Tharman worries about 'increasingly sweeping statements', says Ng Kok Song misquoted him

Singaporeans are heading to the polls soon and Tharman Shanmugaratnam is concerned about the "increasingly sweeping statements" made by presidential candidates.

One recent instance is "the idea that the Elected Presidents who have been members of political parties have been serving the political agenda of a political party," Tharman said in a doorstop interview before his walkabout at Sengkang on Tuesday (Aug 29) evening.

"I saw Mr Ng's latest statement and that's effectively what he's saying." 

The former senior minister was responding to Ng Kok Song's statement on Tuesday where the latter said that Tharman had taken the point too far when he compared past political affiliations with anyone dependent on the government. 

However, Tharman begged to differ. 

"Does that mean that all the presidents so far, including Mr Ong Teng Cheong onwards, who had been members of political parties, were serving the agenda of the party they used to belong to? I mean, that's absurd." 

Tharman also said that Ng had "completely misquoted" his comment in Monday's presidential forum. 

"He seems to have thought that I said that because he ran a fund management company that depended on government monies and therefore, he's not independent.

"I said the opposite actually. I said that it doesn't mean that you're not independent," Tharman explained.

"The whole point I'm making is whether you're a member of a political party, or you've been a top civil servant, or you're running a company that depended on the government for its business, the whole issue is your character."

We have to move away from simple labels: Tharman

Tharman reiterated that "simple labels" such as past political affiliations should not be applied to everyone who qualifies for presidential election.

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"We shouldn't rule any of them out, or we shouldn't assume that they are therefore not independent."

Once we get into these "tactical and opportunistic labels", we'd also have to think about potential candidates whose jobs are dependent on political figures appointing or promoting them, which applies to most people on the public track, he said.

If that were the case, all these people would have to be ruled out because they're there because the Minister appointed them. 

Tharman also noted that Ng has been saying that being a member of a political party is a disadvantage in the presidential race.

"That's his distinguishing card, that he wasn't a member of a political party. And it helps position him for votes," Tharman said.

"Unfortunately, it's a rather weak argument."

ALSO READ: Tharman responds to Tan Kin Lian's claims about voters preferring a 'true-blue Singaporean' first lady

melissateo@asiaone.com