WP reiterates call for Elected Presidency to be abolished
The Workers’ Party said the Elected Presidency (EP) should be abolished as it undermines parliamentary democracy.
In its submission to the Constitutional Commission Secretariat to outline its longstanding position on the issue, WP said in a statement on Wednesday (23 March) that an EP restrains the government in matters that may be critical to its effectiveness.
WP noted that the persons who qualify to be an EP comprise an elite group, many of whom are senior officials appointed by the PAP government.
“Should the day come when a non-PAP government is elected and needs to replace some of the key appointment holders under Article 22 of the Constitution, the EP could block such appointments and cripple the new administration,” WP said.
In addition, given the significant veto powers of the EP, the Prime Minister may end up becoming a lame duck.
WP agrees that Singapore’s reserves should be safeguarded but believes that the EP is not the right mechanism for this. Instead, WP said it is open to enacting additional parliamentary mechanisms to safeguard the reserves.
WP said that the concerns that the Prime Minister had expressed about the EP are “the making of the government itself”.
The government’s desire to review the eligibility criteria for presidential candidates suggests that there is potential for political gridlock due to the election of an “uncooperative” EP.
Its suggestion to expand the powers of the Council of Presidential Advisors (CPA), which is made up of eight appointed members, may also add another layer of gridlock, between the EP and the CPA.
On the government’s concerns over the lack of a President from a minority community, WP said these would be nullified if Singapore were to revert to its former system of appointed, ceremonial Presidents.
