Advertisement

Second legal challenge to Elected Presidency scheme mounted: Reports

M Ravi
Yahoo Singapore file photo

Social activist M Ravi has mounted the second legal challenge against the recent changes to the Elected Presidency scheme, in the wake of former presidential candidate Tan Cheng Bock’s affidavit to the High Court.

Ravi filed an application in the High Court on Monday (22 May), on the same day that a tentative hearing date of late June was set for Tan’s challenge. But while Tan is disputing the counting of five terms of the EP to trigger this year’s reserved election and says the Elected Presidency began with Ong Teng Cheong, Ravi is arguing that reserving elections for particular races is unconstitutional.

According to media reports, Ravi contends that the very notion of reserved elections is “discriminatory” as it “deprives citizens the equal right to political participation and to stand for public office of the Elected Presidency, even if they possess the appropriate qualifications”.

Ravi claimed that reserved elections violate the basic structure doctrine, which says that any constitutional amendment that goes against the key tenets of the Constitution shall be deemed invalid.

A well-known human rights lawyer before he was barred from applying for a practising certificate for two years in October 2016, Ravi made his application as a private citizen but will be arguing the case himself.

A spokesman for the Attorney-General’s Chambers said that it would be be studying the papers filed by Ravi.

Related article:

Tan Cheng Bock files court challenge on term count of Elected Presidency

Other Singapore stories:

Woman pleads guilty to assaulting taxi driver along Bishan Road

Couple admit to cheating Spring Singapore of $50,000