The highly unpopular President S R Nathan has no significant achievements despite 12 years in office
By Sidney Ang
Contributor
President S R Nathan recently said that he was “undecided” on whether or not he would run for a third term when the Presidential Election is held this August. He was either trying to draw attention to himself or attempting to buy himself some time while waiting for instructions.
Instructions? Isn’t the President supposed to be the highest public official in the country? Yes, and yes. Waiting for instructions has been the hallmark of President Nathan’s twelve-year tenure in the Istana.
He has been the very definition of a yes-man. Not once has he exercised his constitutional veto powers; not once has he tried to hold the government accountable for anything at all. He has not even had a single vote cast in his favour; having been returned unopposed twice in a row.
But not even President Nathan is deluded enough to think that he has any chance of winning what is likely to be the most keenly-contested Presidential Election in history. Two candidates, neither of them endorsed by the ruling People’s Action Party, have already joined the fray.Mr Tan Kin Lian has openly aligned himself with the opposition, while Dr Tan Cheng Bock was fiercely critical of the government during his 26 years as a PAP backbencher.
Though they are likely to split the non-PAP vote, not even the most ardent of PAP supporters would honestly believe that President Nathan is the best man for the job. Quite frankly, it would take a miracle for him to win.
It is certainly no exaggaration to say that President Nathan is the most unpopular President in Singapore’s history. Though some might say that he had the misfortune of being compared directly with his outstanding predecessor, President Ong Teng Cheong, he pales in comparison even with the Presidents who were appointed by Parliament before the position was turned into a directly elected one.
The role of President has always been a ceremonial one, with no executive powers nor any ability to influence public policy. However, past holders of the office have managed to command respect simply by serving as unifying figures who played a critical role in the country’s development – Presidents Yusof Ishak, Benjamin Sheares and Wee Kim Wee delivered, from time to time, important messages to rally Singaporeans behind the cause of nation-building. President C V Devan Nair, who unfortunately fell victim to a vicious PAP smear campaign, was renowned for being a man of the people, having been an influential unionist and champion of the working class.
President Ong Teng Cheong is remembered as having courageously stood up to the PAP government in demanding transparency with regards to the reserves
President Ong, of course, will always be remembered for his part in entrenching the institution of the elected President by fearlessly taking on his former PAP colleagues, clashing with them over the transparency of the national reserves.
The least that President Nathan could have done, even if he could not emulate these highly admirable men, was to at least look respectable. Sorry, but there is no way any visiting dignitaries would have been walked away with a good impression after meeting Singapore’s Head of State.
President Nathan’s reign – the longest of any Singapore President in history – will be conspicuous only for twelve years of complete, utter, uninterrupted silence. Sure, he might have had no constitutional authority to advance any of his own policies, but he still could have used his office to inspire young Singaporeans by championing civic-mindness, or sports, or kindness to animals.
When the country was going through the SARS crisis, he could have reminded us of the importance of being considerate towards each other; when we were reeling from the effects of the 2008 recession, he could have rallied the nation by reminding us of the values of hard work, ambition and resilience – the same values which took served our forefathers well in their quest to turn Singapore into a bustling metropolis.
Instead, and ironically, if President Nathan has managed to unite the country, he has only done so by becoming a universal figure of derision and ridicule. Singaporeans, regardless of race, language and religion, stand united in their disdain towards a man who they regard as having done nothing apart from cutting ribbons, holding babies and quietly drawing his annual $4.2 million paycheck at their expense. Whether we voted for the PAP, the Workers’ Party or the Singapore Democratic Party, we almost certainly won’t be voting for S R Nathan.
So when President Nathan reviews the National Day Parade for the last time this August, an entire nation will be united in saying good riddance. If he decides to abandon common sense and stand for a third term, his farewell will merely be postponed for another two weeks or so. You won’t be missed, Mr President. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
–
The author recently resigned from his job at a financial consultancy firm to launch his own web business. In his spare time, he volunteers as a counsellor to troubled youths. He holds two degrees from Cornell University.
This fellow will not even qualify to be a driver, let alone, The President, of our lovely Singapore ! This paranakunt cock sucker to the core !- Good Riddence to Bad Rubbish !
Good riddance – SR Nathan, Goh Chok Tong, S Jayakumar, Lim Boon Heng, George Yeo, Wong Kan Seng, Mah Bow Tan, Koo Tsai Kee, Zainal Abideen, etc, etc, etc.
