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PE 2023: A President’s ability to advise the PM depends on their relationship, says Tharman

SINGAPORE — A President's ability to provide independent advice to the Prime Minister depends on their relationship and whether there is respect between them, presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Wednesday (Aug 23) evening.

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  • The President's ability to advise the Prime Minister depends on their relationship and whether there is respect between them, said Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam
  • He was commenting on rival candidate Tan Kin Lian's plans to use the President's “soft power” to influence policymaking through private conversations with government leaders
  • Mr Tharman also said he puts up campaign posters across the island as a way to reach out to Singaporeans who may not have access to social media
  • In preparing the campaign materials, he had insisted from the start that the campaign be sustainable
  • Mr Tharman also said that he takes the Presidential Election very seriously and does not make assumptions about his performance at the polls

SINGAPORE — A President's ability to provide independent advice to the Prime Minister depends on their relationship and whether there is respect between them, presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Wednesday (Aug 23) evening.

He was speaking to the media before his first walkabout at the Housing and Development Board Hub in Toa Payoh, where he was asked to comment on rival candidate Tan Kin Lian's plans to use the President's “soft power” to influence policymaking through private conversations with government leaders.

“Well, it depends entirely on the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister,” said Mr Tharman.

“If the President and Prime Minister have respect for each other, then the President would have greater ability to be able to provide independent advice and will know that it’s taken seriously.”

At the doorstop, Mr Tharman also said that he puts up campaign posters across the island as a way to reach out to Singaporeans who may not have access to social media. 

He was responding to a question from the media on whether he has an advantage over fellow candidates in terms of accessing manpower to put up banners and posters within a short amount of time to promote his candidacy. 

Earlier on the same day, rival candidate Tan Kin Lian’s daughter, Ms Tan Su Ling, posted on Facebook airing her grievances about the short period of time for candidates to prepare their campaign materials, which incur “hefty costs”.

Mr Tharman said that he and his team had spent a lot of time in the past month mobilising volunteers and preparing campaign materials.

“We wanted to show that the presidential elections are important. They are not less important than general elections where all parties put up posters all around the island,” he said.

CAMPAIGN BANNERS, POSTERS MADE FROM SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

In the course of preparing the campaign materials, Mr Tharman said that he insisted from the very start that the campaign be sustainable.

In previous interviews with the media, he had stated that he considers environmental issues to be his pet concern.

“In fact, I had a range of proposals as to how we could make it most sustainable without, of course, busting our budget,” he said.

“We’ve gone for sustainability in the type of paper used, the type of ink used, and our recycling plan.”

Mr Tharman said that the paper used for his campaign is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international non-governmental organisation that provides certification for wood, paper and other forest products that have been procured through responsible forestry. 

He also uses environmentally friendly soy-based ink, and has prepared a recycling plan for papers and plastics used, such as by cutting up big plastic boards to be reused as smaller ones.

Fellow presidential candidate Ng Kok Song said on Wednesday that he would not be putting up posters or banners as it would not be environmentally friendly.

‘I’M NOT TAKING ANYTHING FOR GRANTED’

When asked about his strategy leading up to the election, Mr Tharman said that besides walkabouts, he will be organising a town hall and not a physical rally. 

The town hall will be by-invite and limited to a number of people to allow for more interaction, and everyone can register in advance, he said.

He did not specify the maximum capacity limit for the town hall. 

The response to his walkabouts has been “encouraging so far”, Mr Tharman said.

“Most of Singapore's not very different from Jurong, in terms of the warmth and friendliness of people,” he said, referring to his former ward where he served as Member of Parliament for 22 years, since the start of his political career.

Asked about his odds at the polls, Mr Tharman said that he makes “no assumptions at all” and takes the election “very seriously”.

“I don't think I have any big advantage, to be frank. We all come in with positives of our own — the three candidates,” he said.

“I'm not taking anything for granted. I think it's going to be a real contest, and I take it very seriously.”

Related topics

Presidential Election 2023 Tharman Shanmugaratnam

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