5/10/2016

Elected President – Minorities need a lift?


The Constitution Commission must be deliberating on the numerous wise cracks submitted for consideration. Dudley Au, the grand old man, wrote to the ST forum and this is his opening paragraph. ‘I read with amusement the suggestion that we simultaneously have two presidents of Singapore, with one representing a minority group.’ I too laughed until I almost fell off my chair. Just imagine if this idea was put forth by someone from the opposition party camp, I can’t imagine what kind of comments would be printed in the media.  The media would have a field day writing about the ridiculous nature of the proposition. Dudley Au was just too polite, so I also better be polite. No comment is the best option.

Dudley brought up the case of Barack Obama being elected as the President of USA, a highly racist country, and also the newly appointed mayor of London in Sadiq Khan, a Muslim. Wow, in the thick of Islamophobia in the city of London, a Muslim was elected to be the mayor in a society hostile to Muslims in the face of terrorist acts committed by Muslim radicals.  How could these two be elected without the assistance of affirmative actions? Impossible, unimaginable, not in Singapore. We need affirmative actions, we need the protection of the Constitution to make these happened.

And we have our recent Bukit Batok by election to prove that a minority candidate, not the best, could beat the best opposition candidate squarely, without any crutches and special advantage. How’s that?

So, do we really need to have special provisions in the Constitution to ensure that minorities are represented in the Elected Presidency? If one is to look at the track record of the Presidency, the minorities are over represented in tenure in the last few decades.

So, what is the fuss about the need to protect minority representation in the Elected Presidency?  Another red herring, another wild goose chase? When the premises for this exercise are so flimsy, it is not unexpected to get flimsy and crazy ideas, even bizarre ideas.  Two presidents at the same time!  So much money to throw meh? Do we need to build another Istana?  Or would each president be getting half of the nearly $4m annual salary plus bonuses that could come to another $4m to make it a cool $8m each annually?

If money is not a problem, allow me to offer another silly idea. How about having 4 presidents at one time so that all CMIO would be represented? And if the new citizens would also want to be represented, make it 10 presidents sitting in the Istana at one time to please all and sundry. Only $40m plus plus, at most $80m a year. Sup sup suey. We got so much money to throw to make every minority happy, old minorities and new minorities.

Seriously, do we need to continue with this exercise? If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. What’s the hurry, what is so urgent, so paramount to have this Elected Presidency fixed?

In my blog, the quality of a blogger, commentator, is not in his rank or richness, but in the quality of the post. A stupid post is a stupid post. A silly post is a silly post. A silly idea is a silly idea. No one can pull rank to win an argument or to look clever or sound clever.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Just imagine if this idea was put forth by someone from the opposition party camp, I can’t imagine what kind of comments would be printed in the media."
RB

Membership has its privileges, I mean membership of the ruling party lah. Better still, if head of the ruling party.

Or else be a member of ruling party for what, you tell me lah?

Might as well be Chee Soon Juan rather than Lee Hsien Loong, tio bo?

Anonymous said...

All these people of revising the EP is just only a waste of time & money. It just shows one thing ...that is...the govt of the day scared that they could have someone from their same party who resigned or retired & got elected in the presidential erection...as simple as that..minority EP is only a cover or excuse for them to get of of this rosy torn that they have Lah..

Anonymous said...


I m sure I m not alone in asking why are we wasting
so much so much resources to discuss the issues of EP.

Why EP? Go back to basic. Just let the parliament appoints
a president to do the simple job!

The parliament can then be free to appoint anyone they want,
whether from majority races, minority races, no races or new
instant citizen!

It is so easy, right?

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

You believe GRC is to have minority representation meh?

If not, why would you believe in all this minority thing for EP?

But what really matters is that even if Sinkies don't believe, majority will still vote for PAP.

Anonymous said...

Another attempt to erode the rights of the majority.

Anonymous said...

Every time I tell myself to give PAP the benefit of the doubt
- I get confirmation that I am not wrong about the PAP
- this current mental masturbation and angst by the PAP over the Elected Presidency Office is just another confirmation in a long line of confirmations.

NOTE TO MY DIARY:
What part of "something wrong" don't I understand?

virgo49 said...

They created the Elected President with such stringent qualifications that only their own members able to qualify.

Their main objective to plug any interference in their perpetual rule in the case you have some itchy mouths and bravado beans who are in Parliament to ask touchy issues and open their cupboards of skeletons.

First few terms of unchallenged wayang "appointment "of their selected choices goes without hindrance.

