Tharman Says Singapore Is Ready Anytime For A Non-Chinese PM
In Singapore, where there’s a racial quota in politics, race may be a factor voters consider when making their choice. But they often have other considerations too.
At least that’s how presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam believes Singaporeans today are choosing their leaders.
The former Senior Minister feels that Singaporeans today look at political candidates “in totality”, beyond just their race.
In fact, Mr Tharman said that Singapore is ready “anytime” for a non-Chinese Prime Minister (PM).
Tharman says Singapore is ready for non-Chinese PM
At a town hall on Friday (25 Aug) as part of his election campaign, Mr Tharman went on stage in front of attendees at Pasir Panjang Power Station to take on both light-hearted questions and more serious ones.
One of the questions raised was, “How will we know when Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese PM?”
Mr Tharman’s response to this familiar question was surprisingly direct:
I think Singapore is ready anytime for a non-Chinese PM.
Singaporeans look at candidates ‘in totality’ beyond just race
Elaborating on his response, the former Deputy PM acknowledged that race is a factor everywhere in the world but is not the sole consideration.
Closer to home, Mr Tharman said Singaporeans today consider other factors compared to voters from 40 to 50 years ago.
Apart from race, he believes that they look at candidates “in totality”, including attributes like a candidate’s capabilities, courage, character, and contributions.
“Race might be always lurking [in the back of] people’s minds, but it’s not the only issue”, he said.
Ending his response, Mr Tharman said that if a “superior candidate” for the Prime Minister’s Office comes along, they can be made a PM. And that, in his view, is a hallmark of progress in a society.
Also read: What You See Is What You Get: Tharman Says He’s A Known Entity In S’pore
What You See Is What You Get: Tharman Says He’s A Known Entity In S’pore
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Featured image by MS News. Photography by Iqmall Hayat.
