PROTECTING SINGAPORE’S RESERVES
Mr Ng also responded to a question about how his experience at the Monetary Authority of Singapore and GIC would be relevant to the President’s role of safeguarding Singapore’s reserves.
Singapore’s reserves “is not a simple matter”, he said, adding that because of his 45 years of experience working on building and investing Singapore’s reserves, he understands the matter well.
“Now if the day arrives when a bad government wants to use our past reserves, I will know how to say no. Because I understand the international economic environment, how the Singapore economy will be very badly affected, to what extent, if there’s a crisis,” he added.
“For the President to safeguard the reserves, he must have domain expertise. It’s not enough to be just a businessman.”
Mr Ng’s campaign slogan “from the very beginning” is United For Our Future, he told journalists on Saturday.
“If we are united, Singapore has got a good future. We have plenty of economic opportunities, but we can only exploit those opportunities if we are united. So united for our future is my slogan,” he said, adding that he will announce his proposer and seconder on or shortly before Nomination Day.
When asked about his campaign strategy, Mr Ng described himself as “middle of the road”, which is an important role because he has no political affiliation.
“So I’m in a better position to unite the people of Singapore.”
His campaign will also focus on the younger generation of Singaporeans, said Mr Ng, adding that he has been using social media to reach out to them.
There are three things he would like to do if he becomes President – encourage younger Singaporeans to learn to meditate, be self-confident by learning public speaking, and learn how to save and invest money, he said.
“And when I say young people, I am not excluding the older generation. Because I believe that if the younger generation is happy, their parents, their grandparents will also be happy.”