The appointed minority Prata Man is still the best and let's give him a raise. Most qua and obedient.
Next comes the KFC man President also another chiak liao bee
which nearly lost to TBC.

They had the fears that in the case there are some more bravo souls like OCT and TCB being elected in, then they will have someone breathing down their necks.

So better tweak before the dam is broken. So have minority candidate as President as they are beholden to them for this opportunity to collect golden eggs.

What long time no minority President. PRATA MAN NOT MINORITY PRESIDENT FOR TWO TERMS??

virgo49 said...

Just to add.

Sinkies may be self-interest on electing the MPs for their constituencies.

But when they vote in the PE. they like the rest of the population would like to have a controversial Bravado PRESIDENT to address their concerns as a whole.

Anonymous said...

Minority presidents
Yusof Ishak
Benjamin Sheares
Devan Nair
SR Nathan (2 terms)

Majority presidents
Wee Chong Jin
Wee Kim Wee
Ong Teng Cheong
Tony Tan

Minority president more than 50% than majority.
What do you think?

Anonymous said...

RB: Good suggestion."make it 10 presidents sitting in the Istana at one time to please all and sundry. Only $40m plus plus, at most $80m a year. "

When there was someone asked to increase monthly free wellfare to needy from $350pm to some $700pm: there was famous question:"what meal they want, restaurant, food court or hawker foods?". Then when this total went up to $100 millions for the needy, there was lots of noise from someone in parliament.

However, when $360millions was spent on foreigners students free from obligations to study here, it was well "accepted".

This figure was drawn out by WP nmp. S$360mil for foreigner. RB wants $80mil to give to an individual to dress up as "president".

I read one news from China Renmingzipao about Singapore. It said Singapore had agreed with Australia Queensland to expand the training center there. It reported Au $ 22.5YI.

It was not reported in msm. So i had to check 1YI is how much?
1YI=100millions. So 22.5YI is 2250millions.

Walau, S$ is spending Au $2250millions to expand the military training place on a foreign land. What i meant is the facilities will not be useful to any foreigners going to add to Singapore population.
And it will not be for all NS men to use too, as it is in Australia, 8 hours flight away.

Is Singapore still so cash rich? Its investment in assets or concrete should be drawing diminishing returns now and onward.
Sg industries is also diminishing. It can afford 2 president to please a group of voters, and facilities for training worth billions on foreign land. But it cannot promise to return all cpf to the folks whose money is kept somewhere.

BB by election is a clear indication, sg is going to hv a hard landing in next 10 to 15 years.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

The only "fix" to the Elected Presidency, is to DISCARD IT, and possibly the entire office of president in haste.

President of Singapore? Waste of oxygen.

Anonymous said...

While PAP mental masturbates and angst over the Elected Presidency ... back in the real world ... taxi drivers and PMETs (who think they can fall back onto driving taxis to survive) ... please take note:

/// Google is sufficiently confident about its technology that its staff have discussed launching a fully autonomous taxi service in Mountain View as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the company’s thinking. The service may initially be restricted to Google employees, which might get around any legal and regulatory issues. Google has already run some tests with employees who are trained drivers. /// (Financial Times)

Don't say I didn't warn you.
And you heard this first from redbean's blog.
Not NTUC.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ "update your info, please" 1047:

Singapore is already testing autonomous vehicles. I left S'pore 3 weeks ago, and at the time they were testing at Marina Bay area, Sentosa and West Coast somewhere. Free rides on the autonomous vehicles for the public.

Singapore-developed autonomous vehicle is better and cheaper than Google's version.

Please don't take my word. Google that shit and discover info that you are not aware of, and happening in your own backyard, under your less-than-critical noses.

When you're done there, go over the the Smart Nation page and "discover" how Singapore is on the road to becoming the world's first smart nation, or smart cuntry as I like to call it, full of smart cunts.

Try and keep up man. Be a smart cunt. It's the patriotic thing to do.

Majulah motherfuckers!

Anonymous said...

Singapore has abundant the pragmatic approach to standard of living. It now goes for lavish spending on feeding foreigner students to deprive citizens children s education rightful places in UNI. I read report that 43% are foreign students.
The cost is paid by our GST, the major sg revenues.
The lavish spending on defense, it can be a great waste in the name of "protection", as weapons has expiry dates, including fighter jets, and training facilities in foreign land.
It wants to spend lavishly on minority presidency, have a few to sit at the palace to show case like a shop front, if the idea RB spoke about is real.

