01/06/2017

The presidential wheel starts turning

As advised by a Geomancy Master, The Presidential Election polling day on Sep 23 is a special day:
  • 2 +3 = 5
  • 5 in Thai is "Ha" and in Malay is "Lima"
  • So, it is "Halima"
Hence "5 5 5" in Thai is "Ha Ha Ha"


From today (June 1), Malays who want a shot at the presidency can start picking for forms from the Elections Department in Pinsep Street. Be warned that they are pretty lengthy forms, requiring plenty of information, especially from a prospective candidate from the private sector. Data demanded includes the financial performance of the corporation he led over a period of at least three year’s of service.

Also be warned that the applicants who clear the expanded six-member Presidential Elections Committee chaired by Mr Eddie Teo, head of the Public Service Commission, will have their forms made public for all to see. The G has picked up a recommendation made to the Constitutional Commission looking into changes to the presidency last year, that such transparency would have a “salutary effect” on those who think they can fudge their credentials.

Given that this year’s presidential election is reserved for members of the Malay community, applicants must, after clearing the credentials hurdle, go through a committee to confirm their ethnicity, much like candidates competing in parliamentary elections as members of a Group Representation Constituency. The chairman of the Malay sub-committee is Mr Imran Mohamad, who was the former chairman of the Association of Muslim Professionals.

related:
Elected Presidency: M Ravi’s rant
Cheng Bock stirs the presidential pot
Tan Cheng Bock finally breaks his silence
Excuse me, are you Chinese, Malay, Indian or none of the above?

read more

A doctor’s prescription on ‘who is a Malay’ could settle Halimah’s Malay credentials
To be a Malay, said Mahathir, is no more an ethnic thing as today it is more of a legal matter

Who is a Malay? The debate is still raging in Singapore with many disputing the Malay credentials of the PAP’s Presidential election’s candidate.

But a doctor’s prescription on who is a Malay in Malaysia could save Halimah Yacob the day in the court of the social-media haranguers.


The book A Doctor In The House could eventually settle the issue of ‘who is a Malay’ and could endorse Halimah’s Malay credentials

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HALIMAH YACOB IKON WANITA

It is one of the worst kept secrets this year, where she decided not to say yes until everything has been sorted out (she had to talk to her family, residents, consider her existing duties etc etc).

It’s not like she can suka suka drop everything and go for the presidency, and if she loses, it’s not like she can just say “Can put me back as Speaker?” right?

So what other worst-er kept secrets did Halimah Yacob have that maybe you already knew (or can just pretend you did)?
  • Halimah Yacob’s a Malay (no, you don’t say!)
  • She was a lawyer who took companies to court over workers’ rights
  • She started working at 8 years old at an illegal pushcart
  • She studied at Singapore Chinese Girls’ School
  • She lives in a 5 room HDB flat in Yishun

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Singapore High Court hasn’t decided on the reserved presidential election, and today can go take application form ah? Why so kancheong?

Wah lao eh, Singapore High Court hasn’t decided on the reserved presidential election, and today can go take application form ah?  Why so kancheong?  Must be cool like Dr. Tan Cheng Bock mah, wait until garmen pass the law then take action.

Why must reserve election for race?  Why garmen so racist?  Or garmen thinks that we are racist?  Very insulting to our Malay brothers and sisters you know.

Garmen say it’s meritocratic, a presidential election candidate still must meet the same qualification.  Can give chance to 2nd Chance Founder & CEO or not?  His 2ndChance Clothing became 3rd Chance Property, so 4th  Chance for President!!

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This Self-Made Abang Entrepreneur Could be Singapore’s Next President
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Mr Mohamed Salleh is the founder and CEO of Second Chance properties

All eyes may be on Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, but this local entrepreneur Mohamed Salleh Marican could be the next president of Singapore.

The 67-year-old has declared his interest in running for the presidency come September, and his name has been bandied in several circles as a potential candidate.

His started out the business as a tailoring service back in 1975 and has since expanded its operations into several industries.

read more

Mohamed Salleh Marican, The Potential Presidential Candidate
Application for arguably Singapore’s most controversial presidential election to date has opened today (June 1), and will close 5 days after the writ of election is issued in August

Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli and former Cabinet minister Abdullah Tarmugi are just some of the high-profile names that were bandied around after changes to the Elected Presidency were announced in November 2016 –which reserved the 2017 election for members of the Malay community.

However, a surprise name has popped up — that of Mr Mohamed Salleh Marican.

The 67-year-old sent an e-mail to The Straits Times on Wednesday (May 31) confirming his interest in running for the election, and stated he’d be collecting the application forms from the Singapore Elections

read more

President hopeful struggles to speak Malay
"When it comes to a $2 million or $20 million shop, my thinking process and how I evaluate the purchase is the same. It does not mean I must have 10 times the ability (to buy the $20 million shop),"

Despite not being able to be automatically qualified as a candidate for the upcoming election, Mr Mohamed Salleh expresses optimism that he can convince the Presidential Elections Committee he is deserving.

