Cynical as I am of political office in Singapore, it is instinctively appealing to hear of challengers to the status quo. Paranoid conspiracy theorists may pass it off as overhyped if not artificial competition to divert the needs of the masses for political expression in perpetuating a facade of liberal democracy, but nobody really believes that bread and circuses line anymore. Rather, one could see it as a marginal revolution of sorts, small steps towards liberty. In any case, it is an interesting look into the electoral process.
First, the eligibility conditions to even run. Unlike the US, where any natural-born citizen of 35 years of age residing in the US for 14 years can run for the presidency (and with the Governator’s entrance, even the natural-born bit is up for debate), eligibility here is a bit more stringent, and worryingly, at the discretion of three men and their interpretation of the constitution. “Integrity, good character or reputation” are rather subjective, though it appears the issue at hand is whether or not Andrew Kuan’s CFO position at JTC counts. If it is not, either the large discretionary powers or the absurdity of present eligibility requirements will become obvious – so it’s a good bet that he will be eligible to run. Speaking of betting, I don’t think the local gaming industry will cover this as much as Tradesports since AFAIK they don’t have futures markets or contract payoffs.
Second, the timeframe is rather abrupt, particularly for the unknown contenders. From nomination day to polling is 10 days – 240 hours for candidates to campaign and make themselves known, for a nation to decide on a president. This, of course, adds another advantage to an incumbent above and beyond the advantages of incumbency. Ideally there would be a level playing field for a nation to obtain sufficient information to make an optimal decision. Instead, we have asymmetric information. For markets to be as efficient as possible, this asymmetry should be ameliorated.
Third, this is going to be the first election most Singaporeans will have voted in a long time – most districts during parliamentary elections are not contested – and therefore potentially more representative.
Fourth, the candidates themselves are interesting. Andrew Kuan’s background is in industry, accounting, finance and HR – he’s not a bureaucrat but a businessman. This alone excites me. He has said: (quotes from the Straits Times)
‘I’m just a mere member of the PAP,’ he said of the ruling party. ‘But I’m not influenced by their philosophy. I’m going to quit it the moment I get my Certificate of Eligibility.’
One wonders what his interpretation of the PAP philosophy is – its stated non-ideological pragmatism or its authoritarian/market-socialist position. If the latter, its unclear whether he’s further to the left or to the right. In any case, it’s not likely that there will be much of a difference where ideology is concerned. Besides, elections are more about personality.
If Mr Kuan proves eligible, the Aug 27 poll will be the first time since 1993 that the presidency is contested. In 1993, retired accountant-general Chua Kim Yeow, who was persuaded by the Government to stand, ran unsuccessfully against Mr Ong Teng Cheong. So is Mr Kuan another ‘government-endorsed’ candidate?
‘No, absolutely no!’ said Mr Kuan firmly, adding later that he was running ‘independently’.
He added: ‘Singapore can progress to greater heights if we have proper governance and better performance governance for better transparency and better accountability.’
I like the transparency and accountability bit. Here’s hoping he makes the cut so we can hear more about his platform.
