SINGAPORE — While younger Malays have grown up with meritocracy as the basis of how society is organised, and appear reluctant to see a “circuit breaker” in the Elected Presidency (EP) to ensure minority representation, the desire to see a Malay president cuts across the community, said Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim.
Many from the community would, in closed-door discussions, “raise their hands in wanting to see a Malay president”, said Dr Yaacob, who was speaking at the debate on proposed changes to the EP on Monday (Nov 7).
The Constitutional Commission given the task of reviewing aspects of the EP had proposed a mechanism to reserve elections for a particular minority race if it had not been represented for five consecutive terms, a period that stretches three decades.
Rising to share on the “psyche” of the Malay community and the “historical burden” of being perceived as an “underachieving community”, Dr Yaacob said the Malay community, to a greater degree than other communities, looked forward to seeing one of their own recognised for excellence and leadership.
In 1968, when his oldest brother, Mr Mohd Ismail Ibrahim, was named Singapore’s first Malay President’s Scholar, the Paya Lebar airport was “swamped by Malays” to see him off, he recalled.
On the other hand, his brother’s schoolmate, Mr Christopher Catherasoo, who also bagged the scholarship, was accompanied by only his immediate family.
“The truth is that we do not have many Malays in key positions of power and leadership. Having one being a president is not just nice but timely,” said Dr Yaacob.
The desire is particularly strong among older Malays, having lived under Singapore’s first and only Malay president, the late Yusof Ishak, who died in office more than four decades ago.
But timeliness “cannot, and must not, be the reason why we should have a Malay president”. “The Malay candidate must meet the same exacting standards as demanded of candidates from the other communities,” said Dr Yaacob.
The minister shared that he had been concerned initially that making provisions that would enable a Malay candidate to hold the highest office would be construed as the Government going out of its way to help a minority community “that has lagged behind”.
Hence, the qualifying criteria for candidates must never be compromised, he said. “If we are to carry out the proposed tweak to ensure minority representation, we must do so because it is good for Singapore and Singaporeans, and not just for the minority communities, and certainly not for the Malay community. The candidate, minority or otherwise, must meet the same, exacting requirements, and therefore be seen to be good for all Singaporeans,” he said.
