Singapore’s presidential polls attract ‘same set’ of candidates, George Goh says after missing the cut
- The businessman described the Elections Department’s decision to find him ineligible to contest as a ‘setback for Singapore’
- He had been the first to throw his hat in the ring, casting himself as the sole independent candidate for the largely ceremonial role
George Goh, the Singaporean businessman who was deemed by authorities to be ineligible to contest the September 1 presidential election, has criticised the decision as a “setback” for the country.
Goh was the first to declare his intention to run to succeed the incumbent, President Halimah Yacob.
Against the backdrop of the six-year presidency of Halimah, a former MP from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), and her predecessors’ strong links to the establishment, Goh had pitched himself as the sole independent candidate.
The Elections Department on Friday granted certificates of eligibility to three out of six candidates who had applied to stand for election: the ex-PAP stalwart Tharman Shanmugaratnam; Tan Kin Lian, a former chief executive officer of the insurer NTUC Income; and Ng Kok Song, a former chief investment officer of the state investor GIC.
Former minister Tharman qualified based on his track record as a senior public official, while Ng and Tan were deemed to have met the criteria based on their private sector records.
“I am very disappointed at the decision of the Presidential Elections Committee to reject my application for a certificate of eligibility,” Goh said in a statement, referring to a five-person panel that was tasked by the government to assess if presidential hopefuls met the critieria set out in the constitution.
Goh said the committee had taken a “very narrow view” of the requirements and had not explained its rationale.