SINGAPORE - Singapore is ready for a president with private sector credentials, said businessman George Goh, who called for more non-establishment candidates to step forward with fresh ideas.
The 63-year-old presidential hopeful said competition is healthy, and more people should put themselves up as candidates.
Reiterating his stance as an independent candidate with no involvement with the grassroots or any political party, Mr Goh said: “The whole idea (of me) coming forward... is I want to serve my nation.”
Mr Goh, who spoke to the media at social enterprise foodcourt Dignity Kitchen in Boon Keng Road on Thursday, also said he disagreed with Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s claim that he is a non-partisan candidate.
The former senior minister, who has thrown his hat into the ring for the upcoming presidential election, was in the People’s Action Party (PAP) and served as a politician for 22 years. He resigned from the PAP and Government on July 7 to run for the presidency.
On Wednesday, when Mr Tharman officially launched his presidential bid with the theme “Respect for All”, he emphasised his independence of mind, and said it was important for Singapore to have a president who is non-partisan. He also introduced his proposer, seconder and eight assenters at the event.
However, Mr Goh said that if he was a candidate who had been “inside the box for more than 20 years”, he would find it difficult to declare himself independent soon after resigning.
“If I am in the system for 22 years, and you asked me overnight to say that I will be independent, I think that is very hard for me,” he said.
He also addressed Mr Tharman’s comments on former president Ong Teng Cheong, who was chairman of the PAP for 12 years.
Mr Tharman said no one would regard Mr Ong as having been less independent because of his past association and leadership within the PAP.
But Mr Goh noted that Mr Ong had private sector experience – he left the civil service in 1971 to set up his own architectural firm – which gave him a different experience.
On the one hand, Mr Ong’s private sector experience meant he knew how difficult it was to “build from nothing to something”, and that he understood the need for checks and balances, said Mr Goh. The other part came from his work with the PAP.
When asked about his proposer, seconder and assenters, Mr Goh said he has yet to submit his forms, after which he will wait for the Presidential Elections Committee to endorse him.
He added: “Then, we will talk about it... one step at a time. Let them welcome me, then I will definitely put in the (name of the) proposer.”
This story has been edited for clarity.
