Tharman refrains from commenting TKL’s remark on Singaporeans’ choice of “local-born” President and 1st Lady

SINGAPORE: Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam declined to comment on “tactical statements” made by fellow candidates and instead emphasized the importance of allowing people to form their own judgments.

Addressing a media inquiry about his thoughts on fellow candidate Tan Kin Lian’s recent remarks, Mr Tharman chose not to engage in direct commentary.

During an interview on Friday (25 Aug) morning at Geylang Serai Market Food Centre, Mr Tan introduced his wife, Vivian Tay Siew Hong, to the media.

Mr Tan said that he hoped that Singaporeans would also “have a choice” to have a president and First Lady who were both born in Singapore.

“You can have a choice, my wife, like me, we were born in Singapore, we are blue-blooded Singaporeans.”

While acknowledging his respect for individuals who acquire Singaporean citizenship from other countries, Mr Tan conveyed his belief that the local population would generally desire an opportunity for both the President and the First Lady to be authentic Singaporeans, rooted in their birthright.

Commenting on other candidate’s tactical statements “not my style”, says Mr Tharman

In response to Mr Tan’s remark, Mr Tharman highlighted the life journey of Mr George Goh, who unfortunately faced disqualification from the presidential race, as an illustrative case.

“The fact that he was born in Malaysia… started off poor, worked very hard, came to Singapore and succeeded… It has always been the Singapore story.”

Tharman, a former senior minister of the People’s Action Party (PAP), said commenting on any particular statements by other candidates is “not his style”.

He added, “My life is an open book, everyone knows me.”

Mr Tharman said his campaign budget “well within” the ELD’s election financing spending limits

In response to a query about his campaign budget, Mr Tharman confirmed compliance with the regulations set by the Elections Department (ELD).

However, Mr Tharman did not reveal the specific figures of his campaigning budget to the media.

“The good thing about Singapore is that we have, if not the tightest, one of the tightest rules anywhere in the world on spending money in politics. We should stick to that.”

Mr Tharman pointed out that his expenditures on social media were notably lower compared to some of his competitors.

According to ELD, Candidates can spend up to S$812,822.10 in election expenses, This is based on the maximum spending limit in the Presidential Elections Act, which is $600,000 or 30 cents per registered voter, whichever is greater.

This amount was $754,982.40 in the 2017 presidential election.

Previously, Gutzy reported an estimated spending by another Presidential contender Ng Kok Song , of at least S$60k to advertise his posts on Instagram and Facebook since creating his accounts on 17 July, just days before announcing his bid for the presidency on 19 July.

Discussing the realm of bolstering civil society and community endeavours, Mr Tharman emphasized the significance of nurturing self-assurance among the underprivileged.

“Confidence doesn’t come naturally. When you are poor and disadvantaged, you cannot underestimate how people can lose confidence and feel that they are being looked down upon.”

“So, earn their trust, respect them and help them to develop themselves.”