Wednesday, June 8, 2011

George Yeo for President?

So George Yeo may run for President. I am delighted to read the news but his initial statements about himself being a "free spirit" and "not temperamentally suited" for the job keeps me pondering what he meant by that.

One of his American friends has written in to the ST forum page, describing him as " a man of vast talent and always a visionary......,slated to make the world a better place....and will go on as an extraordinary representative of Singapore". Indeed I am sure if he becomes our president he will make us all very proud. In my own words, I think he will "more than represent us" and by that I mean he is way way above us, the average Singaporean, in terms of wisdom and vision.

However, I wonder about the role of the President in Singapore. Is he just a ceremonial puppet? Although by law the President's approval is required to draw upon reserves and for appointment of senior civil servants etc, I think he acts largely upon the advice of the cabinet. Are these George Yeo's initial fears, the restrictions (politcally or otherwise) that comes with the job? If so I would rather he goes on to do greater things, maybe in the international scene or perhaps establish a new political party. For at his age and given his "free spirit" I am sure he will want to be authentic which is to act freely and not in conformity to various pressure (social or political etc).

However in today's papers I am also surprised that Tony Tan may join in the fray, quoting the importance of having a President who can "understand the complexities behind each decision the president has to make... during a period of enormous change". So a President can choose not to tow the lines of the cabinet too, is that what it means? If so, the political scene of Singapore is definitely changing and it is time for all of us to wake up too, starting with me finding out what is the real power of our president, hehe.

(btw I suspect Tony Tan may be nudged by PAP to run against Tan Kin Lian. As I found out, should the President block any decision on appointment of top civil servants, parliament with 2/3 votes can overule his decision. In fact parliament with 2/3 majority can amend the constitution and further thwart the powers of the president.
However if one day the ruling party does not have 2/3 majority then the president may end up with some real power. Is that what Tony Tan meant by "a period of enormous change"? Such being the case, PAP will need an affiliate to be President. )

No comments: