Their role is often largely ceremonial. Yet, when it comes to delivering the opening address of Parliament to announce the Government's agenda for a new five-year term, the President is your man.
Since Parliament's first sitting with Singapore as an independent nation in 1965 until now, there have been seven presidents whose combined 23 addresses to Parliament have mapped out upcoming priorities, policies and programmes on behalf of the Government. They are Mr Yusof Ishak, Dr Benjamin Sheares, Mr Devan Nair, Mr Wee Kim Wee, Mr Ong Teng Cheong, Mr S R Nathan and the incumbent, Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam.
And on Friday, after a day featuring the swearing-in of MPs and election of a new Speaker, the spotlight at 8.30pm swings to Dr Tan as he delivers the traditional President's Address at the opening of Singapore's 13th Parliament. Dr Tan's two speeches since being elected to his role in 2011 have been to a mature, prosperous nation looking beyond the imperative of economic growth to making its mark on the world stage, and, at home, strengthening safety nets to help the vulnerable.
But it has not always been so. Insight looks back at the opening addresses of the seven heads of state, and how they captured the state of the nation at that time.
Divided into three eras - 1965-80, 1981-90, and 1991 until now - the speeches present a fascinating, and sometimes surprising, snapshot of three distinct Singapores in terms of issues and identity. The speech-makers themselves also reflect a changing Singapore, with their role moving from Parliament-appointed position to that of an elected office-holder.
Dr Tan's aspirational emphasis - "building a better Singapore" - is a far cry from the address by the first President, Mr Yusof Ishak, to a newly independent, fearful Singapore, in which he stressed the word "survival" at least five times.
But the presidents' speeches do not just provide a narrative of a straight line of evolution. Some things come full circle. Dr Tan, in his May 2014 speech to open the second half of the 12th Parliament's term, referenced president Yusof's hopes in 1965 for Singapore to become a "tolerant society, multiracial, multilingual, multi-religious, welded ever closer together by ties of common experience".
But this time, the context was different. There was satisfaction that Mr Yusof's hopes had been realised, but Dr Tan went on to provide a window into new challenges, including the need to "be stewards of our pioneers' success".
Early years (1965-1980): Laying the foundations for shift from Third World to First
This was the top question on the minds of the Republic's first two heads of state: Mr Yusof Ishak, who was president from 1965 to 1970, and Dr Benjamin Sheares, who held the position from 1971 to 1981.
Their addresses to Parliament provided a glimpse of the fraught anxieties at the time, with the urgency to establish a robust defence force and diplomatic missions abroad.
Growth years (1981-1990): A recession, political changes and drive for excellence
The year was 1985, when Singapore encountered its first post-independence recession after years of rapid growth.
It was partly caused by a high wage policy introduced in the late 1970s which, with an overvalued currency, snipped away at Singapore's international competitiveness.
Today (1991-2016): Looking ahead to becoming an inclusive, global city
But by 1991 - a year after Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew stepped down from his role - the strong foundations had been laid for a better future. Indeed, that year fourth president Wee Kim Wee declared: "We can plan ahead for the next 25 years, and marshal the resources needed to turn bold ideas into reality."
And now, the presence of "nice-to-have" concepts in the President's Address in recent years shows how today's affluent Singapore can look beyond basic needs and aspire towards becoming an inclusive, global city.
