Singapore's Presidential Election is CRAP

• relevation

  6 Aug 05, 21:48

  Hi fellow Singaporeans,
  
  I am sad to announce that our Presidential election is full of CRAP!
  
  We have a President who is old enough for a state ""sadness" in a few years (or if not lucky, a few month's) time. He is running again (whether willingly or being obliged to do so), therefore preventing his more capable friends from running against him due to obligatory reasons.
  
  It is a puppet institution with no powers other than those conferred by the cabinet and the parliament- therefore elect for what??
  
  Furthermore so what if there is a or a few contestants against the incumbent. There is just too much personal relationship and protoccol stuff being said in the press. We should let the new players to have a try and not put him down.
  
  We need a young and strong President- not one that is unable to make any impact and being controlled and limited by the cabinet and parliament (so well known to be monopolised by the PAP that the whole world knows). To have an effective Presidential institution, we need a strong leader and someone able to balance itself against the PAP populated cabinet and parliament. Otherwise we might as well not have an election. It might just end up like the last one (go and read about Ong Teng Cheong's Presidency)
  
  So if all these factors put together without a strong presidency, this election is just but another rubber stamping activity, wasting the citizenry's time and tax payer's money.
  
  So much for having elections- THANK YOU PAP- for justifying this rubber stamping activity.......
  
  So sad.
• SMAPLionHeart

  6 Aug 05, 21:51

  What do you expect?
  PAP has built up about half a century and you want them to lose to someone?
  
• robertteh

  7 Aug 05, 21:43

  Singapore leaders have prided themselves on their abilities, talents and leaderships.
  
  Do they really want to use the people's talents or abilities?
  
  Surely when our ex-president Ong Teng Cheong tried to make the elected presidency as a more effective check on accountability and transparency of government investments of people's reserves he is putting his large talents to work to benefit the government who will then be more respected by the people.
  
  I doubt the government is sincere about practising meritocracy or inducting talents to benefit the running of the country all these years. Why not let a more talented president use his talents to better safeguard and take care of our reserves. Up to now after Mr. Nathan has taken over the office he had not shown an interest in bringing the elected presidency a more effective check on our reserves.
  
  Where is our monies? When there is no accountability and transparency in the system, People will always be asking Mr. Nathan like they have asked in NKF reserves, what happen to their monies.
• BillyBong

  7 Aug 05, 23:58

  Originally posted by robertteh:

  Up to now after Mr. Nathan has taken over the office he had not shown an interest in bringing the elected presidency a more effective check on our reserves.
  
  Where is our monies? When there is no accountability and transparency in the system, People will always be asking Mr. Nathan like they have asked in NKF reserves, what happen to their monies.

  Unfortunately, the presidential portfoilo does not include auditing our nation's reserves.
  
  We must draw a distinction between national reserves and reserves built from charity.
  
  With NKF, accumulation was down to public goodwill and therefore how much the reserves are amassed ultimately guide the working principles of the organisation and whether or not they are self-sufficient over the forecasted number of years; this in turn serves as a 'notice' to doners to 'cut-back' on donations.
  
  With SG's own fort knox, it is the contribution of taxpayer's monies which is required BY LAW. How much of it DOES NOT dictate our subsequent tax declarations, nor should the govt serve rebates because they are cash-rich.
  
  You can't run a country's administration by being generous.
  
  That's a fact of life.
• Medicated Oil

  8 Aug 05, 10:06

  If he is really doing the job in checking the reserves, he would not be getting a salary raise and enjoying 6 good years earning million dollars.
  
  He is more concerned about collecting his salary and telling the whole world that he is fit.
  
  He is just a prata man.
  
  He is not the head of state.
  
  Just ask the people who try to suck up to him, what is his contribution for the last 6 years ????
  
  The people would be stuck in giving any proper answer.
  
  Cos he have done NOTHING.