New Singapore Prez. – By Dr harold Gunatillake
Website: www.Doctorharold.com
Tharman Shanmuganathan – Sri Lankan ancestry The Sri Lankan ancestry of new Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has been seen as an inspiration to our country.
Welcome to this informative video presentation, where we will delve into the various aspects of our topic. Our journey will begin by exploring the background and history of the subject, followed by a detailed analysis of its current status and prospects. We aim to give you a comprehensive understanding of the topic and its significance in today’s world. So, please sit back, relax, and join us on this enlightening journey. As Sri Lankans, we are at a time when our resplendent island is recovering from a socio-economic crisis; it is most inspiring and heartening to read that the Sri Lankan ancestry of new Singapore President Tharman Shanmuganathan is being elected president.
Our Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said, “His achievement and Sri Lankan ancestry are inspiring.”
Singaporeans have given Tharman Shanmugaratnam a resounding mandate to be Singapore’s ninth President. The 66-year-old former senior minister scored a big win with 70.4 per cent of the vote, while Ng Kok Song and Tan Kin Lian received 15.72 per cent and 13.88 per cent, respectively, the Straits Times reported.
Addressing the media later, Tharman said he was “humbled by the strong endorsement that Singaporeans have given me”. “I believe that the vote for me and what I stand for is a vote of confidence in ingapore… It is a vote of optimism for a future in which we can progress together,” he said.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam has been a prominent figure in Singaporean politics, achieving several victories in parliamentary elections, including an impressive win in the 2020 General Election as a People’s Action Party (PAP) member. However, earlier this year, he resigned from the party to show his independence during his presidential campaign.
Singapore, known for its stable and corruption-free politics, has recently experienced a series of high-profile scandals that have stirred public frustration. These scandals include a rare graft investigation involving a Cabinet Minister, two ruling party lawmakers’ resignations, and a public outcry over ministers renting plush stateowned properties. Although the role of the president in Singapore is mainly ceremonial, it is significant in ensuring checks and balances in the government. The President plays a pivotal role in overseeing the country’s substantial but undisclosed reserves, wielding veto powers over any budget or specific transaction that might tap into these reserves.
The President can also veto the appointment or removal of key public officials and direct the anti-graft bureau to investigate cases, even against the Prime Minister’s
wishes.
President Shanmugaratnam’s election marks Singapore’s third presidential election since a 1991 act granted the public the right to choose their president. His resounding mandate, with 70.4 per cent of the vote, reflects strong support from Singaporeans.
In his remarks following the election, President Shanmugaratnam expressed humility in the face of the endorsement he received and emphasised his commitment to Singapore’s progress.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also congratulated President Shanmugaratnam and affirmed his Government’s full cooperation.
Tharman’s father, Sanmugam Arumugam, was a Ceylon Tamil, born in Nallur in Northern Sri Lanka, and was an irrigation engineer and writer.
Passed the Cambridge Junior Examinations in 1921. In 1922, he joined S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, from where he passed the Cambridge Senior Examinations with honours in 1923.
Parliamentarians in Singapore are chosen from elite schools. Most ministers (24 out of 34) studied at one of three tertiary institutions: Raffles Institution,
National Junior College or Hwa Chong Institution. Despite attempts to shed the image of being an ‘elite school’, Singapore’s oldest school (Raffles) remains the school of choice among Singapore’s leaders. Lee Quan Yu was the top student from that school.
Unlike in our country, the importance of students from elite schools with the highest qualifications is an essential criterion when casting a vote for a member of parliament in Singapore. It was so in our country, too, until 1956, with the passing of the Sinhala-only act in parliament by SWRD Bandaranaike, when most elite and intelligentsia left for other countries benefiting those countries.
Thank you for watching this program, and until we meet again, goodbye for now.
