SINGAPORE: After submitting his application for a certificate of eligibility at the Elections Department on Friday (Aug 4) morning, the 63-year-old chairman of Ossia International held a press conference at the five-star Sheraton Towers along Scotts Road.

Presidential hopeful George Goh and his wife Lysa Goh took questions from various media outlets throughout the afternoon. One of the questions Ms Goh fielded was about what she admired most about her husband.

She said: “When he talks to cleaners, to guests, even to his business partner, it’s the same attitude. He treats everybody the same regardless (of) their race, their religion, he has never changed. And he is that consistent”.

“And his heart for the people is amazing because from his background – he’s so underprivileged from so young. He has to work even earlier than 16 years old. I know many people whose parents pay for our tuition fees, for our school fees. For him, no, he has to work so hard even at a young age and I feel that his character is very admirable even today. He has never treated people differently, no matter what their social standing is, – again, I repeat – their race their religion. And this is what I admire about him the most”, she told members of the press.

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Also on the panel at Mr Goh’s press conference were 10 other people, including former Straits Times editor Han Fook Kwang, Malay-Muslim hawker Hajjah Roziah Adon and Mr Goh’s niece, Alicia Cheong who is an education entrepreneur. Mr Goh said that they are not his proposer, seconder and assenters but rather the “ordinary heroes”.

Mrs Goh also told the press that when she first heard of Mr Goh’s plans in 2017 to run for President, she fully supported him because she knew his heart was “for the people”.

“And I’ve been following him to many events because we work as a team, we have always been,” she added.

Mrs Goh added that she also had to prepare the family by having “honest conversations” with their children. /TISG