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While Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam does not harbour ambitions to be prime minister, he is gunning to be president.
Speaking to the media on Jun. 8, Tharman, who announced his decision to run in the 2023 Presidential Election, used a sporting analogy.
"I never liked being centre forward," he said, drawing on his experience playing high-level competitive sports. "I didn't particularly liked being the person who scored goals."
However, he enjoyed -- and was quite good at -- guarding the back, being centre half, half back, and full back, and also planning the game.
Those are supporting roles, but he stressed that "we all play critical roles in that same team".
Singaporeans have been asking Tharman to run in PE
On choosing to run for president, Tharman said that he had been mulling over the decision for several months because members of the public have been asking him to throw his name into the hat.
"I had a good laugh and sort of waved it off. But I know that they're not joking and they do want me to consider," he said.
In recent months he has "thought harder" about it, as the international environment changes.
But Tharman is convinced that Singapore can do well and weather the storm if Singaporeans stay together and the system of governance remains strong.
Presidency as a check and stabiliser
The presidency, he explained, helps to keep a check on Singapore's system of governance, ensuring that it is "stable through thick and thin", through its constitutional role of guarding the reserves. It does not mean income from the reserves can never be used, but ensuring the income spent is in line with "reasonable assumptions".
He added that the president also helps to ensure the system of governance retains its integrity, with the "key" to the system being appointing the right people to key positions in the civil service.
Tharman said that once President Halimah announced her decision not to run for another term, he knew that he had to take the decision seriously.
"I was leaning that way already, but once she made her decision, I felt that I should take it seriously.
And once I made up my mind, I felt that this is a very important matter...no point hedging, no disguising the fact that I intend to stand, I should just come out openly and say it."
Top image: Tharman Shanmugaratnam/Facebook