Although it might be a little too late, Singaporeans dissatisfied with how the reserved Presidential Election 2017 panned out can still head to Hong Lim Park this Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, to make their displeasure heard.
The protest event, "Silence Sit-in Protest - #Not My President", which is grammatically incorrect, is organised by Hong Lim Park regular and social activist, Gilbert Goh.
Sit-in with no speakers
Goh received approval for the event on Sept. 12, a day after new President Halimah Yacob was initially announced as the sole eligible candidate to run in this PE2017.
The lack of a contest resulted in a walkover, which translated into palpable anger and backlash from the ground as Singaporeans could not exercise their right to vote, given that there were two other candidates who threw their names into the hat.
The legitimacy of President Halimah's walkover victory has been diminished as a result.
The protest this Saturday is expected to last from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.
According to details on the event page, the protest is meant to be a sit-in with no speakers lined up.
There will also be no stage or sound system to address the crowd properly, unlike previous protests.
Protest-goers are encouraged to show up in black and carry placards with slogans.
Some 150 people have indicated their interest in showing up, as of Friday morning, 12am.
Halimah's inauguration
On Thursday, Sept. 13, Halimah was inaugurated as Singapore's first female president.
In her first speech as president, the 63-year-old addressed the racial tensions that have sprung up as a result of the process and vowed to be president of all Singaporeans "regardless of race, language or religion".
"I look forward to the day when we will no longer need to... have reserved elections, and Singaporeans naturally and regularly elect citizens of all races as presidents," she added.
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