Kishore Mahbubani Becomes 2nd Diplomat To Support Tharman As President, Lists 3 Reasons

Kishore Mahbubani Voices Support For Tharman Shanmugaratnam As President

Yesterday (22 Aug), former diplomat Mr Tommy Koh revealed that he would support Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam in the 2023 presidential race.

Now, yet another diplomat, Mr Kishore Mahbubani, has stepped forward to voice his support for Mr Tharman.

He listed three reasons for doing so, describing the former deputy prime minister as someone capable of managing geopolitical stress, seeding big thoughts and forging national unity.

Kishore Mahbubani supports Tharman Shanmugaratnam for President

On Wednesday (23 Aug), Mr Kishore posted to LinkedIn, declaring his support for Mr Tharman as President.

“By voting for Tharman, you will give a major positive boost to the future of Singapore,” he said.

He then gave three reasons for supporting Mr Tharman in the presidential race.

The first was Mr Tharman’s capabilities in managing geopolitical stress.

Mr Kishore stated that having studied geopolitics for over 50 years, he could predict that Singapore and Southeast Asia would face “great geopolitical stress” in the next decade.

“It’s the job of the government, not the President, to deal with geopolitical stress,” he noted. “Still, it would help to have a President who is globally respected.”

He then pointed out that few Singaporeans commanded as high a level of respect from key capitals, such as Washington DC and Beijing, as Mr Tharman.

“This high global standing will provide Singapore with another layer of protection as we navigate stormy geopolitical waters,” he said.

Efficient in forging national unity

Mr Kishore’s second reason for supporting Mr Tharman was his ability to forge national unity.

Acknowledging recent political scandals, he stated that Singapore had undergone some domestic stress as of late.

“There’s a sense of disquiet in the air,” he said. “If ever there was a moment in Singapore’s history when we needed an inspirational figure as president, this is it.”

Mr Kishore added that Mr Tharman could inspire respect in a way few other Singaporeans could, stating:

He is a truly unifying figure who can bring together all Singaporeans: rich and poor, privileged and less privileged, Chinese and Malays, Indians and Eurasians — indeed, all of us.

The diplomat also noted that Mr Tharman had always gained votes in strong numbers within his Parliamentary constituency for good reason.

“All those who have dealt with him personally can tell you that he has a big heart,” he said. “His big heart will infuse our national spirit with high levels of care and compassion for each other.”

Able to seed big thoughts

Mr Kishore shared that he has been a friend of Mr Tharman for over 30 years.

As such, he considered the presidential candidate a “deep thinker” whose mind constantly wrestled with “great intellectual challenges.”

“That’s why his speeches are often brilliant,” he praised.

In addition, Mr Kishore said that despite being a deep and serious thinker, Mr Tharman had a “remarkable” sense of humour.

For example, he brought up Mr Tharman’s iconic dialogue with BBC presenter Stephen Sackur, during which the former expertly tackled difficult questions.

“His big thoughts and good cheer will also help to lift our spirits, in good times and bad times,” he said.

Mr Kishore ultimately ended his post by urging Singaporeans to vote for Mr Tharman and share his statement to spread the word.

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Featured image adapted from Kishore Mahbubani on LinkedIn and Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Facebook.