Singapore's 9th President: Inauguration of Tharman Shanmugaratnam on 14 Sep 2023
Halimah Yacob’s presidential term will end on September 13 2023. She was first sworn in as President of Singapore on September 14 2017 and chose not to seek re-election for a second term when her term drew close to expiry. Halimah was Singapore’s eighth president, and its very first female head of state.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a notable figure in Singapore’s political scene, having been a key public member of the People’s Action Party (PAP) since 2001. Some of his larger roles in politics over the years include being the former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Manpower, and Senior Minister of Singapore. From September 14 2023, Tharman will assume office as the ninth President of Singapore.
Singapore's 8th and first female President
Outgoing President Halimah Yacob marked the end of her term as Singapore’s eighth President on Wednesday (Sep 13) with a farewell reception at the Istana.
The 69-year-old former Member of Parliament is Singapore’s first female President. She left office on Wednesday after bidding goodbye to Istana staff members and other government officials. In her final remarks as head of state after a six-year term, Mdm Halimah said it was her privilege to be the voice of Singaporeans and that she was "most grateful" for the chance to empower other women.
Former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was elected President on Sep 1 with 70.4 per cent vote share, will be sworn in at the Istana on Thursday.
Presidents of Singapore
The president of the Republic of Singapore is the head of state of Singapore. The president represents the country in official diplomatic functions and possesses certain executive powers over the Government of Singapore, including the control of the national reserves and the ability to revoke and appoint public service appointments. The president also holds the prerogative to grant pardons.
After Singapore achieved full internal self-governance from the British Empire in 1959, the ceremonial office of the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (lit. "Lord of the State") was created. The office was later succeeded by the President of Singapore after Singapore's independence in 1965. The initial role of the president was largely ceremonial and symbolic, carrying residual powers, but the role was later vested with some executive power which includes the reserve power to veto certain bills, most notably in relation to the country's reserves as a check and balance process, as well as to revoke and appoint public service appointments among other powers listed in the Constitution.
Prior to 1991, the president was appointed by Parliament. A constitutional amendment was made that year to allow for the president to be directly elected by a popular vote, which was subsequently first held in 1993. Singapore follows a non-executive model of the Westminster parliamentary system whereby the president is not the head of government but rather the head of state. These powers are instead vested in the Cabinet, led by the prime minister. Another constitutional amendment was made in 2016, that allows for a presidential election to be reserved for an ethnic community in Singapore if no one from that community had been president for the previous five presidential terms. The president has far-reaching formal obligations and duty to act above party politics. Under the Constitution, the president must be a Singaporean citizen, non-partisan and elected by a popular vote. The incumbent president is Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who took office on 14 September 2023 after being duly elected in the 2023 presidential election with 70.41% of the vote.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT
Public sector service requirement
The public sector service requirement is that the person has:
a. held office for three or more years as Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker of Parliament, Attorney-General, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Auditor-General, Accountant-General or Permanent Secretary;b. served for three years or more as the chief executive of an entity specified in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution;c. served for three or more years in an office in the public sector for which the PEC must be satisfied, having regard to the nature of the office and the person’s performance, that he has the experience and ability comparable to a person who satisfies public sector service requirement (a) or (b). The PEC must also be satisfied that he has the experience and ability to effectively carry out the functions and duties of the office of President;d. held office or served for two periods of at least one year each in any of the above-mentioned offices, and the two periods add up to three or more years in total.
Private sector service requirement
The private sector service requirement is that the person has:
a. served as the chief executive of a company and the following four criteria are met:
i. the person’s most recent period of service as the chief executive of that company, ignoring any period of service less than a year, must be three or more years in length;ii. the company must have, on average, at least $500m shareholders’ equity during the person’s most recent three-year period of service as chief executive;iii. the company must have, on average, made profit after tax for the entire period during which the person served as the chief executive;iv. if the person has ceased to be the chief executive of the company before the date of the Writ of Election, the company must not have been subject to any insolvency event within three years of the person’s last day of service as the chief executive, or until the date of the Writ of Election, whichever is earlier;
b. served for three or more years in an office in a private sector organisation and the PEC must be satisfied (having regard to the nature of the office, the size and complexity of the private sector organisation and the person’s performance in the office) that the person has the experience and ability comparable to a person who satisfies the criteria laid out in private sector service requirement (a). The PEC must also be satisfied that he has the experience and ability to effectively carry out the functions and duties of the office of President; or
c. served for two periods of at least one year each in any of the above-mentioned offices, and the two periods add up to three or more years in total.
EXPLANATORY MATERIAL ON THE ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
The President is the Head of State and hold office for a term of 6 years.
The President has two important roles - first, as a symbol and unifier of a diverse and multi-racial Singapore; and second, as a custodian of our nation's past reserves and the integrity of our public service.
