Although the Presidential Forum last night (28 Aug) did not create quite a stir, some things the candidates said apparently rubbed off wrongly on each other.
Specifically, Mr Ng Kok Song was somewhat unhappy with Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s comment about companies that rely on Government money or contracts.
Believing that the remark was aimed at him, Mr Ng released a statement this evening (29 Aug) in response to it.
Aware of the statement, Mr Tharman provided his own response at a doorstop later that same night.
At a doorstop at Sengkang Square on Tuesday (29 Aug) evening, Mr Tharman addressed the statement by Mr Ng about his comments during the recent Presidential Forum.
Tharman greeting supporters at the walkabout at Sengkang Square
In particular, he responded to reporters’ queries about Mr Ng’s remark that it’s “dangerous” for a former Finance Minister to run for President.
Mr Tharman first reiterated his reminder to fellow candidates to avoid politicising the election. Instead, voters should focus on more important aspects, such as track records and contributions.
I believe that’s how we can uphold the character of the elected presidency. Keep politics out of it.
Acknowledging Mr Ng’s consistent positioning of past political affiliations as a disadvantage, Mr Tharman presumes that his fellow candidate often makes that comment to distinguish himself.
Deeming political affiliations as “simplistic” and “opportunistic” labels, Mr Tharman said looking at that alone rules out past leaders like the late Mr Ong Teng Cheong.
Moreover, following Mr Ng’s line of thought, he asked about the status of those whose jobs depend on political figures appointing or promoting them. By that reasoning, all those in the public sector would have to be ruled out as political figures often appoint them.
He also gave the example of a private company that depends on Government contracts. Despite the connections, it doesn’t mean an individual cannot be independent.
This harkens back to his remark at the Forum, where he said,
Let’s say you have a private company, you have a construction company that depends on government contracts. Or you have a fund management company that depends on government monies. Does that make you not independent? Not necessarily. It depends on your character, your track record.
Mr Tharman emphasised that just because someone’s job relies on public money, we cannot assume that they’re not independent.
Ultimately, Mr Tharman concluded that Mr Ng had “completely misquoted” his statement at the Forum. He supposed the latter’s team may have failed to check exactly what he said.
The former Senior Minister summarised his actual point as,
Whether you’re a member of a political party, or you’re a top civil servant, or you’re running a company that’s dependent on public money, the main issue is your character.
As candidates are fighting for a prime leadership position, Mr Tharman expressed his worries that sweeping statements were still being made and urged them to “move past these simplistic labels and sweeping statements”.
Of note, he brought up Mr Ng’s claim that a former political party member would serve the party’s agenda if he’s elected President.
Regarding the presumption as “absurd”, Mr Tharman wondered if that meant that presidents before, who came from political parties, had been serving their affiliates’ agenda.
Tharman and his wife (right) taking pictures with supporters
The other such statement was Mr Ng’s issue with Mr Tharman’s history as Singapore’s former Finance Minister. Instead of seeing it negatively, Mr Tharman views his experience as an advantage.
He noted his involvement in shaping the system that draws income from the nation’s Reserves, the Net Investment Returns Contribution (NIRC).
Thanks to NIRC, he claimed that Singapore now derives over S$23 billion in income from investments compared to S$3 billion before.
At the end of the day, he asked the public to figure out for themselves whether his experience was an advantage or not, stating that it was a commonsensical question.
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Featured image by MS News.
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