George Goh Still Unknown To Most S’poreans, Needs Relatability To Challenge Tharman: Analyst

George Goh Faces An Uphill Battle Against Tharman To Make Himself More Known, Says Analyst

Earlier in June, 63-year-old George Goh Ching Wah declared that he was running for the presidential election, which has to take place by September 2023, against popular Jurong GRC MP Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

However, prior to this announcement, few had heard of the entrepreneur, who served as a non-resident ambassador to Morocco from 2017 to June 2023.

He was not in the public eye until the past year when he began to give interviews to the media and created social media accounts.

It is telling that in the press release announcing his intention to contest the election, he said this:

Mr Goh will contest as an independent candidate. He has no political party affiliations — past or present. He has no political baggage. He was never in the public sector.

But whether that is enough for Singaporeans to vote for him over Tharman remains to be seen, considering his public visibility is still vastly lower.

MS News spoke to Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, Senior International Affairs Analyst with Solaris Strategies Singapore, to get his thoughts on how George Goh can overcome the primary difficulty of being less familiar to Singaporeans than Tharman.

Increasing presence in the public eye important for George Goh, still unknown compared to Tharman

Unlike Tharman, who’s a household name in Singapore, George Goh isn’t as known to the average Singaporean.

“An average voter is likely to pick the candidate best able to relate to them as a known public figure,” Dr Mustafa told MS News.

Perhaps being aware of this, and knowing his adversary, Goh has come out to differentiate himself from Tharman, who is seen as an establishment figure.

However, Goh is likely facing an uphill battle and a race against time to get himself known to as many average Singaporeans as possible.

“The known versus the unknown or less known is a key determinant affecting voter behaviour, with the average Singaporean likely to go for the known so long this person has the credentials, which Tharman certainly has,” Dr Mustafa explained.

Mr Goh has stepped up his online presence and is starting to give more interviews, which will increase visibility to people who frequently check social media.

But he certainly cannot ignore the people on the ground, many of whom may have only seen him when he was at a doorstop outside the Elections Department (ELD).

Without avenues accessible to an establishment candidate, such as grassroots and community events, it will be up to Mr Goh to be at as many places as possible in the next few months.

Familiarity on its own can’t win a presidential race, but it certainly helps

At the same time, familiarity on its own can’t win a presidential election race, Dr Mustafa warned.

He noted that relatability, empathy, intellectuality, statesmanship, impartiality and independent-mindedness also matter to voters.

Tharman pointed out in his announcement to retire from politics that impartiality will be important if he becomes President.

Tharman’s reputation as a statesman cannot be ignored. His years as a high-level advisor and member in places such as the United Nations will be highly valuable should he be President.

His history as Finance Minister can’t be ignored either, and who can forget the strong sentiments calling for him to be the next Prime Minister?

It took a public announcement from him stating he has no intention to be PM for the calls to die down a little.

But he also needs to win the average Singaporean over to win an election.

In his announcement, he expressed his wish to “represent the unity of Singaporeans, of all races and religions, social backgrounds, and political persuasions at a time when views in the population are becoming more diverse.”

Luckily, that doesn’t appear to be a problem for Tharman, as his election results have been stellar.

In 2020, his Jurong GRC won 74.62% of the vote while he served as anchoring minister. Five years earlier, at GE2015, he won 79.3% of the vote.

We have to caveat that his opposition in both elections were newly-formed parties with either new or less established members.

However, it proves that Tharman has a strong pull over thousands, which should help in a presidential race.

“A candidate with a known name has the advantage of familiarity, which can sway voters to their side,” Dr Mustafa said.

Though race might be a factor to some, this may prove less likely in a presidential race.

Bank on relatability & self-made tale

Born in a kampung in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, George Goh came to Singapore when he turned 16 and started to work in a shoe factory as a sweeper.

By 22, he had started his first business.

Today, he owns and manages numerous companies, including Ossia Harvey Norman and World of Sports.

Dr Mustafa mused that this inspirational Singaporean rags-to-riches entrepreneurial tale could enhance its relatability to the domestic populace.

Additionally, the fact he was never in the public sector may differentiate him from Tharman.

Dr Mustafa added, “It takes tremendous personal courage to throw one’s hat into the presidential ring, and his strategic posturing of non-partisanship, independent-mindedness and entrepreneurial dynamism, which are his unique selling points, could resonate with Singaporeans.”

The more he differentiates himself from Tharman, the more interest he will generate, which he should hope can be translated into voter support should he get to contest the presidency.

Either way, having a contest should suit Singapore, especially Tharman, who wishes for the election to be contested. Should George Goh’s eligibility be confirmed, Singaporeans will go to the polls by September.

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Featured image by MS News and adapted from the Prime Minister’s Office.