Tharman a 'formidable opponent', but President should not have belonged to the PAP: Ng Kok Song

SINGAPORE: Fellow presidential hopeful Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a "formidable opponent", but Singapore's President should not belong to the People's Action Party (PAP), said Mr Ng Kok Song on Saturday (Aug 19).

Speaking to journalists during a visit to Kovan 209 Market and Food Centre, Mr Ng described Mr Tharman as the government-endorsed candidate, and pointed out that the former senior minister as well as potential candidate Tan Kin Lian were both PAP party members at some point.

"I was never a member of the People's Action Party. And I think this is an important difference because when we talk about safeguarding the reserves, when we talk about safeguarding the integrity of the public service, you want to have both an internal auditor and an external auditor," he added.

"Internal auditor is 'ownself check ownself', it can be all right, but it can be bad. So you need an external auditor. The external auditor is the person who has not belonged to the People's Action Party."

This was Mr Ng's first community visit after he received his Certificate of Eligibility on Friday. Nomination proceedings will take place on Aug 22. If more than one candidate is nominated, Singaporeans will go to the polls on Sep 1.

When asked about how he thinks he will fare in the presidential race against Mr Tharman, Mr Ng said: "Tharman is a formidable opponent. It is like David versus Goliath ... it is possible. I hope the people of Singapore will help David."

As a candidate not endorsed by the government, Mr Ng described himself as the underdog facing a lot of challenges.

"I have a very small team of helpers ... Many organisations, business organisations, civic organisations, they are afraid to invite me because they do not want to offend the government," he continued.

"So who is my formidable opponent? It is definitely the government-endorsed candidate."

FEELS SORRY FOR GEORGE GOH, QUESTIONS TAN KIN LIAN'S MOTIVATION

Mr Ng also responded to questions about his reaction to the announcement that only three of the four candidates who had put their names forward would be eligible to run for President. Founder of Harvey Norman Ossia George Goh did not qualify.

"I'm relieved that the PEC (Presidential Elections Committee), understands that at GIC, the chief investment officer is as important as the CEO," he said.

Mr Ng also said he felt sorry for Mr Goh when he heard that he had not qualified.

"He was very brave to come forward. There was a lot of uncertainty about whether he is going to qualify, he spent so much time campaigning, he even spent a lot of money preparing. And now all that has no point because he has not qualified," he added.

"I admire his bravery, his courage in coming forward. I feel sad for him, speaking for myself as a candidate, I know what it's like to have spent so much time and effort, and yet (he was) not qualified."

Mr Ng also responded to Mr Tan's opinion that both himself and Mr Tharman are perceived to be establishment candidates.

Speaking to journalists on Friday afternoon after the PEC published its decision, Mr Tan told journalists that he was confident that he would get the majority of the votes from people who want an independent President, since Mr Goh will not be contesting.

Mr Tan then reiterated that he is an independent candidate, while Mr Tharman and Mr Ng "represent the establishment candidate".

"The votes will not be split. Therefore, I'm very confident that this very large segment will support me," Mr Tan said on Friday.

In his response on Saturday, Mr Ng doubled down on his position as an independent candidate, having never been a part of any political party.

"In the coming days, you have to examine what is Mr Tan Kin Lian's motivation? Why is he standing for election?" he added.

PROTECTING SINGAPORE'S RESERVES

Mr Ng also responded to a question about how his experience at the Monetary Authority of Singapore and GIC would be relevant to the President's role of safeguarding Singapore's reserves.

Singapore's reserves "is not a simple matter", he said, adding that because of his 45 years of experience working on building and investing Singapore's reserves, he understands the matter well.

"Now if the day arrives when a bad government wants to use our past reserves, I will know how to say no. Because I understand the international economic environment, how the Singapore economy will be very badly affected, to what extent, if there's a crisis," he added.

"For the President to safeguard the reserves, he must have domain expertise. It's not enough to be just a businessman."

Mr Ng's campaign slogan "from the very beginning" is United For Our Future, he told journalists on Saturday.

"If we are united, Singapore has got a good future. We have plenty of economic opportunities, but we can only exploit those opportunities if we are united. So united for our future is my slogan," he said, adding that he will announce his proposer and seconder on or shortly before Nomination Day.

When asked about his campaign strategy, Mr Ng described himself as "middle of the road", which is an important role because he has no political affiliation.

"So I'm in a better position to unite the people of Singapore."

His campaign will also focus on the younger generation of Singaporeans, said Mr Ng, adding that he has been using social media to reach out to them.

There are three things he would like to do if he becomes President - encourage younger Singaporeans to learn to meditate, be self-confident by learning public speaking, and learn how to save and invest money, he said.

"And when I say young people, I am not excluding the older generation. Because I believe that if the younger generation is happy, their parents, their grandparents will also be happy."