Tharman Shanmugaratnam launched his campaign for presidency themed Respect for All on Wednesday (July 26). If he were elected as president, he pledged to bring his "full experience and capabilities" to serve in this "new and more challenging era.
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00:00 Thank you. Well, thank you for coming. I am very happy to be here today to introduce my team of
00:12 proposers, seconders and assenters for the Presidential Election, and to also talk about
00:20 my vision and my purpose in standing for the Presidential Election. I said a little bit
00:30 about this a month and a half ago when I announced that I intended to step down from government,
00:39 and I will now talk, I will now elaborate on my purpose and how I intend to be a President
00:52 for a new era. I am happy to be joined by my full team of proposers, assenters and assenters,
01:04 seconders and assenters. I have put a lot of thought into whom I wanted to be with me.
01:14 They are a group of Singaporeans who have a vision for the future and a track record
01:26 of leadership in their own walks of life, in public service, in the business sector,
01:36 on the ground in various initiatives, in interfaith cooperation and development of harmony, in
01:47 working with labour, in advancing the Green Cause, in advancing the arts. I am proud to
02:00 have them with me here today, because the election and my candidacy is not just about
02:06 myself but about our future. I have stepped into this race because I believe very strongly
02:20 in the need to evolve Singapore's culture, some of our norms, and the way we go about
02:30 working with each other, so that we remain a shining spot in the world in the future.
02:39 I have spent my entire adult life in public service. Nothing could have been more meaningful.
02:51 I believe I can now best serve Singapore, not in politics, but as President, whose role
02:58 has to be about politics. As you know, I have resigned from the PAP and I have stepped down
03:04 from a Senior Minister and from all my positions in Government. I made this decision because
03:15 I believe the challenges that Singapore faces are going to grow, and the elected Presidency
03:24 will be critical as part of our system of confidence, system of constantly building
03:32 for the future, system of holding together as a people. The challenges are not merely
03:39 about today or current circumstances. There will always be ups and downs. The challenges
03:46 are more fundamental. We are in a time of transition, both in Singapore and internationally.
03:57 We are moving into a new era. Internationally, we all know what is happening. There may be
04:11 a pause in the relationship between the US and China, but the trajectory does not look
04:20 good. It is not just the US and China, but a gradually fragmenting world. All countries
04:31 are going to be tested in new ways in the years to come. Global crises are already breaking
04:37 out more frequently – economic, geopolitical and of course environmental. They are already
04:46 breaking out more frequently. That is part of the new landscape, that is part of the
04:50 new era. Domestically, we are becoming a democracy with more diverse views. As I have myself
04:59 said repeatedly, I view this as inevitable and healthy. What really matters, our real
05:06 challenge is to avoid becoming a divided society. It is one thing to have different views, it
05:13 is another thing to disrespect each other and become more distant from each other and
05:19 more divided. That is what we absolutely have to avoid. It has happened in too many other
05:25 societies and it must never happen in Singapore. We must be a democracy with more space for
05:32 diverse views, civil society, but a democracy with a strong centre that gives Singaporeans
05:41 confidence in the future. If I am fortunate enough to be elected as President, I pledge
05:50 to bring my full experience and capabilities on the ground nationally and internationally
06:04 to serve as your President for this new and more challenging era. It will involve the
06:17 key roles of the Presidency as we all know it. The President has to be a unifying figure.
06:25 The President has to safeguard our reserves and safeguard key appointments in the public
06:35 service, safeguard the integrity of key appointments. The President has to also be able to advocate
06:45 for Singapore internationally and project Singapore's voice of reason internationally.
06:53 I believe I bring a combination of experience and expertise in all three dimensions that
07:05 will help Singapore in the years to come. Real experience in unifying people, a deep
07:15 knowledge of finance and fiscal policies and how we safeguard reserves that comes from
07:25 my many years of experience as a Finance Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and my other roles at
07:32 the MAS and GIC. And finally, my international standing. I have been flying the Singapore
07:41 flag high in a variety of top-level international fora, various councils and panels, and my
07:50 ability to continue to add to Singapore by projecting our voice of reason, by bridging
07:58 differences of views internationally and by creating space for Singapore in so doing,
08:04 is also what I bring to the Presidency. So it is that combination of all three dimensions
08:12 of the Presidency that I offer my experience and capabilities on.
08:22 I want to say that on the first dimension of unifying people, that I speak from real
08:32 experience. My advantage, quite frankly, is I have been in politics for 22 years, on the ground.
