Ng Kok Song taking extra security precautions after disruption at campaign walkabout

SINGAPORE: Presidential candidate Ng Kok Song said he is taking extra precautions for the final day of campaigning, after he was heckled at a walkabout on Tuesday night.

“I'm getting my campaign team to have more people who can be in charge of security,” he told reporters on Wednesday (Aug 30) before starting his walkabout at Hougang Hainanese Village Centre. Mr Ng later spent around an hour speaking and posing for photos with members of the public at the hawker centre.

“Sadly, even in a place like Singapore, that this is happening so even today, I’m taking some extra precautions.”

Mr Ng’s campaign walkabout in Clementi Central on Tuesday evening was disrupted by a man who rode his bicycle into the crowd twice, shouting profanities and making threatening gestures. The man eventually left, while shouting the name of another presidential hopeful Tan Kin Lian.

The man, 30, has since been taken to the Institute of Mental Health. The police had assessed that he posed a danger to himself after he visited a neighbourhood police centre on his own later that evening and mentioned harming himself.

Mr Ng on Wednesday said that he was not aware of the incident initially, as he was speaking and posing for photos with members of the public. He later heard “some shouting and commotion” and was told by his security personnel that he had to be escorted out of the area.

“My main concern is that members of the public might be hurt by this,” said the former GIC chief investment officer, who added that he wanted to apologise to those who had waited in line for pictures with him but were later told that the photo-taking session was cancelled.

“I have full confidence in the police. I have full confidence in our elections department to ensure that the campaign is conducted in a peaceful way.”

Fellow presidential candidate Tan, in response to CNA’s queries, said he had “no idea” who the man was and suggested Mr Ng file a police report.

Mr Tan's team also said that if the man was one of the candidate's supporters, he had "acted on his own accord".

Asked to comment on that, Mr Ng said: “I'm glad that Mr Tan says the person involved in the heckling yesterday did not come from his camp. I’m happy to hear that.”

“DIFFERENCES OF OPINION”

Mr Ng was also asked for his response to another rival candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam who said on Tuesday evening that the former had misquoted him and made “sweeping statements”.

The to-and-fro, centred on the issue of candidate independence, stemmed from comments that Mr Tharman had made during the presidential forum broadcast by CNA on Monday night.

The three candidates were asked how they could convince voters that they would exercise their powers without fear or favour.

Mr Tharman responded that labelling candidates by their political affiliation would be "extremely simplistic" as that would have ruled out many past presidential candidates, such as former presidents Mr Ong Teng Cheong and Dr Tony Tan.

It would also rule out people who may not be members of a political party but who are senior civil servants who "owe their positions to bosses who are political figures".

"Are they obligated to their bosses because of that? Not necessarily – it depends on the individual," Mr Tharman said at the forum.

"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," he continued.

Mr Ng responded with a statement on Tuesday, noting that Mr Tharman’s remark about the fund management company "clearly" referred to him. The 75-year-old, who retired from GIC in 2013 following a 45-year-long career in public service, is now the executive chairman of Avanda Investment Management, an asset management company he co-founded in 2015.

Mr Ng also said that by comparing those with past political affiliations to anyone who is dependent on the government in some way, Mr Tharman was “taking the point too far”.

In response, Mr Tharman said later on Tuesday that he had been misquoted.

When asked by reporters on Wednesday morning, Mr Ng said: “I already said what I said yesterday so I do not want to reopen the subject.”

He added that he has “deep respect” for Mr Tharman, who is a “good” friend with whom he had worked with at the Monetary Authority of Singapore and GIC.

“Our differences are differences of opinion, such as when we speak about the presidency. I was concerned about the system, not the individual,” he said.

“I just wanted our system to be a better system … in terms of having a non-partisan President.”

Another difference lies in political affiliation. “We are different - the difference being the fact that he has belonged to a political party and I did not,” said Mr Ng.

Wednesday marked the last day of campaigning for Singapore’s Presidential Election before Cooling-off Day, where no campaigning activities will be allowed, kicks in on Thursday. 

Singaporeans will head to the ballot box on Friday, a public holiday.

Asked about his chances of becoming Singapore’s ninth President, Mr Ng said: “Very frankly, I cannot assess because I started out as the underdog, and there are even some people who are concerned that I might lose my deposit.

“I do not know. All I know is that I have given my very best … Whatever the outcome is, I will continue to serve the people of Singapore, either from within the Istana or outside the Istana.”