3 Big Names Who Could Challenge Tharman For Presidency If They Decided To Run

Possible Candidates Who Could Challenge Tharman For Singapore Presidency

We’re counting down the months till the end of President Halimah Yacob’s term in office. Although Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam made a surprise announcement about his intention to run for presidency, the question of who the other candidates may be — if any — remains.

Considering the 66-year-old’s formidable reputation in politics, his contenders will have to match up too.

Taking this factor into consideration, here are some candidates who could challenge Mr Tharman in the election. Among the three, only Mr George Goh seems the most likely contender.

1. George Goh Ching Wah (Likely)

Though his name may not sound familiar, Mr George Goh has built a rather noteworthy repertoire.

The self-proclaimed entrepreneur, philanthropist, diplomat and youth mentor chairs several companies, including Ossia International Ltd and Internet Technology Group.

He’s also on the board of multiple organisations and is an advisor to many more. On the political front, Mr Goh has been Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Morocco since June 2017.

But most notably, he’s the founder of Harvey Norman Ossia Pte Ltd, a major electronics retailer here.

The 63-year-old told Lianhe Zaobao in an interview that he has been working with the Australian-based brand for 23 years.

He played a huge role in convincing the owner to expand into Singapore and Southeast Asia, with the first store opening on our shores in 2001.

Now, the company has about 28 outlets in Singapore and 14 in Malaysia.

Mr Goh’s success wasn’t an easy road as he was born into poverty. Unable to care for all their children, his parents had to give two daughters up for adoption.

At 16, Mr Goh dropped out of school to support his family as a sweeper in a shoe-manufacturing factory. There, he picked up shoemaking skills and later started his own business at 22.

Over the next 40 years, he expanded his expertise vastly and established quite a reputation for himself. Through it all, Mr Goh remembers to give back with Border Mission, which supports elderly cardboard collectors and people with disabilities.

Most recently, he received an honours degree in music from Trinity College London after taking an exam for classical opera.

Possessing a strong passion for the arts, entrepreneurship, and the community, Mr Goh will be quite a formidable candidate if he were to run for President. Moreover, The Straits Times (ST) identified him as a possible candidate too.

2. Tan Cheng Bock (Unlikely)

No stranger to the race for presidency, Dr Tan Cheng Bock lost by a mere 0.35% of votes to Dr Tony Tan in the 2011 election.

After withdrawing from the spotlight for several years, he announced his return to politics in 2019, with the introduction of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

The party contested 24 seats in nine constituencies in the 2020 General Election (GE). In the end, the team at West Coast GRC, led by Dr Tan himself, came closest to winning.

They secured 48.31% of votes to the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) 51.69%, losing by just a slight margin. While the close call meant that PSP earned two Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seats, Dr Tan didn’t want the role, which went to Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leong Mun Wai.

In 2021, he assumed the position of PSP’s Chairman, hoping to connect with more Singaporeans and scout new talents.

Not long ago in May 2023, Dr Tan shared in a press conference his plans for the next GE in 2025. If he were to commit to those plans and remain in PSP, we won’t see him in this year’s presidential campaign.

But like Mr Tharman’s sudden announcement, anything could happen in the coming weeks. For that reason, we’re sure everyone will be on the lookout for more exciting news.

With a wealth of experience thanks to his 26 years as MP of Ayer Rajah, Dr Tan would be more than familiar with Singapore’s political landscape.

If he wins and makes it to the end of a six-year term, he would be 89, making him the oldest President after the late Mr S. R. Nathan.

3. George Yeo (Unlikely)

Another interesting, though highly unlikely, contender would be Mr George Yeo.

Prior to his foray into politics, Mr Yeo rose up the ranks in the Singapore Army before crossing over to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), where he attained the rank of Brigadier-General.

He resigned to join the PAP in 1988, when he also became one of the first MPs of the then newly formed Aljunied GRC.

Over the next 23 years, he led various ministries including:

• Information and the Arts (1991–1999)
• Health (1994–1997)
• Trade and Industry (1999–2004)
• Foreign Affairs (2004–2011)

Mr Yeo’s run came to an end in 2011, when the PAP lost Aljunied GRC to the Workers’ Party. That same year, he stepped down from PAP’s Central Elective Community and left politics entirely.

His name apparently came up for the presidency too, but Mr Yeo declined, saying he was a “free spirit” and wasn’t “temperamentally suited for such a job”.

He later moved to the private sector, taking on chairman and advisory roles in prominent institutions. He also participates in economic forums regularly, sharing his knowledge and expertise.

In August 2022, when the topic of the presidency resurfaced in interviews with Yahoo and Lianhe Zaobao, Mr Yeo squashed all chances of him running for President.

The 68-year-old did so again at a talk in Hong Kong in March 2023. Nevertheless, observers quoted by ST still threw his name into the ring.

While the chances of Mr Yeo changing his mind seem slim to none, we can’t rule him out completely yet. And if he does end up campaigning, this year’s election will be one to watch.

Who do you think will be possible contenders for the presidency? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Featured image adapted from Progress Singapore Party on Facebook and George Goh Ching Wah.