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

See all articles by Yvonne C.L. Lee

Yvonne C.L. Lee

National University of Singapore (NUS) - Faculty of Law

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.

Suggested Citation

Lee, Yvonne C.L., Under Lock and Key: The Evolving Role of the Elected President as a Fiscal Guardian (December 31, 2007). Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, pp. 290-322, December 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1139305

Singapore Journal of Legal Studies Submitter (Contact Author)

Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore ( email )

Eu Tong Sen Building
469G Bukit Timah Road
Singapore, 259776
Singapore

Yvonne C.L. Lee

National University of Singapore (NUS) - Faculty of Law ( email )

469G Bukit Timah Road
Eu Tong Sen Building
Singapore, 259776
Singapore

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