorney-General, Chairman of the PSC, Auditor-General, Accountant-General or Permanent Secretary.
It might be illuminating to examine the path one takes to become a minister in Singapore before one occupies the seat of the Elected President. And scrutinising the educational and career backgrounds of our current ministers might provide a picture of a 'typical' route towards ministerial office.
Out of 19 ministers, (we exclude Khaw Boon Wan, whose secondary education was in Penang), 6, or around 30%, studied in SAP schools (Catholic High, Chinese High, Maris Stella High, Nanyang Girls' High). In a truly meritocratic system, all students in Singapore, regardless of race, should have access to all the schools in Singapore. But SAP schools impose an additional criterion for 'merit', which is 'Chinese as a Mother Tongue Language', effectively barring minority students from this potential path to a political career. One can also point out that some other schools attended by the ministers (Anglo-Chinese School, Saint Joseph's and Saint Andrew's) have a mission school history that might deter non-Christian/Catholic parents from sending their children there because of concerns about proselytisation (whether this is warranted or not).
And out of 19 ministers, 5, or 25%, come from a military background (2 Brigadier-Generals, one Chief of Defence Force, one Chief of Army, one Chief of Navy). Anecdotal accounts, ranging from politicians' statements about the 'divided loyalty' of Malays vis-a-vis our predominantly Muslim neighbours, the concentration of Malay enlistees in the Police NS and Civil Defence, the exemption of some ex-madrasah students from NS, the alibi of non-halal kitchens to explain why Malays are not recruited into the navy, all suggest that the career advancement of Malays in the military is limited.
The observations above might also shed some light as to why there are so few women ministers (and why the path towards us having a female Elected President can be as restrictive as that for minorities.) The military path to a political career is less probable for women because they do not serve NS, and also because much fewer women than men sign up for a military career. Additionally, out of our 19 ministers, 16 of them, or a whopping 84%, come from all-boys' schools (with most from RI, ACS and Catholic High). The ones who did not are: Lawrence Wong (Tanjong Katong Secondary), Masagos Zulkifli (Bukit Panjang Government High) and Grace Fu (Nanyang Girls' High).
It has to be acknowledged that some of these all-boys' schools have quite a profound influence on the students' eventual career path--and these might range from a constant exhortation that they will become eventual leaders of society, to portraits of illustrious (political) alumni that the students encounter every day as they walk past the school's corridors. The RI school motto is translated as 'Hope of a Better Age', whereas the RGS one is 'Daughters of a Better Age'. Close reading will be able to tease out how RI students are to be active agents of shaping that 'better age', whereas the girls are expected to be products of that 'better age'.
The way the discussion on the Elected Presidency is framed right now is that we are not likely to have a minority-race (or even woman) President because Singaporeans are unlikely to vote for someone outside of their own race. The election of JBJ, Murali and Michael Palmer (facing Chinese candidates in Chinese-majority wards) into Parliament prove that this is not always the case.
The reason why we are not likely to have a minority-race President is because our principle of equal opportunities for all has defects in it. But token symbols do not fix the structure; they only draw our attention away from it. As we watch a minority-race candidate pole-vault into the Istana, we'll hopefully forget to examine the broken ladder of our meritocratic system, with rungs that will snap if you're not the right gender or race."
Andrew Loh; 24 August at 08:59
"A little observation:
After JB Jeyaretnam won Anson in 1981's by-election, they introduced the Non-constituency MP (NCMP) scheme in 1984.
After both JB Jeyaretnam and Chiam See Tong won seats in 1984, they introduced the GRC system in 1988.
After Low Thia Khiang won Hougang in 1991 and the SDP won 3 constituencies, they increased the size of GRCs from 3-4 to 5-6 in the 1997 GE.
After the WP won Aljunied in 2011, they announced yet-to-be-revealed changes to the Town Council Act.
After President Ong Teng Cheong became president in 1993 and questioned them about the reserves, they went back and changed the Constitutional powers of the Elected President in 1994, which allowed the govt to bypass the president's scrutiny when statutory boards and Government companies transfer their reserves to the Government.
And now, after Tan Cheng Bock almost won the last presidential election, they are - once again - going back to change the Constitution. This time perhaps to change the very nature of the Elected Presidency itself.
