Ng Kok Song says he is the only non-partisan candidate as Tharman was a PAP leader and Tan Kin Lian was endorsed by two members of opposition parties

SINGAPORE: Presidential candidate Ng Kok Song spelled out what he considered to be the difference between an “independent” and an “establishment” candidate during a doorstop interview with members of the press at the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital (KWSH) on Thursday (Aug 24).

Mr Ng Kok Song was asked about his political affiliations in light of the positions he held in both GIC and MAS. Mr Ng served as the chief investment officer of GIC between 2007 and 2013, and director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 1985 and 1986.

Mr Ng Kok Song said he thought there was a mix-up between the words “establishment” and “independence”. He cited the Constitution and said that those standing for the role of president should not belong to any political party.

However, due to the difficulty in getting enough people without any political connection to come forward, it was technically enough if one resigned one’s political office “two or three months” before nomination.

“So I think that is a technical way of complying, but I think it misses the spirit of it,” he said.

He opined that the spirit of the Constitution called for “a non-partisan president”, a president who was not associated with any party.

In his view, he said, he was the only one who could claim to be a non-partisan candidate. As for his fellow candidates, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam had been a member and leader of the People’s Action Party (PAP) until July, and Mr. Tan Kin Lian had been a PAP member decades ago and was now endorsed by two members of opposition parties.

In June 2023, Mr. Tharman announced his intention to be a candidate in the 2023 presidential election. He resigned from all his positions in the government and as a member of the PAP in July 2023.

Mr Tan Kin Lian was a member of the PAP for 30 years. He left the party in 2008 due to his disagreement with the party’s value system. He is endorsed by the former Singaporeans First (SingFirst) chief Tan Jee Say and People’s Voice founder Lim Tean. /TISG

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