08:45 It is not just a track record of being elected. It is not about the majorities I earned in
08:53 each election. It is a track record of how I have worked with people on the ground, built
09:00 a culture of empathy and respect on the ground, mutual respect between people, in Taman Jerong
09:09 and Jurong for over 22 years. I spent a lot of my time on it, together with my wife Jane.
09:18 And we have created initiatives, real initiatives that require time, energy, effort, constant
09:26 morale boosting to help people with deep disadvantage. Young people with deep disadvantage, ex-inmates,
09:36 single mums, anyone who needs a second chance or third chance in life. One of them, Waikie,
09:45 who is with us here today, has himself become a community leader and a friend. So that is
09:52 what we have been working on, on the ground. And that is what has been my real politics,
09:59 on the ground, in Jurong. So when we talk about being a unifying figure,
10:05 I do not say this rhetorically or just as an aspiration, but I speak from a real track
10:14 record. And it includes a track record of respecting different views, including different
10:23 political leanings, and constantly trying to find common ground. So that is the first
10:31 dimension, playing the role of a unifying figure. The second dimension, everyone knows
10:37 my expertise, I do not want to elaborate on it, my financial expertise, my deep knowledge
10:43 of fiscal policy and how to guard the reserves. And on the third role, again I will not elaborate
10:50 at any length, but everyone knows the roles I have been performing for Singapore internationally.
10:57 And in most regards, in almost all those appointments by the way, I was chosen by my international
11:06 peers to chair and lead these various panels. And Singapore must always be a place where
11:15 we have people who can play those roles. Some are amongst our civil servants, some are business
11:23 leaders, some are ministers, and some like myself. And as a President, I intend to play
11:31 that role actively. Never become a small country that becomes irrelevant. Stay a small country
11:39 that is big on the international stage. Never too big for its boots, but always respected,
11:49 well regarded, a country that people want partnerships with. We have to remain that
11:56 way. Never underestimate the importance of Singapore's international reputation. It is
12:02 critical to our future. I bring, however, not just expertise and experience in each
12:14 of these three dimensions, unifying people, fiscal policy and financial policies, advancing
12:23 our space internationally. I bring not just expertise and experience. I bring a more basic
12:29 orientation, a more basic orientation in my life, integrity and independence of mind that
12:38 I have held on to throughout my life. I am known for it, both within government and outside
12:48 government. I have always believed in playing in a team, but it is a team with views of
12:57 our own. And that is the strength of the system, that we have been able to have debates within
13:03 government to within Cabinet with differing views. Eventually within Cabinet, you have
13:10 to come to a collective decision and abide by it. But the debates that take place before
13:17 we come to a collective decision are very serious debates. I played a very active role
13:25 with my own perspective of issues, particularly on social and economic issues, that is part
13:31 of my make-up. Now that I am out of government, if I am fortunate to be elected as President,
13:40 of course I am no longer bound by collective decisions, but I am the same person. I do
13:46 not have to change my colours like a chameleon. I am the same person with the same integrity
13:51 and the same independence of mind. That remains critical for the role of the President, because
14:03 when it comes to, especially when it comes to the President's powers on the spending
14:10 of past reserves, on every aspect of fiscal policy that it pinches on our reserves, and
14:19 when it comes to making key appointments in the system, in the public service, that integrity
14:26 and independence of mind is critical. So in short, what I bring is both the expertise
14:34 and experience, as well as that integrity and independence of mind that I believe is
14:40 going to be extremely important in the Presidency in the years to come.
14:49 Finally let me say I am a deep optimist in Singapore's future. I am a deep optimist.
14:57 Even as we enter a more challenging and uncertain era, even if we get crises thrown our way,
15:07 both expected and totally unexpected, I am a deep optimist. We will go through ups and
15:13 downs in Singapore, but we remain a unique place where we can always work together to
15:23 make the future better for all Singaporeans. That has to be Singapore, and I am convinced
15:31 we can do it. Dealing with difficulties forthrightly, building and rebuilding trust in the Singapore
15:38 system and amongst our people, and most fundamentally, having deeper respect for each other, regardless
15:47 of social background, race or religion, or differing views, having deeper respect for
15:54 each other, that underpins social mobility, social justice, and an inclusive society.
16:03 Having deeper respect for each other, and I intend to promote that if I am fortunate
16:10 enough to be elected as President. So I am convinced in Singapore's future and in the
16:16 Singapore system, and in a more challenging era, I do feel I can play an important role
16:28 to preserve that future for Singapore.
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