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Singapore's Presidential Election is "not about choosing a complaints bureau chief", said Ho Ching, wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a Facebook post on Jun. 16.
Her post covered a range of issues relating to the presidency, including the electorate's responsibility to "vote thoughtfully", the independent mandate of the president, and race as a criteria in reserved presidential elections.
Voting "thoughtfully" in a Presidential Election
Ho stated in her post that Singaporeans have a "sacred responsibility" to vote "thoughtfully" in the upcoming Presidential Election.
She said that the president has to be someone whose "integrity and values are impeccable" and can make Singaporeans proud on the world stage.
The president has to also be capable of safeguarding our past reserves, instead of acting as a "check" on the government, a point Ho had previously highlighted.
"An election is not about a noisy claim on our right to vote, especially for our elected president. It is about thinking deeply who can best represent us as a head of state on the international stage, who has a heart for Singapore and Singaporeans, and who knows he or she is the steward for our future generations.
After all, protecting past reserves is not really about the money, but about our duty, our love, our commitment and our heritage and legacy for our future generations, including those not yet born."
Mandate given to president is "independent" of the one given during GE
At the start of her post, Ho explained that the president of Singapore is given a direct mandate from the people.
This mandate is "independent" of the mandate given during a General Election (GE) to form a government.
Ho said that when the people vote in a government, they have given parliament the mandate to debate and approve the budget.
If the government intends to draw from the reserves, the president has to then step in with the advice of those on the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) to make the necessary assessment.
CPA members are nominated by various parties, including the president.
But even with CPA's involvement, the president has "every right to act without taking any advice", Ho said.
"However, if the president rejects a budget on the basis that the proposed budget would require a draw on past reserves, the president must explain and this can go to the parliament for a review and debate. So the president is not an absolute power unto themselves."
Ho reiterated that ultimately, the president has the "full right" to decide on matters relating to the draw or potential draw of past reserves, independent of the government and CPA's views.
"This is why Singapore structured the idea of giving the president an independent mandate via a direct election," Ho said.
Here is Ho's full Facebook post:
Why is race important in Singapore's Presidential Election?
Under her Facebook post, Ho replied to a comment that questioned the need for the race criteria in reserved elections.
Ho said that as a multi-racial society, Singapore "should try to institutionalise opportunities for our minority races to have a chance to represent the country", similar to including minority race in our group representation constituencies (GRCs).
"If the majority begrudge such possibilities, we will go down the painful path of greater racial, religious and other social intolerances."
Ho then cited the "four Tans election" in 2011 which, according to her, caused potential Malay candidates to refrain from running for president.
"There were enthusiasm and a heightened sense of anticipation. But these fervours were rapidly cooled as soon as one of the four Tans came forward. Potential Malay candidates backed off, as they felt they would not have a chance.
Whether true or not, that was the reality. And when more Tans popped up, the buzz died down as it was felt that it was a hopeless cause. Such sentiments are real.
Perhaps one day, we will have Malay candidates willing to stand during an open unrestricted election period, when they feel they have a good chance to win. I look forward to that day."
Ho also replied to another comment which argued that members of the minority race are "capable of earning their rights to represent Singapore" and do not need to be "given a chance" to run for president. Case in point, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Ho said that Tharman is "one of our rare talents who is capable of transcending race".
She added:
"But we are talking about a system of fair opportunities. Suppose for the next 10 elections, or 60 years, we only have a series of Chinese [presidents], then what signals are we sending as a people? So the minority specific election is not an absolute, but a safeguard to ensure fair opportunity."
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Top images via Syahindah Ishak, Ho Ching/FB & Fasiha Nazren.