Remember back in early 2017, when Minister Chan Chun Sing addressed then-Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob as “Madam President”?
Mdm Halimah did go on to win the 2017 Presidential Election in a landslide walkover after all her opponents were barred from contesting.
A crystal ball, or crystal clear bald forehead rather, belonging to former Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam could prove a similar indicator to Chan’s faux pas.
During a parliamentary sitting in 2019, the 5 stars and crescent moon of our national flag just happened to reflect off Tharman’s shiny bald head.
Back then, there were murmurs that this was a sign that Tharman was slated to become Singapore’s next prime minister, since Singaporeans have long regarded him as the best person to take over from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
But it looks like the stars were pointing to the presidency instead.
Commenting on the incident recently, Tharman said:
“I can’t claim this is a talent of mine, but I happen to have a head that reflects light quite well. And when I sit in Parliament, with all the lights, it often forms an interesting pattern on my head.”
Interestingly, Tan Kin Lian says he happens to have a crystal ball, which he calls “CB” and relied partly on its advice to run for president.
Maybe Tan sees a different future in it that we can’t?