Also for this year's Presidential Election, the candiancy is reserved for a candidate from the Malay community which Mr Mohamed Salleh is likely to qualify.

However, some have made fun of Mr Mohamed Salleh's apparent difficulty in putting up a proper sentence in Malay (as seen in the video) as he is standing as a Malay candidate. In defence of the independent applicant, many have highlighted the inability of the current President, Mr Tony Tan to speak in fluent Chinese.

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If Indian Muslim Halimah Yacob can run for this “reserved” Presidential Election, a Chinese Muslim can also too

Yesterday (1 Jun), ST published a news report stating that PAP MP and Speaker of Parliament, Halimah Yacob, is widely considered a front runner for the forthcoming Presidential Election.

It will be the first election reserved for candidates from the Malay community, following a recent review of the constitution.

According to the amended Singapore Constituion Section 19B, the Presidential Election will be reserved for a community if none of its members has held office of President for 5 or more consecutive terms.

read more

Applications for Presidential Election to open Jun 1

Applications for the 2017 Presidential Election certificates will open on Thursday (Jun 1), the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Wednesday.

They will close 5 days after the writ of election is issued in August, ahead of the elections in September.

Application forms can be obtained from the ELD website and office from Thursday.

read more

Dr Yaacob rules himself out of Presidential Election, as applications for Sept polls open
Dr Yaacob rules himself out of Presidential Election, as applications for Sept polls open
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. TODAY file photo

Communications & Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim has ruled himself out of the upcoming Presidential Election, which is reserved for the Malay community, saying he is happy in his current role.

Applications for the historic polls in September opened on Thursday (June 1) morning, and will close 5 days after the writ of election is issued.

Prospective candidates must submit one form to the Presidential Elections Committee to get a certificate of eligibility, and another form to a newly set-up Community Committee, to declare that they are part of the Malay community & get a Community Certificate.

related:
Applications open for first reserved Presidential Election
Presidential Election: Details of assessment process for candidates’ eligibility
Panel to assess eligibility of Malay EP candidates unveiled
Tan CB files High Court application challenging reserved Presidential Election
Tan Cheng Bock’s legal challenge could be heard in June
Tan Cheng Bock legal challenge: High Court likely to be mindful of Sep
Dr Yaacob rules himself out of Presidential Election, as applications for Sept polls
Panel to assess eligibility of Malay EP candidates unveiled
Tan Cheng Bock questions timing of reserved election for president

Founder and CEO of Second Chance Properties expresses interest in standing for upcoming Presidential Election
Photo of Mr Mohamed Salleh from EY Singapore

According a report by Straits Times last night, there might not be a walkover in the upcoming Presidential Election after all.

The newspaper reported that Mr Mohamed Salleh Marican, the founder and chief executive officer of Second Chance Properties had expressed interest in standing for the upcoming Presidential Election in September and will be collecting the application forms required to assess his qualification prior to the nomination day.

Mr Mohamed Salleh was quoted to have said, "The short answer is that, I believe I have done well for myself in business and would like to step up and give back to society in a much larger way. The position and influence of the Elected President will have a great impact on whatever activities he or she choose to promote." and that he "can also fulfill the call of most Singaporeans who desire a truly independent Elected President, one who is untainted by party politics".

read more

2 names emerge for presidential contest; anticipation for Halimah’s candidacy

Two names have emerged as potential candidates for the upcoming presidential elections in September, which is reserved only for Malay candidates.

They are those of the founder and chief executive officer of Second Chance Properties, Mr Mohamed Salleh Marican, 67, and Bank of Singapore chief executive officer Bahren Shaari, 54.

Mr Mohamed Salleh has confirmed that he will be collecting the application forms from the Election Department, although he does not actually qualify under the stated rules for the election.

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Straits Times: Only 4 out of 3 million eligible to contest Presidential Election

Straits Times today (June 1) shortlisted 4 eligible candidates out of the country’s 3 million citizen population for the upcoming racist and elitist Presidential Election reserved for only the Malay race and ultra-rich. Two of the four candidates are however ruling party PAP member and ex-member:
  • First on Straits Times’s list is the current Speaker of Parliament, Halimah Yacob, who was flagged in Minister of State Chan Chun Sing’s hint as the next “Mdm President”. When queried by reporters, Halimah Yacob decline to comment whether she is contesting or not. The PAP MP will have to resign from her MP position but according to Minister Chan Chun Sing, no by-election will be called for in her Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC constituency. Halimah Yacob is also a mix Indian-Malay (her father is Indian), but the PAP-appointed Presidential Elections Committee will unlikely to rule her out as a Malay.
  • Second is Abdullah Tarmugi, the former PAP Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) from 1994 to 2000, resigned from politics in 2011. Abdullah Tarmugi told state media reporters that it is “unlikely” he will contest in the racist election.
  • Third on the list is Bahren Shaari, the chief executive of the Bank of Singapore, but he has declined to contest as well.
  • The last one is Mohamed Salleh Marican, who is the only person who has openly signaled his intention to contest yesterday (May 30). Mohamed Salleh Marican is the founder and owner of a retail and property corporation, Second Chance. However, the state media pointed out that his SGX-listed company do not fulfill the S$500 million shareholders’ equity requirement in the election

read more

Chinese Uber driver Shirwin Eu wants to run for presidency reserved for Malay candidates

