Dumb President Plays 5 Stones and PAP Paints Itself Into A Corner!

Imagine . . . 9 August 2012. The MIW (men & women in white) are all seated at the NDP. They waited. The Parade Commander shouted, "Baris Sedia!" The band started to play and everybody including PM Lee, his father and SM Emeritus stood at attention. In came the limousine carrying the President of Singapore. And the President is * Tan ___ ___.

'The president can only act and speak as advised by the Cabinet,' Mr Shanmugam said, while stressing that this does not mean the president cannot be 'highly influential and effective' [Link].

'The president,' he added, 'can speak on issues only as authorised by the Cabinet; and he must follow the advice of the Cabinet in the discharge of his duties.' [Link]

So let's give a break to President Nathan (the one who hit the biggest Big Sweep plus Toto Jackpot of all time). For the last 12 years, he's only been made dumb by the Cabinet. I haven't had the pleasure of shaking his hand but I bet he is a better hand-shaker than Tony Tan [Link]

Since the days of President Yusof Ishak till President Wee Kim Wee, we were happy with a ceremonial head of state who's a person of "integrity, good character and reputation". The Parliament (or was it LKY) appointed the President and that was that. However, in 1991, PAP amended the constitution to have an "Elected President" to play 5 Stones:

1. Blocking the government from spending of past reserves
2. Appointment of key public sector leaders
3. Internal Security Acts detentions
4. Authorise CPIB investigations
5. To maintain religious harmony

Honestly, with the interpretation by those in power, our perception of the Law regarding the popular elected presidency may not be what it is. Remember the joke of TT, GCT and LHL at Cheng San Polling Centre? [Link]. That interpretation of "in" is not "within" shows that Law in Singapore may not gel with the perception of an average person's understanding of English. By the way, a Presidential pardon or clemency doesn't come from the President. It was only through the Yong Vui Kong's case [Link] that we learned that the Presidential pardon comes not from the President but from the PAP Cabinet!

If a President is as dumb as Shanmugam wants him to be, then let's not make Singaporeans dafter than ex-MM declared Singaporeans to be. This Wayang has to stop! Why waste time, effort and money to vote for a Dumb President?

We are grateful to President Ong Teng Cheong for his integrity and reputable character in standing up against all odds to fight for what's right and help a nation see the opaqueness and bullying attitude of a power gone awry, went mad with hubris! Now we see the stupidity of the same arrogance put forth by the current power that is.

It was President Ong who through his courage and his sense of righteousness that forced the PAP to realise that you cannot bluff all the people all the time. The job of the Elected President was made clearer after his public announcement and interview. It was embarrassing then [Link] and I think Shanmugam is making it more embarrassing for the PAP now!

When you hear your ex-MM perpetually insulting you by calling you daft and that you will repent if you vote against PAP for 1st World Parliament (WP for Aljunied GRC); when he continues to say that foreigners are better than you [Link]; when he interrupted his massage by his physiotherapist [Link] to declare that the Singapore National Pledge in nothing more than an "aspiration" in Parliament, you know that something is just not right.

When you have a PAP MPs calling you "lesser mortals"; another saying that ministers' atrocious salary equate to their dignity [Link]; when you have another PAP MP breaking the "Cooling Off Day" Rule set by her boss PM Lee (with no response so far from the ruler); when you have a newly minted male citizen (who did not serve NS but boasts of his work in KKH saving children's lives) become your PAP MP, you know it starts to stink.

When you have Shanmugam saying what he just said - We vote for a Dumb President to follow the instructions of Cabinet Ministers - you know that it is time for Singaporeans to wake up and take a stand!

For Fook's sake, if PAP wants a Dumb PAP President, why can't they just appoint one like they did in the early days. We had no problem with Yang Di Pertuan Negara President Yusof Ishak, President Benjamin Sheares, President Devan Nair and President Wee Kim Wee.

If they sincerely want a popular Elected President with mandate from the people, then dismantle the President Election Council and let the people choose the President that they want. Why can't they have the spunk to face up to a People's President who has the conscience to do good for the nation instead of getting rubber stamp from the same clique?

Please stop insulting citizens of Singapore with the PEC to pre-select the candidates for us. We are not that daft! Stop treating us like idiots. We are not what ex-MM thinks we are!

Let's hope that Eddie Teo, Chan Lai Fung and Sat Pal Khattar of PEC will do what their conscience, not their boss, tells them to do! Let's hope that Tan Cheng Bok, Tan Kin Lian, Tony Tan, Tan Jee Say, Andrew Kuan and Ooi Boon Ewe will have a go at it!

Let's have an active vocal President with a conscience and moral compass to fight for the common people . . . not another Dumb Rubber Stamp to "Yes Sir, Yes Sir" to his PAP Master!

The headache that PAP is having now is a good example of the universal truth - we reap what we sow! In their selfish greed to hang on to power, they are now in limbo. They have painted themselves into the corner . . . again!

* Price increase of Kopi C ($1.00 to $1.30) 30 cents

Increase of MRT and bus rides 2 cents

Anybody but TT to be President Priceless!

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