I am standing for president to protect three national treasures: Ng Kok Song
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SINGAPORE - If elected as president, Mr Ng Kok Song aims to safeguard Singapore’s three national treasures that define the country as exceptional – its reserves, good public administration and social stability.
Mr Ng, 75, said on Tuesday that having spent his entire career at sovereign wealth fund GIC and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), he is well placed to protect Singapore’s reserves.
“I can protect the reserves,” he said. “I spent my entire career at GIC and MAS helping to build up our reserves.”
He was giving his two-minute speech at the People’s Association (PA) headquarters after his successful nomination to contest the presidency.
Mr Ng is going up against former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, and former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian, 75, in the presidential election.
Singapore’s second national treasure is its good public administration, he said.
“I worked 45 years in the public service. I have what it takes to uphold the integrity of public service appointments.”
Mr Ng, who was accompanied by fiancee Sybil Lau and supporters, also urged people in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil to vote for him.
The nation’s third treasure is its social stability, with Singaporeans living in peace and harmony, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, he said.
“I do not belong to any political party. And so, I am well placed to unite the people of Singapore to face an uncertain future,” he said.
“For these three reasons, I humbly ask you, my fellow Singaporeans, to choose me as your president.”
Last Friday, Mr Ng received his certificate of eligibility
The former chief investment officer at GIC had earlier stressed the importance of safeguarding the country’s reserves,
His campaign slogan is United for Our Future, and the symbol he chose is the palm of a hand. Mr Ng said the five fingers symbolise the various races of Singapore, and the palm, one country.
He said he was nervous while on his way to the nomination centre on Tuesday morning, but now he is a man with a mission.
“The nervousness has gone because I feel I am on a mission to really serve the people of Singapore. I feel excited that the people of Singapore are giving me this opportunity to serve my country one more time,” he said.
When asked about his chances in this three-cornered fight, Mr Ng said: “The important thing for me when I came forward was to ensure that the people of Singapore will be able to exercise their right to choose the president.
“This has already happened today as we are not having a walkover. We are having an election. What are my chances? I do not know. It is up to the people of Singapore.”
Among his supporters at the PA headquarters on Tuesday was a group of Montfort Secondary School alumni, Mr Ng’s alma mater. One of them, retired fund manager Mark Tay, said: “He has integrity and the financial know-how. One of the main roles of the president is to operate the second key, and to do that, you must be independent and have financial literacy.
“You need someone who knows how to ask the right questions, not just rubber-stamping, not to oppose, but to ask the right questions.”
The 63-year-old has volunteered to be Mr Ng’s counting agent on Polling Day.
Campaigning has officially begun and will end on Aug 30.
Singapore will go to the polls on Sept 1, and more than 2.7 million people are eligible to vote.
Additional reporting by Judith Tan and Shabana Begum