When David Marshall was interviewed after his vision was severely impaired, I wrote him a letter commending his contribution to Singapore’s History. Mr Marshall replied and thanked me for my letter.
None of the above yaya-PAPayas deserve even a little note from me as a Singapore citizen. All I know is that I will continue to pay taxes to pay for their fat pensions for the rest of their lives!
Throwing good money after bad!
for 12 years I really dunno what Nathan does and we need him , even now also I dunno ,
he is a very quiet person , so quiet we dunno even know if he is around
I guess thats his legacy
Whatever merits aside, he is sick and old. Would anyone other than his PAP comrades put him back in office. They probably may need to move a bed in his office if there is not one there already!
Agree with u. Quite sure this timid indian president will not run again given the fact the ongoing anti-old-guy campaign around the world, guess that’s why LKY step down. Enough damages done by these old-&-timid power-hungry old men. But watch out for old ladies like Hillary….another up-coming group, a group pampered by those old-men, that will destroy the next generations.
We really look up to our late president Mr. Ong TC, and I really drove my car behind his coffin along Bt, Timah road that very day………I flew back from overseas just to do that, to pay my last respect. I did not have my #1 uniform and beret on, that;s a regret…but I flew back in times of major event/emergency….hope that “console” me a bit…..
We really need an old man like President Ong who was brave and righteous, setting good examples to others and the kids.
He’s writing his memoirs?
Lets see what the contents is going to be
Any major political decision he’s made while in office
I have to abide by constitution.
Any landmark speech delivered during his term?
They were all written for me, I have to abide by constitution
Any run-ins with he Govt of the day regarding appointments or withholding withrawal of reserves.
What reserves ? I still have to abide by the constitution.
Any…?? ?? No No No.All I have to abide by the constituiion
This will definitely make the best seller list.
But who cares whether it sells or not. I ‘ve made more than enough to last several
lifetimes
I find it disturbing that you seem to judge the “achievement” of the President based on how much trouble he caused i.e. ‘run ins with the government’.
Are you saying that the more run ins that the President has with the government, the better his performance? This is very wrong. The President should NOT cause trouble for the sake of causing trouble. In fact, this was precisely the mistake that President Ong had made, and this was why he was not given a state funeral. The President and the government should work together for the good of Singapore. They should not be at each other’s throats. If they are, in the end Singapore will suffer.
Precisely Nani,
He did not cause any trouble, that is why he could stay on for eight years. He has no spine. So much so that Singaporean taxpayers had to cough out some 12 million a year for maintaining his office and to pay his salary. By the way, he did not cause any trouble because he was busy writing his memoirs.
Hey Liz,
U are so right about these indian-no-spine-snake_spore-presidents, as they emerge out when they hear the yes-flute and create so much destructions to our society/nation, that the young Chinese sporeans have to spend so much time repairing those mistakes and damages done by those old ones. Last time we had a drunk indian president in spore, this time this indian-president brought in 400k indians from india within few years that strectch/hurt our infrastructures. Two is ENOUGH!
Spore needs a responsible-but-not-for-million-dollarpay-but-hopefully-who-can-really-fight-for-people-type-of-leader local-born-chinese president (not from China of course!) if the majority of sporeans are chinese(based on common-sense). The fact is….no indians, wheather they are presidents, soldiers, or anything, will heck care about u spore chineses’ well-beings and your offsprings or your feelings. Looks at Indians in today’s India, and u will know what I mean.
If they can’t even take care of their own vast majority of indian people, do u think they will take care of u chinese?? Just some basic comon sense…..
Only will there be a smart-and-brave Chinese spore president in place in spore, then can others, like malays, indians and eurasians live safely in spore(these are “supposed” monorities), let alone to say the vast majority of chinese.
On a side note: 1940s-born chines men in spore really got to wake up and “fu*k-off”, u are a munch of morons hanging on to too much money/resources for your own benefits, destroying yr family and grandkids eventually. Check out some websites from UK/Europe/US that talks about 1940s/chinese/men in spore.
It’s NOT really sad to see a never-properly-taught-from-a-family Nani to voice out for her different views. This just goes to say that and prove 1940s-born-men are failures by the way.
@no-spine-snake
Nathan is not a good choice, BUT this is no place, nor is there a need for racist sentiments and remarks like those you have made. Shame on you. Singaporeans are better than that.
