Monday, July 25, 2011

Elected president can be the voice of the people

This letter was published in the Straits Times Forum page on 25 July 2011 (with minor editing).

 I refer to the article "Don't Politicize the Role of the President" by Wan Wai Yee, Asst Professor in Singapore Management University.  Prof Wan argued that the President should stay within the powers of the constitution and avoid “politicizing” its role.   However, Prof Wan did not explain what he meant by "politicizing".

If someone offers a view that is different from the stand taken by the Government, will it be considered as "politicizing"? To find solutions that are best for the people, it is better to discuss issues openly and consider various points of views, before coming to a decision.  

The Government and the President are elected by the people to perform their duties stated in the constitution – but the ultimate aim is to improve the lives of the people. The President is required to carry out certain specific duties that are intended to act as a check and balance on the Government, primarily to prevent abuse of powers and corrupt practices.

To exercise this power effectively, the President needs to be in touch with ordinary people that are affected directly by these issues. In doing so, the President may hear views that fall outside of his constitutional duties but are still important to the people. 

I agree with Prof Wan that it is the primary duty of Parliament to discuss these issues and pass the necessary laws to implement the solutions. We should, however, be aware of the structural weaknesses in our current governance where, for a variety of reasons, many of the hot issues affecting the livelihood of the people were not actively debated in Parliament. It was only days prior to the last general election that the Prime Minister realized the extent of the unhappiness of the people and had to apologize twice for the shortcomings of his government.

It is likely that the newly elected Parliament will continue to face the structural issues and obstacles.

The elected President can play a useful role in being an additional channel for the people to bring legitimate issues to the attention of the Government. To rebuild the trust of the people and re-install pride in our country, the Government has to show that it is willing to hear the voice of the people and consider their views.  The elected President can help in these tasks.

Tan Kin Lian

3 comments:

Alan said...

If someone offers a view that supports the current policy of the government, he is not considered as "politicizing" but if he offers a different view, this label is applied to him.
Good governance can only exist temporarily under an autocratic system of government like during the Hongwu and Yongzheng reigns of the Ming and Qing dynasties but once the ‘benevolent dictator’ passes on, the government will inevitably become weakened and corrupt as there are no external bodies to check on it. Agree.

yujuan said...

You don't have to wait for the good "benevolent dictator" to pass on, he himself slowly change to an unbenevolent dictator, as he would resort to all means to cling on to power by suppressing challenges and dissenting views.
Then power slowly becomes corrupt, and gradually absolute power corrupts absolutely. "External bodies to check on it" are cut down ruthlessly at source.
The Middle East is the perfect mirror for us to see.

Tan Choon Hong said...

In recent days there has been a chorus of comments from the establishment on the limits of the EP’s powers, giving the impression that the government is telling the people to set their sights lower as the EP cannot check or initiate any policy. The reality is that a PAP-friendly EP is their insurance policy, should the opposition come to power with only a slight majority. Their proxy EP will prevent the unravelling of the PAP apparatus by blocking changes to key appointments, and vetoing opposition-entrenching development programs that involve dipping into past reserves. Only when the opposition rides into parliament with a two-thirds’ majority, will the PAP-linked EP be rendered impotent.
Still, an independent-minded EP is what the people should aim for, even if just “to bring legitimate issues to the attention of the government.”

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