Nathan to draw $4.9 billion from past financial reserves to meet current budget expenditure, the first time it had done so. [95], The salaries for the president's personal staff (Class II) amount to $4,532,400. [13][14], Yusof is survived by his wife of 21 years, Puan Noor Aishah, and their three children, Orkid Kamariah, Imran, and Zuriana. The sum was used to fund the Government's Resilience Package consisting of two schemes aimed at preserving jobs and businesses during the financial downturn.[41]. The country’s first four presidents, who held office between 1965 and 1993, were appointed by parliament. SINGAPORE: President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have written congratulatory letters to US President Joe Biden on his inauguration on Wednesday (Jan 20). As of 2011, the endeavour had raised more than S$100 million for charities supporting disabled and needy people. The President of the Republic of Singapore is the country's head of state. The last Yang di-Pertuan Negara, Yusof Ishak, became the first president. [86] After the poll closes, the presiding officer of each polling station seals the ballot boxes without opening them. [68] For the 2017 presidential election, the members of the PEC are Eddie Teo (chairman), Lim Soo Hoon, Chan Heng Chee, Po'ad Shaik Abu Bakar Mattar, Tay Yong Kwang, and Peter Seah. [18] The President only exercises limited powers in their personal discretion[19] to block attempts by the government of the day to draw down past reserves it did not accumulate, to approve changes to key appointments, and to exercise oversight over the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and decisions of the Executive under the Internal Security Act[5] and the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act. [17], Yusof participated in several sports in his youth. 21(2)(e), 21(2)(f), 22B and 22D. S.R. Halimah Yacob, 63, a former speaker of Parliament, will become the country’s first female president … [71] A deposit must also be paid. 44(2)(d). Rather understandably, this gave the impression that recognition of Dr Wee Kim Wee as Singapore’s first elected President was based on the ACG’s advice. [15] Puan Noor Aishah continued her husband's legacy of public service and was the first Asian to become president of the Singapore Girl Guides Association. [16] However, the Constitution vests "general direction and control of the Government" in the Cabinet. He was sworn in as the seventh president of Singapore on 1 September 2011. The person elected to the office of president assumes office on the day his predecessor ceases to hold office or, if the office is vacant, on the day following his election. The first prime minister of Singapore. 19(3)(b) read with the Fifth Schedule. Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Haji Yusof bin Ishak DUT (First Class), SMN, KStJ (Jawi: يوسف بن إسحاق; /ˈjʊsɒf bɪn ˈɪshɑːk/ YUUSS-off bin ISS-hahk; 12 August 1910 – 23 November 1970) was a Singaporean politician who was the first President of Singapore, serving from 1965 to 1970. In the case when the president is unable to perform their duties, their powers are temporarily transferred to the chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA). [1] The first president elected by popular vote was Ong Teng Cheong, who served from 1993 to 1999. United Overseas Bank, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore job: Apply for First Vice President, Functional Business Analyst - Digital, Group Technology and Operations in United Overseas Bank, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. [33], The president is also empowered to approve changes to key civil service positions, such as the chief justice, the attorney-general, the chairman and members of the Public Service Commission, the chief of Defence Force and the commissioner of police. The Legislature can pass a law requiring the President to act after consultation with, or on the recommendation of, any person or body of persons other than the Cabinet in the exercise of his or her functions other than those exercisable in his personal discretion or in respect of the Constitution has made other provision: Art. Ong Teng Cheong and Tony Tan Keng Yam were former Deputy Prime Minister before becoming the 5th and 7th president respectively. The president of the Republic of Singapore is the country's head of state. PEA, s. 62A(2), inserted by the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Act 2010 (No. Constitution, Art. The 2011 presidential election was the first election with a ballot since the 1993 election, and was also Singapore's first presidential election contested by more than two candidates. In 1954 he formed the People's Action Party, which won the first Singapore general election five years later. Yusof then moved back to Taiping and with the remaining money he had, he opened a provision shop and lived there until the war ended in 1945 and Utusan Melayu resumed publication. Ed. [74], During the election period, a candidate may not spend more than $600,000 or 30 cents for each person on the electoral register, whichever is greater. Constitution, Art. If not, the overseas votes may be decisive. President's Portrait & Insignia. The privy purse was reduced from $4,267,500 after the president accepted the Ministerial Salaries Review Committee's recommendations on the matter. 