The first Presidential Election was held on 28 August 1993.
Presidents of Singapore
Yusof Ishak (Appointed) Term of Office: 9 Aug 1965 - 23 Nov 1970
Benjamin Sheares (Appointed) Term of Office (3 Terms): 2 Jan 1971 - 12 May 1981
Devan Nair (Appointed) Term of Office: 23 Oct 1981 - 28 March 1985
Wee Kim Wee (Appointed) Term of Office: 2 Sep 1985 - 1 Sep 1993
Ong Teng Cheong (Elected) Term of Office: 1 Sept 1993 - 1 Sep 1999
S R Nathan (Elected Unopposed) Term of Office (2 Terms): 1 Sept 1999 - 1 Sep 2011
Tony Tan Keng Yam (Elected) Term of Office: 1 Sep 2011 - 31 Aug 2017
Halimah Yacob (Elected Unopposed) Term of Office: 14 Sep 2017 - 13 Sep 2023
Tharman Shanmugaratnam (Elected) Term of Office: 14 Sep 2023 - 13 Sep 2029
Prime Ministers of Singapore
Lee Kuan Yew (Appointed) Term of Office: 5 Jun 1959 - 28 Nov 1990
Goh Chok Tong (Appointed) Term of Office: 28 Nov 1990 - 12 Aug 2004
Lee Hsien Loong (Appointed) Term of Office: 12 Aug 2004 - 15 May 2024
Lawrence Wong (Appointed) Term of Office: 15 May 2024
The office of Prime Minister succeeded the office of Chief Minister in 1959 after Singapore had attained self-governance from the United Kingdom, as the State of Singapore, with Lee Kuan Yew being sworn in as the first prime minister on 5 June 1959. With respect to Singapore's autonomous status in the Malaysia Agreement, the title of prime minister remained unchanged after Singapore's merger with Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo to form Malaysia in 1963, despite the existence of the prime minister of Malaysia for the entire federation of which Singapore was briefly a part of.
Following the independence of Singapore in 1965, the office of Prime Minister was retained, with the president of Singapore becoming a ceremonial head of state. In 1991, amendments to the Constitution of Singapore vested executive powers in the presidency, along with discretionary veto powers over the government. The Constitution also vests "general direction and control of the government" in the Cabinet, with the president almost always bound to act on the advice of the Cabinet or any minister acting under the Cabinet authority. Thus, in practice, most of the actual work of governing is done by the prime minister and Cabinet. Under Article 26(4)(a) of the Constitution of Singapore, the prime minister may appoint a Cabinet minister, subject to presidential approval, as acting prime minister if the prime minister is on medical leave, away from Singapore or is granted a leave of absence under Article 32 of the Constitution. The deputy prime minister or senior minister will usually become the acting prime minister, but any Cabinet minister may be appointed to the role.
From Lee Kuan Yew to Lawrence Wong: The changing leadership styles of Singapore’s Prime Ministers
From left to right, Singapore's Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew (1959-1990), Goh Chok Tong (1990-2004) and Lee Hsien Loong (since 2004); and the PM-in-waiting Lawrence Wong. (Photos: AFP/Roslan Rahman, Julien de Rosa)
Even before Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong takes office as Singapore’s fourth PM on May 15, he has already provided a glimpse of what could be his approach to governance. With the Forward Singapore exercise led by him and the rest of the country’s fourth-generation or 4G leadership, there appears to be a willingness to listen to the people more and possibly shake up the social compact, political observers told CNA.
If that is a response to the challenges of today, then it is in step with how the leadership styles of Singapore's different Prime Ministers have evolved over the years to reflect their respective domestic and global circumstances, the observers added. “That said, the common thread throughout was the focus on economic pragmatism, which is expected to continue,” said Ms Nydia Ngiow, managing director of BowerGroupAsia in Singapore:
- FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL - The impending leadership transition will be the third for Singapore, which gained independence in 1965. Its first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, was sworn in in 1959, and the late Mr Lee had to deal with a well-documented list of existential issues from colonialism to separation from Malaysia.
- A GENTLER GOVERNMENT - When Mr Goh Chok Tong took over as Prime Minister in 1990, it heralded a period when Singapore thrived economically and Singaporeans enjoyed wealth, safety and security, experts noted.
- FOCUS ON THE SOCIAL - Being the son of the first prime minister, incumbent PM Lee was likely exposed to affairs of state from a young age and has had “a super long runway in politics”, said Assoc Prof Singh. With this heightened political sense, PM Lee has been clear in communicating his policies to the people, both on domestic and foreign policy issues, Assoc Prof Singh added.
- THE FOURTH GENERATION - Mr Wong will take the reins against this backdrop – and early signs show an intention to focus on the "common ground" and on "hearing a diverse range of perspectives and views and staying open to different ideas”, in his own words.
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