OPINION: "Sympathy to Kelong President", by Goh Meng Seng, 11 September 2017.

Thought of the Day - Sympathy to Kelong President, by Goh Meng Seng, 11 September 2017

My deepest Sympathy to the Madam Kelong President to be. No matter how you try to prove yourself capable of being independent of PAP, you will always be FOOT-noted in the History of Singapore as the Kelong President who is beholden to PAP for getting this disgraceful position of Presidency.

Mr Goh Meng Seng

It may not be your fault but you are the one who made the choice to play right into the hands of PAP and thus, rightfully so, you will have be responsible for your decision to play the puppet of power.

The circumstances under which you became the President bring no glory or pride to you, your family or your clan but only insults, shame and anger to the Malay community.

You have already been addressed as "Madam President" by your powerful colleagues even before the race and now, being made the Madam President as "planned" through administrative means. We cannot help but feel that this is all Kelong or an elaborated set up of a wayang.

Your colleagues have helped to set up barriers to all competition by making Reserved Presidential Elected... yes, make no mistake about it, it is indeed RESERVED for you and nobody else. By doing so, your Malay community has suffered humiliation not only once but twice throughout the whole farcical process. One, they have set on record that any Malay Presidential candidate, including you Madam Kelong President, will not be able to win in a fair and open Presidential Election because you are a minority despite the fact that, not so long ago, an Indian PAP candidate just won a by-election against the Secretary General of the second largest opposition party in Singapore!

The Malay community is further insulted when their two very successful self-made millionaires were denied candidacy even though they have created their own business empire which are worth multiple hundreds of millions. Do they lack any business, economics or financial capabilities to perform the role of the Elected Presidency when they have basically built their own business empires through their own merits? Obviously not; and I believe they are better qualified in business, economics and financial capabilities than you are, Madam Kelong President!

You are only qualified on the technicality of being the PAP appointed Speaker of Parliament which position doesn't involve managing any big business, least of all a $500 million paid up capital entity!

These are the Business Elites of the Malay community but they were put down as not good enough to be the Elected President? Only people like you who are beholden to PAP by working for PAP could be qualified as Kelong President?

How hurtful could that be to your Malay Community, which you proclaim to belong to?

Madam Kelong President, you may think that you have brought glory to yourself and the Malay community but no, you have instead brought shame, hurt and anger to the Malay community.

I would have even more sympathy for you if you really think it is something great to become the Kelong President as you wish because you are living in a dream that lacks legacy and dignity. Even your predecessor Tony Tan has more dignity than you do despite the fact that he won only by less than 35% but at least he fought the battle till the end! But you? You will always been seen as appointed by the 16 persons and PAP and nobody else.

My thanks to the other two Malay candidates, Salleh and Khan, for stepping forward to offer yourselves to serve Singapore as President. Don't feel bad to be rejected by the political sophistry of PAP because it is not the people like us who have rejected you. Only 16 people plus the PAP have rejected you. All the best to both of you. Thank you.

[This post was posted here with the kind permission of Goh Meng Seng. Mr Goh Meng Seng was formerly Secretary-General of the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and is presently Secretary-General of the People's Power Party (PPP).]