SINGAPORE: Former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song and former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian have qualified as candidates for Singapore’s Presidential Election, the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Friday (Aug 18).
Businessman George Goh was however unsuccessful in his application for a Certificate of Eligibility.
In a news release, ELD said the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) received a total of six applications for the Certificate of Eligibility by Thursday’s deadline. The applicants were not named then.
ELD noted that Mr Tharman, having served as a minister since 2003, applied under the public sector service track, while Mr Ng applied under the public sector deliberative track. Mr Tan meanwhile applied under the private sector deliberative track.
The six-member PEC, headed by Public Service Commission chairman Lee Tzu Yang and including two Supreme Court judges, was satisfied that Mr Tharman, Mr Ng and Mr Tan were men of “integrity, good character and reputation”, said ELD.
The committee was also satisfied that Mr Ng and Mr Tan have the “experience and ability to effectively carry out the functions and duties of the office of President”.
For Mr Ng, the PEC was satisfied that he has the experience and ability comparable to that of a person who has served for a period of three or more years as the chief executive of Fifth Schedule entities, namely key statutory boards and government companies such as the Central Provident Fund Board, Temasek and GIC.
In Mr Tan’s case, the committee was satisfied that he has the experience and ability comparable to that of someone who has served as the chief executive of a company with at least S$500 million of shareholders’ equity.
The next step for Mr Tharman, Mr Ng and Mr Tan is to be nominated as candidates. They must deliver their nomination papers – along with the Certificate of Eligibility, community certificate and political donation certificate – on Nomination Day on Aug 22.