With the PE2023 finish line looming on the horizon, presidential candidates Ng Kok Song and Tharman Shanmugaratnam sat down to ponder over how they would celebrate should either one of them be crowned the victor.

This was in a TikTok video where The Straits Times asked members of the public to pitch questions which the candidates had to answer in 90 seconds. Tan Kin Lian declined ST's invitation to participate.

Friendship keeps me going: Tharman

Tharman opened his response by clarifying that he's making "no assumptions" as to whether or not he'll win the contest.

But if he is indeed "lucky enough" to win, he continued, he would celebrate "the way [he's] always done" — by meeting up with the volunteers and friends who have helped him along the way.

They would engage in warm-hearted banter and reflect upon their journey.

"Have a good laugh, talk about all the stumbles we made, talk about all the things that we did well, and just talk about ourselves," he said, adding that he's had to pull through "major downs" in the past.

"Friendship and love for each other are what keep us going through life, through the ups and downs," he declared.

Beyond the joy he would feel, should he win the election, Tharman stressed that it was the "goodness in each other" that he would treasure the most.

Opportunity to vote is cause for celebration: Ng

If he became president, Ng said, the first thing he would rejoice in would be that we had an election in the first place.

"We should celebrate that we've been able to honour the office of the president by not having a walkover," he stated.

Ng continued that whether it's Tharman or him who is elected president, the fact that the results were "a mandate from the people" would be cause for celebration itself.

He would also thank everyone and the "people of Singapore" for "making [him] so happy in the last seven days and the days to come", as he felt that his efforts to step forward and contest have been "appreciated".

Lastly, Ng would remember his mother, who has passed away.

He would like to celebrate by remembering her and say, "Mum, your son has become the president of Singapore."

@straitstimes Mr @tharman.sg and Mr @ngkoksongofficial were asked how they would celebrate if they were elected as president of Singapore. 🥳 #SGNews #NgKokSong #TharmanShanmugaratnam #PresidentialElection #celebration ♬ original sound - The Straits Times

Top images via Tharman and Ng Kok Song's Instagrams