By Arinjoy Chaudhury
The Singaporean presidential election of 2017 was the fifth Singaporean presidential election. It was held to elect the successor of the previous President of Singapore, Tony Tan, whose term expired on 31 August 2017. Following amendments to the Constitution of Singapore, the election was the first to be reserved for a particular racial group under a hiatus-triggered model. The 2017 election was reserved for candidates from the minority Malay community, who had not held the presidential office since 1970.
Historical elections and a new President
The close of nominations was on 13 September, and polling would have been held on 23 September if two or more candidates were eligible to stand. In accordance with the strict criteria laid out in the national constitution, the Elections Department declared Halimah Yacob to be the only eligible presidential candidate on 11 September. Halimah was consequently declared president-elect on 13 September and was inaugurated as the eighth President of Singapore the following day. In the presidential election, Halima went up against some very prominent figures in Singapore such as Bahren Shaari (CEO of Bank of Singapore), Abdullah Bin Tarmugi (former speaker of parliament), Mohamed Salleh Marican (founding chairman of 2nd chance properties), Farid Khan Kalim Khan (chairman of Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific) where the nominations of the first two were declined and the last two were declared ineligible thus raising suspicion and widespread angst against the establishment.
Social media criticism against ‘walk-over’ elections
Global media monitoring house Meltwater observed an increase in negative sentiment on social media surrounding the Presidential Elections from 11 to 12 September 2017, after the Elections Department announced that Halimah Yacob was the only candidate to be declared eligible for the election, effectively making the contest a walkover. The data shows 83% of negative sentiment and 17% of positive sentiment. In addition, the critical backlash on the internet has led to the widespread use of the hashtag #NotMyPresident in Singapore. Straits Times has also reported on a counter-hashtag #halimahismypresident for Halimah’s supporters.
Public backlash against disenfranchising electoral process
Political analyst Eugene Tan believed that while the online criticisms were not directed at Halimah, the electoral process and the government was “seen as exclusive and disenfranchising”. Along with Gillian Koh, deputy director of research at IPS, Tan believed that a contested presidency would have added to Halimah’s legitimacy. Writer and political commentator Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh commented that Singaporeans are “unhappy that meritocracy and electoral fairness, core Singaporean values, have been eroded to fulfil perceived political goals“. The Association of Women for Action and Research congratulated Halimah Yacob, Singapore’s first female head of state, but noted the tightening of the eligibility criteria for presidential candidates. Political commentator and former Straits Times journalist Bertha Henson noted that the government had “opened the can of worms” as the elections have raised questions on Malay racial purity, in a country that often suppresses such discussions in fear of upsetting racial harmony. Others, such as former Nominated MP Calvin Cheng, lamented that eligible Malay candidates have failed to contest the election. Activists called for a silent sit-in protest against the electoral process.
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