For the first time in Singapore, a presidential election is being contested by four eligible candidates. Also for the first time, the government has not openly endorsed a particular candidate. In the past when there was no contest, the presidential candidate was effectively appointed by the government. I do not think President Nathan put himself up for the post of president on his own initiative.
The fact that the government has chosen not to openly endorse a candidate this time speaks volumes on how the balance of power has shifted after the recent general election. An open endorsement from the government is no longer considered a plus and may well count against that particular candidate.
Nevertheless, one candidate has been 'strongly recommended'. One after another various organisations closely affiliated to the government have come out endorsing that particular candidate. This is government endorsement by proxy. The fact the government has chosen to act so coy on such a matter does not bode well for future transparency and openess on other matters of perhaps more immediate concern and effect on citizens.
If one analyses the results of the general election and the loss of a GRC to the opposition, one can conclude that there is still a sizeable segment of the electorate who is rational enough to elect the incumbent party's team if the oppositon party's team is judged to be not up to standard. Hence, George Yeo unfortunately lost his seat while other more 'deserving' to lose ministers managed
to keep theirs.
In the months leading up to this election, several ministers have come forward to emphasise the limitations of the Presidents' role and powers. This downplaying of the role of the presidency may well backfire on the government. The rational segment of the electorate may now decide to elect a candidate that is NOT the government's obvious choice since the consequences if any, are negligible
given the Presidents apparent limitations.
Of the four candidates, Dr Tony Tan has the widest range of experience and expertise. His campaign platform emphasis has been on the importance of safeguarding the national reserves. But as Chairman of the GIC, he has direct executive powers on how those reserves are to be deployed and he can do this without government interference, as least that is what foreign governments have been told. As President, he can only act as the gatekeeper, a relatively minor role. So, Dr Tony Tan can best achive his stated objectives by remaining as Chairman of the GIC. Had a reluctant George Yeo decided to throw his hat into the ring, Dr Tony Tan will likely have stayed put at GIC.
Dr Tan Cheng Bock has come out, in my opinion, as the candidate with the least clearly defined idea of what he wants to do as president. His two stated objectives came right out of left field. Multi-culturalism? I did not realise that there were racial or cultural problems in Singapore that needed presidential attention at the moment. Separation of the Presidential and Prime Ministers' office? Was that ever an issue with the electorate?
Mr Tan Jee Say appears to be the candidate most passionate about what he wants to achieve as the President. Even if what he wants to do may lie outside the ambit of presidential powers as defined by the constitution. He is also the candidate if elected, most likely to make the PM voluntarily vacate his Istana's office just to escape from his friendly drop-by chats :) He wants to unify a 'divided' Singaporean electorate. I think it is important to distinguish and differentiate between a country and its government. They are separate entities. Voting for the opposition does not make you disloyal to your country. So, there is no disunity in my mind to unite.
Mr Tan Kin Lian is most easily and comfortably identified with the 'common' Singaporean. He found 'religion' once he left his position as CEO of NTUC Income. By religion, I mean he began to speak out and write against the practices of his former insurance industry, among other things. He professes to want to make the lives of Singaporeans better but given the largely ceremonial and custodial nature of the Presidency, it is difficult to see how that can be achieved.
Personally, I feel that since the custodial function of the president is the reason why we have an elected president in the first place, it would be good to have a pair of eyes from outside of the government establishment to be the watchdog. If the recent and ongoing financial crisis has ANY lessons for us, it is that when financial organisations (of which GIC and Temasek Holdings are examples) have the freedom to hide or obfuscate their dealings, they WILL stray to the dark side.
Whoever gets elected as president this weekend, I'm sure he can call and rely upon the other three for any assistance if asked. The government of the day should be aware that the President is elected by the WHOLE of Singapore, not just an electoral constituency and should accord him the proper respect.
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