Coincidence?
Is our Constitution a meaningless piece of crap which a party can change at the drop of a hat?
I congratulate the 69% who have helped turned the Constitution into a piece of roti prata, flipped here and there on the whims and fancies of the ruling party they voted for.
Good job, those of you who believe the govt's line that the expected changes to the Elected Presidency is about minority-race representation!
Ask yourself this simple question:
Why are they telling you that you are not ready for a non-Chinese head of government; but that you are apparently ready for a non-Chinese head of state?
You really believe this?
It's like believing in a rainbow-chasing unicorn."
Kojak Bt
"Hi Andrew,
I might even add that the elected presidency idea came from Lee Kuan Yew when he was "freaked out" by JBJ winning the Anson by-election in Oct 1981.
That was the first time that PAP was defeated in an election since the independence of Singapore. He interpreted the event as Singaporeans wanting to see more oppositions in Parliament. He was afraid that PAP might lose power over a freak election when enough votes for the opposition parties might just lead them to become the government.
Hence, he started thinking of a new way to check the new government in case oppositions won a GE. This is evident in the timing when he started thinking about using a new elected presidency to "check" an opposition government in case it won.
Former President Ong Teng Cheong confirmed the timing:
"The elected presidency was Lee Kuan Yew's initiative. He came out with the idea way back in '82, '83."
- http://edition.cnn.com/.../0310/nat....ore.ongiv.html (http://edition.cnn.com/.../0310/nat.singapore.ongiv.html)
The rationale behind his elected presidency idea was also captured in a Reuter's report when he and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers were speaking at a public forum in 2006. Apparently, he disclosed his thoughts at the forum:
"Lee acknowledged that there was growing support for opposition parties among Singapore's voters, but said the office of the elected presidency had been put in place to prevent a profligate opposition government from touching the island's vast monetary reserves. 'Without the elected president and if there is a freak result, within two or three years, the army would have to come in and stop it,' Lee said."
- http://yoursdp.org/.../lee_kuan_yew.../2006-09-16-4399
As can be seen, he was afraid of a freak GE resulting in oppositions forming the government. The elected presidency was meant to "check" on them, not only to stop them from using the reserves but more importantly, to appoint key civil service positions:
http://www.istana.gov.sg/roles-and.....constitutional (http://www.istana.gov.sg/roles-and.../duties/constitutional)
"[Appointment of Key Office Holders]
In the interest of ensuring the impartiality of the public sector, the President has the discretionary power to veto the appointment or removal of —
(i) key office holders in the public service listed in Article 22 of the Constitution (such as the Chief Justice, Judges of the Supreme Court, Attorney-General, Auditor-General, Director of Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Chairman and members of the Public Service Commission, Chief of Defence Force and Commissioner of Police);
(ii) any chairman, board member or chief executive officer of a Fifth Schedule statutory board (Article 22A of the Constitution); and
(iii) any director or chief executive officer of a Fifth Schedule Government company (Article 22C of the Constitution)"
Do note that our elected president is powerful enough to REMOVE any public service officials he did not agree to. This would certainly hamper the workings of the government.
For many years, the elected presidents were those "endorsed" by the government and also hardly anyone pay attentions to the presidential election until 2011. Suddenly, it became obvious to all that a non-PAP endorsed candidate might just become the new Elected President. This would certainly boomerang back against the PAP government, shooting themselves in the foot.
I think Lee Kuan Yew didn't foresee this coming when he first came up with the elected presidency idea in '82, '83."
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://singsupplies.com/showthread.php?234845-Revamping-the-Presidency-the-next-social-media-battle-commences&goto=newpost).
Whilst the nation continues its outpouring of grief (including the LCS displays at bus stops and malls as reminders), the social media space is already bracing itself for the next hot topic - one observations amongst pundits has been that the MIW are in top form to tackle the revamp of the Presidency and the more significant act of amending the Constitution to accommodate it - the succinct timeline of events:
Timeline
Jan 27 2016: Announced by PM that a Constitutional Commission will be appointed to study changes to the Elected Presidency system, including reviewing the qualifying criteria of candidates.
