Ng Kok Song not accepting donations, funds presidential campaign from personal savings
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Presidential candidate Ng Kok Song and his fiancee Sybil Lau (left, in black T-shirt) with members of the public at the Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre on Aug 24.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
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SINGAPORE – Presidential candidate Ng Kok Song is dipping into his personal savings to fund his campaign and will not be accepting any donations.
Speaking to the media during a visit to Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre on Thursday morning, Mr Ng, 75, said this is because he does not want to feel beholden to anyone who supports his run.
“There were some well-wishers and offers to finance my campaign. I have respectfully declined their offers and suggest that if they wish to do so, they could make a donation to some charitable causes,” he said.
Asked about his budget for the campaign, the former chief investment officer at sovereign wealth fund GIC said that it will be below the $812,822.10 limit set by the Elections Department (ELD).
Mr Ng had earlier said that he will not have physical posters or banners
He was accompanied by his fiancee Sybil Lau, 45, on Thursday at the food centre, where he handed out his campaign fliers to stallholders and residents.
He also responded to comments made by fellow candidate, former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who on Wednesday said the president’s “soft power” depends
Mr Ng said: “The president’s responsibility is to safeguard the reserves, safeguard the integrity of appointments in certain public service positions, and the president must act in the best interests of the people of Singapore.
“So I think it would be very difficult for the president to discharge his responsibilities in an objective way if he has too close a relationship with the prime minister.”
Mr Ng, who was in public service for 45 years and held posts at GIC and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, also said that the role of the president should not be about setting the investment policy for Singapore’s reserves.
“The president’s responsibility in regard to safeguarding the reserves is to act as a check on the spending of past reserves. How that money is invested is not the area of responsibility of the president,” he said.
This was in response to comments made by former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian, who is also running for president.
Mr Tan said on Wednesday that he wants the president’s role to include the power to set the investment policy for the reserves.
Mr Ng said that he is in the midst of making plans for an online rally.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr Ng accompanied Ms Lau on a visit to Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, where they toured its dementia ward, senior care centre and traditional Chinese medicine services.
Ms Lau was invited to the charity hospital on account of her philanthropic work.
Speaking to the media after the visit, Mr Ng said that about 40 per cent of his overall campaign budget is spent on social media.
“That is fantastic value for money, considering the scale of the outreach, where we can reach so many people, especially the younger generation,” he said, adding that the other 60 per cent of his budget is used to cover transport services, meals and ancillary advisory services.
Again defending his decision to not put up physical posters or banners, Mr Ng said that the magnitude of the task of putting up and taking down posters all over the island is beyond his team’s limited capacity.
He added that social media has reached both younger and older generations, and that he has received online messages from those in their 70s and 80s.
Mr Ng also commented on the printing blunder that led to more than 4,800 households in Tanjong Pagar receiving two poll cards for the upcoming presidential election.
While there is cause for concern, he said, the ELD is doing a lot of work preparing poll cards.
“This is such an enormous task of covering the entire citizen population. So it’s understandable if some mistakes are made. As long as those mistakes are corrected, we should be understanding about that,” he said.
He also visited the ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre during lunch and Chomp Chomp Food Centre at dinner time on Thursday.
