CNA – Having a contest for the upcoming Presidential Election is “important for me”, said Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday as he expounded on his decision to run for the Singapore presidency.
Political observers told CNA on Thursday after Tharman announced his intention to run that having a strong candidate like him could have “drawbacks”, such as the election being a walkover as no one else may contest.
They also noted that having another walkover would call into question the viability of an elected presidency.
Halimah Yacob became Singapore’s President in 2017 after other potential candidates failed to qualify.
Responding to these perspectives, Tharman told reporters yesterday that he would “much rather win or lose with a contest”.
“My whole approach is not to shy away from competition. It’s always been that way. It’s how I prove myself,” he said.
While no one else has signalled an intention to run for the presidency, observers have suggested that Harvey Norman Ossia’s founder George Goh could be a contender.
JURONG WILL BE OKAY
Tharman yesterday also clarified a sporting analogy he made on Thursday when asked about his intention to run for the presidency after previously ruling himself out as Prime Minister.
A lot of his instincts were “shaped as a sportsman”, he then said. He added that in almost all the games he played, he never liked being a centre forward (at the head of a team’s attack) but preferred to be in defensive positions.
“I’m not on the same team as the government once I become president, be very clear about that,” Tharman said.
“All I meant is that my cast of mind all along has been that… (I like) being in defence. But I (will) not (be) on the same team as the government. If anything, I’ll be a referee.”
Tharman declined to comment further on matters relating to his presidential campaign, as he was focussed on his government commitments.
He also said that he would deal with questions about the election, which must be held by September 13, in due time.
But Tharman added that if he is elected as Singapore’s President, he would continue to be engaged in some high-level international panels that he is currently involved in.
Some of these engagements include chair of the Board of Trustees of the Group of Thirty, an independent global council of economic and financial leaders from the public and private sectors, and co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam hopes to be a ‘unifying figure’ if elected as President.
Yesterday, Tharman attended the official opening of ActiveSG Sport Village @ Jurong Town, located in Jurong GRC where he oversees the Taman Jurong division as its Member of Parliament (MP).
He was joined by three other Jurong GRC MPs – Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Health and Ministry of Law Rahayu Mahzam, Shawn Huang and Xie Yao Quan. Dr Tan Wu Meng was overseas.
Tharman took a tour of the facility by observing ongoing hockey and football games, and interacted with the young players and their families.
Asked about the response from his residents to his intention to retire from politics and run for president, he said, “It was a mixture of sadness and wishing me well, and vice versa.”
But Tharman reiterated that “Jurong will be okay” and his residents would be “very well taken care of”.
He also praised his fellow Jurong GRC MPs for their “exceptional” work and the “character of their relationships with the public”.
After Tharman announced his intention to run for the presidency and retire from politics, observers noted that Jurong GRC may lack a “solid anchor” minister.
Currently, there is no requirement under the law for a by-election to be called if an MP of a GRC resigns.