Earlier this month, President Halimah Yacob made waves when she announced that she’s not running for President anymore.
Many things has happened since then, and Marsiling residents be wondering, “Will their favourite Madame Halimah Yacob be coming back to serve them?”
Well, turns out she’s not just retiring from being a president.
She’s retiring completely.
Here’s what you need to know.
President Halimah Yacob Announced Her Plans After Finishing her Term Ends
At the Institute of Policy Studies’ (IPS) 35th anniversary gala dinner, President Halimah Yacob said she will be retiring when asked about her plans after her presidency ends.
Previously, she had announced her intention to not run for a second term as the President of Singapore.
Her term will end on 13 September 2023 and preparation for a presidential election is already well underway.
But that doesn’t mean she’ll disappear completely after 13 September 2023.
President Halimah Yacob: Will Still Champion Causes She Feels Strongly For
While President Halimah Yacob seems perfectly willing to let go of the Presidential seat, she admits it’s not the same for some causes.
“Well, I think some of the things I’ve been championing, some of the causes, I don’t think it’ll be so easy for me to let go.”
She will not be able to cut them off completely so she’ll continue to do them but “in different capacities”.
Two causes she is passionate about are raising awareness for mental health and helping people with disabilities.
In her speech at the IPS gala dinner, President Halimah Yacob also has a few pointers to share with the audience.
This includes being wary about eroding the multiracial harmony and cohesion we have in Singapore, especially the need to integrate foreign talents into the local culture better.
If this isn’t addressed, she warns, locals may be left to believe that foreign talents “play by different rules”, leading to dissatisfaction.
She also pointed out that meritocracy, while it has improved social mobility (read: it allows people to move up in life), “conditions that contributed to it could lead to inequality”.
People from poor families, or aren’t as academically-inclined, still face “significant hurdles”.
President Halimah Yacob also said she was glad to see the Singaporean spirit during the recent pandemic.
People stepped up on their own to distribute groceries or cooked food and organisations went all out to provide temporary accommodations during the Circuit Breaker period.
The Forward Singapore exercise is essential, she said, as this will allow Singaporeans to come together to shape their own future.