All the above can be cut and money returned to citizens as cpf and proper education for future generations. Sg need educated children from Uni to help re establishing LOCAL industries for employment. We need this CHANGE badly now, as Sg is no long a place that have meaningful jobs for citizens. For foreigner pmet, from india and philippines, these job seekers can take any salary, $1.5k to $2.5kpm, such range is good enough for them to send back money to feed a family. Not for S$ pmet.

So citizens are waiting for the decline in jobs and income. May be that is the way to change: learn in the hard way.

Brazil had GDP 7.5% just 8 years ago. Now it is facing financial crisis. The president is impeached for hiding budget deficit. There is a big spending project: the olympic in August.

So sg is a small place, has so much spending on buildings local and foreign, on foreigners welfare, be very careful of our children s future. My prediction is: sg is heading for trouble if it continue to talk about spending on something not necessary at all: like have president. Better to cut it off.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

P.S. In other "lesser" cuntries, when you arrive at their airports, it is full of beggars, con artists and various other scrapings from the bottom of humaity's shit-caked toilet bowl.

When you arrive at Singapore's airports, it is filled with our kids studying hard for their exams.

We start growing our smart cunts from an early age.

Don't fuck with us. We will pwn ("own") you.

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Londoners hope that a Muslim Mayor will help to ward off any repeat of Paris attacks.:(

We can have 4 Presidents and each one will take turn to become Agong-President for a year through rotation.:D

Anonymous said...

The only reason why you have a president is because you need an ASS for foreign dignitaries to kiss after you have pledge kissed it(daily)
You need a piece of ASS to remind you people that your brains have been blessed by and from the rear..

Hence, some atas, and supremely educated class of nimcompoop, suggested you may now need two ASSes to improve the quality of your brain. That would impress your Mother, Father, Uncles , Aunties and your pet poodle and goldfish

Anonymous said...

@ Mati-Penis @ May 10, 2016 11:04 am

"Singapore-developed autonomous vehicle is better and cheaper than Google's version."

HaHaHaHa .... ROFL
Did Lee Gong You?

I can't wait to see how much money we are going to throw away on this "Singapore-developed autonomous vehicle"

Anonymous said...

So someone decided to create a melting pot of confusing assholes when you decided your HDBs and malls are worth your debts is it?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Veritas,

I have deleted a few of your comments. You are coming on too strongly. You need to restrain yourself. So a bit difficult for some to accept it.

Redbean

Anonymous said...

“I’m quite confident that Singapore will be the first city to implement this new technology,” said Lee Shiang Long, director of the nation’s top government research wing A*STAR, in an interview with local outlet The Straits Times. “This is because unlike trials in other countries, which are left pretty much to the private sector, the government is behind the efforts here.”

http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-03-30/why-singapore-ground-zero-robot-car-revolution

Where is the money coming from to fund all these unicorn projects?
How much has been spent so far?
What is the criteria for success?
What is the roadmap or path to profitability?

If we can't even manage old technology like MRT trains and keeping our public hospitals safe from a Hepatitis C outbreak ... what makes Lee Shiang Long so sure this PAP government project will be successful?

Anonymous said...

@ May 10, 2016 5:46 pm & Matilah Fucker @ May 10, 2016 1:15 pm

Why the fuck is the PAP government funding a robot car project?

After spending tax payers' money ... who gets the profit if the project is successful?
- is the profit going to a private company?
- is the profit going to a Temasek linked company?
- is the profit going to be given back to Singaporeans as a cash payment?

How exactly do Singaporeans benefit from funding a robot car project?
And who owns the patents to this tax payer funded R&D project?

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:46pm
"Where is the money coming from to fund all these unicorn projects?"

I agree with u. It seems Sg is running out of csh.
Look at Cia data by countries (just google).

Singapore by external debt: cia.
2014: USD1330billions. (9 zero). World #15highest.
2014: HK 1290billions.
Conclusion: HK is about 900billions less (this is 2014 figure)

In 2015 to 16, Sg export is going down, the debts should be more as payment is delayed. There is no figures from cia yet.

In terms of cash reserves, cia has 2015 figures. HK has cash more than sg close to 80billions.

2015: cash and gold Sg:262billions (9zero).
2015 HK 341.4Billions.

Comparing the position to pay off debt (these debts exclude CPF in cit data, they are external debts payable, i guess mainly on trade and loans.)

Conclusion: Sg is more shaky than HK because HK has China s backing. There is no issue of repayment.

