A GREAT sense of relief washed over Mr Ng Kok Song, 75, when he heard the news that he had qualified to run in the upcoming presidential election.

“My immediate reaction was relief, because there was some uncertainty... I can now move on to the next stage of my journey to serve the people of Singapore as their president,” said Mr Ng.

He was speaking to The Straits Times at media house Zyrup Media after he had finished recording a podcast.

Mr Ng said that his fiancee, Ms Sybil Lau, 45, had informed him of the e-mail from the Elections Department after it landed on Friday morning.

The former chief investment officer at GIC had applied for eligibility under the public sector deliberative track.

The six-member Presidential Elections Committee was satisfied that he has the experience and ability comparable with someone who had served for three or more years as the chief executive of a Fifth Schedule entity. 

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Fifth Schedule entities comprise key statutory boards and government companies.

The committee added that it was satisfied that Mr Ng has the experience and ability to effectively carry out the functions and duties of the office of president.

He is among three individuals – along with former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian – who received the certificate of eligibility on Friday.

In the next two weeks in the run-up to Polling Day on Sept 1, Mr Ng wants to make himself even more known to the people of Singapore.

“I started with a disadvantage, so I had to make up by going on more walkabouts. (I will) go to the wet markets, go to the hawker centers, maybe shopping malls, so that the people of Singapore get to know me, and hopefully to see me in person. That is my foremost priority,” said Mr Ng.

Responding to Mr Tan’s remarks that he is the only independent candidate, and that Mr Tharman and Mr Ng are from the establishment, Mr Ng said that there is a difference between being from the establishment and having political party affiliation.

“I have never belonged to any political party, and therefore I am independent of any political party. Mr Tan Kin Lian was a member of the People’s Action Party,” said Mr Ng.

Mr Ng added that it doesn’t matter what percentage of votes he will garner, as long as he wins the election.

Mr Tan had said in a walkabout in Kovan on Friday that he hopes to garner 1.5 million votes. More than 2.7 million people are eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

The only presidential hopeful who had publicly made known a run for the office, and did not qualify, is entrepreneur George Goh, 63.

Mr Ng said he felt sorry for Mr Goh because he was very brave to come forward.

“One of the reasons why I came forward to stand for the presidency was that he might not qualify. And if he didn’t qualify, that was before Mr Tan Kin Lian came forward, there would have been no election. It would have been another walkover,” he said.

“So, I really commend Mr Goh for his courage, his bravery, in coming forward... He was maximising the chances of there being an election.” THE STRAITS TIMES