47 open jobs for First vice president in Singapore. He served as president from 1 September 1993 to 31 August 1999. The Istana (pp.88–89). [25], The president has been called "Singapore's No. Thus, a guarantee may only be given or a loan raised by the Government if the president concurs,[29] and his or her approval is also needed for budgets of specified statutory boards and Government companies that draw on their past reserves. Cap. This was a result of transitional provisions in the Constitution of Singapore in 2017,[8] which were affirmed by the High Court following a legal challenge by presidential hopeful Tan Cheng Bock. [5] His brother, Aziz Ishak, was a Malayan journalist and freedom fighter. Utusan Malaysia was founded by Yusof Ishak who became the first President of Singapore. [96][97] The allowance for the Istana's household expenses (Class III) is $2,762,308, an increase from $694,000. Call no. She is first Malay head of state in 47 years since the death of Yusof Ishak, Singapore's first president. The president's name must appear in a current register of electors. [38], The term of office of the first elected president, Ong Teng Cheong (1993–1999), was marked by differences between him and the Government concerning the extent of his discretionary fiscal powers. The office of president was created in 1965 after Singapore became a republic upon its secession from the Federation of Malaysia that year. [6], As a component of the legislature together with Parliament, the president is also jointly vested with legislative authority. [7] Warta Malaya was heavily influenced by developments in the Middle East and Yusof wanted a newspaper dedicated to Malay issues. Nathan established the President's Challenge with the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and its statutory board, the National Council of Social Service. 19(2)(c) read with Art. Constitution, Art. [9], After PAP's victory from the 1959 Singaporean elections, Yusof was appointed as Yang di-Pertuan Negara and was sworn on 3 December 1959. After his resignation from Utusan Melayu, Yusof took the position of Chairman of the Public Service Commission of Singapore at the invitation of then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. However, his democratic ideals were different from UMNO's vision of reestablishing the monarchy of Malaya. It replaced the office of Yang di-Pertuan Negara, which had been created when Singapore attained self-government in 1959. After he stepped down, Tony Tan won the 27 August 2011 presidential election by a narrow 0.34% margin. A. If both are unavailable the presidential functions are performed by an individual appointed by the Parliament, The Parliament of Singapore is required to provide a civil list for the maintenance of the president,[93] and it does so by way of the Civil List and Gratuity Act. The disqualification of a person under clauses (d) and (e) may be removed by the President and shall, if not so removed, cease at the end of five years beginning from the date on which the return mentioned in clause (d) was required to be lodged or, as the case may be, the date on which the person convicted as mentioned in clause (e) was released from custody or the date on which the fine mentioned in clause (1) (e) was imposed on such person: Constitution, Art. [21] He performed the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1963.[22]. [4] His father, Ishak bin Ahmad, was also a civil servant and held the post of Acting Director of Fisheries, Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau's powers of investigation derive from the Prevention of Corruption Act (. Wee Kim Wee was the first president to exercise custodial powers pursuant to the constitutional amendments of 1991. Civil List and Pension Act: Resolution Passed at Parliament Meeting 2012 (, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, "Law allows Parliament to count Wee Kim Wee's term in triggering reserved presidential election: High Court", "Elected Presidency: Amendments to Constitution passed in Parliament", "Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Act 2016", Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, "Tan Cheng Bock's legal challenge on the reserved presidential election explained", "TAN CHENG BOCK v ATTORNEY GENERAL [2017] SGHC 160 DECISION DATE: 07 Jul 2017 HC/OS 495/2017", "Tan Cheng Bock's constitutional challenge dismissed by High Court", "Perpetual presidential hopeful Tan Cheng Bock bows out gracefully", "Singaporeans miffed by 'reserved' presidential election - Nikkei Asian Review", "Halimah Yacob set to be Singapore's first female president: A timeline of her career", "A Budget first: Govt to draw $4.9b from past reserves", "Turning of the second key went smoothly", "How Singapore elected a president without a vote", "PM Lee spells out why he pushed for reserved election". 19(4), read with Art. Speaking in Parliament on 10 March 2011, Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam explained that this sum was to cater for the salaries of an additional staff officer to support the work of the Council of Presidential Advisers, and a butler manager; and to meet higher variable staff salary payments due to the nation's strong economic growth. Yusof actively promoted multiculturalism and reached out to people of all races to help restore trust and confidence after the 1964 racial riots. Constitution, Art. The words of enactment in Singapore statutes are: "Be it enacted by the president with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:". Upon his assumption of office, the president is required to take and subscribe in the presence of the chief justice or of another justice of the Supreme Court the Oath of Office, which states:[91]. The national constitution sets strict eligibility conditions for the presidency. [28], The Constitution confers on the president certain executive functions to block attempts by the government of the day to draw down past reserves that it did not accumulate. This resulted in rising tensions within the Utusan Melayu and in 1959, Yusof had sold his shares he had in the company and resigned as UMNO had bought over almost all of the shares of Utusan Melayu. The president must be resident in Singapore at the date of their nomination for election, and must have been so resident for periods amounting in the aggregate to not less than ten years prior to that date. S.R. In July 1959, he was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Singapore. [95], Class IV expenses for "special services" are $550,000. His first term of office was from 1 September 1999 to 31 August 2005. [53] The changes went into effect in April 2017. Both Republicans & Democrats vote to impeach Trump again, first US president to be impeached twice. 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