Look closely, because one of them could be your next president.
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With less than two months left to go before campaigning starts in September, the competition for the highly controversial Malay Presidency is beginning to heat up.
Since nominations opened near the end May, three candidates have already either expressed an interest in participating, or have already submitted their nominations for Singapore’s first reserved race presidential election.
With several new changes to this year’s presidential election, Singaporeans will undoubtedly be entering into new political territory.
For one, several constitutional changes mean that the candidacy for this year’s election comes with a much narrower criteria.
Apart from the racial factor, private sector candidates must have been the chief executive of a company that has recorded $500 million worth of shareholder’s equity on average for the past three years.
Several potential candidates have denied their intentions, such as cabinet minister Yaacob Ibrahim, former minister Abdullah Tarmugi and Bank of Singapore’s CEO Bahren Shaari.
That said, it has not stopped the current speaker of parliament Mdm Halimah Yacob, Chairman of Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific Farid Khan Kaim Khan and CEO of Second Chance Properties Mohd Salleh Marican to take the step forward.
So, the question on everybody’s mind is, who are they?
The Speaker: Mdm Halimah Yacob
Halimah’s candidacy was arguably Singapore’s biggest open secret of 2017. When the Malay Presidency was announced last year, her name was almost immediately thrown into the mix.
In fact, in a parliamentary session earlier this year, party whip Chan Chun Sing accidentally referred to Halimah as “Mdm President”. That could soon become a reality, after she expressed her desire to run on Sunday (July 16).
Understably, she has ticked many boxes. Apart from being an established member of the Malay community, the former lawyer also fulfilled the public sector requirement of holding office for at least three years.
It’s also easy to see why Halimah, the 62-year-old daughter of an Indian-Muslim father, seems like a suitable candidate when you look at her illustrious political career.
The current Marsiling-Yew Tee MP first entered politics in 2001, and has gone on to win four successive general elections since then.
Before her appointment as speaker in 2013, Halimah was also the Minister of State in the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and had spent more than 30 years in the National Trade Union Congress.
Halimah also achieved two firsts when she became Singapore’s first Malay MP and the first female speaker of parliament in Singapore, which earned her a spot on Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame.
The Former Captain’s Steward: Mr Farid Khan Kaim Khan
In June, four men lead by Borhan Saini mysteriously turned up at the Elections Department Office to collect forms for an unknown candidate. When questioned, all Borhan revealed was that he was a man in his “60s”, and a CEO of a multinational corporation.
Turns out, that man is Farid Khan Kaim Khan, the CEO of Bourbon Offshore Asia, a Marine Services Provider Company.
Farid’s candidacy was one of genuine surprise. Before his announcement, his name was never mentioned in any discussions about the presidency.
However, on July 11, the father of two officially declared his intention to run in a press conference in order to fulfill “the people’s wish and trust”.
Notably, his Singapore based marine company boasts 500 vessels (as of 2016) and 9,300 employees from 45 countries.
While The Straits Times estimates his company’s equity to be about $300 million – 200 short of the criteria – the man of Malay-Pakistani descent reassured his supporters that he is “confident of qualifying”.
What will probably attract Singaporeans is Farid’s inspiring rags to riches backstory. As a school dropout at 14 years old, Farid worked odd jobs at a lumber mill, as a car washer, and as a mechanic while growing up.
He eventually ended up working as a captain’s steward for 14 months, which spurred him to obtain his Diploma in Marine Engineering from Singapore Polytechnic. At 28 years old, he finally became a junior engineer.
After working at Neptune Orient Lines and several other shipping companies, he finally set up the Asian branch of Bourbon Offshore, where he worked his way up to where he is today.
The Second Chance: Mohd Salleh Marican
For Mohamed Salleh Marican, his moment of inspiration came from the most likely of places – our Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong.
The CEO of Second Chance Properties told The Straits Times that it was Mr Lee’s public call for Muslim professionals to step up that spurred him to step forward with his candidacy.
Even before that, his name had already been discussed as a potential candidate within the community.
The father of four announced his intention to run via an email to The Straits Times on May 31, where he said:
“I am humbled to have my name mentioned as a potential candidate for this year’s presidential election by various media. It is always a privilege and honour to serve the nation.”
Salleh – who dropped out of school before completing his A Levels – brought Second Chance Properties from a humble tailoring business to become the first Malay-owned company to be listed on the Singapore Exchange.
With his company’s equity in the past three years only being between $254.3 million and $263.25 million, Salleh also falls short in the criteria. However, the Victoria School alumni believes he can convince the Presidential Committee to accept his application.
That said, Salleh faced some minor backlash when he was filmed struggling to reply in Malay to the media when they approached him outside the Elections Department on 5 June.
He has since assured Singaporeans that he is currently undertaking Malay lessons.
Get Familiar With Them
The presidential election has been scheduled for September this year, and we are currently less than two months away from hitting the polls.
While the three have expressed their interest in running, do note that they still have to go through the Presidential Elections Committee and The Malay Community Sub-Committee.
Nominations will cease in August, specifically five days after the writ of election is issued. So, unless another name pops up in the weeks to come, it’s time to get familiar with their profiles, because one of them will be your next president pretty soon.
