Presidential campaigns kick off after three candidates confirmed
THE race for Singapore’s next president kicked off on Tuesday (Aug 22) in the first contested presidential election in over a decade.
Come Polling Day on Sep 1, Singaporeans will have a choice of three candidates for the nation’s ninth president: ex-GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song, former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former chief executive of NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian.
The three presidential hopefuls filed their papers at the nomination centre – the People’s Association headquarters – on Tuesday morning, and were confirmed as candidates with no objections raised.
The three candidates then delivered speeches after their confirmation. Ng said he was running as president to protect three national treasures: the reserves, “good public administration” and social stability.
Difficult and challenging future
“I do not belong to any political party, so I’m well-placed to unite the people of Singapore to face an uncertain future,” said Ng, who also spoke briefly in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
Tharman greeted the crowd also in the four official languages, thanking his fellow candidates for “joining (him) in this contest” and his supporters.
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Noting that Singapore faces a more difficult and challenging future, he said: “I have entered this contest to offer all my experience and capabilities on the ground for a few decades, nationally and internationally, so that I can serve Singaporeans in the role of president with all my heart, in the years to come.”
“Let’s look forward to a campaign which is fine and honourable, and a campaign which itself seeks to unite Singaporeans and not divide us,” he added. His campaign slogan is “Respect for all”.
Finally, Tan said in his thank-you speech that he was standing to give Singaporeans “a chance to vote for a president who is truly independent of the ruling government”.
Picking up life skills
“If I am elected, I will carry out my duties as set out in the Constitution diligently, honestly and to the best of my ability,” said Tan, repeating his speech in Mandarin and Malay.
Speaking to the media in the afternoon, Ng said his central message to Singaporeans is to prepare themselves for the future: with the government’s help, self-help and the president’s help.
The government can help by using the returns from the reserves to uplift the poor, said Ng, while Singaporeans can help themselves by picking up life skills such as self-confidence, financial literacy and emotional resilience.
The president can then encourage and help Singaporeans – especially younger generations – to pick up these skills.
Through his campaign, with the slogan “United for our future”, Ng said he wants to appeal to “all Singaporeans, regardless of whether you are voters”.
He also wants to reach out to foreigners based here, “to let them know how lucky they are to be living in Singapore, to let them know how exceptional our country is – because we also need the confidence of foreigners to help grow our economy”.
David versus Goliath
All three candidates signed a voluntary undertaking to campaign “in a manner that is dignified, decorous and consistent with the president’s position as the head of state and the symbol of national unity”, said an Elections Department spokesperson.
The candidates’ choice of symbols to represent themselves was also a talking point among Singaporeans. These will appear next to their respective names on the ballot paper on Polling Day.
Ng’s symbol is that of an open hand with a heart in its palm; Tharman’s is a pineapple; and Tan’s is a depiction of four persons holding up a flower.
The four figures represent Singapore’s major ethnic groups, and are reaching out to the “hope for a better future”, said Tan, whose campaign slogan is “Bring back trust, give us hope”.
Ng said that the fingers of the hand represent Singapore’s various races, and the palm signifies unity despite these differences: “I want to be able to unite all the people of Singapore regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, so that we can stand united to face an uncertain future.”
Tharman said that the pineapple is a symbol that has meaning “to all of our communities”, with connotations of good luck when moving into new homes or starting a new business.
Asked about how Ng has described his contest with Tharman as one of “David versus Goliath”, Tharman replied: “The real David is Singapore in a world of Goliaths… and we need the best person – with the best abilities, track record, on the ground nationally and internationally – to represent Singapore as head of state in this new era we’ve entered.”
Campaigning continues through Aug 30, with the first of two presidential candidate broadcasts on Aug 24.
Strong and inclusive
Ng will hold a roundtable on Wednesday at the Singapore Malay Youth Library Association on building a strong and inclusive Singapore.
Among the attendees will be community leaders, scholars and professionals from the Malay-Muslim community.
On Friday, Tharman will hold a townhall at Pasir Panjang Power Station to share more about his vision for his presidency.
Meanwhile, veteran diplomat Tommy Koh has publicly endorsed Tharman as president, calling him a “unifying leader” who has “transcended race”.
Outlining his reasons in a Facebook post, Koh firstly noted Tharman’s popularity among his former constituents in Taman Jurong, who have “repeatedly given him a thumping majority” in general elections.
Secondly, the former minister is “well prepared to exercise his custodial role” over Singapore’s reserves and key public service appointments, having spent more than two decades in the public service before entering politics.
“Third, I believe that he has an independent mind, has moral courage and will not compromise his integrity,” said Koh. “If faced with an unreasonable request to use our reserves, I believe that he will have the courage to say no.”
Already highly respected on the international stage, Tharman will “represent Singapore to the world in an exemplary manner and fly our flag high”, said Koh. He also gave a nod to Tharman’s wife, Jane Ittogi, whom he called a “tremendous asset”.
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