Tan Cheng Bock's Court of Appeal hearing on presidential election set for July 31, will be open to public

Last chance.

Nyi Nyi Thet | July 23, 2017, 06:31 PM

Presidential hopeful Tan Cheng Bock's appeal against the court's decision to dismiss his legal challenge of the upcoming presidential elections now has a hearing date fixed.

According to a Facebook post he put up on Sunday afternoon, the appeal has been scheduled for July 31, which is a Monday.

It will be open to the public.

Here is what it says.

"Court of Appeal hearing on 31st July 2017, 10 am, Supreme Court

My Court of Appeal hearing, which is open to the public to attend, will be held on Monday, 31st July 2017 at 10 am.

I look forward to a final judicial clarification on whether the Government had correctly picked President Wee as the 1st of 5 presidencies to trigger a Reserved Election for 2017.

This legal case has been a fulfilling journey on many levels.

It has allowed me, an ordinary citizen, to express a different legal view on this subject. It has generated healthy public discussion - about due process, the importance of racial harmony, and the transparency of Parliamentary action.

Most importantly, judging from the comments I’ve received online and in person, I am encouraged that many Singaporeans care deeply about such matters, and want better answers from the Government.

The case will end on 31 July 2017. But it is good to let our conversation on these national issues continue."

In short, Tan has been contending that the reserved election should start only in 2023 at the earliest, and not in 2017.

Justice Quentin Loh ruled that Parliament was entitled to decide the timing of a reserved election.

This was so as the constitution of Singapore does not restrict Parliament to consider only presidents elected by citizens when deciding the timing of an election.

[related_story]

Any president appointed by Parliament can also be counted.

Justice Loh also ruled that Parliament had intended for the count to start from President Wee Kim Wee’s term in passing the law on the reserved election.

This ruling has maintained the status quo that only Malay candidates are eligible to stand in the next presidential election due in September this year.

And if Tan’s appeal gets turned down, he would have exhausted all avenues to change the course of the upcoming presidential election.

So far, Tan has said he was disappointed with a lot of things.

These include the court’s decision to dismiss his legal challenge, as well as with the Attorney-General hitting him below the belt with unwarranted comments suggesting he was “selfish”, and the mainstream media’s coverage of his case, which highlighted the racial element of his challenge against the upcoming Presidential Election being a reserved one for Malay candidates only.

 

Here are totally unrelated but equally interesting articles:

4 real life versions of comic book superpowers you used to read about in your childhood

17 acronyms you need to know before turning 25 to get ahead in life

Image from YouTube