Sg banks are on negative. HK banks are also on negative. I have concerns on sg s ways of spending money. It has defense, it has spending on foreigners to build infra structures for schools, universities. It has free education for foreigners.
It has no guarantee to buy water. If needed, sg may need to buy water from Indonesia.
Singapore has a lihengleong, spending lavishly. while CPF is controlled tightly, and raising flat prices to screw the buyers.

Old flats owners watch, he may tear down the old and sell new flats to same owners to up the debts of those old owners when he need more cash. Coe and gst will be another few spots for cash cows.

ONLY ONE QUESTION said...

The Hard Question ALL Singaporeans, smart or stupid, rich or poor,
having it good or suffering in silence, All-and-Sundry MUST ASK IS:

HOW MUCH MORE POWER DOES THE PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE WANTS,
EVEN THOUGH HE ALREADY HAS ABSOLUTE AND UNFETTERED POWERS WITHIN HIS GRASPS,
AT ANY TIME, AT ANY PLACE IN SINGAPORE, AND AT ALMOST ANYBODY?

Anonymous said...

@ May 10, 2016 5:56 pm

Why are you asking these questions?
Why isn't any PAP MP asking these questions?
Why isn't WP MP asking these questions?

Between Mura-Lee and CSJ ... who is more likely to ask these types of questions in parliament?

Anonymous said...

How much is ENOUGH?

I would like to have SIX (6) Presidents for the Stupid Sinkies:

1. President Ah Mad to represent all the Malay Sinkies.

2. President Ah Kow to represent all the Chinese Sinkies.

3. President Ah Neh to represent all the Indian Sinkies.

4. President Ah Hay to represent all the Eurasian and Other Sinkies.

5. President Ella Ella to represent all the Foreigners - All those who reside and work in Sinkieland.

6. President Lee-Lee-Lee to represent the Lee Families and their Cronies and Nepotists.
(This Particular President will have THE POWERS to Over-rule, Over-ride, Over-write, Over-see
and Veto ALL Other Presidents, existing, past or future. He shall be known and addressed as

"PRESIDENTE-LEE-SIMO",

and his Tenure is FOR LIFE.

He will select his own Successor before he kicks the Bucket.

The potential successor will be known and addressed as

PRESIDENTE-LEE-SIMO-IN-THE-SHADOW -

"SHADOW" as in the Indonesian Wayang Kulit).

Anonymous said...

Yale NUS University
Lee Kuan Yew School
Rajaratnam School
Yusok Ishak ISEAS

How many foreigners, academics/professors are employed by these instutions.
What is the cost and benefits to Singapore?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ "anti-robot" 556:

Cui bono? he asks..."who is to benefit?" from this dastardly crime?

Well sonny boy, there are many benefits in adopting autonomous vehicles. Safety and efficiency for starters...use jolly good old Google and YouTube to assist you in your quest for answers.

Singapore is quietly respected as a centre for Intellectual Property. A very little known stat board is the Intellectual Property Office. And of course NUS Law has the IP academy.

A-Star is the Mac Daddy of all patent applicants in Singapore. They register the most patents for new tech every year. I'm not sure how connected they are in this field of autonomous vehicles, but A-Star does have a (little known) "social robotics" section/ program.

Itis pointless bickering about "the govt spending our money". Enough orleidi lah. Not all of it is your money OK?

Anyway, it is better to blow all this lovely CPF/ tax dough on developing new tech and eventually licensing the tech to the rest of ASEAN or the Euro dancing fools of the EU. Spending money on science and engineering is a helluva lot better than distributing all this loot to losers pretending to be "victims"...always with their greedy welfare hands out, just as their ENTITLEMENT MINDED sense of self compels them.

Onward to the future...

Majulah, bitchez!

Anonymous said...

Wasting time, money and effort

on a non issue.

Wait......
maybe some do get richer
thru this issue doing nothing.

Anonymous said...

The Chief Justice is roped into the commission to lend credibility and to become an accomplice should the recommendations violate the Constitution.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

The govt should stop mucking around with the EP system.
3 simple options,

1. the system stays
2. abort system
3. revert to previous system

Forget about all the crazy ideas. They would not only become laughing stocks, they would be planting the seed for more racial tension in the future instead.

Do not build race or any divisive ideas into the election of a President.

Anonymous said...

To set up a commission to see how a minority can get elected is simply ridiculous.
Pinky should admit he just want it his way and only way.
You either have a free elections for don't.
Just look at recent BB BE. When things go their way, keep quiet about questions regarding the GRC scheme.
When current Prez could only muster less in percentage terms what CSJ achieved in BB, they have a commission to see such 35% endorsement will not happen again