Ng Kok Song sits down with AsiaOne to share his thoughts on the other presidential hopefuls - Tharman Shanmugaratnam and George Goh - and the attention on his fiancee.
The septuagenarian also addresses the difference between the ruling party and the public service, where he worked in for decades.
The septuagenarian also addresses the difference between the ruling party and the public service, where he worked in for decades.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Public service means service to the people of Singapore.
00:03 Political parties will come and go,
00:06 but the public service remains.
00:08 [Music]
00:30 When I wake up in the morning, I do my meditation.
00:35 I sit down for 25 minutes of meditation.
00:38 When it's cool, I sit in my garden to meditate.
00:42 When it's warm and humid, I sit for meditation in my bedroom.
00:47 Then I come down for breakfast.
00:50 After breakfast, I read the newspapers,
00:55 or I check my emails, and then I go for a walk.
01:00 Sometimes I come to the East Coast Park.
01:02 It's near the sea, there's a very nice breeze.
01:05 Then I go back and do a little bit of gardening,
01:09 trim my plants, take care of my bonsai plants.
01:14 And then I feel rather sweaty, so I go for a swim.
01:19 And after that, I settle down for lunch.
01:23 And after that, I go to the office.
01:26 I usually finish work in the office at around 6 p.m.
01:33 I come home, then I take a shower,
01:37 and then I sit down to meditate again for 25 minutes
01:41 before I have my dinner.
01:44 Then after dinner, I would read some books,
01:50 read some important articles, especially about finance,
01:54 because that is my work.
01:57 And then I go to sleep at around 11 o'clock.
02:01 So that's my daily routine.
02:04 I think we want to explain to the people of Singapore,
02:12 when you want to stand for president,
02:15 you must be prepared to tell the truth.
02:18 My wife died 18 years ago.
02:21 For 14 years after her death, I was single.
02:25 And then lo and behold, Sybil appeared,
02:29 and I fell in love with her.
02:31 We are 30 years apart.
02:32 I'm 75, she's 45.
02:35 Having a young person like Sybil
02:38 will help me to understand young people better,
02:42 their hopes, their aspirations, their challenges in life.
02:46 When you say, "Will it affect my chances?"
02:49 I hope it will enhance my chances,
02:52 provided people are prepared to listen to our story
02:56 and not make judgements without having the necessary information.
03:02 There's always some negative comments
03:04 from people who do not know,
03:06 but we have had some very positive comments as well.
03:09 From people of different ages,
03:14 they would send me messages,
03:16 and feel very happy for me that I've fallen in love again.
03:22 And Sybil's friends as well.
03:24 I think people understand.
03:27 That's why we decided to tell our story.
03:31 All the three of us have got to be certified eligible to stand first.
03:40 So it's too early to say.
03:42 Of course, Taman will automatically qualify
03:48 because he was Finance Minister and Senior Minister.
03:52 I think Mr George Goh,
03:55 it is very good of him to come forward.
03:58 One of the reasons why I want to stand for President
04:02 is that I want to encourage more good and capable Singaporeans
04:08 to come forward to serve our country,
04:11 either in Parliament or Ministers or as the President.
04:15 The more good people we have coming forward,
04:18 the better it is for the future of Singapore.
04:21 What is the role of the ruling party in the establishment of Singapore?
04:26 You see, people make the mistake of thinking
04:31 that the establishment is the ruling party.
04:34 Because since we became independent in 1965,
04:38 we have had only one ruling party,
04:41 and that is the People's Action Party.
04:44 So no wonder people say Kok Song is in the public service,
04:49 because they confuse establishment, public service with the ruling party.
04:54 Public service means service to the people of Singapore.
04:58 Political parties will come and go,
05:01 but the public service remains.
05:03 The public service is the continuity for good administration in Singapore.
05:09 So I served 45 years in public service.
05:12 I'm very proud of it.
05:14 What are your expectations for Singapore?
05:17 Singapore will be better off if we have a balance in our governance.
05:26 By which I mean that it is better for the long-term governance of Singapore
05:33 to have a presidency which is separate from the government,
05:39 so that it can rise above politics,
05:41 and is then better able to unite the whole country,
05:46 regardless of their political affiliation.
05:50 When I look at the other two candidates,
05:54 Mr Tharman and Mr George Goh,
05:58 it's a good thing that Singaporeans come forward to be chosen by the people.
06:08 But I think most importantly,
06:11 in order to respect the office of the presidency,
06:16 he must be someone who is competent,
06:19 who has a sufficient understanding of global finance,
06:24 who has a sufficient understanding of our reserves,
06:26 what our reserves are meant for.
06:30 Our reserves are savings for a rainy day.
06:34 Our reserves is our financial defence in times of war,
06:40 in times of economic depression, where we have to save jobs.
06:46 And then secondly, I think we want a president who is trustworthy.
06:52 In public service, in the presidential office,
06:56 we set very high standards of integrity, of moral character.
07:02 So I feel that the three of us are offering ourselves for candidacy.
07:12 The Presidential Elections Commission has got to make the decision
07:17 whether each of us can be certified eligible,
07:22 based on competence and based on trustworthiness of character.
07:29 [Music]