Singapore’s president is not an alternative power centre and his job is not to ‘outshine the prime minister’, says Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Tharman says the president must exercise his own judgment but it is ‘opportunistic’ to criticise presidential hopefuls for their past party ties, citing the late Ong Teng Cheong, who was ‘an independent president’

The 66-year-old candidate says deputy prime minister Lawrence Wong is a ‘leader made for the times’, and that he knows the job of the president is not to be a ‘stand-out’

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06:05

Singapore's presidential hopeful Tharman on how he sees the role of an independent president

Zuraidah IbrahimandKimberly Lim

Published: 4:07pm, 22 Aug 2023Updated: 12:06am, 23 Aug 2023

Singapore’s presidential hopeful Tharman Shanmugaratnam says voters can count on him to act with “independence of mind”, but should not see the presidency as “an alternative power centre” to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

In a wide-ranging interview with the Post, he also brushed aside speculation that his seniority and popularity would eclipse Lawrence Wong, the much younger PAP minister slated to take over as prime minister. “The president should never outshine the prime minister, whoever he is,” Tharman said.

Voters will go to the polls on September 1. Originally a ceremonial head of state appointed by parliament, the presidency has been directly elected since 1991. While having no executive function, the elected president is required to exercise an independent check on the spending of financial reserves and key public-sector appointments.

The 66-year-old former senior minister, who resigned from the government and ruling party to run for president, has repeatedly stressed that his 22 years of loyal service in the cabinets of two prime ministers would not compromise his independence. “I am non-partisan by character,” he said.

At the same time, Tharman has tried to temper expectations among Singaporeans keen to see the directly elected president pushing back against the dominance of the PAP, which holds 80 out of 93 elected seats in parliament.

“The president is not an alternative power centre. He has to be very clear about that. You’re not there to be an alternative centre of political power and influence,” Tharman said. “If you want to be, you should stand for general elections. It’s as simple as that.”

05:42

Singapore's presidential hopeful Tharman Shanmugaratnam on China-US ties: Why the long game is vital

Founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew introduced this constitutional backstop as a guard against voters choosing a free-spending government. However, many Singaporeans appear to treat presidential elections as an opportunity to register their desire for more checks and balances in a system dominated by the PAP.