SINGAPORE — Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam fired back at his rival Ng Kok Song on Tuesday (Aug 29) evening, saying that Mr Ng was making “absurd sweeping statements” suggesting that elected presidents who had been members of a political party had been serving the political agenda of
“Does that mean that all the presidents so far including Mr Ong Teng Cheong onwards who had been members of political parties were serving the agenda of the party they used to belong to?” asked Mr Tharman.Mr Tharman did not mention the ruling People's Action Party. Nevertheless, several elected Presidents — Ong Teng Cheong, Dr Tony Tan and Madam Halimah Yacob — were members of the PAP.
Mr Tharman reiterated that candidates should instead position themselves based on what they can contribute to Singapore and not “politicise this debate endlessly”. “I think a non-partisan President is what Singapore needs,” he told reporters after a walkabout in Marine Parade. “The latest being the idea that the elected presidents who have been members of political parties have been serving the political agenda of a political party,” said Mr Tharman, adding that this “is very unfortunate”.On the latest argument by Mr Ng on Wednesday morning that Mr Tharman’s past role as finance minister was a disadvantage in the presidency race, Mr Tharman again called it a “sweeping statement”.
On his part, Mr Tharman said that he entered politics to serve Singaporeans and that was not being about “particularly partisan”.
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