In news that comes as no surprise at all, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob announced that, yessiree, she will indeed run in the upcoming presidential election, which is reserved only for Malay candidates.
With her 40-year history of public service under the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) — where she is a member of the central executive committee and a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC — it’s crystal clear that Halimah is the front runner. She’s the only presidential candidate so far who fulfils all the qualifications, meeting the public sector service requirement by holding office as Speaker of Parliament for three or more years.
Other candidates who’ve stepped up to the plate include the likes of 62-year-old marine company chairman Farid Khan and 67-year-old entrepreneur Mohamed Salleh Marican — both of whom The Straits Times dutifully pointed out don’t meet the minimum of $500 million in shareholder equity required for private-sector candidates.
As for 62-year-old Halimah, she’ll be stepping down today as Speaker and MP, as well as resigning from the PAP to contest in the elections. She announced her decision last night at a National Day dinner with her Marsiling residents and grassroots leaders — it was a declaration met with raucous cheers and applause. After all, she’s the first woman to run for the highest office in the country.
Oddly enough, she expressed the hope to continue staying in her five-room HDB flat in Yishun (the neighborhood infamously known as a siao lang town) — where she’s lived for over 30 years — even if she’s elected president. Officially, Singapore’s presidents have to reside in the Istana, where state guests are received and entertained in the 106-acre estate.
“I don’t see why I can’t continue, unless of course there are other considerations like security, for instance, because I know it can be quite a nightmare to ensure security in public housing,” she said.
Of course, her path towards the presidential role courted controversy, mainly due to her tight association with the PAP — it’s deemed by many as favoritism and the further strengthening of the ruling party’s power. The abrupt change to only allow only Malays to run for president has been popularly presumed as a move to prevent Dr. Tan Cheng Bock from running for president again, especially since he very nearly beat PAP stalwart Dr. Tony Tan in 2011.
Being head of state is cool and all, but it’s the prime minister who actually governs the country. Singapore’s president has the main job of safeguarding the national reserves and appointing key personnel in the public sector and certain government companies, as well as having several ceremonial and community functions.
