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ltdanhasnolegs OP t1_ixufx74 wrote

Reply to comment by Ritplays in TIL Singapore’s constitution requires the President to have experience as a minister - or as CEO of a large, profitable company. by ltdanhasnolegs

And also officially nonpartisan, so very different roles.

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TemporaryReality5447 t1_ixv3q5r wrote

Officially "nonpartisan" we all know what they are. Current one wasn't even elected by us

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LPercepts t1_ixvqu5e wrote

Didn't she win the position by default because there were no other viable candidates?

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[deleted] t1_ixw0pja wrote

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Elections_Committee

They have a committee that decides if a person is suitable enough to run for elections, based on very non-transparent rules. The current President was deemed the only one "fit enough" to run for Presidency and so she got elected without any opposition. Her selection also came with some race related controversy, because SG tries to do race balancing and so this cycle was unofficially reserved for a Malay. Halimah is only half Malay it seems (Indian father, Malay mother, officially registered as Indian) but identifies more with her Malay heritage than her Indian heritage.

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TemporaryReality5447 t1_ixx0088 wrote

Because the ruling party changed to rules so hard that they made her the only suitable candidate that round. And the non partisan thing is just a straight up farce, they usually get someone to resign from the party and then run for president

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GothProletariat t1_ixvazhg wrote

You think a wealthy CEO wouldn't be partisan?

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laconicflow t1_ixwtnli wrote

I think every person is partisan in one or another way. Everybody's going to have some pet interests by the way they were raised, what their job was, I bet you you'll be a pro paper President if, before you were President you worked in that industry. Partisanship in political office is unavoidable.

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rab777hp t1_ixx1guf wrote

well it's a one-party state so hardly relevant

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