Dear user “no-spine snake”:
This is a warning to refrain from posting racist remarks on The Satay Club. There is no need to bring race into the equation, not only in this post but also in your other comments on “middle aged Chinese men born in the 1940s”. If you repeat this infraction, your IP address will be permanently banned.
Nani,
What do u mean mr Ong create trouble? What trouble is it to the govt by requesting to know the amount of reserves he is guarding? Even a bank manager who holds the key to the vault knows how much is inside. Get ur facts right
Nani, You are typically the kind of “YES” man that PAP has groomed over the years. I feel sad for you.
Isn’t that what PAP wants of a obiedience President? That’s exactly a match fit in Nathan the highest Paid Roti Prata Man in the globe.
Well, we the tax payers are happy to let him write his memoirs while he is still in office earning four million dollars. Great,only in Singapore can such things happen.
President Nathan’s problem with the people of singapore is this – not allowed in the consitution, he didn’t do, allowed in the consitution, he also didn’t do.
Simply put, he is hiding quietly, comfortably, & conveniently behind the PAP-made laws.
Does the constitution disallows him to speak out & lookout for the people?
Did the consitution rules that he must heap praises to everything the PAP did?
That’s the issues he owe to the people of singapore even though no one voted for him in the first place. (but he’s paid with our hard-earned monies)
Chinese High really created lots of high quality Chinese men, but in spore today’s environment where most chinese men are of very low character, especially of those born in the 1940s, it’s hard for these high-caliber men to lead and perform, given the fact the laws at present days protect the criminals, the ill-displined, and the morons etc most. This is already a trend in today’s world, and that’s why we have so many problems within…..families, companies, schools, government departemtns, armies, hospitals, churches, temples, factroies ……., that will eventually lead to water pollutions, food posioning, mental issues, wars, resource waste….etc…
The laws must allows the young and the smart ones to lead, to kill (the bad ones of course, if necessary), to voice out, to create, to build, to destroy (if those were created wrong by their ancsetors that will hinder their future generations), …….the power must be given to them, if the majority of the ordinary people still want to survive tomorrow and live a better life.
Nothing against old people, but just that today;s old people do not poccess quality of oldman’s wisdom.
Ong TC was from Chinese High
So what? Who cares what school he was from?
it’s people like u who dont care that created so many problems….just like those old morons in spore.
my fahter 1940 one, yuo say no good?? why????????????? why like that one??????
he only go geylang he say few time one.
Aiya roti-prata ah neh is just a non-ruling puppet president/emperor like puyi in manchukuo. Wow being paid S$4.5 million for 12 year tenure = shocking S$54 million for “I have been quiet but I have been doing work”…ya doing work of saying “yes” and using your job title to unite charities and did not donate a single cent to its cause. What do you do with the S$54 million, buying condos speculating in real estate etc
He will only stand if the MIW can guarantee him another walkover. I think he himself knows he cannot win on the popular . All along he has stated he would not seek another term but now is changing his tune to ‘ undecided’ obviously waiting for a cue again like the last time when they disqualified Andrew Kuan.
He is not the People’ President. He is the PAP’s President.
Seriously what do you expect an 80+ year old president to do or achieve?? If you want dynamism, u need someone in his 50s or 60s. After that u get people who nods off after lunch.
So now we have gone from being racist/xenophobic to being age-ist?
It doesn’t matter how old he is, as long as he is fit and healthy. In fact, at age 87, he is a lot fitter than Chiam ST at age 76.
Age certianly is not the main concern, but based on statistics, asian old men are rather useless. If u still want to continue living your “happy” life, then letting the younger ones to lead is your best insurance, not your CPF or your job.
FYI: some SAS soldiers in their 60′s still fighting in Africa protecting the Queen’s interest. In some western area where u will see a 19 year old managing the city.
If you are driving a point about propelling the young into leadership positions, no problem in that. But you certainly have a strange and crude way of saying it.
A cleaner once asked me “the President’s pay is so high, what does the President do?” I told her I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.
Frankly why is he writing a book when there are no achievements of him, as far as I can remember, to begin with ? And great people do not need to write books to remind us of their achievements as people normally will remember them of their good deeds.
In fact he is more famously remembered for working for our enemies during the Japanese occupation and it is equally astonishing how he could have ended up as being our President ? I think we can all still remember fondly President Ong as the people’s president, President Wee have a kind heart but what when it comes to Nathan, it’s just a blank and that’s just how I will remember him.
