SINGAPORE - All public officers who have applied for, and obtained approval for leave prior to the issuance of the Writ of Election will be able to continue with their leave as planned, said the Public Service Division (PSD) on Saturday.
This is the same with all elections, the PSD added in response to queries from The Straits Times.
A reserve list of officers for election duties would have also been maintained and activated by the Elections Department (ELD) and various ministries and agencies, to cover those who are unable to perform their election duties due to leave, medical reasons, or other operational needs.
The Writ of Election was issued by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday. That same day, the ELD announced that Singaporeans will go to the polls on Sept 1 – traditionally when Teachers’ Day is celebrated – if more than one person qualifies to run for the presidency.
As a result, Teachers’ Day for this year has been rescheduled to Sept 11.
Singaporeans will know if they get to cast their vote or if the election will be a walkover on Nomination Day, which will be on Aug 22.
Some teachers ST spoke to expressed concern over the late change in school arrangements, following the news.
A secondary school teacher in her 20s, Rachel (not her real name), was earmarked for polling duty but had her leave approved prior to the issuance of the Writ.
She said that teachers often consider Term 3 being the most hectic of the four across the school year, and said having it end with a “15-hour polling day shift... doesn’t make sense”, given a significant number of polling officers are teachers.
She also noted: “At the school level, many plans, deadlines, and schedules have to be changed to accommodate the sudden changes in dates.”
Another secondary school teacher, Lucas (not his real name), who is also in his 20s, said he is on the reserve list and has not been earmarked for polling duty. He had his leave approved a few weeks back.
He said: “As Teachers’ Day marks the official start of our (term) school holidays, many teachers would have made plans to travel or enjoy the weekday off with their families – especially colleagues with children who also enjoy the same holiday.
“By holding Polling Day on Teachers’ Day, these teachers would be forced to reschedule or cancel their plans (for example those who have paid for tickets to local attractions), or inadvertently cause inconvenience to other election officials (on reserve) if they have made overseas travel plans.”
In its statement, the PSD said that ELD will work closely with government agencies on the adjustments necessary to minimise the inconvenience to public service operations during the use of public facilities such as schools, void decks and community clubs for election purposes.
Said PSD: “We thank all public officers for undertaking the added responsibilities and undergoing the necessary training to facilitate the smooth execution of every election.”
