Whether the Elected Presidency (EP) scheme should be retained boils down to the “fundamental” question of whether Singaporeans want their President to have “real power”, said Law Minister K Shanmugam yesterday.

“The President doesn’t have many powers, but he has two powers — one to say no to (key public service) appointments and two, to say no to the Government when the Government wants to take money (from the reserves),” said Mr Shanmugam. “Do you or do you not want to give that power, real power to the President? We as Singaporeans have to ask that question.”

Mr Shanmugan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the first round of dialogue sessions which kicked off yesterday on proposed changes to the EP scheme.

On Wednesday, the Constitutional Commission set up to review specific aspects of the EP released its report. Among its wide-ranging recommendations was a suggestion - which falls outside its terms of reference - to unbundle the custodial and ceremonial roles, and having these roles filled by appointment.

The commission highlighted the “tension” between the President’s two roles and suggested that an appointed body of experts could take over the custodial functions, while Parliament could appoint a President to serve as a unifying symbolic figure. But Mr Shanmugam pointed out: “If you look at the commission’s report, the commission recognise that if a person or body is not elected then they cannot really say no and block the Government.”

Among other recommendations, the commission recommended that the President be obliged to consult the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) before exercising his discretion on all fiscal matters. Nevertheless, the Parliament can override the President’s decision, with the level of CPA support making a difference to the Parliament majority needed. Referring to the CPA, Mr Shanmugam reiterated that the commission recognised that “this body of experts, because they are unelected, the best (they) can (do is) only delay (the decision) and Parliament can still override”. He added: “If you want to give real power then they have to be elected as the commission itself recognise”.

In his letter to the commission, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said he appreciated the commission’s reasons for making the suggestion to consider reverting to a President elected by Parliament. But he stressed that “it would be difficult for a President to exercise custodial powers over the reserves and public service appointments, and veto proposals by the Government, without an electoral mandate”.

Yesterday, Mr Shanmugam also responded to critics who claimed that the EP changes were politically motivated. “All sorts of statements can be made but (I think they should) get back to basics and look at logic,” he said. He also pointed out that the commission was headed by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and public hearings were conducted, among other things.

He said that people can disagree with the report, including whether elections are needed to choose a President. If there is a need for elections, it would be sensible to put in requirements for the candidates because the President will have to make important decisions that involve huge sums of money, for instance, he noted. “If you agree that there should be qualifications, I think most people will agree (the Government) should also review the criteria, so the debate and discussion will become better if we deal with the specific issues and questions that I have asked,” he added.

Held at Chong Pang Community Centre, the dialogue session which Mr Shamugam attended involved some 600 participants including representatives from voluntary welfare organisation and grassroot leaders from North West Community Development Council.

The participants raised a wide range of issues, including whether Singapore can have a woman President, why was there a need to raise the bar for prospective PE candidates and the role of the CPA.

On female representation in the highest office of the land, Mr Shanmugam said Singaporeans should let society evole and women are free to stand in the presidential elections if they meet the eligibility criteria.

The commission proposed that the eligibility criteria for private-sector presidential candidates be made more stringent, including increasing the S$100 million paid-up capital threshold to S$500 million in shareholders’ equity. One participant said she felt that what matters most is whether the Elected President has good moral values, integrity and love for Singapore. In response, Mr Shanmugam noted the difficulty in assessing a person’s character and integrity. “That one we have to leave it to the voters. You look at the man, you look at what he says… and then you decide whether you believe him to be a person of integrity,” he said.

Over at the Science Arts Building at Macpherson Road, Senior Minister of State (Prime Minister’s Office, Transport and Foreign Affairs) Josephine Teo also held a dialogue with about 50 representatives from the Chinese business community. Among the issues discussed was the need for the President to possess financial acumen and whether the more stringent eligibility criteria could further shrink the pool of potential minority candidates. Participants also wanted to know the relevance of the President’s role to businesses.

Mrs Teo said that the President plays a “hugely important role” in being a custodian of the reserves. “He needs to have the financial oversight and decision-making ability, That is the basic criteria he must fulfill,” she said. His ability to command respect still depends on the people’s mandate, she said. She noted the role of former President S R Nathan - who died last month - during the 2008 global financial crisis. Mr Nathan agreed to the Government’s request to draw funds from the reserves to help companies. The decision ultimately helped “save many rice bowls”, she noted. “When it comes to crucial times like this, he has to make a critical decision, and to answer to the people,” she said.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by AMANDA LEE AND TOH EE MING

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