Singapore’s 151th-ranking state media Straits Times today (June 1) shortlisted 4 eligible candidates out of the country’s 3 million citizen population for the upcoming racist and elitist Presidential Election reserved for only the Malay race and ultra-rich. Two of the four candidates are however ruling party PAP member and ex-member.
First on Straits Times’s list is the current Speaker of Parliament, Halimah Yacob, who was flagged in Minister of State Chan Chun Sing’s hint as the next “Mdm President”. When queried by reporters, Halimah Yacob decline to comment whether she is contesting or not. The PAP MP will have to resign from her MP position but according to Minister Chan Chun Sing, no by-election will be called for in her Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC constituency. Halimah Yacob is also a mix Indian-Malay (her father is Indian), but the PAP-appointed Presidential Elections Committee will unlikely to rule her out as a Malay.
Second is Abdullah Tarmugi, the former PAP Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) from 1994 to 2000, resigned from politics in 2011. Abdullah Tarmugi told state media reporters that it is “unlikely” he will contest in the racist election.
Third on the list is Bahren Shaari, the chief executive of the Bank of Singapore, but he has declined to contest as well.
The last one is Mohamed Salleh Marican, who is the only person who has openly signaled his intention to contest yesterday (May 30). Mohamed Salleh Marican is the founder and owner of a retail and property corporation, Second Chance. However, the state media pointed out that his SGX-listed company do not fulfill the S$500 million shareholders’ equity requirement in the election:
“Second Chance Properties’ shareholder equity was between $254.3 million and $263.25 million in the past three financial years, which is lower than the stated requirement.”
Singapore will be holding the world’s first ever racist election for the S$1.54-million-a-year President role. Dictator Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has re-written the country’s constitutions, including a new clause to abolish the discrimination of race for the particular election, to pave the way for the racist election. No Singaporean Chinese, Indian or other races are allowed to contest.