When is Good Time to Make Elected Presidency Changes?

MyPaper (Singapore)

09 September 2016

PEOPLE may not have enough time to understand and support the recommended changes to the elected presidency if the proposals take effect at the next presidential election, said three political watchers.

Indications are strong that the changes are being timed for the next presidential election, which must be called by August next year.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said the changes should be put in place by then and the Government is ready to legislate, when he was asked for his thoughts in a Mediacorp interview last week.

The Government will release a White Paper outlining its proposals next Thursday in response to the recommendations.

The changes are likely to be debated and passed by Parliament in November.

… Law don Eugene Tan noted that with the current review, “we are barely nine months in the process”.

He added: “Why the haste? We have time – perhaps not seven years but certainly not less than a year, as seems to be the Government’s timeline.”

Political scientist Bilveer Singh agreed, saying: “The idea of slow and steady incrementalism is a prudent one.”

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Last updated on 13/09/2016