Under The Angsana Tree: Gimme Hope Halimah!

Update 1 Oct 2023: Halimah Yacob: Speaker, President, Chancellor

The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) is pleased to announce that Mdm Halimah Yacob has been appointed Chancellor, effective 1 October 2023. Mdm Halimah takes over from Mr Stephen Lee, who has served as SUSS Chancellor since 2018.

Mdm Halimah Yacob has had an illustrious career, starting in 1978 as a legal officer with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), before rising through the ranks to become the Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronics, Director of the Women’s Development Secretariat and eventually, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General. In 1999, she became the first Singaporean elected into the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO), where she served for four terms, representing workers across many ILO committees. Mdm Halimah was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in 2001 and served her final and fourth term as an MP in the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.

In 2011, she was appointed Minister of State for Community Development and Sports. She introduced various programmes for seniors and enhanced services for people with disabilities, including laying the foundation for the Social Services Offices. A leader of many firsts, Mdm Halimah was elected as the ninth Speaker of Parliament in 2013, the first woman to hold the position. She was the first female to become President of the Republic of Singapore, when she was sworn in on 14 September 2017 for a 6-year term.

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Reserved presidency a 'political minus' but right thing to do: PM Lee

The move gives minority ethnic groups an assurance that their place in society will always be safeguarded, he said, just like how the group representation constituency system - which guarantees at least one candidate per constituency is from a minority race - ensures there will always be MPs from minority races in Parliament

The PAP secretary-general was referring to public unhappiness over the Constitutional amendments passed in November 2016, to reserve the elected presidency for candidates of a particular racial group if there had not been a president from the group for the five most recent presidential terms.

Critics said the decision went against Singapore's meritocratic values, and hundreds protested in Hong Lim Park days after the first election, reserved for Malays, saw Madam Halimah Yacob sworn in as President on Sept 14, 2017.

Mr Lee cited the issue as an example of how Singapore is proactively strengthening the institutions that support its multiracial and multi-religious society.

related: President Halimah's inauguration:Don’t overlook this key moment in Spore’s history

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PAP must never be afraid to do what is right for Singapore: PM Lee

The reserved Presidential Election in 2017 saw Madam Halimah Yacob elected unopposed

The People’s Action Party (PAP) must never be afraid to do what is right for Singapore, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Nov 10), noting that not all Singaporeans agreed with the need for a reserved Presidential Election to ensure minority races in the Republic’s highest office.

“If you ask me, overall from a short-term perspective, this issue is probably a political minus for the Government, for the PAP. But this is part of governing. I am convinced that we did the right thing. We must never, ever be afraid to do what is right for Singapore,” said Mr Lee to around 2,500 party activists at the PAP65 Awards and Convention at the Singapore Expo. The conference was held to mark the 65th anniversary of the PAP’s founding on Nov 21, 1954.

The reserved Presidential Election in 2017 saw Madam Halimah Yacob elected unopposed, and Mr Lee also said then that he recognised the move was unpopular and could cause the ruling party to lose votes.

related:
Halimah’s election lauded as ‘true sign of S’pore’s meritocracy’ in region
Support package to ‘cushion impact’ of impending GST hike to be announced
PAP must be prepared for a tough fight in the coming GE, says PM Lee
When could General Election be held?Analysts,opposition parties give their take
Who’s on Electoral Boundaries Review Committee,how it draws up GE battle lines

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Halimah earns 48x more than Istana’s chef while US President earns only 6x of White House’s chef

It was reported that a recent job advertisement placed by the Istana looking for butlers and junior chefs has caused much controversy in social media (‘Istana offering lowball salaries for its butlers and cooks?‘).

The Istana has offered S$1,400 to S$2,000 for the butler positions and S$2000 to S$2,500 for junior chef positions. Netizens have questioned about the offered pay and asked if it is enough to survive and care for his or her family in Singapore.

Even the market pays better than what Istana is offering. According to last year’s median gross wage statistics by the Ministry of Manpower, the median gross income of waiters is S$1,838 while a captain waiter or waiter supervisor gets S$2,700. And the median gross salary for a chef is S$3,532.

How much the president of the United States gets paid?

How much does a White House Sous Chef make?

