It is "precisely because" the ruling party is perceived to be controlling all the national institutions, that there is so much political cynicism among Singaporeans, said presidential candidate Ng Kok Song in an Aug. 29 statement to the media.
He added that the People's Action Party (PAP) "has had its say" on the past elected presidents, and the time has come for a president free of political influence.
Labelling candidates based on political affiliation "extremely simplistic": Tharman in CNA forum
Ng was responding to fellow candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam's comments in a live presidential forum aired on Aug. 28 on CNA.
During the forum, Ng had reiterated his nonpartisanship, noting that a candidate who is endorsed or supported by a political party might be influenced into serving that party's political agenda.
Following that, Tharman said that the presidential election is a "contest between individuals" and that people should "avoid simple labels".
"If we go with the label of whether you've been a member of a political party or not, I think that's extremely simplistic," he said.
He added that if a candidate was ruled out by their past political affiliation, candidates like Ong Teng Cheong, Tony Tan, and Tan Cheng Bock would have been similarly excluded.
It would also have ruled out "a whole set of people, if you think about it, who may not be members of a political party, but who have owed their positions to their bosses, who were ministers", he said.
He then raised another example of private companies, such as construction companies that depend on government contracts or "a fund management company that depends on government monies".
"Does that make you not independent? Not necessarily," he said.
"It depends on your character, your track record. So I would say avoid the simple labels. Make this a contest between individuals. Do they have the spine? Do they have the track record?"
Tharman taking the point too far: Ng
In his statement, Ng claimed that "Mr Tharman's remark about the fund management company is clearly about me, and I would like to respond to that".
He first reiterated his promise to fully divest his ownership of Avanda should he be elected.
Ng co-founded the S$13.4 billion Avanda Investment Management in 2015, and is its current chairman.
He went on to say that by comparing those with past political affiliations to anyone who is dependent on the government in some way, Tharman is "taking the point too far in arguing his case".
"He might as well say all Singaporeans are beholden to the government because all of us are impacted by government policies in one way or another," Ng said.
"There is a big difference between being a senior government leader and the rest of us."
Presidential Election should not be proxy to General Election: Ng
Ng also said that for the President to fulfil his role to be an effective check and balance to the government, he must derive his mandate "directly from the people".
He added that the Prime Minister and Cabinet members are already selected from political parties that contest in the General Elections.
So if the President should similarly derive his mandate from, or in opposition to, those same set of political parties — "then we might as well abolish the institution of the elected presidency," Ng said.
He added: "We would be wasting time and resources by having a General Election and Presidential Election that is a proxy to the General Election."
"PAP wants to have the final say in everything"
Finally, Ng said that what he sees as rising "political cynicism" in Singapore exists "precisely because the ruling party is perceived to be controlling all the national institutions and key appointment holders".
"Singaporeans feel PAP wants to have the final say in everything, and no matter what they say, PAP will decide and tell us what is best for us," he said. "Even on the recent issues debated in Parliament, the PAP had the final say."
Ng did not specify what those issues were.
This, he claimed, has given rise to an atmosphere of divisiveness, with Singaporeans splitting into two camps: pro-PAP and anti-PAP.
"It is unhealthy and divisive. Why? Because we will lose sight that we are all Singaporeans, and we must be united," he said.
Caveating that he was not disputing that Tharman "has been a good minister," Ng said that he was nevertheless disputing his comment that the elected presidency should be about individuals, not political affiliation.
He also concluded that "the PAP has had its say on all our past Elected Presidents" and now is the time to "take a step forward to reform the elected presidency".
"Let us keep our elected presidency free from the influences and agendas of political parties so that the elected President can be effective and faithful in discharging our constitutional duties."
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Top image from Ng Kok Song/Facebook