"Gender Watch" Singapore's first female president, Harriet Ma, a grand sex show

Singapore was scheduled to hold its presidential election on September 23, but September 11, the Singapore election Bureau announced that only five of the presidential candidates, Halimah Yacob, a former Malay speaker, were eligible for a presidential election by qualifying for the candidacy of a candidate (certificate of E ligibility).

It also means that Halle, as the only candidate to qualify for the presidency, will automatically be elected to become the first woman president in Singapore's history. There will be no election campaign in the current Singapore presidential election.

Photo Source | Europe New Society

The wonderful presidential election system in Singapore

In fact, the President of Singapore has no real power, and has rejected the prime Minister to dissolve parliament, pardon death row, veto the government nomination of the main positions (such as the Chancellor or the chief of the armed Forces, etc.) part of the veto, but the state's highest executive power in the hands of the Prime minister.

The prime minister is chaired by a majority leader of Congress, and the President is elected by universal suffrage, with the exception of a single candidate who automatically becomes president of Singapore.

Halle Ma 63 years old, she began to devote to politics since 2001, and repeatedly elected Members of parliament, 2013 elected as the Speaker of parliament, only last month announced the resignation of the speaker and Parliament, the sole ruling party "People's Action Party", the Independence of Singapore, to pave the way for the presidential election. (Recommended reading: The first "female president" took office, the road of gender equality is still very long )

Coincidentally, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong passed the constitutional amendment last year to join the "presidential reserve election mechanism", in 30 years, if 5 consecutive elections without a race of presidents, the 6th presidential election can only be contested by the race of candidates. The first five presidents who did not have a Malay origin have retained their presidential seats to compete with the Malay candidates.

This year's race-qualifying candidate has three: the former President of Congress who withdrew from the ruling party, Halle Ma, the real estate giant Henschari Mariken (Mohamed Salleh Marican) and Maritime company Asia Pacific Chairman Fali (Farid Khan).

However, according to 01 of Hong Kong's report , Singapore's standard for presidential candidates from the business sector is stricter: it must have the highest executive power in the company and hold the post for at least 6 years. In addition, there is a need to ensure that the average shareholder equity is 500 million Singapore dollars for the 3 financial years before leaving the company. In contrast, the presidential candidacy for politicians is relatively low, and Halle has more than 3 years of experience as a speaker, and can become a presidential candidate directly.

There have also been criticisms that the racial protection system is damaging the fair value of Juren, and Halle has different views, noting in her interview with The Straits Times before announcing her candidacy that the policy of "only the Malay race" is a testament to Singapore's commitment to racial diversity rather than rhetoric.

Will Harriet be the politically correct mascot?

But such arrangements seem to be too deliberate in the eyes of outsiders. After all, race or gender protection is usually targeted at places or seats, rather than excluding specific races from the outset.

The media commented that it was only Lee Hsien Loong's politically correct claim to exclude genuinely threatening political opponents.

The truth is unclear, but it is certain that Singapore, with his father's long political governance, has indeed felt the pressure of gender and ethnic politics.

Halle's election will make Singapore the world's 22nd country with a female head of state and the country's first Malayin president in 47 years. The background of her female identity, from the poorest minority in the country, has symbolic significance for Singapore and the country's Malay population.

It's just that when the president of Halle's path seems to be on the road, the more difficult it is to see how Asian women's politicians collide in the campaign field, the harder it is to feel the beauty that the woman president might bring to Singapore. (Recommended reading: Gender equity is not your collection tool!) 2016 presidential election absence of gender policy )

Photo credit:reuters/Dazhi image

In Singapore's release of the news, Halle also has a typical "rely on their own strength from poverty to take care of family value" fairy tale.

She was eight years old, in order to help the family once became "truant girls, Truancy Queen", and then the headmaster lectured, found that this may go astray into "bad students, drug addicts", so cheer up all the way to the National University of Singapore Law Institute, but also "school, family and work."

In addition to public relations, Halle's personal political stance is completely invisible to the media. Her story and media image coincide with the Winliang expectation frame of the Confucian society to the female politics "mother Instrument world". We always feel that this person is too template, too flawless, she is more similar to a group of my father's political ideals of women, rather than a real flesh and blood, pain will struggle to fight for the rights of people. (Recommended reading:"Gender Watch" How far is the Hillary Collington of the female president?) )

When the "gender" and "race" were neatly put on the table by my father's long political system, when the state set you up to watch the sex, when the sex was only for display rather than discussion, you thought you saw the sex, and you actually saw nothing.

The issue of gender has evolved in the patriarchal political field, and the presidential election in Singapore has also shown how gender issues can be incorporated into politically correct public relations, rather than a catalyst that really promotes qualitative change in the system.

Looking forward to Halima, her hands and feet can be more "imperfect" some, do not have to do everything toeing the correct instructions issued by the State apparatus. She is expected to carry her own political election responsibility: to act for the situation of the people of Malay descent, at least to create a more friendly public participation space for Singaporean women.