Actually, it is correct. The president (in the past) was elected by Parliament, after being nominated by the Prime Minister. That was what happened with our first president, Yusof Ishak.
I can’t find record of his election to his first term of office (maybe it is because his was a conversion from being Yang pertuan negara.) For his second term, he was elected by Parliament, after being nominated by PM LKY in Parliament in 1967:
“That this Parliament, in accordance with Article I of the Constitution of Singapore, elects Inche Yusof bin Ishak as President of the Republic of Singapore for a further term of four years to commence immediately after the expiry of his present term of office.”
See here: //sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/topic.jsp?currentTopicID=00053152-ZZ¤tPubID=00069171-ZZ&topicKey=00069171-ZZ.00053152-ZZ_1%2Bid004_19671130_S0003_T00031-president-address%2B
**Incidentally, Yusof Ishak was sworn in as Singapore’s first President on National Day, 9 August 1965.
Original post written by Mr. Andrew Loh