Five notable moments from CNA's presidential forum - from candidate's knowledge of songs to strict timekeeping

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s three presidential candidates took to live television on Monday night (Aug 28) to make a pitch for votes in the final stretch of campaigning.

It was the first and only televised forum of this Presidential Election.

The format - answer nine questions from CNA's Otelli Edwards, with each of the candidates given the same amount of time to speak. 

These questions ranged from how the candidates intend to be a unifying figure, what qualities they have to represent Singapore on the world stage, to how they will exercise their powers as President without fear or favour. 

For those who missed the broadcast of the hour-long forum, here are some of the most talked about moments and quotable quotes:  

A REMINDER OF THE POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT

After candidates were asked about what they would like to tell voters before they go to the polls on Sep 1, Mr Tan Kin Lian began by stressing that he would be a president with “a very important and independent mind” while carrying out his duties. 

He also raised concern about “the young people of Singapore”, pointing to how they face challenges with employment, housing and the cost of living. 

“They have to compete for jobs against foreigners and good jobs are difficult to get. Yet our males have to do National Service, which sets them back two years or more in the competition for jobs. We all have to live with high cost of living and cost of housing is getting to be unaffordable," he added.

“I understand these concerns and will convey them to the government so that our young people can look forward with confidence to the future … I will collaborate and work with the government to find a better way to solve these problems."

That prompted forum moderator Ms Edwards to step in, before giving the other two candidates their turn to speak.

"I would like to remind us of what the elected President can or cannot do.

“The President cannot express public views on legislation or government policy without being advised to do so by the government,” she stated.

As she spoke, a five-point graphic was shown on the screen, listing what the President cannot do.

5 FINGERS FOR UNITY

How many races are there in Singapore? Five – according to Mr Ng Kok Song.

In response to a question on how he intends to be a unifying figure for the nation, Mr Ng once again illustrated his point with his “five fingers and a palm” analogy. A hand with a heart in its palm is also his campaign logo. 

He first emphasised his desire to be a unifying figure for the nation by encouraging more interracial help. 

“The second thing is to constantly remind Singaporeans that we are a united nation, we should be united, and hence, I have developed this symbol of the five fingers. The five fingers signify that although we have five different races, religions, languages – yet we have one palm,” he said, without elaborating on the specific races, religions or languages he was referring to. 

“So when one finger gets wounded, the whole hand, the whole palm feels the pain. So we must develop this empathy, this compassion towards people of other communities.”

INDEPENDENCE AND LABELS

The concept of an “independent” President has been a hot-button issue this election and candidates were on Monday asked how they would exercise their powers without fear or favour.

Mr Ng emphasised that he is a candidate who did not belong to any political party. 

“I do not belong to the People's Action Party. I do not belong to any opposition party. So there's no better safeguard to have a non-politicised Presidential Election, to have candidates who do not have any political affiliations,” he said, adding that he is the only non-partisan candidate. 

The former GIC chief investment officer added: "If you have candidates who are supported or endorsed by any political party, there is a danger that the President cannot act without fear or favour because the President might have been influenced in serving the political agenda of the political parties concerned."

Former presidential candidate and Progress Singapore Party’s chairman Tan Cheng Bock had on Sunday endorsed Mr Tan, although he said that he was doing so in his “personal capacity”. 

When it was his turn to speak, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam said labelling candidates by their political affiliations is an "extremely simplistic" thinking that would have ruled out many past presidential candidates from a contest, and even senior civil servants.

“All our senior civil servants, all the senior people on the public track, they 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,” he said.

Mr Tharman added that the presidential contest should be about the individuals who are running, their character and their track record.

“This is a contest between individuals who have to be assessed on their character, whether they have the spine, whether they have a track record, whether they will be able to keep the trust of the people who are electing them. If we go with a label of whether you've been a member of a political party or not. I think that's extremely simplistic," he said.

BILATERAL RELATIONS THROUGH SONG

The role of a President comes with many responsibilities. Among them, representing Singapore on the global stage and meeting dignitaries and officials from all over the world. 

Both Mr Ng and Mr Tharman cited their leadership experiences and international contributions.  

Mr Tan then rounded up the segment by pointing to his 20 years as a board member of the international federation of insurance companies. He also said that he always did his homework before travelling. 

“Before I travel, I take some trouble to understand the culture, the history and some languages of the country. And I know songs of … in many languages through this travel. I think we should pay respect to other countries and in turn, they will like us,” he said.

TIME'S UP

Candidates had to stick to set time limits during the live broadcast and this requirement was strictly enforced. 

The three of them took turns to be the first to answer and were each given the same amount of time to respond. Microphones were to be faded out once time ran out. 

The first to exceed his allotted time limit was Mr Tharman when he was responding to a question on experience and expertise. 

“First I must say my fellow candidates each bring distinct strengths and reputations and life stories which I respect. But I'll have to say respectfully that none of them brings the breadth and depth of experience that I have in which I'll bring to the presidency,” he said. 

Mr Tharman continued by expanding on his international experience, “flying the Singapore flag high” across a range of fields, while also elaborating on his achievements and experience in Singapore.

“I know the whole system of safeguarding and using reserves inside out, no one can fool me,” he said. 

As Mr Tharman moved to speak about his track record on the ground, his mic was faded out. Ms Edwards informed him that his time was up before moving on to the next candidate.