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George Goh, founder of Harvey Norman Ossia, will be running in the 2023 Presidential Election.
In a press statement on Monday (Jun. 12), it was stated that the 63-year-old made his decision in 2017 to stand for election, after the eligibility requirement for private sector candidates was raised.
Goh: President must be perceived to be above politics
His statement also said that "the Establishment has endorsed Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam as its candidate" and questioned if being so closely aligned with the ruling political party makes Tharman the "right man" to become president:
"This is especially so, given the president’s role in checking the government in the two important areas concerned with the national reserves and key public office appointments.
To maintain the integrity of the office, the president must not only be above politics but be perceived as such."
On the other hand, Goh's team highlighted his lack of political party affiliations:
"He has no political baggage. He was never in the public sector. He is an entrepreneur who started working at the age of 16, and has since built a business empire spanning 14 countries."
"It is time to have a truly independent person with a pair of fresh eyes to play the role the elected president was created for," his team added.
Goh's press statement also pointed out his "financial and technical skills to scrutinise the government’s books" as well as his "considerable managerial and leadership expertise" which would be important when it comes to vetoing key appointments.
Who is George Goh?
Goh is chairman of Ossia International, chairman of Internet Technology Group, co-founder of UnitedEnvirotech, and deputy chairman of Pertama Holdings Limited.
Goh is also the co-founder of charitable organisation Border Mission and is a Council Member at the Red Cross Society.
He has been serving as the non-resident Singapore Ambassador to Morocco since 2017.
Top images via George Goh's Facebook page.