On Sep. 1, during a doorstop after Tharman Shanmugaratnam's speech following the release of the sample count, Mothership asked Jane Ittogi, Tharman's spouse, how she was feeling in the moment.

Hope for a period of much more happiness

Tharman and Ittogi were speaking on Sep. 1 at the Taman Jurong Food Centre, where Tharman and his team were waiting for the election results.

Tharman had just given his tentative victory speech after receiving news that the Election Department's sample count was crediting him with a 70 per cent victory.

Mothership asked Ittogi how she was feeling in the moment. "Over the moon," was the reply.

Ittogi replied by paying tribute to the supporters who had come out to meet the couple during the campaign, as well as hoping for happier times ahead, adding:

"In our campaign, I met so many people, with so much joy. And we received ... so much joy.

So we hope that this is a period of much more happiness for Singaporeans."

Uninterrupted work

Ittogi has been a constant presence in Tharman's campaign, whether it be at walkabouts, speaking engagements, or interviews.

The couple met over 30 years ago at the London School of Economics and married about 10 years later.

She is the founder of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Tasek Jurong, which seeks to help the socially disadvantaged, ex-inmates, youth-at-risk, single parents, and persons with disabilities.

This is work that Tharman has promised would not be interrupted as he takes on the role of president. 

@mothershipsg Mrs Tharman shares about her relationship with Mr Tharman and why she decided to stop taking work as a lawyer. #tiktoksg #sgpresidentialelection2023 #sgnews ♬ original sound - Mothership

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Top photo by Hannah Martens