There has been public outcry over a newly proposed bill that would allow the president to hold international appointments in his or her personal capacity, as long as there is Cabinet approval. This would allow president Tharman to keep his current international appointments, including:
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of G30
Co-Chair of Global Commission on the Economics of Water
Co-Chair of the Advisory Board for the UN Human Development Report
Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum
Our short answer is yes, and to explain why, we look at the example of the WEF.
The WEF's Public-Sector Participants
We took a look at the official website of the World Economic Forum, whose mission is to encourage public-private cooperation. It logically follows that the WEF must have public sector participants (in addition to private-sector ones) for the cooperation to work.
We then looked at the current board of trustees, to see if other public sector participants are present. They are.
Chrystia Freeland is the current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada.
Paula Ingabire is the Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda.
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah is the queen of Jordan.
Incidentally, the website currently does not list president Tharman as a member of the board of trustees. He may have stepped down since assuming the role of president, at least until the bill is passed.
Which public servant to send?
Now we have established that there are precedents for public servants serving on the board of trustees. Singapore's goal is clear - to advance our interests and international standing with highly influential international organisations. We want to send someone respected and capable, to show that we take such matters seriously, and to establish a good reputation for Singapore.
But to cover ourselves against a conflict of interest, it is ideal if we send someone who can conveniently claim to be powerless to influence Singapore, if the situation calls for it. How to have our cake and eat it?
The answer comes in the form of president Tharman. On one hand, his prodigious financial expertise and government experience makes him an excellent candidate. No one will doubt his ability to represent Singapore superbly. On the other hand, if put in a tricky situation, he can well claim that the president of Singapore is a ceremonial role, with no power to overrule the Cabinet of the day. In other words, he can shield Singapore from any pressure that the WEF may wish to exert. In comparison, someone who holds a position of direct influence - such as Minister of Finance - cannot deny their ability to influence the government.
So to sum up, our answer is a resounding yes. Tharman is the man to hold international positions, because he is in the unique position to let Singapore have its kueh and eat it too.
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