The Presidential Election is round the corner. 2011 has been quite a year, starting with the General Elections where history was made when An opposition party won a GRC.
4 Tans are up for the top job in this election one of which belonged to an opposition party who also ran for the General Elections in May. I am a little perturbed by this and wonders what is his true intentions for wanting to be the President. In May, the candidate was at the receiving end of some flak from the ruling party on his role with the government when he worked for then PM which may or may not have caused him to lose. But this time, he seemed like he is back with vengeance, receiving the Certificate of Eligibility, he has now officially embark onto the route to hopefully, become the next President of Singapore.
So why am I perturbed by this?
Firstly, this candidate has been talking about the current government policies and how it should be changed. He talked about how he is not in favor of the casino, how Singapore should move away from manufacturing and that Singaporean men enter the workforce 2 years later than men overseas because of NS. The role of the President of Singapore is a custodian one. And as stated clearly from the Law Minister, the President is not to openly disagree with the government. All policies are still governed by the government afterall. So while as a citizen, I want a People's President, I don't want one who will cause more conflict in the government by constantly disagreeing. Is the candidate still reeling from the adrenaline from the General Elections or simply want to be in politics so much that he will take any role?
Secondly, comes the argument on the President's salary. Yes, we all agree that 4.3million annual salary is a huge sum. The question on whether justifiable really is quite subjective. This candidate has indicated that he will only ask for 500k annual salary. Now I ask, how is the figure arrived? $500,000 equates to about $40,000ish a month. Its my assumption that when one becomes a President, there would be medical benefits which extends to the family. Accommodation and transport is provided for and education for children should also be covered. With everything covered by the country, what would a person do with 40k a month? I'm sure there are families who earn much much less and still managed to put 4 children through University.
With this 2 reasons, I really cannot help but also then question what is the intentions of this candidate. And perhaps, he should also himself, take a step back and reflect what is his political objective. I strongly believe if a politician wants to make a difference to the country and have a direct hand in policy making, he/she will not want to "rule" the country as a custodian President. He/She will continue their role in grassroots, continue working the ground, understanding the people and formulate a stronger plan to better the country in the next General Elections.
I truly hope this candidate does not win. In this global world of turmoil, we don't need more conflict.
