Some people have made the point that having a Malay president would be a good sign to the rest of the world, and that when people of other countries see a Malay as a President of a non-Malay majority country, it looks good for both Malays and Singapore. Which is a fair point.
However, looking at the matter a bit deeper, one could perhaps see some flaws in that line of argumentation. Firstly, how many non-Singaporeans really care about (the ethnicity of) our President? And secondly, for those who do, would they not be aware that the President was there by legislation, and not after a fair electoral battle with people of other ethnicities?
But more importantly, the Presidency – it needs to be reiterated – is a symbolic, ceremonial post: not one with significant powers. Having a Malay Foreign Minister, one who deals with other countries perhaps only less than the Prime Minister, would be a far greater achievement, for example. A Minister, in a parliamentary system like Singapore’s, wields more influence and has more responsibilities than the head of state.
(Incidentally, most of our Foreign Ministers have been Indian, perhaps to highlight the avowed multi-racial nature of our nation.)
And i cannot help but wonder how the non-Malays in our country would actually feel about the President. Would they have genuine respect for that person, or would they – consciously or otherwise – feel that she, err i mean he/she, is there only because of affirmative action.
Source: Walid J.Abdullah
