TL; DR – Mr Tharman has officially launched his campaign, backed by various respected individuals across the Singapore society.
Former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam officially launched his Presidential Election Campaign on the afternoon of 25 July (Wed) at a press conference at York Hotel. He was accompanied by his wife, Ms Jane Yumiko Ittogi and his proposer, seconder and assenters at the press conference.
Under the Presidential Elections Act (1991), persons seeking nomination must be accompanied by his/her proposer, seconder and at least four assenters (but not more than eight) at the place of nomination between 11am and 12 noon on nomination day.
The Writ of Election for the upcoming Presidential Election has not been issued yet. In 2017, the Writ of Election was issued on 28 August.
“Respect for All”
Mr Tharman’s campaign slogan is “respect for all“. He told media present at the conference that he stepped into the presidential race because he felt very strongly in the need to evolve Singapore’s culture, some of our norms and the way we go about working with each other so that Singapore remains a shining spot in the world.
Domestically, Singaporeans are having more diverse views, and the challenge is to avoid becoming a divided society, Mr Tharman said. “It’s one thing to have different views. It’s another thing to disrespect each other, become more distant from each other,” he said.
Proposer, Seconder and Assenters
Some notable names amongst the list of Mr Tharman’s proposer, seconder and assenters are: Ms Mary Liew, NTUC President and General Secretary of Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union and Mr Ho Kwon Ping, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Banyan Tree Group.
Here’s a list of his proposer, seconder and assenters:
Proposer:
- Mr Thomas Chua, President, Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Association; Honorary President, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and Former NMP (2014-2015)
Seconder:
- Mr Mohammad Alami Musa, Former President, MUIS (2003-2021); Ambassador to Algeria, and Head of Studies in Inter-Religious Relations, NTU
Assenters (in alphabetical order)
- Mr Hassan Ahmad, Special Advisor, Humanity Matters, and Former Chief Executive Mercy Relief
- Mr Ho Kwon Ping, Founder and Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree Group; Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Singapore Management University, and Former Chairman, Singapore Summit
- Ms Kamsinah Sadar, General Manager, Tasek Jurong, and Former Executive Director, Pertapis
- Mr Kim Whye Kee, Ceramicist, Founder, Qi Pottery; Co-founder, Beacon of Life and Beacon of Life Academy, and ex-inmate
- Ms Mary Liew, President, NTUC, and General Secretary, Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union
- Mr Lim Siong Guan, Founding Chairman Honour (Singapore); Former Group President, GIC (2007 to 2016), and Former Head of the Singapore Civil Service (1999-2005)
- Mr Royston Tan, Film Director, Creative Director, NDP 2023, and Nominee, Golden Horse Awards 2007
- Professor Veera Sekaran, Professor in Practice, NUS, and Finalist, ST Singaporean of the Year (2018)
ALWAYS ON THE GROUND
Mr Tharman cited his 22 years in politics as his track record for being on the ground, listening to the people of Singapore. “When we talk about being a unifying figure, I do not say this rhetorically or just as an aspiration, but I speak from a real track record,” he said.
NTUC President Mary Liew, who will be one of Mr Tharman’s assenters, said “All of us need to come together and recognise that we need a president that has a tremendous heart, a compassionate heart … and can help us to challenge through challenging and difficult times and bring the people together, unifying them.”
Earlier in June 2023, NTUC had announced its support for Mr Tharman’s candidacy for the Presidential Election.
Mr Tharman’s deep commitment to building an inclusive society in Singapore during his days as an MP and Minister was intertwined with the workers of Singapore. He was the mind behind several national schemes to support workers, such as the Jobs Credit Scheme during the global financial crisis of 2008. Amongst other schemes were the Special Employment Credit for senior workers and the Wage Credit Scheme. The Progressive Wage Model, mooted by NTUC in 2012 was also something close to Mr Tharman’s heart, which he worked closely with NTUC in its implementation.
As Chairman of the Economic Strategies Committee in 2009, he pushed for the shift from quantity to quality growth in Singapore, steadily tightening foreign worker inflows and strategies to raise wages and productivity significantly over the decade. You might have heard of SkillsFuture before, but did you know Mr Tharman was the mind behind the SkillsFuture movement?
While focusing on Singapore’s economic transformation, Mr Tharman ensured that workers continue to benefit from it, and not be left behind. He has chaired the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute (OTCi) Board of Goverors since 2002 — under his direction, OTCi was able to ramp up its research capabilities and provide industrial relations knowledge, human resource management and leadership for unionists.
Mr Tharman was also advisor to the Chemical Industries Employees’ Union (CIEU) from 2002 to 2007 and the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union (SISEU) from 2007 to 2011, inspiring unionists through his unassuming and approachable leadership and guidance. He received NTUC’s Medal of Honour in 2017 in recognition of his immense contributions to the Singaporean Labour Movement.
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