How to give your feedback on Elected Presidency

How to give your feedback on Elected Presidency

Singaporeans can give their views on changes they want to see in the Elected Presidency, which a nine- member committee is reviewing to update it.

These views need to be given in writing and sent to the Constitutional Commission, said a statement from its secretariat yesterday, a day after the panel's first meeting.

The deadline for all such feedback to reach the secretariat of the commission is 5pm on March 21, the secretariat said.

They can be in Malay, Chinese, Tamil or English and need to be typed or legibly written by hand. The submissions must also be signed, whether in hardcopy or PDF form.

The views sought are on three areas identified for review.

These are:

• The criteria that qualify a person to be a candidate in the presidential election.

• Provisions to make sure people from Singapore's minority races stand a chance to be elected President.

• The role and composition of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) in governing how the President exercises his powers.

The Constitutional Commission was appointed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a week ago.

The group, led by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, includes Public Service Commission chairman Eddie Teo, who helmed the Presidential Elections Committee that vetted potential candidates in 2011.

Also on the panel are Supreme Court judge Tay Yong Kwang, former Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi and Ambassador-at-Large Chan Heng Chee, as well as business leaders Chua Thian Poh of Ho Bee Land, Philip Ng of Far East Organisation, Peter Seah of DBS Bank, and Wong Ngit Liong of Venture Corp.

Details on what the Constitution says about the President, including the qualifying criteria for candidates and the CPA's functions, can be found on the website of the Singapore Statutes Online at https://statutes.agc.gov.sg

The commission also said it may invite contributors to clarify or elaborate on their submissions, where necessary, at public hearings.

"The precise dates of the public hearings will be announced in due course, but these will likely take place over a limited number of days between April 18 and May 15, 2016," said the secretariat.

The submissions must be addressed to the Constitutional Commission Secretariat, and sent by post to 1, Supreme Court Lane, Singapore 178879, or e-mail to CCSecretariat@supcourt.gov.sg

In giving their feedback, people need to include their full name and NRIC number for verification purposes, as well as their postal address and telephone number.

They should also include their e-mail address, if any.

yanliang@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on February 19, 2016.
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