Statement from TKL - Prince Charles, voice of the people

At a recent Institute of Policy Studies forum, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister Mr K Shanmuggan noted that the law and conventions of the UK were distilled into the Singapore's Constitution i.e. the Singapore Constitution has been modeled on that of the UK.

While there were clear differences in circumstances, it t is interesting to note that former British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair indeed has had some issues and discomfort with Prince Charles who spoke publicly on various issues and hence, was playing his role as a Voice of the People. 

Notwithstanding this, Mr Blair eventually disclosed in a letter to the Guardian that "A prime minister may sound off from time to time, especially when sensitive discussions with members of the royal family leak into the papers, in the middle of some high-profile issue". He continued, "However, I want to make it clear that I always found my discussions and correspondence with Prince Charles immensely helpful. I thought he had a perfect right to raise questions and did so in a way that was both informative and insightful. So I welcomed his contributions, and have no doubt he will continue to raise issues with the new government as he is entitled and indeed it is his job to do, and that they will also find it helpful."

It is my hope that if I am elected President, I will have the meaningful dialog with the Government in my efforts to be the Voice of the People. It is my hope that this spirit of cooperation and mutual respect can prevail and that the outcome will be productive and beneficial for the people of Singapore.

Tan Kin Lian