Mr Ng announced his intention to run for the Singapore presidency on Jul 19. The 75-year-old is the third presidential hopeful to throw his hat into the ring.
He retired from GIC – Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund – in 2013 after 27 years with the organisation. He was appointed GIC’s first group chief investment officer in 2007, a post he held until he retired.
Mr Ng started his career as an investment analyst in the Ministry of Finance in 1970, before moving to the Monetary Authority of Singapore when it was formed in 1971 and took over the function of managing Singapore’s reserves.
There are many people in the public service who serve at very high levels and interact with ministers, he said, speaking to journalists during a visit to the Central Sikh Temple along Towner Road.
“Especially because we have had only one ruling party all these years … there’s this perception that if you are in the public service, you’re part of the ruling party. But that’s wrong,” he said.
“There’s a difference between the establishment and the ruling party. I have never belonged to any political party. I have never belonged to the People’s Action Party.”