ST forum article

[steffychun]

Electoral college not the solution



I READ with great interest the commentary by my friends Ho Kwon Ping and Janadas Devan on the presidential election ('Let electoral college choose the president'; last Saturday).

The analysis was excellent but I disagree with the solution they have offered, which is to have an electoral college elect the president.

I was an assentor at the last presidential election. From that vantage point, I was able to see the campaigns of various candidates unfolding. I had three takeaways from this:

First, 65 per cent of the electorate wanted a president who had no previous close links with the ruling party.

Second, 70 per cent did not want a hyped-up opposition candidate who may become too confrontational.

Third, the people enjoyed having the power of electing a president through direct election.

I draw two conclusions from this:

First, the people are going to be very unhappy if we change the direct election for the presidency, resulting in more acrimony against the Government.

Second, the electorate will elect a sensible, moderate wise man to be president.

The second is a risk, but it is an assumption that needs to be made and is justified from the results of the last general election and presidential election.

The solution lies in accommodating the wishes of the people but modulating it through an independent electoral commission chaired, perhaps, by a retired judge.

A panicked reaction to the current noise level will not help. A well-thought-out long-term solution is what we need.

Gopinath Pillai

 

[red amoeba]

what was suggested is effectively the system of asking MPs to vote for their president?

Provided of course, MPs form the electoral college.

then what the fuck is called EP? Might as well call NP?

Already the MPs are not freely elected (becos some entered via the GRC system) - on top of that, you have these bunch of people voting for their choice? For sure, TT will be shoo-in.

Even with current EP system, they are already screened by a panel - which in some form, is a barrier before full elections. Might as well scrap the whole thingy and have the old system where PM nominate the president lah...save all the taxpayers' money.

 

[Char_Azn]

The whole idea of the President is to have a guy who is elected directly by the pple to look after the reserves so that the government does not abuse it. U think MPs will choose someone who is like that? There is nothing wrong with the current system as fair as electing a president goes. It's up to the pple to elect someone they trust enough to look after the money and represent the country as a whole.

 

[red amoeba]

The whole idea of the President is to have a guy who is elected directly by the pple to look after the reserves so that the government does not abuse it. U think MPs will choose someone who is like that? There is nothing wrong with the current system as fair as electing a president goes. It's up to the pple to elect someone they trust enough to look after the money and represent the country as a whole.

this whole gahmen is like that ...they think they noe best...we dunno how to choose. i.e. we chose wrongly if we din follow their choice.

TT won by a sliver...so they thot aiyah...u people anyhow choose, heng heng TT won if not...

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

all these establishment elites really make me laugh...condescending patronising lot...isn't the PEC/COE pre-requisite sufficient??

anyways i suggest gopinath pillai go ask his good pal satpal khattar why the PEC issued a COE to TJS in the first place..."risk", "noise level"...shees:p

Electoral college not the solution



I READ with great interest the commentary by my friends Ho Kwon Ping and Janadas Devan on the presidential election ('Let electoral college choose the president'; last Saturday).

The analysis was excellent but I disagree with the solution they have offered, which is to have an electoral college elect the president.

I was an assentor at the last presidential election. From that vantage point, I was able to see the campaigns of various candidates unfolding. I had three takeaways from this:

First, 65 per cent of the electorate wanted a president who had no previous close links with the ruling party.

Second, 70 per cent did not want a hyped-up opposition candidate who may become too confrontational.

Third, the people enjoyed having the power of electing a president through direct election.

I draw two conclusions from this:

First, the people are going to be very unhappy if we change the direct election for the presidency, resulting in more acrimony against the Government.

Second, the electorate will elect a sensible, moderate wise man to be president.

The second is a risk, but it is an assumption that needs to be made and is justified from the results of the last general election and presidential election.

The solution lies in accommodating the wishes of the people but modulating it through an independent electoral commission chaired, perhaps, by a retired judge.

A panicked reaction to the current noise level will not help. A well-thought-out long-term solution is what we need.

Gopinath Pillai

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Porf

Sigh another divide that LKY forgot to mention was the Elite PAP versus the rest of us mere mortals


Locke

all these establishment elites really make me laugh...condescending patronising lot...isn't the PEC/COE pre-requisite sufficient??

anyways i suggest gopinath pillai go ask his good pal satpal khattar why the PEC issued a COE to TJS in the first place..."risk", "noise level"...shees:p

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

actually i find this establishment elite bloc worst than harry...say what u like abt harry but at least wif him u know where u stand, harry calls it like he see's it...the elites on the other hand like kp ho, janadas, tommy koh, simon tay, gopinath etc seem to want to hv their cake n eat it as well...patronising hypocrites...

Dear Porf

Sigh another divide that LKY forgot to mention was the Elite PAP versus the rest of us mere mortals


Locke

 

[Char_Azn]

this whole gahmen is like that ...they think they noe best...we dunno how to choose. i.e. we chose wrongly if we din follow their choice.

TT won by a sliver...so they thot aiyah...u people anyhow choose, heng heng TT won if not...

All political parties ultimate goal is to take over the government and push their idea of how a country is run across everyone. If you look at Opposition parties, they work the same way, SDP have been sticking to their human rights rant although they've taken a slight change in direction this GE, at it's core they are still the same. Similarly WP have been fighting more for rights of the common guy with this GE slightly more focus on Politicking. Both of them will be shoving their policies(translation, what they think is best) back in our direction if/when they take over the government. Back to PAP have all along held on to the idea that with the country is running, the benefits from the top will go down to the bottom with a slight shift to more populist policies after they got slapped in the face last GE. We don't expect them to change fundamentally just because anyone of the political parties rules the country, if not we won't be voting for them in the first place. If they don't think they know best, then we might as well not elect them, we should just rule ourselves.

As for TT, I didn't even vote for him, I voted for the other guy so I can't comment. I prefer to have a more neutral guy in charge. TT too close to PAP, TJS too close to Opposition, TKL is a joke. TT won so I just have to respect the voters decision.

 

[steffychun]

Maybe SG could adpot one of Malaysia's Agongs. Make the position super ceremonial