As Singaporeans gear up for a potential polling day on 1 Sep, the nation’s presidential hopefuls have upped the ante in their preparations.
The four men have since received significant press coverage for their media conferences and community walkabouts.
They have also made remarks about their opponents — though thankfully, none too sinister or unsportsmanlike.
Here’s what George Goh, Tan Kin Lian, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Ng Kok Song have said about each other so far.
Out of the four presidential hopefuls, three are considered independent, except Mr Tharman.
Like Mr Goh and Mr Tan, Mr Ng has raised questions about the former Deputy Prime Minister’s independence of mind.
He said the following to the press after a Geylang Serai visit on 27 July:
Our present is related to our past. We cannot easily separate our present from our past.
Mr Ng noted that Mr Tharman served “many years in political leadership”.
As such, he urged the public to come to their own conclusions despite the latter’s claim of party independence.
Mr Ng has put himself in the same boat as Mr Tharman when it comes to understanding Singapore’s reserves.
Meanwhile, he believes that the other two hopefuls lack the expertise to do so.
Speaking at the Huang Clan Association on 13 Aug, Mr Ng said that “of course” Tharman would understand the past reserves as a former Finance Minister.
However, he had doubts that Mr Goh and Mr Tan understood its intricacies.
Mr Ng asserted that safeguarding the reserves isn’t a “simple matter” and said:
I think it does require some financial competence, some understanding and knowledge of how the global economy works, how the Singapore economy is connected to the global economy … we mustn’t assume that it’s an easy thing.
As such, the 75-year-old believed that he had the upper hand when it came to financial expertise.
Still, Mr Tan remains confident in his abilities despite Mr Ng’s doubts.
On 14 Aug, the former highlighted that NTUC Income’s assets grew from S$28 million in 1977 to S$17 billion in 2007 when he was its chief executive officer (CEO).
Speaking to the press during his visit to Sengkang Kopitiam Square food centre, he said:
I have certain principles about investing for the long term, investing in the secure investments to give a good long-term return.
Mr Tan even claimed that his experience is “maybe better” than GIC — the company at which Mr Ng was the chief investment officer.
On multiple occasions, Mr Tan has voiced his worry regarding splitting the votes among independent candidates.
He has, as such, broached the topic of stepping down should both he and Mr Goh qualify as candidates.
Mr Tan first put forth the idea when he announced his presidential bid.
Since then, he has reiterated his idea to the press — such as during his walkabout at Jurong West on Tuesday (15 Aug).
There, he said:
If both of us qualify, I still think it is a good idea that we should discuss who should step down, because it’s not good to have a split vote among those who want to have an independent president.
Mr Tan, though, assured in a separate statement to the press that he still respects Mr George Goh, “no matter what he says”.
Then, on Thursday (17 Aug), Mr Tan declared that he would step aside if Mr Goh were to qualify to run.
Mr George Goh, however, seems to disagree with his opponent’s idea.
On Wednesday (16 Aug), Mr Goh took the time to address Mr Tan’s assertions ahead of his Bukit Panjang walkabout.
He emphasised that the election is a serious matter and that “nobody should tell anybody to step down”.
(The) election is a very serious matter, it is not like the two individuals sit at a coffee shop and we talk about presidential (campaign), who to come in … Focus (on) your campaign, and let the voters make the decision.
Mr Goh also advised Mr Tan to instead focus on preparing his campaign materials.
Previously, the former had also responded to Mr Tan when he first verbalised the suggestion.
He remarked that the two of them did not have an agreement with each other for one of them to step down.
While the three independent candidates have responded — albeit indirectly — to one another’s comments, Mr Tharman has no intention to get involved in any crossfire.
During a sit-down interview with Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the presidential hopeful expressed his “respect” for the three men.
More specifically, he looked up to each of their life experiences and what they bring to the table.
“I’m not just saying this rhetorically or because it sounds good,” said the former DPM.
He also believed that Singapore would judge fairly based on who brings the most experience in terms of their track record.
While Mr George Goh and Mr Tan Kin Lian have gotten into a minor argument of sorts recently, neither has crossed the line.
Be it through walkabouts or their impassioned soundbites to the press, all four hopefuls have expressed their desire for the position in recent weeks.
With the competition already heating up, Singaporeans can hopefully look forward to inspired campaigns — should more than one receive the certificate of eligibility.
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Featured image adapted from MS News, Tan Kin Lian on Facebook and Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Facebook.
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