Singapore's Nomination Day is here and features three presidential candidates vying to be elected as the Asian nation's ninth president.
The presidential hopefuls are Ng Kok Song, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Tan Kin Lian, and the polls for this year are expected to be held on Sept. 1. Supporters of the candidates were seen waiting outside of the country's nominating center as official papers were being submitted.
Singapore's Nomination Day
Goh Meng Seng from the People's Power Party was among the supporters of Tan and was at the People's Association headquarters located in Jalan Besar. He said that the candidate he was supporting was a man who had integrity and honesty.
Additionally, Goh, the chief of the opposition party, weighed in on the controversy surrounding Tan where the latter made comments on "pretty girls" on social media. He said that no one was expecting the presidential candidate to be a perfect human.
The founder of the anti-vaccine group Healing the Divide, Iris Koh, was also at the scene and objected to Tharman's candidacy. Such objections to a candidate's nomination are allowed if they are made by a rival candidate, his proposer, seconder or assenters, or another person appointed by the candidate, as per the Straits Times.
The Elections Department's website noted that an objection to a candidate's application may be made to a nomination paper based on various grounds. These include the candidate's nomination paper not complying with or was not delivered in accordance with the Presidential Elections Act's provisions.
Associate Professor Eugene Tan from the Singapore Management University (SMU) said that the three candidates have differing views on how to manage the national reserves. Tan, the former NTUC Income chief executive, questioned whether or not the Singaporean government is trying to save too much. It was essentially asking if the current generation is being denied the benefits of the country's success and prosperity.
On the other hand, Ng, the former GIC chief investment officer, believes that if the government is spendthrift, the national reserves will be gone in a flash. He added that the "temptation is always there for any government of the day to use" the money to supply free healthcare and education.
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Presidential Candidates
The national reserves are what enabled the Asian country to address various challenges such as the COVID-19 health crisis. This is because Singapore has always had sufficient funds to purchase goods and supplies, such as vaccines, to deal with the pandemic, according to Channel News Asia.
Tan added that the Singaporean president, whoever gets elected, must be mindful to use the national reserves only when it is utterly needed. This is because unlocking the use of past reserves is considered to be an important custodial power.
Tharman, on the other hand, is committed to transforming the country's culture and turning it into a "shining spot" in the world. He said that he entered the race because some of the norms in Singapore need to be changed.
He was previously an economist and civil servant who worked predominantly at the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He previously held the position of minister for education and finance and was the deputy prime minister from 2011 to 2019, said WION News.
