Singapore has come a long way in building a nation where every citizen has equal standing and rights but race still matters when it comes to politics and how people cast their vote, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
This is why it is necessary to amend the Constitution to ensure a president from Singapore’s minority races is elected from time to time, he said in an interview with Mediacorp’s Debra Soon that was broadcast last night.
“We have come a long way. It’s not a Chinese or Malay or an Indian nation. Everybody has his place, everybody is equal,” he said.
“But at the same time, it doesn’t mean that we have become colour blind because we are different races, different languages, different religions, and those factors are still important to us and will be for a very long time to come.”
Mr Lee spoke on the issue of race and the elected presidency during his National Day Rally last month but he took ill and did not complete his prepared remarks on the topic.
In the TV interview shown yesterday, he took the opportunity to explain his thinking on the subject, ahead of the release of a Constitutional Commission’s report on proposed changes to the elected presidency, including ensuring a minority candidate is elected from time to time.
Mr Lee cited a recent survey done by Channel NewsAsia and the Institute of Policy Studies that showed a significant number of respondents indicating greater acceptance for someone of their own race to be president.
This shows that race still counts in elections, Mr Lee said, adding that it means a Malay or Indian candidate for president will inevitably face difficulties that someone from the majority race might not.
“Not everybody will rule him out but some will find the hurdle higher and so he starts off at a disadvantage – and in a close election, that will make a big difference,” he said.
And though all voters say they will vote for the best candidate, “that definition differs depending on which voter you ask, and race is one of the factors which goes into that”.
Mr Lee said it was important for a minority candidate to be president from time to time, as the head of state represents all Singaporeans.
ziliang@sph.com.sg
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