Halimah Yacob’s presidency bid: a milestone for Singapore’s women, for race relations ... not so much?
The People’s Action Party stalwart is widely expected to succeed Tony Tan after a vote in September, but new rules reserving the position for ethnic Malays threaten to distract from her achievement
Singapore may be on the verge of a political milestone with the likely election of Halimah Yacob as its first female president next month, but controversy surrounding the vote – reserved for ethnic Malay candidates only – could take some of the shine off the achievement.
And while the veteran MP and unionist’s political achievements are highly laudable – she grew up the daughter of a widowed mother who sold cooked food on a pushcart – Southeast Asia watchers say a victory for her will not equate to a leap forward for women in the region, which remains a place where archaic patriarchal norms and political blue bloods reign supreme.
In Singapore, how Malay is Malay?
Halimah, 62, on Monday ended months of speculation that she would throw her name in the hat to succeed Tony Tan Keng Yam as president, after she formally quit the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and her position as Parliament speaker.
Halimah, a lawyer by training, said she was launching her bid for the largely ceremonial presidency after “extensive consultations” with family and friends.
Election rules prohibit political parties from backing presidential candidates, but as soon as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced new rules last year restricting the September polls for ethnic Malay candidates, Halimah – a PAP stalwart – was singled out by commentators as the establishment’s favoured candidate.