Jan 31, 2016: Discussion on "Changes to Elected Presidency: Ensuring minorities have a turn" in ST: http://www.straitstimes.com/politics...es-have-a-turn (http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/changes-to-elected-presidency-ensuring-minorities-have-a-turn)
Feb 10 2016: ST reports that "9-member Constitutional Commission formed to review Elected Presidency" http://www.straitstimes.com/politics...ted-presidency (http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/9-member-constitutional-commission-formed-to-review-elected-presidency)
Chaired by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon
Other eight members appointed to the Commission are:
- Justice Tay Yong Kwang, Judge, Supreme Court
- Mr Eddie Teo, Chairman, Public Service Commission
- Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Member, Presidential Council for Minority Rights
- Professor Chan Heng Chee, Chairman, Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design
- Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman and CEO, Ho Bee Land
- Mr Philip Ng, CEO, Far East Organization
- Mr Peter Seah, Chairman, DBS Bank
- Mr Wong Ngit Liong, Chairman and CEO, Venture Corporation
CJ Menon established Senior Assistant Registrar Christopher Tan as a Secretariat to assist the Commission in its work.
Mr Tan in turn be assisted by Mr Shaun Pereira and Mr Ramasamy Nachiappan, who are both Assistant Registrars of the Supreme Court.
Scope of Commission:
The Commission, according to its Terms of Reference, will review the qualifying process for potential presidential candidates.
In doing so, it will consider whether existing provisions are adequate, taking into account the President’s custodial role in safeguarding financial reserves, and the need to ensure that those eligible for candidacy are individuals of character and standing.
It will also make recommendations to “safeguard minority representation in the Presidency”, taking into account the President’s status as a unifying figure that represents multi-racial Singapore, and the need to ensure minority candidates “have fair and adequate opportunity to be elected to Presidential office”.
Lastly, it will also review the framework governing the exercise of the President’s custodial powers, particularly the role and composition of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA), which is an independent body to counsel and advise the President on the exercise of his powers.
31 Jul 2016: ex-President Nathan suffers stroke
Aug 9, 2016: 51st National Day
Aug 11, 2016: CNA announces "Let's talk about race, in ground-breaking documentary" http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...n/3034336.html (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/let-s-talk-about-race-in/3034336.html)
"In a documentary that takes an unprecedented look at racial prejudice and privilege, presenter Janil Puthucheary finds out if Singaporeans are ready to have an open discussion on race....But to Dr Puthucheary’s surprise, over the five months of filming – hitting the streets, bars and institutions to interview academics, celebrities, sportsmen, taxi drivers and school children to find out where Singaporeans really stand on race relations – his interviewees did not shy away from the challenging topic."
Aug 12, 2016: ST article: "We need to talk about race issues, says Dr Janil" http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...-says-dr-janil (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/we-need-to-talk-about-race-issues-says-dr-janil)
Aug 15, 2016: Regardless Of Race, hosted by Dr Janil premieres on Channel NewsAsia on Aug 15 at 8pm. http://video.toggle.sg/en/series/reg...ace/ep1/439373 (http://video.toggle.sg/en/series/regardless-of-race/ep1/439373)
Aug 17, 2016: CC completes review and report delivered to PM: http://www.straitstimes.com/politics...port-to-pm-lee (http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/constitutional-commission-on-elected-presidency-completes-review-submits-report-to-pm-lee)
Aug 18, 2016: Channel NewsAsia (CNA) on Facebook announced one of their reports, ‘Most Singaporeans want someone of same race as Prime Minister, President: IPS survey’ "Racism still a problem for some Singaporeans, CNA-IPS survey finds" http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...m/3043764.html (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/racism-still-a-problem/3043764.html)
Aug 19, 2016: ST reports "Singaporeans respect people from all races but quite a number find racism still an issue: CNA-IPS survey" (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...still-an-issue (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singaporeans-respect-people-from-all-races-but-quite-a-number-find-racism-still-an-issue))
Aug 21, 2016: National Day Rally - Changes for the Elected Presidency featured in PM speech "Mr Lee did not reveal the changes afoot for the elected presidency, but said the Government accepts in principle the main recommendations submitted by a constitutional commission that reviewed the elected president scheme." - the Government will ensure that, from time to time, minorities will be elected as President."
