HARVEY Norman Ossia founder George Goh has announced that he will be running in Singapore’s next presidential election.

In a statement on Monday (Jun 12), he said he decided to run for president after the eligibility requirements for private sector candidates were raised in 2017, as he was “concerned that the more stringent requirements would lead to another uncontested election”.

He will be running as an independent candidate with no political party affiliations, he added, noting that he has “no political baggage”, and that he has never worked in the public sector.

The 63-year-old businessman is the founder and board member of several listed and private companies. Aside from Harvey Norman Ossia, he co-founded water treatment company United Envirotech, which went public in 2004 and was later acquired by a consortium comprising Chinese state-owned conglomerate Citic Group and investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.

He is also the co-founder and chairman of mainboard-listed footwear, sports and fashion retailer Ossia International - which is on the Singapore Exchange watchlist - as well as the deputy chairman of investment company Pertama Holdings.

As for what makes him qualified to be Singapore’s next president, Goh said that he is “equipped with the financial and technical skills to scrutinise the government’s books and has considerable managerial and leadership expertise, acquired both here and abroad, to make judgements about a person’s suitability for an important post”.

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Commenting on Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who announced his intention to run in the election last week, Goh questioned whether Tharman is the “right man to become president”.

“Being so closely aligned with the ruling political party, the question is whether (Tharman) is the right man to become president. This is especially… given the president’s role in checking the government in the two important areas concerned with the national reserves and key office appointments.”

Noting that all of Singapore’s past four elected presidents were either political appointment holders or from the public sector, Goh said: “It is time to have a truly independent person with a pair of fresh eyes to play the role the elected president was created for.”

Goh is also actively involved in several philanthropic endeavours. In 2015, he and his wife set up the Border Mission, a charity which helps the underprivileged in Singapore and the Himalayas.

He is a council member at the Singapore Red Cross and a member of the Singapore Red Cross Society’s operational committee for humanitarian assistance and international relief.

In 2017, Goh was appointed the non-resident ambassador to Morocco. He renewed his term as ambassador in 2020 and is currently serving his second term. In his statement, Goh said he tendered his resignation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Jun 9 to contest in the upcoming election and “maintain his independence”.

Singapore’s next presidential election may be held at any time from Jun 13, 2023. If a presidential election has not been held by the time the incumbent’s term expires, it “should be held shortly thereafter”, the Elections Department has said.