During Channel NewsAsia’s (CNA) Presidential Forum on Monday (28 Aug), Mr Tharman pointed out that it’s “extremely simplistic” to label candidates merely based on their affiliation or non-affiliation with political parties.
Mr Tharman also said that doing so would’ve “ruled out” many presidents and candidates “who have owed their positions to their bosses” who were then in the government.
Today (29 Aug), Mr Ng issued a statement rejecting Mr Tharman’s comments, claiming the latter is “taking the point too far”.
Mr Ng took issue with his opponent’s comparison of those with past political affiliations and anyone who’s dependent on the government in some way.
He pointed out that Mr Tharman “might as well say all Singaporeans are beholden to the government” since its policies affect everyone.
During CNA’s Presidential Forum on Monday (28 Aug), the candidates were asked about how they plan on proving that:
When it came to Mr Ng’s turn to speak, the 75-year-old described himself as the “only non-partisan candidate” in the presidential election (PE).
Mr Ng also warned against having a president who has been “supported or endorsed by a political party”.
He said that there’s a risk that they might not be able to act without fear or favour.
Mr Tharman, who spoke after Mr Ng, then stressed that the PE is a contest between individuals, based on their own merits.
Source: CNA on YouTube
The former Senior Minister also said that it’s “extremely simplistic” to label candidates based on their affiliations with political parties.
In fact, he pointed out that doing so would rule out previous presidents and hopefuls such as Mr Ong Teng Cheong, Mr Tony Tan, and Mr Tan Cheng Bok.
Mr Tharman also warned that this might extend to those “who have owed their positions to their bosses who were ministers in the government of the day”.
He then included a cryptic reference to someone from a “fund management company that depends on government monies”.
On Tuesday (29 Aug), Mr Ng issued a statement rejecting Mr Tharman’s comments during the CNA forum.
Source: CNA on YouTube
In the statement, Mr Ng accused Mr Tharman of “taking the point too far” by comparing individuals with past political affiliations to others who are dependent on the government “in some way”.
“He might as well say all Singaporeans are beholden to the government,” said Mr Ng, noting that everyone is impacted by its policies.
The 75-year-old continued by saying that the president must receive their mandate directly from Singaporeans.
He said that it’d be inappropriate and a waste of resources if the Elected Presidency gets its mandate “from, or in opposition to” the same political parties that contest in the General Elections.
Mr Ng also pointed out Singaporeans’ alleged perception that the PAP is controlling all national institutions and key appointment holders.
He claims that this is the reason behind Singaporeans’ political cynicism.
Additionally, Mr Ng observes that political discourse today is generally between those who are “pro-PAP” or “anti-PAP”.
He opined that such discourse is “unhealthy and divisive”, causing people to forget that they’re all Singaporeans.
To put an end to such a “divisive paradigm”, Mr Ng stressed that it’s important to have a non-partisan candidate who does not have political affiliations.
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Featured image adapted from CNA on YouTube.
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