Tharman Says We Should Avoid Labels Based On Political Affiliations As They’re Too ‘Simplistic’

Tharman Says Previous Candidates & Presidents Would Have Been Ruled Out If We Went By Simple Labels

As the Presidential Election (PE) campaign rolls on, candidates are now only left with two more days to convince voters of their worthiness to be President.

The three candidates had another chance to let voters know more about them when they participated in the election season’s first and only “live” forum.

One of the central issues in recent days was about the election being “politicised”, which was also a topic that came up during the forum.

To that, former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam replied that we should move past “simplistic” labels of affiliations to political parties.

He added that many past candidates would’ve been ruled out if we did so.

3 candidates field questions during Singapore Presidential Forum

The candidates were fielding questions during the Singapore Presidential Forum hosted by Channel NewsAsia (CNA) on Monday (28 Aug) night.

The one-hour program involved host Otelli Edwards asking Mr Tharman, Mr Ng Kok Song and Mr Tan Kin Lian a series of questions.

They would then take turns answering them within the same amount of allotted time, after which their mics would be muted.

Candidates asked how they can be impartial as President

During the forum, Ms Edwards pointed out that each of the three men have been linked to either the establishment, the ruling party or the opposition.

While Mr Tharman resigned from the People’s Action Party (PAP) and all his political posts on 7 July, Mr Ng served as chief investment officer of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) for six years.

Mr Tan, who used to be CEO of NTUC Income, has been endorsed by former PE2011 rivals Tan Jee Say and Tan Cheng Bock, who now lead opposition parties.

How, then, she asked, can they convince voters that:

1. they’re not politicising the election, and
2. they will exercise their powers without fear or favour if elected

Labels based on political party membership are too simplistic: Tharman

Mr Tharman told the panel that they should avoid “simple labels”.

He elaborated on that by saying:

If we go with the label of whether you’ve been a member of a political party or not, I think that’s extremely simplistic.

Such labels would’ve ruled out past presidents & candidates: Tharman

He pointed out that going by this, past presidents and candidates would’ve been ruled out, including:

1. President Ong Teng Cheong
2. President Tony Tan
3. Dr Tan Cheng Bock

He said it would also have discounted people who were not part of a political party but “owed their positions to their bosses who were ministers,” including senior civil servants.

He added that these people aren’t necessarily obligated to their bosses because of that, as it depends on the individual’s character and track record.

Assess candidates individually instead of labels: Tharman

Mr Tharman said the election should be a contest between individuals.

As such, candidates should be assessed based on their four aspects:

1. character
2. spine
3. track record
4. whether they have the trust of voters

Tan Kin Lian would rather focus on the people’s problems

Mr Tan, true to his claim to be the “People’s President”, felt that it’s more important to focus on the problems that the people are facing.

He noted that Singapore has problems that haven’t been solved over the “past decades”, including low birth rate and “life becoming more difficult”.

Thus, he doesn’t believe in politicking, he said, because it’s taking away time that should be spent on understanding and solving the problems.

He added that these are very important problems, and we shouldn’t be thinking about whether we’re “politicising” them.

Not helpful to politicise solutions: Tan

To that end, Mr Tan also said he disagreed with the framing of any solution as “politicising”, elaborating by adding,

It is not helpful when you are solving difficult problems to mix up the concept, “Is this the solution of party A or party B?”

Rather, he sees the role of the President as problem-solving: Finding out what the problems facing the people are, whether they understand them, and what the possible solutions are.

Thus, he thinks we should use all available resources and knowledge to focus on the problems and find their best solutions.

Ng Kok Seng says he has zero political affiliations

Mr Ng said that he’s standing as a person who’s not part of any political party.

In fact, he described himself as the “only non-partisan candidate” in this PE.

Thus, he added, “there’s no better safeguard” than someone with zero political affiliations for a “non-politicised” PE.

Dangerous to have President supported by a political party: Ng

Mr Ng also warned about having a President who’s supported or endorsed by “any political party”, saying,

There’s a danger that the President cannot act without fear or favour.

That’s because the President might have been “influenced in serving the political agenda” of the parties concerned, he added.

Let the voters decide

So far, both Mr Tharman and Mr Ng have separately warned against politicising the PE.

While it may be too simplistic to label a candidate as “partisan” or “non-partisan”, it usually comes down to such easy distinctions for most.

Can there really be a President who is truly non-partisan? The voters will have to decide.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Channel NewsAsia on YouTube.