SINGAPORE: Madam Halimah Yacob, the eighth President of the Republic of Singapore, has been conferred the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction) – the highest civilian honour in Singapore. She will receive the award from her successor, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, at the National Awards Investiture this Sunday (29 Oct) at ITE College Central.
Madam Halimah Yacob, former governing party MP and Speaker of Parliament resigned from politics to contest the presidential election in 2017. Madam Halimah was declared an eligible presidential candidate in September 2017 and became President of Singapore.
Madam Halimah declined to contest the 2023 election, and her former colleague, Senior Minister Tharman, retired from politics to throw his hat into the ring. He won the head of state seat with a historic 75% vote.
Looking back on her term earlier this year, Madam Halimah told the Straits Times that she expected controversy when she considered contesting the first election. She said, “Public office is never a walk in the park, is it? You have to expect to be scrutinised, to be criticised, to be questioned…So I expected that, and it happened… but you just stay focused.”