Three-way contest underway for Singapore’s ninth president
SINGAPOREANS will have a choice of three candidates as they head to the polls on Sep 1 for the first contested presidential election in over a decade.
Former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song, former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former chief executive of NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian filed their papers and were confirmed as candidates on Tuesday (Aug 22).
The nomination proceedings went smoothly, with no objections raised. The presidential election’s returning officer Tan Meng Dui formally declared Sep 1 as Polling Day.
In his speech after being confirmed as a candidate, Ng said he was running as president to protect three “national treasures” of Singapore: the reserves, “good public administration” and social stability.
“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.
Speaking next, Tharman greeted the crowd in the four official languages, thanking his fellow candidates for “joining (him) in this contest” and his supporters for being there.
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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 said.
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”.
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“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.
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 also submitted symbols to represent themselves, rather than choosing from eight provided suggestions. The symbols 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, reaching out to the “hope for a better future” symbolised by the flower, Tan said to the media.
Ng said that the fingers of the hand represent Singapore’s various races, and the palm signifies unity despite these differences: “So as President, 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 people move into new homes or start 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.”
Tharman, Ng and Tan had arrived at the nomination centre at the People’s Association headquarters on King George’s Avenue that morning to file their papers. All three had received their certificates of eligibility to join the race last Friday from the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC), which received six applications.
Harvey Norman Ossia founder George Goh did not qualify for a certificate. The PEC had rejected his argument that his experience and performance running five companies with an aggregate shareholder equity of at least S$500 million was equivalent to managing one company that met this criterion.
The remaining two rejected applicants are unknown.
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