Your comment is misleading. So what if he worked as a translator during the Japanese occupation? He did not betray anyone, nor is there any evidence to suggest that he did. In times of war, people have to survive. He did not do any harm to Singaporeans. Please stop insinuating that which is not true.
helios,
There was no wrong in working for the Japanese .
But why worked for the enemies when the whole poplulation was fighting against them?
And the Japanese was not exactly the benign forces and you should have known about their atrocitis
Surely on PRINCIPLE alone and with his qualification, he could have done some other jobs
Hello you son of a Gun of a Bigot ! You forgot your pony tail ? and selling you mothers to the British.
Actually he does have at least one achievement to his name – Nathan started the President’s Challenge to unify the various charitable initiatives under his name in 2000. As charities go it’s been pretty successful. But we really should be expecting more from a President.
this man who earns 4-5 million a year has the cheek to ask Singaporeans to donate to charities under his name….the shame of it all! he should have led by example..
I can understand why some voters have a bad impression towards President S R Nathan but let’s try to temper our expectations. The role of President is a largely ceremonial one, and the holder of that position is NOT meant to speak up on policies. It’s like the British Queen. She has to tread a fine line because she has to serve as Head of State while being careful not to get involved in anything political. Despite that, she is well-loved. President Nathan has been a good head of state. He has supported the government where necessary and played his part in the development of Singapore. Let’s give him at least some recognition. Of course, he isn’t exactly going to be remembered in the same way as Lee Kuan Yew or Goh Chok Tong, but he did make his contributions.
What contributions are these? Can you name them?
Taking on the role of President, by itself, is insufficient.
His office is a total waste of our tax payers money. I know his role is ceremonious, but he could have dignified it and earned the people’s respect in some of his decision instead of rubber stamping them all. He could have pardoned Yong Vui Cong and commuted it to a life imprisonment. I wonder how he could have considered himself to have done his work quietly?
The thing is, the President can’t pardon unless cabinet advises it.
But of course, that does not mean that his hands are tied in establishing himself in his role as President. Look at the two before him.
The President now do have some constitutional powers. The fact that he did not exercise those or even test them even once speaks much about his
Presidency. A puppet through and through
I remember that he was the guest of honor for one of the functions I attended. He came, he ate, and he gone!! Not even a whisper of a speech!
There were not instructions given for him to give a speech…
Was told by a security officer attached to Istana that he loves to eat lobsters and superior sharks fins and the highest grade of birds’ nests dessert. Ditto his wife……That accounts for their ever expanding girths which we saw on TV in the swearing-in ceremony last month.
Firstly, spore has over 70% chinese, it’s only logical to have a chinese president. Look at what happen to indian FT in spore…over 400k, that was probably brought in by nathan.
Secondly, the role of President is NOT a ceremonial one. If you study the history of royal families in Europe during 2nd WW (or before that), then you will probably impressed with what they had done for their people. Look at the Royal Family of Japan during recent Mar11 earthquake, and you will see the spiritual influence the Family pass on to people. Obviously, spore present president does not poccess this quality, except that he has the abilty to count his million dollar salary, eat good food (look at his size, a picture tells a thousand words), and a pair of healthy good ears to listen as he’s told. In spore (maybe applies to other nations too), earn big money does not necessary require good brain and hardwork, u might just need only a pair of good ears.
Nani, I saw many of your “interesting” comments, and receive many replies, friendly or not……..are u one of those rich-man daughters or someone from hongkong (cantonese I mean) or chinese christians?
Pingback: Daily SG: 20 Jun 2011 « The Singapore Daily
I’ll be very surprised if he does stands for re-election.
I bet he loses his election deposit if there’s one
Don’t be so sure. At least two thirds of the 60.1% are easily swayed and will vote whoever PAP ask them to vote.
Nonetheless, I doubt Nathan will have the balls to stand for re-election
The prata man is absolutely shameless when he says that he has been doing work. He is a disgrace to his office. Basically, he was paid $4.2 million a year to shut up.
Nathan said “I have been quiet but I have been doing work”
So, I ask him, please show us what work you have been doing!
The whole of Singapore is dying to know!
If you have evidence that you have been doing work, show it. Don’t ask us to buy your memoirs.. you have made enough money already and we are not going to make you richer by buying your book!
I really, honestly hope that Nathan decide to stand for 3rd term.
I want to see how many votes he can get. Why not he stands for election to see how much support he really has? Since his last two terms were by walkover.
I wonder if he has the guts to stand, now that there is going to be at least 2 opponents?
Does he have the balls or is he going to siam?