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Istana Wants To Hire A Chef, But Forgets President Halimah Is A Woman

Turns out 2 other job listings also forgot

As far as government jobs are concerned, nothing beats the prestige of working in the Istana. Coincidentally, one of our team members was checking out an official government job portal when he chanced upon a rather intriguing job listing — Istana is hiring a chef.

So being the inquisitive fella he is, our colleague clicked on the advert to find out what being an Istana Chef entails. Everything appears fine at first. The successful candidate gets to plan the daily menu, and even cook up a feast for “various events” — sounds like every aspiring chef’s dream job.

But all of a sudden, he spotted something on the listing that raised more than a few eyebrows. We won’t spoil it for you just yet, but we’ll give you a clue.

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Istana Advertises For Chef Job, Keeps Repeating President Halimah As A He

The Istana is presently looking for a chef to join its staff, and has placed an advert on the government job portal, Careers@GOV. Istana, is of course, the official residence of the President of Singapore, Halimah Yacob. Unfortunately, the advertisement keeps referring to the President as a male.

President Halimah if of course no stranger to confusion in her presidency. She was elected as the reserved Malay president, when at one time in her political career, she was referred to as an Indian Muslim. Indian Muslims are definitely not Malay, but for Halimah's case, she is deemed Malay enough to be a Malay. So what to make of this latest confusion?

The Istana itself is not able to tell that they have been hosting a female president most recently? In the ad, the Istana has referred to President Halimah Yacob as a “he”. The first line of the chef job indicated in its description "to support the President in the execution of HIS presidential duties" Interestingly, the chef position is not the only one advertised by the Istana. There were another to jobs advertised, that of a Gallery Officer and another one as a Assistant Senior Butler / Butler. And both job description also describes the President as a "he".

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Careers@GOV

To support the President in the execution of his presidential duties, which include constitutional, ceremonial and community roles, and to uphold and maintain the dignity of the office of the President.

Responsibilities:

Plan daily menus, purchase ingredients and prepare excellent cuisines for various events.
Ensure high standard of hygiene in food preparation and cleanliness of the kitchen.
Collaborate with Butler Teams as well as external caterers to ensure F & B is delivered efficiently at functions.
Handle administrative work such as preparing claims for purchases and costing for menus.

Requirements:

Singapore Citizen
Able to prepare Western and Local cuisines.
At least 2 years working experience in a similar position
Positive attitude, good team player.

Gross Monthly Salary Range: $2,000 to $2,500:

Selected candidates will be offered a contract of 1 or 2 years in the first instance.
Shortlisted candidates will be notified within 4 weeks after the closing date.
For enquiries, please email to: istana_recruitment@istana.gov.sg

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Former NS man raises question toward SAF pledge

Photo of Mdm Halimah Yacob's swearing in (ST Photo)

I take strong issue with the part that says, “We will bear true faith and allegiance to the President.”

The reality in Singapore today, very, very unfortunately, is that our President is a controversial President, whether we as a people are honest and courageous enough to admit it or not. I stress, firstly, the President is not a Malay President even though the Elected Presidency (EP) criteria for that election clearly stated that the EP was Reserved for the Malays only.

Next, it was a walked-over and nobody, absolutely nobody cast a vote for her even though that was supposed to be an Elected President. In other words, she was engineered and manoeuvred into the Office of the President of the Republic of Singapore by this People’s Action Party (PAP) government.

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Singapore's diversity is its strength, President Halimah Yacob tells conference on cooperation

President Halimah Yacob pointed out that Spore's diversity also means it can tap cultural & language similarities, and familial ties to help make friends with other Asian countries PHOTO: AFP

Singapore's diversity is its strength - one which has made it a more resilient society and moved it closer to its neighbours, President Halimah Yacob said during her visit to China on Wed (May 15).

Outlining efforts Singapore has made to safeguard and promote racial and religious harmony, she said: "Our diversity helps us in understanding the differences in the world outside us. Our effort to integrate and harmonise the different communities has made us a more resilient society."

