She’s truly a president of the people, it seems. President-elect Halimah Yacob has elected (it鈥檚 funny because we didn鈥檛 even get to vote) to stay in Yishun, where her heart belongs.
The usual protocol is that presidents stay in the Istana, the official residence and office of the President of Singapore. The 106-acre estate in Newton hosts a massive mansion built during colonial times, and that’s where the president receives and entertains state guests. That being said, no presidents have actually lived at the Istana since 1959.
President-elect Halimah herself resides in a jumbo HDB flat in Yishun, where she鈥檚 lived for over 30 years with her family. She鈥檚 mentioned before that she hopes to stay put in Yishun, and she鈥檚 earlier today after she was declared president-elect.
“I’m still staying in Yishun. It is a very nice, comfortable place and I have been living there for many years,鈥 said the 63-year-old to reporters who asked her聽where she鈥檇 be staying after becoming head of state.
Her husband Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee also saw no need to move, as their flat is 鈥渁s huge as a penthouse鈥. And it鈥檚 true 鈥 jumbo flats are crazy huge because they鈥檙e made of combined residential units. Halimah鈥檚 6th-story abode consists of a four-room flat and a five-room flat mashed together.
Security in a siao lang town
After being sworn in to the highest office in the land, however, there鈥檚 the serious matter of safety and security. The president-elect stated that she鈥檒l leave security arrangements to the security department 鈥 but she does know that it鈥檒l be a nightmare to do so in public housing.
A nightmare indeed, especially when we鈥檙e talking about Yishun. The neighborhood is hilariously infamous for being an epicentre of lunatics and crime. Yishun’s label聽siao lang town is done in jest, of course鈥 but we鈥檒l let property site 99.co explain . In other words, the security team for Halimah will have their work cut out for them.
