Singapore's First Female President Calls Harris's Election a "Historic Moment for Female Minorities"

"Harris Elected President Will Be an Inspirational Figure to Women Worldwide"

▲Kamala Harris, Vice President-elect of the United States [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Singapore President Halimah Yacob congratulated Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, calling it a "historic moment for women minorities worldwide."

Halimah, Singapore's first female president, extended her congratulations to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris via Facebook on the 8th.

In particular, President Halimah expressed that she was "especially encouraged by the election of the first female, Black, and South Asian Vice President in U.S. history," adding, "This is a historic moment for women minorities in the United States and around the world."

She continued, "Vice President-elect Harris has shown that the glass ceiling should never confine anyone," and congratulated her by saying, "Through her long-standing outstanding service in public office, she has not been afraid to break barriers and has achieved many 'firsts.'"

President Halimah said, "(Harris's) election as Vice President completes the pinnacle of those achievements," and noted, "Vice President-elect Harris has humbly often credited her success to the hard work of those who came before her."

She added, "Vice President-elect Harris will continue to be an inspiration to many young women around the world."

Meanwhile, President Halimah previously broke the "glass ceiling" in 2013 by becoming Singapore's first female Speaker of Parliament. In 2017, she became the first beneficiary of the "Presidential Election Scheme" introduced to support minority representation, ascending to the presidency.

Born to an Indian father who worked as a security guard and a Malay mother, Halimah majored in law and worked as a labor law expert before entering politics as a Member of Parliament in 2001.

Vice President-elect Harris’s father is a Jamaican immigrant, and her mother is of Indian descent. She built her career serving as San Francisco District Attorney in 2004 and California Attorney General in 2011. In 2017, she stepped onto the central stage in Washington D.C. as a U.S. Senator representing California.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.