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Introduction Singapore Is a Multiracial Society with Different Races Coexisting in Peace

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Introduction Singapore Is a Multiracial Society with Different Races Coexisting in Peace Social Security study guide SMC 2018: Multiculturalism SOCIAL SECURITY COUNCIL Learning Outcomes Students should be aware of the importance of multiculturalism in Singapore’s context and how care must be taken to preserve the social fabric. The discussion will centre on the need to protect Singapore’s social cohesion in the midst of heightened worldwide and regional tensions along racial and religious fault lines and increasing radicalism. [Topic 1: A discussion of the Reserved Presidential Election] Introduction Singapore is a multiracial society with different races coexisting in peace. Table 11 shows the make-up of ethnic groups in Singapore 1 "STATISTICS SINGAPORE - Population Trends 2017 - SingStat." Accessed February 11, 2018. http://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document- library/publications/publications_and_papers/population_and_population_structure/population2017.pdf. 1 Social Security study guide SMC 2018: Multiculturalism With such a diversity of races, the interests of minority and equal representation is paramount to ensure races can live in harmony.2 The President of Singapore is the Head of State and symbol of the nation. Tasked3 with representing all Singaporeans on the global stage and maintaining healthy bilateral relationships with other countries, the President is more than just a figurehead. The President also serves as the financial backbone of the country as he/she holds the key to the reserves of the country and the right to veto national reserves expenditure. For such an important job, Singapore needs to ensure the President elect is the most suitable for the job. Thus, certain qualifications have to be met before potential candidates can run for presidency. These guidelines ensure the candidates are experienced in dealing with large amount of reserves and ties in strongly with Singapore’s long-held belief in meritocracy. However, concerns of insufficient representation of minority groups due to the racial background of past Presidents led to the implementation of reserved presidency. As seen in the table below, Singapore has not elected a Malay President since 1971. 2 "To preserve social harmony, Singapore has racial requirements for its ...." Accessed February 11, 2018. https://qz.com/908967/to-preserve-social-harmony-singapore-has-racial-requirements-for-its-next- president/. 3 "Roles and Responsibilities | The Istana." Accessed February 11, 2018. http://www.istana.gov.sg/roles- and-responsibilities. 2 Social Security study guide SMC 2018: Multiculturalism Past Presidents’ Tenure 4 1971- 1981 Benjamin Henry Sheares Eurasian 1981-1985 Chengara Veetil Devan Nair Indian 1985-1993 Wee Kim Wee Indian 1993-1999 Ong Teng Cheong Chinese 1999-2011 Sellapan Ramanathan (S.R. Indian Nathan) 2011-2017 Tony Tan Keng Yam Chinese 2017-present Halimah Yacob Malay Oxford Research shows that racial minorities who remain politically inactive usually use controversial forms of political actions and show greater support for oppositions parties to promote their political interests.5 Thus, it is important to ensure that the minority races are politically active so as to maintain peace and stability in the country. Under the new system implemented 1 April 2017, the Presidential Election is reserved for a community in Singapore if no one from that community has been President for any of the five most recent terms of office of the President. There are 4 communities namely, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Other minority communities6. 4 "Past and present leaders of Singapore | Infopedia - NLB eResources." Accessed February 11, 2018. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_139_2005-01-19.html. 5 "Race, Ethnicity, and Political Behavior - Oxford Research ...." Accessed February 11, 2018. http://politics.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e- 238. 6 "Singapore Elections Department - Presidential Elections." Accessed February 11, 2018. http://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_presidential.html. 3 Social Security study guide SMC 2018: Multiculturalism This move has sparked controversy and questions over its effect on racial harmony and meritocracy. Has the new system, which is aimed at ensuring multi-racial representation in the Presidency impinged on meritocracy? Does the new system promote racial harmony? Historical background Before Singapore gained independence from Malaysia, it had a Yang-di Pertuan Negara or Head of State. In 1965, after its separation from the Federation of Malaysia, the Republic of Singapore replaced the office of Yang-di Pertuan Negara with that of a President. The Constitution was amended and the title of the “Head of State” was changed to “President”. Before 1993, the President was elected by the Parliament. The President had limited powers, which allowed him/her to appoint the Prime Minister, Ministers and to dissolve the Parliament. From 1965 to 1993, Parliament sought ways to change the rules governing the powers of the President to suit the needs of a young, developing nation. The diversity of ethnicities in Singapore, the political leadership of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the personalities of our Presidents during that period were some factors that shaped the evolution of the office of our President. 