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In her New Year’s address, President Halimah Yacob spoke fully about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and how Singapore needed “all hands on deck” to overcome the crisis and build a better future for generations. Given that the pandemic had and continues to have a gigantic effect globally, the content of his speech is not surprising.
However, I would be remiss not to point out that there have been other events that have shaken Singaporean society that the president has refused to mention. One is the controversial Parti Liyani case. Not only has the case been one in which the underdog has seemingly beaten all odds of winning in High Court, it was also one that exposed the likely abuse of power by well-connected people like Liew Mun Leong and the probable negligence on the part of various state agencies.
In fact, the President has very recently received an open letter signed by 27 civil organizations urging her to convene a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to review Singapore’s justice system. Something that has the power to summon but about which until now it has been silent.
How can she deliver a speech to the nation as president when until now she has ignored the wishes of her citizens who implore her, as head of state, for help?
It should be noted that the Parti Liyani case is not just any case. It is a case that has generated so much national attention that the Minister of Law and Home Affairs, K Shanmugam, had to deliver a parliamentary speech on it. It is also a case where a powerful man, Liew Mun Leong, who has Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife Ho Ching as a personal contact, had to resign from all his positions in various state-affiliated organizations.
The president’s New Years address to the nation should be one that closes the key events of the past year with aspirations for the year ahead. Aside from the effects of Covid-19, isn’t it worth mentioning a case that turned the justice system on its head?
While the authorities may consider the matter closed, it is clear that Singaporeans have not yet done so. The letter sent to the President signed by 27 civil organizations attests that the matter is far from being satisfactorily resolved.
After all, can an internal investigation “behind closed doors” that cannot be independently verified by objective third parties really be conclusive?
The President is meant to represent all of us in a non-partisan capacity. So why is it apparently ignoring requests from its citizens?
