Singaporeans would like to see a president with 'no political affiliation', says Ng Kok Song

SINGAPORE: A day after Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam again emphasised his independence, fellow presidential hopeful Ng Kok Song reasserted his lack of political affiliations, while at the same time declaring that one's present cannot be easily separated from their past.

Mr Ng, who threw his hat into the presidential race a week ago, was speaking to the media after a visit to Geylang Serai Market on Thursday (Jul 27) morning.

Apart from the 75-year-old Mr Ng, former Senior Minister Tharman, 66, and businessman George Goh, 63, have also indicated their intention to run for the presidency.

Mr Tharman officially launched his platform for his presidential bid on Wednesday. When questioned by reporters about his independence, the former politician stressed there was a difference between “independence from any past affiliation with a political party” and an “independence of mind”.

In direct reply to that when asked by CNA, Mr Ng said: "“I think we are who we are. Our present is related to our past. We cannot easily separate our present from our past.”

Mr Ng started out as an investment analyst at the Ministry of Finance’s overseas investment department before moving on to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and finally ending his 45 years in public service as the chief investment officer of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.

“And Mr Tharman served many years in (politics),” he said with a smile. “You draw your own conclusion.”

Since announcing his intention to run for President, Mr Ng has spoken about his lack of political affiliations, and that Singapore needs a president who is “independent of any political party to safeguard the integrity of our institutions”.

He reiterated that as he commented on Mr Tharman’s proclamation the day before on wanting to be “a president for a new era”.

“I think when we talk about a new era, perhaps we are talking about a new equilibrium in the governance of Singapore,” Mr Ng said, adding that “a balance between the presidency … and the government” would be one of the key features in this new era of governance.

“I think the people of Singapore would like to see this balance in this new era … where the President has no political affiliation.”

Mr Ng was also asked by a reporter if he foresees a two- or three-way fight in this presidential race.

“The Presidential Elections Committee will decide whether it’s a two-cornered fight or a three-cornered fight,” he replied.

Addressing what he called "a lot of cynical comments" about him being put up by the government to split votes, he said: “I’m hoping to be certified to be eligible for election, and when I am certified eligible for election and if there’s a two-cornered fight, I will split the votes 51-49 in my favour.”

Mr Ng also clarified a point he made in an interview with The Straits Times. In an article published on Wednesday, Mr Ng was quoted as saying that he was “running for President because (Tharman) wants it”.

Referring to how Mr Tharman had previously said he would prefer a contest in the upcoming election, Mr Ng said that was why he had come forward to ensure a “good contest” and so that Singaporeans would have a chance to choose their President.

On Wednesday, Mr Tharman revealed his slate of backers -  proposer, seconder and assenters - a list Mr Ng said he was currently “working on”. These are the parties who will sign the nomination documents. Electoral rules require each presidential candidate’s nomination paper to be signed by a proposer, a seconder and at least four other people who are registered voters.

“I am making a lot of progress but I cannot announce my assenters yet until I have been certified eligible to stand for President.”

While his team of assenters might not “be as impressive in terms of brain power” when compared to the “very high-powered list” supporting Mr Tharman, they are “people of courage” who come from different walks of life, said Mr Ng.

“It has not been easy for me to assemble this group of people because some people that I approach say: ‘We like you, Kok Song, but we also like Tharman’.

“So, in other words, they are in a dilemma because signing up for me has got no upside,” said Mr Ng, who, not for the first time, spoke about his underdog status in this presidential race.

Mr Ng, who retired from GIC in 2013, now runs his own firm. He is executive chairman of Avanda Investment Management, an asset management company he co-founded in mid-2015.

During his visit to Geylang Serai Market, he interacted with stall owners in the wet market and hawker centre for slightly over an hour. He was accompanied by his fiancée Sybil Lau.