Speaking at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations (CDAC) in Beijing, a summit to promote cooperation between Asian countries, Madam Halimah said Singapore's situation is a microcosm of a "larger challenge faced by the world in getting people of different religions, values and backgrounds to live together harmoniously".

related: Xi Jinping lauds Singapore's multicultural harmony

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Religious harmony will always be work in progress for Singapore: Halimah Yacob

Religious harmony will always be a work in progress for Singapore, President Halimah Yacob said on Wed (May 15) as she pointed out Singaporeans of all faiths have become more fervent in their religious convictions in recent years. Olivia Siong reports

Religious harmony will always be a work in progress for Singapore, President Halimah Yacob said on Wed (May 15) as she pointed out Singaporeans of all faiths have become more fervent in their religious convictions in recent years.

“It is important that our people are good citizens of Singapore, at the same time as they are good Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, Muslims, or Hindus,” said Mdm Halimah.

She was speaking at the opening of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations in Beijing this morning - a key Chinese event that aims to promote exchanges between civilisations and cooperation among countries.

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Dialogue, not disengagement, is way to tackle globalised world's problems: President Halimah

President Halimah Yacob meeting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on May 15, 2019. ST PHOTO: DANSON CHEONG

The way to solve the problems of division in today's highly connected, globalised world is for nations to talk & learn from one another's experiences, said President Halimah Yacob on Wed (May 15).

No longer can a country just focus on improving its domestic situation or pretending differences like race or religion do not exist, she told reporters as her 3-day visit to China came to a close.

Today's reality is that with the swift travel of news around the world, fault lines exposed in one country can spread and cause divisions abroad, she noted.

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Urgent need for better communication, dialogue between communities: Halimah Yacob

Singapore's President Halimah Yacob (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2019. (Photo: AFP)

With many societies currently experiencing discord, distrust and division, Singapore President Halimah Yacob said there is an urgent need for better communication & dialogue between different communities.

She made these comments in an interview with China’s official People’s Daily, as she started a 3-day visit to Beijing from Tuesday (May 14), to attend the inaugural Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations.

The conference, which aims to boost exchanges and promote cooperation between countries, will be attended by representatives from 47 Asian countries and those outside the continent.

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Singapore’s founding fathers “fought tenaciously” for religious harmony says Mdm Halimah

Speaking at the opening of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations in Beijing today (May 15), President Halimah Yacob stressed the value of Singaporean residents being good citizens as they practice their respective religions and added that religious harmony in Singapore continues to be a work in progress.

“It is important that our people are good citizens of Singapore, at the same time as they are good Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, Muslims, or Hindus,” said Mdm Halimah.

Expounding on the Singapore scenario, Mdm Halimah pointed out how the country implements an even-handed approach to all faiths and how the tiny state has worked hard to build and promote inter-religious understanding and tolerance. To give an example, she pointed out the country’s rigid laws against the denigration of other faiths, and the prohibition of mixing religion with politics.

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Janet Low Yesterday at 12:48 PM

Truth or fake???

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HALIMAH YACOB IKON WANITA

HALIMAH YACOB | IKON WANITA 1/3

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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Reserved presidential election casts spotlight on ‘Malayness’

Another name that has been floated as a potential candidate is Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, whose father was Indian-Muslim.

To qualify for the reserved election in September, prospective candidates will have to submit a community declaration to the Community Committee to certify their ethnic group. A fact-finding process will be conducted by the Malay community sub-committee to decide if the candidate belongs to the community. The person may be interviewed and required to provide further information, among other things.

The sub-committee is chaired by former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Imram Mohamed. Other members are Singapore Muslim Women’s Association adviser Fatimah Azimullah, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore president Mohammad Alami Musa, former senior parliamentary secretary Yatiman Yusof, and former NMP Zulkifli Baharudin.

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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

Halimah was born on 23 August 1954 at her family home on Queen Street in Singapore, to an Indian father and Malay mother.

Her father was a watchman who died due to a heart attack when she was eight years old, leaving her and four siblings to be brought up by her mother. Her family was in poverty at the time of her father's death, and she helped her mother to sell nasi padang outside the former Singapore Polytechnic (now Bestway Building) along Prince Edward Road.

She attended Singapore Chinese Girls' School and Tanjong Katong Girls' School before graduating from the University of Singapore (now National University of Singapore) in 1978 with a Bachelor of Laws degree and was called to the Singapore Bar in 1981. She subsequently went on to complete a Master of Laws degree at the National University of Singapore in 2001.

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