SINGAPORE – Singapore would be better off with the old system where the president is appointed by Parliament, said presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian.

No point having an elected president if his hands are tied on issues, he added.

“I got a lot of notices about what are the things I cannot do, so I think it is quite an unproductive exercise,” he said at a members-only event organised by the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) on Saturday afternoon.

“I think we should change.”

He was taking questions in the Meet Our Presidential Candidates series held at the NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House, which was moderated by NUSS second vice-president Nakoorsha A.K., and attended by more than 90 participants.

It was live-streamed on Mr Tan’s Facebook page.

Mr Tan was asked how, should he become president, he would allocate the net investment returns contribution (NIRC).

The NIRC comprises up to 50 per cent of the NIR on the net assets invested by Singapore’s GIC, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Temasek Holdings, and up to 50 per cent of the net investment income (NII) derived from past reserves from the remaining assets.

Allocating the NIRC is, however, not under the president’s purview.

Yet in answering the question, Mr Tan called the system “complicated”, adding that it is something that is best left to the finance minister and his team.

“Ordinary people (who) do not know enough of the subject should not try to take part but do something else,” he said.

However, should he become president, he would speak to Finance Minister Lawrence Wong because “I have very different views on how the reserves should be structured”.

While Mr Tan said that he may have suggestions for the many schemes that he felt are not working well for Singapore, he admitted that even if he were to become president, he cannot impose his views as the authority over Singapore’s finances lies with the finance minister.

Responding to a question on the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA), Mr Tan admitted that he found the workings of the CPA “complicated”.

“The CPA comprises three (people) appointed by (the) prime minister, three appointed by the president, one appointed by the chief justice and one by the head of the civil service,” he said.

It should not matter who appointed whom and who has more power, he said. “It is not (about) party politics or government, or the president.”

Even if everyone does not agree to everything, the members of the CPA should be independent and not make decisions based on who appointed them, he added.

The CPA advises the president on the use of discretionary and custodial powers. It is obligatory for the president to consult the CPA when exercising discretionary powers related to all fiscal and appointment matters.

The CPA, which is chaired by Mr Eddie Teo, comprises eight members and two alternate members.

Of the eight members, three are appointed by the president at her discretion, three by the prime minister, and one each by the chief justice and the chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) – not the head of civil service as Mr Tan had stated.

One alternate member is appointed by the president at her discretion, while the other is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister, in consultation with the chief justice and chairman of the PSC.

Mr Tan also promised that if elected as president, he would have regular meetings with the prime minister to raise issues on improving the lives of Singaporeans.

On how he intends to bring costs down for Singaporeans once he is in office, Mr Tan said: “(The) Government says these are matters for the Government. All I can do is in my regular meetings (with) the prime minister (to) bring up issues. I have definite ideas (on) what can we do.”

When asked about his social media posts, Mr Tan took the opportunity to apologise to women who took offence at his posts about “pretty girls” on his social media.

He explained to the room that the posts were made during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I was walking down the streets and it was quite boring. I was trying to make some light-hearted comments... They were light-hearted comments, and many people had seen those posts. Maybe a few felt it was mischievous, but (the) majority thought it was quite okay,” Mr Tan said.

He added: “It was not meant to insult (women). It was meant to be light-hearted, but people feel insulted. Please accept my apologies. Sorry.”