George Goh wants to be a unifying president, build a more inclusive S’pore

SINGAPORE - Presidential hopeful George Goh said he hopes to be a president for all generations and one who inspires the youth to build Singapore into a stronger nation.

Speaking on the sidelines of Ang Mo Kio Presbyterian Preschool’s National Day celebration on Tuesday evening, the businessman said he also wants Singapore to become more inclusive and to leave nobody behind.

Mr Goh, 63, sits on the executive board of Presbyterian Community Services, whose pre-school services arm runs 11 pre-schools across the island.

Presbyterian Preschool Services executive director Lim Ee Tuo said the school has a special place in Mr Goh’s heart because it is one of the few mainstream pre-schools that enrol children with disabilities.

The Ang Mo Kio branch currently has five children with disabilities, including a visually impaired boy and another child with cerebral palsy.

Mr Goh said he hopes society can lend support to parents of children with disabilities.

“The parents have to take care of the kid. I hope people surrounding them can support the family and view them the same as other families,” he added.

At the National Day event, held in a multi-purpose hall in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, Mr Goh and his wife, Madam Lysa Sumali, joined the children and their parents in the celebration.

Last Friday, he

submitted his papers for the certificate of eligibility

 to run for president at the Elections Department, under the private-sector deliberative track.

At a press conference that day, he said he was confident

he met the eligibility criteria

as his group of five companies achieved a combined total of $507 million in average shareholder equity.

All five companies had also been profitable for each of the last three years.

On Tuesday, he called Singapore a land of hope and said he wants to see the next generation achieve the social mobility that he did.

Born in a village in Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia, Mr Goh dropped out of school at the age of 15 to work in Singapore. He started out sweeping floors in a shoe factory and eventually started a small shoe-making outfit that led to his rise as an entrepreneur.

His businesses include Ossia International, a Singapore Exchange-listed retailer of consumer goods, and he is known as the man who brought Harvey Norman to the region.

“The young people will be our future leaders (and) they will continue to build this nation into a stronger nation,” he said. “We are small but don’t worry. Keep fighting and keep moving.”