Singapore selects 1st female president without a vote
September 14, 2017

An establishment stalwart was named Singapore’s first female president Wednesday, but the milestone was overshadowed by criticism her selection was undemocratic after she was handed the job without a vote.
Halimah Yacob, a former speaker of parliament from the Muslim Malay minority, did not have to face an election for the largely ceremonial post originally due this month after authorities decided her rivals did not meet strict eligibility criteria.
It was not the first time in the affluent city-state — which is tightly controlled and has been ruled by the same party for decades — that the government has disqualified candidates for the presidency, making an election unnecessary.
But there was already unease about the process as it was the first time that the presidency had been reserved for a particular ethnic group, in this case the Malay community, and the decision to hand her the job without a vote added to anger.
Social media was abuzz with criticism as Halimah, a bespectacled 63-year-old who wears a headscarf, was formally announced as the president-elect, with Facebook user Pat Eng writing: “Elected without an election. What a joke.”
“I will call her President Select from now on,” said Joel Kong on the networking site, while some posts were marked with the hashtag NotMyPresident.
Halimah, a member of parliament for the ruling People’s Action Party for nearly two decades before resigning to contest the presidency, tackled the doubts about the selection process in a speech to a cheering crowd. “I’m a president for everyone.
Although there’s no election, my commitment to serve you remains the same,” she said.




Be part of the solution:
September 22, 2019
Image: Young and old coming together to discuss suicide prevention and the challenges often presented by the daily struggle of life
This last week has been an incredible validation of the approach that Babana Aboriginal is taking when it comes to the prevention of suic...
September 11, 2019
Why do some of our elders turn to talk back radio? The rise of social isolation
I was yarning with a group of elders recently and we chatting about struggling being retired and the feeling of social isolation. As we waded our way through the conversation it dawned on me...
August 29, 2019
Don’t forget our elders can suffer in silence too: suicide prevention
Many people think that mental health and suicide are not topics that impact our elders but they could not be more wrong. The data tells us there continues to be an emerging trend when it comes to peop...
August 29, 2019
If we are to prevent suicide amongst our mob its going to be the simple things that do it.
For the last decade I have been working on the assumption that other people working at other organisations will always have our backs when it comes to the biggest challenges that...
August 23, 2019
Wherever you look these days, not matter the developed country, whole population groups and peoples struggle with the daily grind of life. From children in state care to mental health, from affordable housing to the primary health system and from education to employmen...
August 11, 2019
Image: Babana Aboriginal Men's Group meet on the last Friday every month in Glebe / yarning circle
Let’s face it; we as men find it difficult to have conversations with each other especially as we age. In doing so we keep not only our challenges and emotions to ourselv...
August 11, 2019
Why language and self-determination matters on this International Day of Indigenous Peoples
When we think of our indigenous peoples, we normally think of them in two ways. The first is through culture and the amazing amount of history and connection to the land they hav...
July 15, 2019
For the last few years I have been fortunate to have been involved in the aged care sector and have seen both the lows and highs. Today we live in a world where most of us are living longer thank to more awareness around healthy living, the advancement of better medica...
You can’t go past a news paper, radio show or television news story these days without being flooded by all things Bitcoin or Crypto Currency. Some say it’s the new world of money while others suggest its all just a passing fad. Whatever your position or preference of...
May 26, 2019
The New Zealand Maori Council has called on the Government to step in and ensure the recommendations made by the Children’s Commissioner in respect of youth detention facilities be implemented without delay. The Report released to the previous Government carried a seri...
Older Posts >