A very Singaporean dilemma in picking a president

There is just no pleasing everyone, much as the Presidential Election Committee might try.

SINGAPOREANS are due to head to the polls to pick a new president on Sept 23.

But whether there will be an electoral contest or a walkover on Nomination Day on Sept 13 turns on the decisions of a six-man Presidential Election Committee, helmed by Public Service Commission chairman Eddie Teo.

A set of qualifying criteria set out by Parliament aims to ensure that anyone who aspires to the post has the experience, independence and financial nous to play its custodial role of safeguarding the nation’s financial reserves and appointments to some key government posts.

This year, the election is a “reserved” one, meaning that for the first time, Parliament has mandated that only members of the country’s Malay minority community will be eligible to run. It thought it necessary to do so as Singapore has not had a Malay president since 1970.

Teo now faces the unenviable task of having to decide which of several conflicting principles – each important in itself – he and his committee will uphold, or give more weight to.

First, that the presidency should be open to all races.

Second, that given the importance of the president’s custodial powers, the best man or woman should be chosen for the job.

Third, that the president should be voted into office by the people to give him the mandate to stand up to, and oppose if need be, an elected government that he thinks is unwisely drawing on the reserves or making dubious appointments to certain top jobs.

Prior to 1991, the president had been nominated by Parliament. That practice, which was widely accepted, allowed for an informal rotation of the post among the various races.

Last year, a proposal was floated by a constitutional review commission that the country revert to the old practice but it was shot down by government leaders.

They argued that having moved to a system where the president was chosen by voters, there was just no turning back.

They also insisted that it was foolhardy to shy away from the reality that race continues to be a powerful factor influencing electoral choices and outcomes.

Hence, they concluded that a minority candidate would face an uphill task in an open contest, which led to the decision to hold a “reserved” election.

So far, only three candidates have expressed interest in standing for election. But of these three, only one meets the criteria to do so – Halimah Yacob (pic), who qualifies in light of her previous role of Speaker of Parliament, one of several top posts mentioned in the Constitution as an automatic pass to qualification.

The other two would-be contenders – Farid Khan, chairman of a marine services firm, and Salleh Marican, chief executive of a listed property company – do not meet the requirement of having led a company with an average shareholder equity of S$500mil (RM1.57bil) in the three most recent years.

The best that can be done would be for the committee to accept that there is only one candidate who qualifies under the present rules spelt out by Parliament.

The presidential election committee could override these criteria and allow one or both of these businessmen through, thereby setting up a contest.

But doing so would set a significant precedent, making future efforts to uphold the financial requirements for the job all but impossible.

Many in Singapore’s Malay community also feel uncomfortable about such a concession being made for them.

Yet, should Teo and his team choose to hold the line and rule that the two men do not meet the standards that Parliament mandated, the result would be the first-ever “reserved” election being won by a walkover, also a lessthan-ideal outcome, not just for the Malay community but also all round.

Singapore has seen presidents elected unopposed in the past, but doing so this time, when Parliament had gone out of its way to restrict the election to Malay candidates to allow one of them to be voted in by the people, will leave not a few people disappointed.

In all likelihood, the committee will not be able to deliver on the triple goals of equal access to the office for all races, upholding standards and meritocracy, and an electoral contest for candidates to win a mandate through a vote.

The best that can be done under these difficult circumstances would be for the committee to accept that there is only one candidate who qualifies under the present rules spelt out by Parliament.

Halimah might then be declared elected into office unopposed on Nomination Day.

The committee might also point out that the next election, as spelt out in the constitution, will be an open one.

While the new president might seem to have won an easy victory, she would have her work cut out for her.

She would have to work hard at connecting with the people, upholding the office and generally doing a stellar job, in the hope of winning over some of the doubters, over time.

Then, six years from now, she should stand again, to defend her position in an open contest.

Given her nearly four decades of service to the community, as union leader, MP and Speaker, as well as her likeability and common touch, some believe she could well win on her own merits, perhaps even now.

But in any case, she should be ready to be put to the test in an open fight in a few years’ time, once people have had a chance to see her perform in the job. Warren Fernandez is editor-in- chief of The Straits Times, Singapore. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.