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...pm-lees-speech (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/national-day-rally-2016-7-things-you-need-to-know-from-pm-lees-speech)
Aug 22, 2016: ex-President Nathan passes
Some early salvos:
Alfian Sa'at; 9 hrs
"Some critiques of a system that would mandate the election of a minority-race President mention that the process will 'undermine the principle of meritocracy'. The assumption is that in a truly meritocratic system, everyone, regardless of race, will have a fair shot at running for President under the present scheme.
One of the criteria laid out for the Elected President include: 3 years in service as a Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, Attorney-General, Chairman of the PSC, Auditor-General, Accountant-General or Permanent Secretary.
It might be illuminating to examine the path one takes to become a minister in Singapore before one occupies the seat of the Elected President. And scrutinising the educational and career backgrounds of our current ministers might provide a picture of a 'typical' route towards ministerial office.
Out of 19 ministers, (we exclude Khaw Boon Wan, whose secondary education was in Penang), 6, or around 30%, studied in SAP schools (Catholic High, Chinese High, Maris Stella High, Nanyang Girls' High). In a truly meritocratic system, all students in Singapore, regardless of race, should have access to all the schools in Singapore. But SAP schools impose an additional criterion for 'merit', which is 'Chinese as a Mother Tongue Language', effectively barring minority students from this potential path to a political career. One can also point out that some other schools attended by the ministers (Anglo-Chinese School, Saint Joseph's and Saint Andrew's) have a mission school history that might deter non-Christian/Catholic parents from sending their children there because of concerns about proselytisation (whether this is warranted or not).
And out of 19 ministers, 5, or 25%, come from a military background (2 Brigadier-Generals, one Chief of Defence Force, one Chief of Army, one Chief of Navy). Anecdotal accounts, ranging from politicians' statements about the 'divided loyalty' of Malays vis-a-vis our predominantly Muslim neighbours, the concentration of Malay enlistees in the Police NS and Civil Defence, the exemption of some ex-madrasah students from NS, the alibi of non-halal kitchens to explain why Malays are not recruited into the navy, all suggest that the career advancement of Malays in the military is limited.
The observations above might also shed some light as to why there are so few women ministers (and why the path towards us having a female Elected President can be as restrictive as that for minorities.) The military path to a political career is less probable for women because they do not serve NS, and also because much fewer women than men sign up for a military career. Additionally, out of our 19 ministers, 16 of them, or a whopping 84%, come from all-boys' schools (with most from RI, ACS and Catholic High). The ones who did not are: Lawrence Wong (Tanjong Katong Secondary), Masagos Zulkifli (Bukit Panjang Government High) and Grace Fu (Nanyang Girls' High).
It has to be acknowledged that some of these all-boys' schools have quite a profound influence on the students' eventual career path--and these might range from a constant exhortation that they will become eventual leaders of society, to portraits of illustrious (political) alumni that the students encounter every day as they walk past the school's corridors. The RI school motto is translated as 'Hope of a Better Age', whereas the RGS one is 'Daughters of a Better Age'. Close reading will be able to tease out how RI students are to be active agents of shaping that 'better age', whereas the girls are expected to be products of that 'better age'.
The way the discussion on the Elected Presidency is framed right now is that we are not likely to have a minority-race (or even woman) President because Singaporeans are unlikely to vote for someone outside of their own race. The election of JBJ, Murali and Michael Palmer (facing Chinese candidates in Chinese-majority wards) into Parliament prove that this is not always the case.
The reason why we are not likely to have a minority-race President is because our principle of equal opportunities for all has defects in it. But token symbols do not fix the structure; they only draw our attention away from it. As we watch a minority-race candidate pole-vault into the Istana, we'll hopefully forget to examine the broken ladder of our meritocratic system, with rungs that will snap if you're not the right gender or race."
Andrew Loh; 24 August at 08:59
"A little observation:
After JB Jeyaretnam won Anson in 1981's by-election, they introduced the Non-constituency MP (NCMP) scheme in 1984.
After both JB Jeyaretnam and Chiam See Tong won seats in 1984, they introduced the GRC system in 1988.
After Low Thia Khiang won Hougang in 1991 and the SDP won 3 constituencies, they increased the size of GRCs from 3-4 to 5-6 in the 1997 GE.