In the hopes of throwing a spanner in the works, Uber driver and previously unsuccessful Bukit Batok by-election candidate Shirwin Eu showed up again at the Elections Department. This time, he was there to collect the application forms for the upcoming presidential election to be held in September.

June 1 marks the start of Singapore’s first presidential election reserved for Malay candidates. Candidates have to apply not only for a certificate of eligibility, but also a community certificate confirming they belong to the Malay community, unlike the past elections.

In addition, they have to make a formal declaration that they understand the role of the president.

related: The race to Istana starts from June 1. Will there be a contest?

read more

Private-Hire Driver Shirwin Eu Ownself Wants to Contest
redwire-singapore-shirwin-eu-presidency

Private-hire driver Shirwin Eu has picked up forms to contest in the 2017 Presidential Election, despite the election being reserved for Malay candidates only.

All potential candidates were allowed to pick up their nomination forms from the Elections Dept today, and Eu was the first to arrive.

Speaking to the press, the 34-year-old said a Malay would make a poor president because Malays are bad at mathematics. It’s unclear if Eu was trying to be funny when he said that.

read more

DPM Tharman ‘would have preferred a contest’ for Presidential Election
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Wednesday that he would have preferred a contest in the recent Presidential Election

Speaking at the first Majulah Lecture organised by the Nanyang Technological University on Wednesday (20 Sept), Tharman was quizzed on the 2017 Presidential Election after the lecture, according to media reports.

One student asked if the reserved presidential election is an indication that Singapore is “regressing as a society”, despite Singaporeans growing up reciting a pledge with the words “regardless of race, language or religion”.

In response, Tharman said while he was “proud” that Halimah Yacob was the first Malay president in 47 years, he told the audience of more than 1,500 it was “understandable” that Singaporeans had questions about the recent election, which was reserved for Malay candidates.

read more

Singapore’s first elected president Ong Teng Cheong gets a mountain named after him

Somewhere out there in south-eastern Kazakhstan, there’s a mountain named after a Singaporean — the first of its kind. And not just any Singaporean, but Singapore’s first elected president, Ong Teng Cheong himself.

The 4,743m-tall mountain sits in the middle of a remote Tien Shan range that stretches along the border between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China, reported The Straits Times. Ong Teng Cheong peak — so named because it was first conquered by a Singapore team on July 29, 2005 — was formally recognized on June 28 this year by the Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Federation of Kazakhstan.

Mountaineers David Lim, Wilfred Tok, Mohd Rozani Maarof and Shani Tan were the first ones to ascend the mountain, and they named it after Ong, who was the patron of Singapore’s first Everest expedition in 1995 during his presidency.

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A Tribute to Singapore’s First Elected President
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SM Emeritus Goh Chok Tong recognisd Ong Teng Cheong as Spore's 1st Elected President

redwire singapore ong teng cheong first elected president goh chok tong 2
The National Library Board calls Ong Teng Cheong Singapore’s first president to be elected into office

redwire-singapore-ong-teng-cheong-first-elected-president-7
HistorySG, a government-run portal called Ong Teng Cheong the first elected president

redwire singapore ong teng cheong first elected president 5
Our National Archives shows that Ong took part in and won Singapore’s first presidential election

redwire-singapore-ong-teng-cheong-first-elected-president-8
Then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong also called Ong Teng Cheong Singapore’s first elected president in a condolence letter to to Ong Teng Cheong’s wife on his passing in 2002

redwire singapore ong teng cheong first elected president 3
The Istana website calls Ong Teng Cheong the first president to be popularly elected by the people

redwire singapore ong teng cheong first elected president 6
Even international news calls Ong Teng Cheong Singapore’s first elected president

redwire-singapore-ong-teng-cheong-president-x813
So, government records say Ong Teng Cheong is Singapore’s first elected president

read more

related:
Elected President: CC vs AGC
2017 Presidential Election to be reserved for Malay candidates
Public Forum on Elected Presidency cancelled due to poor response
White Paper on Elected Presidency scheme
Spore push for minority President but not ready for non-Chinese PM
Changes to the Elected Presidency Scheme
Order of Succession And Baton Passing