Former presidential candidate and opposition leader Tan Cheng Bock’s endorsement of fellow candidate Tan Kin Lian has sparked some strong feelings in 2023 candidate Ng Kok Song.
To Mr Ng, opposition leaders “ganging up” to support Tan Kin Lian is an act of dishonour and disrespect to the presidency.
He also argued that this has made the presidential election into a general election, which is wrong in his view.
All this calls into question what being an independent candidate means, said the former GIC chief investment officer. As such, Mr Ng reemphasised the need for a non-partisan president.
On the morning of Monday (28 Aug), presidential candidate Mr Ng Kok Song visited Ayer Rajah Food Centre.
He held a media doorstop at the West Coast hawker centre before going on his walkabout.
There, Mr Ng elaborated on his thoughts about Progress Singapore Party (PSP) founder Tan Cheng Bock’s endorsement of Tan Kin Lian.
Mr Ng said opposition leaders were “ganging up” to support the ex-NTUC Income chief’s bid for the presidency.
“What happened yesterday was an act of dishonour, disrespect, contempt for the office of the presidency. You’ve mixed up the presidency with gutter politics,” he declared.
“I will not stand for politicians making a mockery of the presidency.”
Secondly, Mr Ng highlighted that this development has turned the presidential election into a general election.
This is wrong. This is very very wrong. Why can’t the political parties concerned wait for two years for the next general election?
He also stated that the presidential election is not the time for opposition parties to make their points.
“They are doing an act of great disservice to the people of Singapore by confusing the people of Singapore,” he stressed.
Mr Ng then pointed out the irony that the opposition leaders are supposedly supporting Mr Tan as he is an independent candidate.
“How can Tan Kin Lian say he’s an independent candidate, but he’s dependent on those opposition party leaders — what sort of independence is that?” questioned Mr Ng.
Image by MS News
Additionally, Mr Ng called out Mr Tan for suggesting he might appoint those supporting him into the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA).
“Isn’t that a form of corruption? So what sort of independence is that?”
However, in a subsequent clarification after the doorstop, Mr Ng clarified that he was not ascribing any criminal intent to the act. Rather, he was suggesting that such an act could be perceived as a “moral perversion of the CPA”.
Finally, Mr Ng added that all the confusion and politicisation would not have happened if the presidential election was non-partisan.
According to him, a non-partisan election is one where no candidates have the support or endorsement of any political party.
Mr Ng explained that in this presidential election, one candidate has the support of opposition parties. On the other hand, another candidate has the endorsement of the government.
Image by MS News
As such, he is the only candidate who does not have the support or endorsement of any political party, he said.
He thinks that it is now a matter of great urgency that from this election onwards, Singapore should have non-partisan presidents.
“If we don’t do that at this presidential election, we are going to be trapped into this quagmire, into this quicksand where every time there’s a presidential election, it becomes a proxy general election. So, I’m very concerned that this has happened.”
Besides Mr Ng, Tharman Shanmugaratnam also issued a statement regarding the development.
In his statement, Tharman urged his fellow candidates to ‘avoid politicising’ the presidential election.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Tan Cheng Bock on Facebook.
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