After the WP won Aljunied in 2011, they announced yet-to-be-revealed changes to the Town Council Act.
After President Ong Teng Cheong became president in 1993 and questioned them about the reserves, they went back and changed the Constitutional powers of the Elected President in 1994, which allowed the govt to bypass the president's scrutiny when statutory boards and Government companies transfer their reserves to the Government.
And now, after Tan Cheng Bock almost won the last presidential election, they are - once again - going back to change the Constitution. This time perhaps to change the very nature of the Elected Presidency itself.
Coincidence?
Is our Constitution a meaningless piece of crap which a party can change at the drop of a hat?
I congratulate the 69% who have helped turned the Constitution into a piece of roti prata, flipped here and there on the whims and fancies of the ruling party they voted for.
Good job, those of you who believe the govt's line that the expected changes to the Elected Presidency is about minority-race representation!
Ask yourself this simple question:
Why are they telling you that you are not ready for a non-Chinese head of government; but that you are apparently ready for a non-Chinese head of state?
You really believe this?
It's like believing in a rainbow-chasing unicorn."
Kojak Bt
"Hi Andrew,
I might even add that the elected presidency idea came from Lee Kuan Yew when he was "freaked out" by JBJ winning the Anson by-election in Oct 1981.
That was the first time that PAP was defeated in an election since the independence of Singapore. He interpreted the event as Singaporeans wanting to see more oppositions in Parliament. He was afraid that PAP might lose power over a freak election when enough votes for the opposition parties might just lead them to become the government.
Hence, he started thinking of a new way to check the new government in case oppositions won a GE. This is evident in the timing when he started thinking about using a new elected presidency to "check" an opposition government in case it won.
Former President Ong Teng Cheong confirmed the timing:
"The elected presidency was Lee Kuan Yew's initiative. He came out with the idea way back in '82, '83."
- http://edition.cnn.com/.../0310/nat....ore.ongiv.html (http://edition.cnn.com/.../0310/nat.singapore.ongiv.html)
The rationale behind his elected presidency idea was also captured in a Reuter's report when he and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers were speaking at a public forum in 2006. Apparently, he disclosed his thoughts at the forum:
"Lee acknowledged that there was growing support for opposition parties among Singapore's voters, but said the office of the elected presidency had been put in place to prevent a profligate opposition government from touching the island's vast monetary reserves. 'Without the elected president and if there is a freak result, within two or three years, the army would have to come in and stop it,' Lee said."
- http://yoursdp.org/.../lee_kuan_yew.../2006-09-16-4399
As can be seen, he was afraid of a freak GE resulting in oppositions forming the government. The elected presidency was meant to "check" on them, not only to stop them from using the reserves but more importantly, to appoint key civil service positions:
http://www.istana.gov.sg/roles-and.....constitutional (http://www.istana.gov.sg/roles-and.../duties/constitutional)
"[Appointment of Key Office Holders]
In the interest of ensuring the impartiality of the public sector, the President has the discretionary power to veto the appointment or removal of —
(i) key office holders in the public service listed in Article 22 of the Constitution (such as the Chief Justice, Judges of the Supreme Court, Attorney-General, Auditor-General, Director of Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Chairman and members of the Public Service Commission, Chief of Defence Force and Commissioner of Police);
(ii) any chairman, board member or chief executive officer of a Fifth Schedule statutory board (Article 22A of the Constitution); and
(iii) any director or chief executive officer of a Fifth Schedule Government company (Article 22C of the Constitution)"
Do note that our elected president is powerful enough to REMOVE any public service officials he did not agree to. This would certainly hamper the workings of the government.
For many years, the elected presidents were those "endorsed" by the government and also hardly anyone pay attentions to the presidential election until 2011. Suddenly, it became obvious to all that a non-PAP endorsed candidate might just become the new Elected President. This would certainly boomerang back against the PAP government, shooting themselves in the foot.
I think Lee Kuan Yew didn't foresee this coming when he first came up with the elected presidency idea in '82, '83."
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://singsupplies.com/showthread.php?234845-Revamping-the-Presidency-the-next-social-media-battle-commences&goto=newpost).