First Malay President After 47 Years Significant To Singapore

By Massita Ahmad SINGAPORE, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- The swearing-in of Halimah Yacob as the first Malay to become Singapore President after 47 years is a significant moment in the republic’s history, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Lee highlighted in his speech at the swearing-in ceremony at the Istana on Thursday, that Halimah was the first Malay to be elected President since it (the presidency) became an elected office in 1991, and the first President elected since the major Constitutional changes last year. Halimah is also Singapore first female President, he said. “Today, we reaffirm the pledge that Mr Lee Kuan Yew made on Aug 9, 1965, in the very first hours of our independence, that this will not be a Malay nation, a Chinese nation nor an Indian nation. Everybody will have his place, equal: regardless of language, culture, religion. “We chose the nobler dream: A multi-racial, multi-religious Singapore,” he added. Lee noted that half a century later, Halimah as President would symbolise, visibly, that Singapore will persevere with its dream. “This has become all the more urgent considering the trends in our region and the rest of the world. In an age when ethnic nationalism is rising, extremist terrorism sows distrust and fear, and exclusivist ideologies deepen communal and religious fault lines...here in Singapore, we will resist this tide,” he said. Here, Lee said the majority would make extra efforts to ensure that minorities enjoy equal rights. “That is something special, precious and fragile. That is why, we make sure that Parliament always has representatives from all ethnic groups. Now, Lee said, Singapore would regularly have a Head of State, the symbol of the nation, "who can look like President Benjamin Sheares, who was a Eurasian, President SR Nathan, who was an Indian, President Tony Tan, who was a Chinese, and President Halimah Yacob, a Malay and a woman." “Indeed, that was the compelling reason the Government amended the Constitution last year,” he said. Under the constitutional changes which happened in November last year, an election will be reserved for a particular race group if no one from that group has been president for five continuous terms. This year’s Presidential Election is reserved for the Malay community. “Madam President, Encik Yusof Ishak was President of all Singaporeans, regardless of race, language, religion or gender. You, too, will unify all of us. You, too, will strengthen our sense of nationhood. You, too, will be our President,” said Lee. Halimah was declared President-elect Wednesday. -- BERNAMA