'I'm my own man': Tharman says he brings real experience, not just words, during campaign event

SINGAPORE: Presidential hopeful Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Friday (Aug 25) emphasised that he is his "own man" and that he brings with him "real experience on the ground".

The former senior minister was speaking at an event at Pasir Panjang Power Station - the largest he has held since he was confirmed as a presidential candidate.

The town hall was attended by around 650 people who had registered, and lasted one-and-a-half hours.

Ahead of his arrival, two hosts rallied the crowd, directing participants to collect free water bottles printed with an image of a pineapple - Mr Tharman's campaign symbol - in white and red. 

Mr Tharman and his wife Jane Yumiko Ittogi arrived at around 7.30pm to cheers from the crowd and a man gifted him a pineapple. 

The presidential hopeful made a 20-minute speech before proceeding to take about 20 questions during a question-and-answer session.

Among the myriad of questions, Mr Tharman was asked how his style and approach with a new Prime Minister would compare to that with a seasoned Prime Minister.

Mr Tharman responded: "Let me be frank. I was not a junior minister of government. I started off as a junior minister but I became Minister for Education, Minister for Finance, Deputy Prime Minister, and Senior Minister. 

"Everyone in government, in the civil service and frankly everyone outside government knows that I'm my own man. I'm independent-minded, I've always sought to find a consensus with my colleagues on the direction of change and the policy changes required."

He added that debates would be held in the Cabinet to resolve differences in views.

"And that's the strength of the Singapore system, honestly, that we have extensive debate in government on every significant issue. Before we finally agree on a practical approach that will take us forward.

"I'm not known as someone who just toes the line, or is a yes-man ... And I believe whether it's the current Prime Minister or future Prime Minister, that I will have a relationship of mutual respect with them, as must be the case."

Another question asked was: "How will we know when Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese Prime Minister?"

"I think Singapore is ready any time for a non-Chinese Prime Minister," Mr Tharman said.

"Race is a factor in politics everywhere in the world," Mr Tharman said, noting how race had also been a factor for former US president Barack Obama, who overcame it.

However, race is not the only factor, Mr Tharman said.

"And I think Singaporeans today compared to 40 or 50 years ago look at other factors. They look at a person's capabilities, they look at their courage, their character, their contributions, they look at people in totality. Race might be always lurking behind people's minds, but it's not the only issue.

"And that's why I've said before, publicly, Singapore is ready anytime. If someone comes up who's a superior candidate for Prime Minister, that person can be made the Prime Minister ... It's a mark of our progress as a society in my view."

Mr Tharman was also asked why he should be elected over his competitors - former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song and former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian.

He replied that he had been unwilling to make "explicit comparisons" with the other candidates.

"I respect them and like their life histories, I think they each bring something, so I only talk about myself." 

He stated that his greatest privilege was having been able to spend many years of his life interacting with people on the ground, being a national policy maker and playing an international role for Singapore. 

"I come therefore with real experience, not just an aspiration, not just words, and I'm not going to change. I'm not changing my personality. I'm not changing like a chameleon into a new skin. I'm just going to be myself. What you see is what you get," Mr Tharman said to cheers and claps from the crowd. 

Participants also had more questions on what role the president could play internationally. 

One particular question centred on why Mr Tharman chose to run for President where his actions would be limited, instead of going "bigger" on the international front. 

Mr Tharman has held key positions or led committees at international organisations including the World Economic Forum, the International Monetary and Financial Committee, the United Nations, and the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. 

To that, the presidential candidate noted that he had been approached in the last decade by "very senior international peers" to take on major international leadership roles, such as being a managing director of an international organisation.

"My answer has been immediate to them, that I'm not interested in leaving Singapore," he said to more cheers from the crowd. 

"At that point, I was elected by the people of Jurong, and I wasn't going to leave Singapore just because someone was asking me to leave (or) had a prestigious position at an international organisation."

He said that there was "no greater purpose in life than serving your own country", adding that "we all have to feel responsible for Singapore".

"You're really doing something for your own people, with your own people, and that's very different from serving in international organisations."

Another question was how Mr Tharman would be able to advance Singapore's interests at the World Economic Forum as a president while having no executive powers. 

Mr Tharman pointed out that these were two different issues and that the President does have executive powers in matters spelt out in the Constitution. 

On the international stage, Mr Tharman said he had been "quite active in flying the Singapore flag high".

"It's extremely important for us as a small country never be seen as just another small country, because then we lose our space in the world. We've got to be respected. We've got to be up there, even chairing global panels and expert bodies, taken seriously because it wins space for Singapore, it wins friends for Singapore and it enables us to build the partnerships that ordinary Singaporeans benefit from." 

Mr Tharman also addressed questions on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) issues, of which he observed there were "quite a few". 

Some asked if he believed marriage should be between one man and one woman and if he foresaw Singapore changing its position on marriage in the future.

"Let me just say something very basic here. This is an issue where we had extensive consultation and deliberations before we did away with 377A," Mr Tharman replied. 

"Let me say that the reality is, we are not a society where there is a common view on this. In fact, we are a society where there are quite divided views on this issue. Even on 377A, there used to be, but we brought it along, and we brought it along because everyone accepted eventually, that we must love and respect each individual for who they are."

The lack of a common position in Singapore was partly due to its multi-faith nature, while another reason was "generational", he said. 

"But we should all accept that moving too quickly in shifting social norms is very likely to lead to a pushback - people feeling provoked and leading to more dissension in society. 

"So, social norms have to evolve gradually, and they have to evolve at a tempo that will be decided by society and future generations. We should not rush this."

Everything you need to know about the Singapore Presidential Election: cna.asia/pe2023