Ban parties, MPs from endorsing presidential candidate: Law don
Political parties, their leaders as well as Members of Parliament should be barred from endorsing presidential candidates so as to depoliticise the office of the Elected President.
This was a suggestion raised by Singapore Management University law don Jack Lee at the third public hearing yesterday conducted by the Constitutional Commission to review the presidency.
Weighing in on the proposal, Justice Tay Yong Kwang, who is a member of the commission, cited a scenario where a minister is asked to give his or her personal view of a presidential hopeful.
Asst Prof Lee replied: “The fear is that if people who are members of Government are able to make statements, even if they say it is in their personal capacity ... this might then have a distorting effect on how people exercise their vote. Because the views of some people may carry more weight than the views of other people.”
The next Presidential Election must be held by August next year.
During the previous Presidential Election in 2011, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, for example, described Mr Tony Tan, who went on to win the election, as an “eminently” suitable candidate. Singapore Democratic Party members also backed Mr Tan Jee Say in his bid for the presidency.
Over the three public hearings, Asst Prof Lee is the second person to raise concerns about the politicisation of the presidency during the election process. At the second hearing held last Friday, lawyer Rey Foo Jong Han, 49, called for safeguards to deter candidates from making irresponsible statements.
Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said yesterday there was value in Mr Foo’s suggestion, and asked Asst Prof Lee for his views. Asst Prof Lee, nevertheless, felt that voters should be left to judge the candidates’ words for themselves and erroneous statements will be swiftly corrected in the public space.
Asst Prof Lee also proposed allowing judicial review for presidential hopefuls who were rejected by the Presidential Elections Committee to stand for elections. Commission member Chan Heng Chee questioned if this could hold up the election process while Chief Justice Menon wondered if was appropriate for the court to intervene in a political process. NG JING YNG
