"He chose political service. I chose public service," said Ng Kok Song in response to a comparison made between him and fellow presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Speaking at the NUSS "Meet The Presidential Candidate Series" on Aug. 25, Ng first clarified that he is standing for election to prevent a walkover.

"You have to look at the sequence of people coming forward," he said.

"Tharman was the first and then George Goh declared. When George Goh declared, my concern was that he might not qualify. And if he didn't qualify, what happens? Another walkover?

"That was the reason why I stood for election. Not to contest Tharman, but to ensure there is no walkover.

Do you understand that the people of Singapore do not want another walkover?"

Ng was also asked why the electorate should choose him over Tharman.

The person who posed the question described Ng as a "subset" of Tharman, pointing out that while both men are "from the same cloth", having worked closely "for years and years", Tharman became his superior.

Tharman served as the director of GIC when Ng was the company's chief investment officer.

To this, Ng simply said:

"I'm 75 years old. He's 66. I started working in the MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) before he started.

He chose political service. I chose public service."

All photos courtesy of Ng Kok Song Media Team.