President should refer the question to the Constitutional Tribunal

By: M Ravi

The question raised by Mr Tan Cheng Bock as to the legality of the impending election in September is of great public importance. As to whether Wee Kim Wee was the First Elected President, I feel it would be right for His Excellency Mr Tony Tan to exercise his powers vested under Article 100 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to direct that a constitutional Court be convened to determine the matter referred above.

He has the power to do so when important constitutional questions need answering, so let’s hope the opportunity is not wasted. His powers are subject to the advice of the Cabinet .Its a golden opportunity for Cabinet to resolve the matter by advising the President to refer to the Tribunal for an opinion on the subject matter in question. Otherwise, it is open to Tan Cheng Bock and interested citizens to challenge the validity of the upcoming Presidential Elections in court.

The ball is in the government’s court!