Under Lock and Key: The Evolving Role of the Elected President as a Fiscal Guardian
33 Pages Posted: 1 Jun 2008 Last revised: 18 Feb 2009
Date Written: December 31, 2007
Abstract
The Elected Presidency was first conceived as an institutional check on the "untrammelled powers" of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as the parliamentary executive, in two main areas - the safeguarding of Singapore's "past reserves" and the integrity of its public service. As one of the most heavily amended institutions, it is still being "re-made". Given the substantial amendments made to the President's safeguarding roles, this article focuses on one particular aspect, his fiscal powers. It provides an overview of the original fiscal structure, by re-visiting the early rationale for the Elected Presidency, and the original fiscal actors and fiscal powers. It then details and analyses the ensuing constitutional amendments which have altered the fiscal mechanism, thereby substantively reducing the President's fiscal powers. Finally, it makes several concluding observations on the further re-making of the Elected Presidency.
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