Paid at S$1.54 million-a-year, Singapore President Halimah Yacob is the world’s second most expensive politician. Her contribution to the country since her election exactly one year ago on Sep 2017 however is near non-existent, making her the notorious “useless President”.
While state media Straits Times praise her as “down-to-earth” in a propaganda article published today (Sep 15), the reality and actual sentiments from the ground is a direct opposite. Halimah Yacob is deeply unpopular with the people, and especially among Malays, whom the Indian-native claimed to represent.
Exactly a year ago, Halimah Yacob had to apply to change her Indian-ethnicity to Malay, in order to qualify for the racist “reserved” election set up by dictator Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Indian Singaporeans were flared up with Halimah Yacob’s disowning her Indian heritage, while Malay Singaporeans cry foul over her “identity theft” to fulfil her political greed for the S$1.54 million-a-year position.
The general populace was further angered when Halimah Yacob declared herself President after the Election Department – controlled by her ex-boss Lee Hsien Loong for 20 years – announced the disqualification of her opponent candidates. Singaporeans who pledged for democracy their entire life were shown the actual state of political system Singapore really is: a dictatorship under Lee Hsien Loong.
After becoming Lee Hsien Loong’s pet, President Halimah Yacob blindly signed for each and every single bill presented on her table. The controversial president who could not even communicate in proper English, did not comment on a single government policy she endorsed for. Even though she was tasked with protecting the reserves, she gave Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching free access to CPF funds and the national reserves.
Being useless is one thing; her predecessors S R Nathan and Tony Tan were equally useless. Halimah Yacob is worse because she is less qualified than the two who were a former diplomat and a cabinet minister. The Indian-turned-Malay president got her role because of racism and the manipulation of her election.
Unfortunately for Singaporeans, Halimah Yacob has 4 more years to go before she gets replaced, but the silver lining is that nobody will ask for her second term appointment.