The portrait of President Halimah Yacob, Singapore’s first woman head of state, is available for collection from today (3 November), along with the picture of her husband, Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee to be placed on the walls of schools, government buildings and other public places.
Their pictures must be framed, hung as a pair and at the same height. It is a convention for the president’s portrait to be placed on the left, and that of the spouse on the right, which will make this, a woman’s portrait on the left and a man’s portrait on the right, to be the first time in Singapore’s history.
In the portrait, Madam Halimah wears a red blouse and pink headscarf in the portrait. She began her term as Singapore’s eighth president in September after she was elected in a walkover. While, Mr Mohamad has on a dark red tie with a black jacket and white shirt.
The portraits are unframed and organisations can collect them for free.
In a statement yesterday (2 November), the President’s Office stated that organisations can request them by filling out a form available at www.istana.gov.sg/the-president/portrait.
Upon approval of the request, a representative can bring a duplicate copy of the request form and acknowledgement email to collect the portraits to collect the portraits during office hours at the Ministry of Communications and Information building in the Old Hill Street Police Station, from today until Jan 31 next year.
According to the Istana website, the portraits can be displayed in places where members of the public visit and where official business is conducted. These include polyclinics, hospitals, banks, military establishments, hotels, embassies and country clubs, among other places.
However, it stated that they cannot be put up at places which provide games and entertainment and serve food and drinks, such as karaoke lounges, games rooms, jackpot rooms, amusement centres, arcades, canteens, bars, pubs, and beer and dining halls.
“In choosing a suitable site to display the portraits, care should be taken to ensure the portraits are accorded decorum,” wrote the guidelines on the Istana website.
The walls where presidential portraits are typically displayed had been left empty after the portraits of former president Tony Tan Keng Yam and his wife Mary were removed on 31 August, the last day of his term of office.