SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced on Thursday (Jun 8) that he intends to resign from the People’s Action Party (PAP) and stand as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
So far, he is the only candidate to throw his hat in the ring.
A new head of state will need to be elected before Sep 13 this year.
First-time voter Nur Ridhuan, 28, is hoping he will get a chance to exercise his right to vote and that it will not be another walkover like the last.
“The walkover (in the last election) didn’t give her (President Halimah Yacob) a chance to stand out and talk about her perspectives about why she thinks she might be a good candidate compared to other candidates,’’ said the business analyst.
Mr Ridhuan was one of three guests on the latest episode of the Heart of the Matter podcast. He was joined by Eugene Tan, associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University, and Felix Tan, associate lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University.
When asked by host Steven Chia what he would like to see in a candidate, Mr Ridhuan said it should ideally be someone more “proactive” in asking the government of the day questions about political appointments and the reserves.
Assoc Prof Tan said that the role of the President in Singapore is unique in that while it is an elected position, it is not “an alternative centre of power”.