7 After two White Papers, the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No 3) Bill to provide for an elected President was tabled in Parliament on 4 October 1990 and passed on 3rd January 1991. 8 7 Managing Political Change in Singapore: The Elected Presidency - pages 9 and 10 8 "White Paper on the Elected President scheme is ... - NLB eResources." Accessed December 26, 2017. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/daaeb1c5-ce75-420f-a26c-37378bb70461. 4 Social Security study guide SMC 2018: Multiculturalism In 1991, the legislation for Elected Presidency was passed. The amended powers allowed the President to veto key civil appointments and the use of the country’s reserves. The powers of an Elected President was first exercised by the then President Wee Kim Wee. Our first Elected President was Mr Ong Teng Cheong, a former cabinet minister, who took office in 1993. 9 After the Elected Presidency policy, Singapore has passed the legislation for the Reserved Presidential Election. The Reserved Presidential Election is a step towards building a stronger multiracial society. When talking about his motivations for the Reserved Presidency, PM Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore has "not yet arrived at an ideal state of accepting people of a different race" and cited recent surveys to show that "we are not completely colour-blind". He further commented that it would be harder for a candidate of minority race to win an open election against a Chinese candidate. He believes that "These are the realities we have to manage”.He acknowledges that while the Reserved Presidency would not be sufficient to bring about the change in society, it would most certainly be a step towards it and a good representation of our principles and strong will to build a multiracial society. 10 9 "Elected presidency | Infopedia - NLB eResources - National Library." Accessed December 26, 2017. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_899_2004-12-24.html. 10 Yuen-C, Tham. "PM Lee spells out why he pushed for reserved election." The Straits Times. September 29, 2017. Accessed January 23, 2018. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-spells- out-why-he-pushed-for-reserved-election. 5 Social Security study guide SMC 2018: Multiculturalism Current situation Most recently, on 9th November 2016, an amendment that affected Article 19 of the Constitution was passed. 11 The changes were made with regards to the qualifying criteria of the Presidential candidates. This included12: ❏ The candidate’s experience must meet the qualifying criteria within the 20 years immediately preceding the Nomination Day; and ❏ Specifying that candidates from the private sector must have served as the chief executive officer for a minimum of three years, of a company with at least S$500 million in shareholders’ equity; and ❏ Reserving elections for a candidate from a certain racial group should that group have not occupied the President’s office for 5 or more consecutive terms. In 2017, under the new system, Halimah Yacob became the President in a walkover election. This has, however, caused controversies and raised questions. This walkover happened in spite of 5 people applying for the certificate of eligibility 13. Three applied for Malay community certificate, one for Chinese community certificate and one person declared himself not a member of any of the communities. However, only Halimah Yacob qualified which led to her walkover victory. 11 "Elected presidency | Infopedia - NLB eResources - National Library." Accessed December 26, 2017. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_899_2004-12-24.html. 12 "Elected presidency | Infopedia - NLB eResources - National Library." Accessed February 11, 2018. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_899_2004-12-24.html. 13 "Presidential election 2017: Five people applied for certificate of ...." Accessed December 26, 2017. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/presidential-election-2017-five-people-applied-for- certificate-9184184. 6 Social Security study guide SMC 2018: Multiculturalism The elections was not without controversy as there were confusion over the official race of Halimah Yacob. Some believed that she was of Indian descent and thus should be considered Indian. However, she was quoted as saying
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