Presidency

Singapore Chronicles

by Li-Ann Thio

The Elected Presidency represents one of the most distinctive institutional innovations that Singapore has made to the constitutional order in the first 50 years of its existence. Its original primary intention was to serve as a check on a powerful Parliament that could bankrupt the national reserves either through buying votes, fraud or sheer incompetence. However, experience has shown that this institution has evolved in ways unanticipated by its original design. This book traces the fascinating twists and turns of the relatively short history of the Elected Presidency in Singapore and how it has reached a new equilibrium.

126 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

Dr Li-ann Thio is a Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS) where she teaches and researches constitutional and administrative law, international law and human rights law, with a focus on Asia. She holds a BA Hons (Jurisprudence) from Oxford University, and a Masters and Doctorate in Law from Harvard Law School and Cambridge University respectively. She has received teaching and research awards from NUS, and was a Nominated Member of the Singapore Parliament (Eleventh Session) from January 2007 to June 2009.

She had a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ as a first year undergraduate at Keble College, Oxford which caused her to disavow atheism, humanism and nihilism, and to embrace authentic Christianity. Her current interests include studying Ancient Near East history and the Arab-Israeli conflict in the light of Bible prophecy – in order to ‘understand the times’ like the men of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32).