Who will I vote for in the Presidental Election?

First and foremost, I do hope that there is a Presidental Election in 2005! I have voted once in my whole damn life in the General Election 1997 (walkover in my ward in 2001). And I make no bone that I have had voted for the PAP in that 1997 elections! The oppositions of that time sucks big-time. And I am no fan of PAP, I just voted for the 'right' candidate that I presume will serve the nation well (not the community, I am willing to sacrifice my ward welfare to have the proper people on the national platform).

Secondly, I analyzed that there won't be any Presidental Election in 2005. The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore ("Constitution") <link> Part V: The Government, Chapter 1: The President, Section 19: Qualifications and disabilities of President states:

Qualifications and disabilities of President

19. —(1) No person shall be elected as President unless he is qualified for election in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
(2) A person shall be qualified to be elected as President if he —
(a) is a citizen of Singapore;
(b) is not less than 45 years of age;
(c) possesses the qualifications specified in Article 44 (2) (c) and (d);
(d) is not subject to any of the disqualifications specified in Article 45;
(e) satisfies the Presidential Elections Committee that he is a person of integrity, good character and reputation;
(f) is not a member of any political party on the date of his nomination for election; and
(g) has for a period of not less than 3 years held office —
(i) as Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, Attorney-General, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Auditor-General, Accountant-General or Permanent Secretary;
(ii) as chairman or chief executive officer of a statutory board to which Article 22A applies;
(iii) as chairman of the board of directors or chief executive officer of a company incorporated or registered under the Companies Act (Cap. 50) with a paid-up capital of at least $100 million or its equivalent in foreign currency; or
(iv) in any other similar or comparable position of seniority and responsibility in any other organisation or department of equivalent size or complexity in the public or private sector which, in the opinion of the Presidential Elections Committee, has given him such experience and ability in administering and managing financial affairs as to enable him to carry out effectively the functions and duties of the office of President.


If you had analyzed carefully, I guess Mr Andrew Kuan will somehow be judged to have failed point (e) of the Act by 17-Aug-2005 and will be refused the Certificate of Eligibility! And another walkover will prevail, in my honest opinion! I do not questioned Mr Kuan integrity, character or reputation! I do not know him afterall and I am in no position to make any comment on him! But the government does know him, the PAP does know him (I read it somewhere that he is/was a member), and the RC certainly does know him too. After all the attacks from all directions on the poor guy, who suddenly found himself seiged, the general public is 'well-educated' enough to 'know' his characters, etc. I called all these fiesto "The Great Singapore Propaganda".

Who will I vote for, in the very unlikely event that it will happen? Anyone with the compassionate of the late ex-President Wee or the guts of the late ex-President Ong. What do I feel towards our current President Nathan? No feeling - It's a fact and it's a pity. What have he spoken over the NKF saga? Nothing eventful. During SARS 2003? Nothing memorable.

In my opinion, my vote goes to - anyone but the current President! And no, I am not voting in jest! And I am not voting blindly! And certainly I am not voting without using my analytical senses! If any other candidates are deemed to be fit to contest the Presidental Election 2005 by the PEC, fair enough, he is good enough for me. It's a fact that we (general public) know nuts (not peanuts) about our Presidents before they were swored in, with the exception of ex-President Ong. I am willing to give anyone else a try if he (or she?) is deemed to be fit for selections.

In any case, I still stand on my belief that there won't be any election this year - Presidental (due this month) or General (not due till Oct 2006). The NKF is the damcles sword over the PAP at the moment. And the Integrated Resort decision is due end of this year and our government is famous for keeping its words - giving an answer on time. Such are controversies (NKF and IR) that will entangle the government in any elections they are going to hold in the near future. Hence, I am going to miss the opportunity to vote this year again.

Next year? I certainly hope so! And I pray that there won't be any walkover in my ward (oh yes, I am not giving myself away by telling you which ward or GRC I belongs to). I pray that Mr Low (of the WP) will be decisive enough to form a GRC group to contest in Aljunied GRC (encompassing his Hougang ward and so has the split-over effect). Why not Mr Chiam (of the SDA)? His alliance is too weak, in my opinion, with only 1 other well-known politician - Mr Steve Chia, the Non-Constituency MP, which some online forumers called him the No-Clothes Man. Dr Poh (of the WP), on the other hand, has a solid foundation in his Taoist/Buddhist links.