George Goh, Tan Kin Lian double down on whether there should be any giving way in presidential election
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Presidential hopeful George Goh (left) said candidates should not be getting the competition to step aside, in reference to Mr Tan Kin Lian's remarks.
ST PHOTOS: ONG WEE JIN, JASON QUAH
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SINGAPORE - Each presidential candidate should focus on his own campaign and should stop trying to get the competition to step aside, businessman George Goh said on Wednesday.
Mr Goh was referring to fellow hopeful and former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian, who has made repeated calls for one of them to give way
“Nobody should tell anybody to step down. This should not be the way,” Mr Goh, 63, said during a visit to Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market.
He added: “I want to make it very clear: Focus (on) your campaign, alright? Let the voters make the decision, who will be the right candidate to be in the Istana.”
Meanwhile, Mr Tan, 75, reiterated that he did not think that both him and Mr Goh would be deemed eligible to run, but if that happens, he would try to discuss the matter with Mr Goh “because I don’t want the independent candidate’s vote to be split”.
Mr Goh said that, as far as he is concerned, he is “the only one who is truly independent” and furthest away from the establishment, or any political party, as the sole candidate seeking to qualify through his private sector experience.
Mr Goh was also asked about an interview that fellow presidential candidate Ng Kok Song, 75, did with Nanyang Technological University academic Walid Jumblatt on Tuesday.
Mr Ng, a former GIC chief investment officer former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Responding, Mr Goh said he was not concerned about the splitting of any votes, and any candidate who enters the race talking about splitting votes should be written off by voters as he is not competent.
“If you are coming for this election, why is your mind thinking of splitting the vote? You should say, ‘I should win the election’, this should be the right (way),” he said.
“So, I will tell the voter: Remove this candidate immediately in your mind.”
Presidential hopeful George Goh speaking with patrons at Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market on Aug 16.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Mr Goh also addressed Mr Tan’s comments that the presidential election is very rushed.
He said: “Please don’t complain any more, go and prepare all your campaign materials.”
“What are you representing? What are you going to tell the voters? Don’t do that (complain) any more, you are not going to (do) any justice to anybody.”
Mr Tan, who was on a separate walkabout at Tanjong Pagar Market and Food Centre on Wednesday, said he is only asking that Mr Goh be open to consider avoiding splitting votes.
He first mooted the idea – of meeting and discussing with Mr Goh on who should step down if both qualify – at the launch of his presidential bid last Friday.
Mr Tan noted that Mr Goh had responded to his overtures on Tuesday with a Chinese idiom that means going off into flights of fancy.
“I still respect Mr Goh, no matter what he says, and I think it is better that we should be more cordial,” he said. “We should be talking to each other. We should not be arrogant.”
Mr Tan stressed that he did not think that all four candidates would be found eligible to run, and that he remained adamant that either himself or Mr Goh should step down, if both of them receive certificates of eligibility from the Presidential Elections Committee.
Presidential election candidate Tan Kin Lian meeting diners during a walkabout at the Tanjong Pagar Market and Food Centre on Aug 16.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
“If I have to, I will go and meet Mr Goh and talk for three hours at any place,” said Mr Tan.
But Mr Goh expressed no interest in such a discussion.
The businessman said: “He should focus on his campaign...don’t lose the deposit (is) most important, right?
“Make sure don’t lose the deposit, and make sure cross 5 per cent (of the votes).”
