By: Simon Lim
Exactly a year ago on 6th August 2017, Halimah Yacob decided to tender her resignation as both the Speaker of Parliament and a People’s Action Party Member of Parliament to stand for the Presidential Elections.
As the President of the Republic of Singapore, Madam Yacob serves two very important Executive Functions. The is to safeguard our country’s national reserves that have been accumulated over the past decades, and the second is to vet any key appointments in the public sector before they can take effect.
As a concerned citizen, I have a question that I would like my President to tell all concerned and patriotic citizens – including myself.
Has she requested the PAP government to provide her with a clear and complete list of our collective reserves? Does she know what makes up the movables and the immovable, how much of our reserves are invested in stocks and shares, in bonds and properties, here and overseas? etc.
So far, Singaporeans only know that the late Ong Teng Cheong had enough sense of responsibility in him to ask the PAP government that question and was told that they needed 56 men years to come up with the answer. The Singaporean public didn’t get to know if the late SR Nathan or Tony Tan asked the PAP government such a question.
As a citizen, I would like to ask HY once again if she has asked the pap government to provide her a complete list of our past reserves that she is supposed to safeguard.
If the answer is Yes, did she get a full and satisfactory co-operation from the PAP government? Did she fully understand what was provided to her? This is very important as it impacts how well she can perform her executive function?
If she has no idea (or merely some faint idea) only of what she is supposed to protect, then how can she do an effective job of acting as a ‘second key’ and truly protecting our reserves?
In the interest of our country, I sincerely hope that Madam Halimah Yacob will respond clearly and not just conveniently keep quiet and remain silent.
And if she did not get any co-operation from the PAP government, then why not? Did she simply kept quiet all this time while cruising along day after day and salivating while looking at the fat salary that has been credited into her bank account at the end of each month?
Just like any security guard who is on duty, it is only reasonable for the residents to expect him/her to know where are the fire exits, the nearest fire extinguisher are, etc. Similarly, I would also reasonably expect my Head of State to know what she is supposed to safeguard and all related information.
Am I being too serious or unreasonable with my expectations?
To be able to protect our reserves effectively, she must have the spine and the courage to ask the PAP government hard and intelligent questions and not settle for anything less.
TOC has forwarded a copy of this write up to Mdm Halimah and will include her response if she replies.
