Ng Kok Song, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Tan Kin Lian Declared Candidates During Nomination Day
Last Friday, anticipation was rife that 1 September would be declared a public holiday, but that isn’t actually confirmed. You can watch this video to understand why:
Fast forward to today, during Nomination Day, and this has been verified.
The race to the Istana in Singapore has now been officially set, with three candidates, Mr Ng Kok Song, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Mr Tan Kin Lian, verified as participants for the upcoming Singapore Presidential Election.
Nomination Day Proceedings
The events of Nomination Day progressed without any major surprises. All three presidential hopefuls successfully presented their nomination papers on Tuesday.
Mr Tan Meng Dui, the Returning Officer, formally declared these three individuals as the official candidates for the presidential role at precisely 12:39 pm.
The trio made their appearance before the noon cut-off at the nomination center located at the People’s Association headquarters in Jalan Besar. With their official declaration, none of them can withdraw from the race without sacrificing their election deposits, each amounting to $40,500.
The three contenders will now start their official campaigns, aspiring to be Singapore’s ninth president. The campaign will conclude on 30 August, followed by a cooling-off day on 31 August and the much-anticipated Polling Day on 1 September.
Polling Day: A Public Holiday
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has officially communicated that Polling Day is designated as a public holiday. As per the ministry, “Polling Day should be treated in the same manner as any other public holiday.”
For those employees who might have to work on this public holiday, they are entitled to an extra day’s pay or should be compensated with a day off. Moreover, employers can offer time off as compensation, based on a mutually agreed number of hours, for specific groups of employees. This includes:
- Workmen earning more than $4,500 a month
- Non-workmen earning over $2,600 a month
- All managerial and executive positions
Candidates Address the Electorate
During the course of Nomination Day, each candidate took the opportunity to communicate their visions to the voters:
Tan Kin Lian: Advocating for an independent presidency, Mr. Tan expressed his intent to give Singaporeans an opportunity to vote for a president who stands separate from the current ruling government. He pledged to uphold the president’s responsibilities as stipulated in the Constitution.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Mr.Tharman emphasized the importance of a respectful and honorable contest. Highlighting the challenges ahead, he shared his ambition to leverage his extensive experience both nationally and globally to serve Singaporeans passionately.
Ng Kok Song: The former Chief Investment Officer at GIC, Mr Ng, vocalized his commitment to safeguarding Singapore’s three mainstays – its reserves, commendable public administration, and societal stability. Emphasizing his non-affiliation with any political group, he stressed his unique position to unify Singaporeans against looming uncertainties.
To know more about the powers of the Singapore President, you might want to watch this to the end:
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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