SINGAPORE: After the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces stepped down and speculation arose that he would be fielded as a candidate for the upcoming polls, one commenter quipped, “That’s why it’s called the general election, not major or colonel election.”
Goh Pei Ming’s resignation took effect on Monday (March 31), though The Straits Times reported that the 42-year-old brigadier-general has been tight-lipped thus far regarding his future plans in the political arena. It added, however, that he just created a public Facebook profile.
While the joke landed with the weight of boomer energy, others did not disagree, with one Facebook user chiming in with, “Aiya all going to be politicians.”
There are three former military personnel who may be contesting in the upcoming election. The other two are Major-General David Neo, who resigned as Chief Of Army on March 21, and former brigadier-general Dinesh Vasu Dash.
It should be noted, however, that Mr Goh has served as a grassroots leader at the Kampong Chai Chee Constituency for eight years.
It is not unusual for the ruling People’s Action Party to recruit would-be candidates from the SAF, with former brigadier-general Desmond Tan, now Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC MP, and former lieutenant-general Ng Chee Meng as examples. Mr Ng, current NTUC Secretary-General and former Education Minister, had been part of the PAP team that lost at Sengkang GRC in the 2020 GE but appears poised to re-enter the political arena at Jalan Kayu SMC this year.
In the current cabinet, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing is also a former SAF man, having reached the rank of major-general and served as Chief of Army between 2010 and 2011, leaving the SAF in 2011 when he entered politics. The proliferation of former officers among MPs has led some in Singapore to question the SAF-to-politics path, wondering whether military officers make the city-state’s best leaders.
News of Mr Goh’s resignation has given rise to a lot of comments online, such as the following from one Reddit user, who joked: “At this rate, we might need a Central Military Commission within PAP.”
On Facebook, national marathoner Soh Rui Yong, who is known for his outspoken ways, wrote, “Ah the General Election. Where the generals come to get elected.” Others, because of Mr Goh’s army career, joked that he was “parachuting in” just in time for the polls.
One Reddit user sounded quite jaded, writing, “Okay. Here we go again…,” to which another replied, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
However, another commenter had a stronger reaction, writing, “I’m so sick of this. Do we only want people trained to follow orders to lead us? We need fresh ideas. The SG leadership idea factory reeks of mothballs.” /TISG
Read also: Ex-SAF women in politics: Gan Siow Huang and Poh Li San in profile