Tharman looks forward to ‘dignified, honourable’ presidential contest uniting S’poreans
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SINGAPORE - Former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, said he is looking forward to a dignified and honourable contest, focused on what each presidential candidate brings to Singaporeans and to the country’s future.
He was delivering his two-minute thank-you speech at the People’s Association headquarters on Tuesday, after his successful nomination.
He is one of three successful candidates
Singapore will head to the polls on Sept 1.
“I am running not on the basis of new positions and new statements, but on the basis of a long-held purpose in my life, that I believe in a fairer, more compassionate and more inclusive society. And my life is dedicated to that. Singapore can be special,” Mr Tharman told the media after his nomination.
Earlier, he began his speech by greeting fellow Singaporeans in the country’s four official languages.
“It is our future that we are concerned about, and, friends, it will be a different future.
“It will be a more difficult and challenging future that we face, which is the reason why I have entered this contest to offer all my experience and capabilities on the ground for a few decades, nationally and internationally,” he said.
“So that I can serve Singaporeans in the role of president, with all my heart, in the years to come.”
In his remarks to the media, Mr Tharman said the demands of the elected presidency will only grow.
Noting that Singapore is entering a more challenging and complex future, he said: “I will bring my full experience and background – my decades of connecting with people on the ground, my experience nationally, as well as my international experience, to be able to serve Singaporeans to the fullest as president, if I am fortunate enough to be elected.”
In response to a question on Mr Tan’s earlier comments on Tuesday,
“Clearly, I have nothing to do with it. But I am very sure that no one backing me has anything to do with it either.”
Mr Tan had originally claimed the attack came from “a political party that is now backing my strongest opponent”, without providing more details.
In his updated statement online after removing the claim, he said: “I thought initially that it was the view of a single person and that the mainstream media should not blow it up. I was wrong.”
On his choice of a pineapple as his campaign logo, Mr Tharman said it is a symbol with a lot of meaning to all the communities here.
“Ong lai – it is a propitious and welcome symbol for many people – when we move into a new home, when we start a new business, when we want good luck and good things to happen, it is our future,” he said with a chuckle.
Ong lai means pineapple in Hokkien, and it symbolises prosperity and good fortune to come.
Holding up a pineapple as he greeted supporters later, Mr Tharman said it is the perfect symbol for his campaign.
He led the supporters in chants of “Ong lai!”, to which they responded with “huat ah!”. “Huat ah” is a Hokkien phrase used to express prosperity.
Several pineapples were subsequently passed around the supporters, with many eager to get their hands on them.
On comments from Mr Ng comparing the competition between them as one between David and Goliath,
“We need the best person, with the best abilities, track record on the ground nationally and internationally to represent Singapore as head of state in this new era we’ve entered.
“More than ever before, the Goliaths are in tension and conflict with each other, and the Davids mustn’t be trampled upon. So, we have got to all think of ourselves as Davids. We are all underdogs in the world,” he said.
On his campaign plans, Mr Tharman said he will continue with what he has always done for more than 20 years – meeting people and interacting with them.
“I’m not going to change my personality,” he said.
He confirmed that he has no current plans for a physical rally.
His team later said Mr Tharman will be holding a townhall at Pasir Panjang Power Station on Friday evening, where he will share more about his vision for the presidency.
He reiterated his track record and said he hoped Singaporeans will vote on the basis of these attributes and the character he brings to the position.
On whether he was planning to target any particular groups such as young people in his engagements, Mr Tharman said he had met with all age groups through the years, as he was not suddenly entering public life.
In the last few weeks, he has had dialogues with young people. Mr Tharman said he intended to be a champion of what the young people are advocating for – a more equal and fair society, efforts to combat climate change and to make Singapore a better place for all.
Mr Tharman also said he was glad for the support from the labour movement, as many workers had turned up at the nomination centre on Tuesday.
In his two-minute speech, he also thanked all the supporters gathered at the nomination centre.
“I want to also thank all the supporters who are here today. Those who are here to support me, as well as those who are here to support my fellow candidates,” he said.
Drawing chants of “Tharman” from the crowd, he added: “Thank you very much for coming forward. Let’s look forward. Let’s look forward to a campaign which is dignified and honourable, and a campaign which itself seeks to unite Singaporeans and not divide us.”
