Singapore is very fortunate, should welcome those of other nationalities who want to live here: Ng Kok Song
Singapore presidential candidate Ng Kok Song speaks to the media during a walkabout at Ang Mo Kio Central Market on Aug 26, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)
- Rival presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian said on Friday that Singaporeans would prefer a chance to have both their President and his spouse born in the country
- Mr Ng's fiancee, Sybil Lau, who is Singaporean, was born in Canada
- The wife of Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Jane Yumiko Ittogi, was born to a Japanese father and Singaporean mother and has lived in Singapore since she was three
SINGAPORE: Singapore should welcome people of other nationalities who want to come and live in Singapore to take up citizenship, and contribute by taking up political office or as citizens, said presidential candidate Ng Kok Song on Saturday (Aug 26).
Speaking to journalists during a visit to Chong Pang Market and Food Centre, the former GIC chief investment officer was responding to rival candidate Tan Kin Lian’s comments a day prior.
Mr Tan had said on Friday that Singaporeans would prefer a chance to have both their President and his spouse be born in the country.
"BLUE-BLOODED SINGAPOREANS"
Accompanied by his wife, Tay Siew Hong, Mr Tan said: “I want to introduce her so that the people of Singapore will also have a choice of the 'first lady'. There are three 'first ladies', so you can have a choice. My wife, like me, we were born in Singapore. We are blue-blooded Singaporeans.”
“Of course, we respect other people from other countries who come to Singapore to become citizens,” he added. “But I think deep down, our locals would prefer at least a chance to have the President and the ‘first lady’ to be true Singaporeans from birth.”
The term “blue-blooded” is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as an adjective describing someone from a royal or socially important family.
Mr Tan clarified later that he defines a “blue-blooded Singaporean” as someone who “comes from a long-standing and respected lineage within Singaporean society, often implying a strong connection to the country's history, culture, and traditions”.
He added that the term might also be used "metaphorically to describe individuals who exhibit a deep and unwavering patriotism for Singapore".
NG KOK SONG RESPONDS
Mr Ng’s fiancee Sybil Lau was born in Canada, but moved to Asia 20 years ago, he said on Saturday. She lived in Malaysia and China, and moved to Singapore 18 years ago.
Ms Lau then discovered that Singapore is where she wants to live “for the rest of her life”, and gave up her Canadian citizenship to become a Singaporean, he added.
Fellow candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s wife, Jane Yumiko Ittogi, was born in Japan to a Singaporean Chinese mother and Japanese father who had met in Singapore.
Responding to Mr Tan’s comments, Mr Ng noted that some of Singapore’s political leaders were also not born in Singapore, citing the examples of former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee and former Finance Minister Hon Sui Sen, who were both born in Malaysia.
“Singapore is very fortunate. We have Singaporeans, but we have people who have come from outside Singapore who admire Singapore, and who want to be citizens of Singapore. That is good,” he continued.
“I think if you look at the history of our leaders in Singapore, we should welcome people from other nationalities who want to come and live in Singapore to take up citizenship and contribute to the welfare of Singapore, either in political office, in presidential office or as citizens.”
Later in the evening, Mr Ng visited Ang Mo Kio Central Market & Food Centre where he was asked once more about Mr Tan's comments.
He reiterated the examples of Mr Goh and Mr Hon, saying they were the first generation of leaders who helped founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew "to bring Singapore from third world to first".
"Another important point is that we should ensure that Singapore has very stringent criteria for citizenship because all of us in Singapore, including me – we have sweated. We have laboured hard to build Singapore (into) what it is today," Mr Ng noted.
"And so the fruits of our labour, the dedication that we had to our country, the hard work that we put in – we should not share it too easily with people who want to become citizens. We must set very stringent criteria for the award of citizenship."
He cautioned that once someone becomes a new citizen, people should not discriminate between them and those who were born in Singapore. It is now the government's job to think about how to tighten citizenship criteria, he added.
In more fiery remarks than what he gave earlier, Mr Ng also told reporters that it was "not wise" to say the first lady should be born and bred in Singapore.
"If you carry it further, you might as well say, the Prime Minister's wife, the wives of ministers, they all should be born and bred in Singapore. Doesn't make sense," he added.
RESOURCES
When asked if he had enough people to serve as counting and polling agents, Mr Ng said: “We will never have enough because this is an islandwide election, it’s not a General Election, constituency by constituency … I’m still short on resources.”
Many members of the public have offered help, and his campaign team is responding to them, he shared.
“I hope in the next few days, we’ll be able to recruit enough polling agents, election agents, to help me in the final stages of my campaign,” said the 75-year-old.
Mr Ng has repeatedly said that his campaign team would not put up physical banners and posters because he lacks the resources to do so and wants to be environmentally friendly. He is funding his campaign using his personal savings and not accepting any donations.
On Saturday, he again emphasised his political neutrality, pointing out that Mr Tharman was a well-known People’s Action Party leader and that there are opposition parties speaking out in support of Mr Tan.
“I’m the third candidate. No party. That is why I feel that I’m the best person to be President,” he added.
In a future General Election, political parties may propose policies in order to win votes, said Mr Ng.
“But the strategy of winning more votes may involve spending too much of our reserves, which we have to keep for our long-term financial security,” he added.
An opposition party that wants to win seats from the PAP may tell Singaporeans that if they are voted in, they will reduce the Goods and Service Tax to 0 per cent, said Mr Ng.
“And that sounds very popular, but that is not right. Because that would involve the government running into deficit, the government having to go to the President and ask to spend our savings.”
This is a very dangerous scenario, and is what the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew sought to avoid by introducing the office of the elected President, he added.
“In other words, the people of Singapore should want a President who does not serve the political agenda of any political party.”
CHARITABLE CAUSES
When asked whether, as President, he would follow in the footsteps of former President S R Nathan, who started the President’s Challenge to raise money for charity, Mr Ng said that this was one of the best ways for the President to support charitable causes.
“I and Sybil would want to use the office of the President to do something similar, and hopefully we can do more,” he added.
There are many causes that he would support, said Mr Ng.
Harking back to their visit to Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital on Thursday, he reiterated that he was very touched to see the work done by the team there.
“These are the kinds of causes that I would like to be involved in. I think the elderly, the people who are very vulnerable, and then the poorer income groups,” he added.
