Presidential hopeful George Goh held a press conference this afternoon (Aug 4) after submitting his certificate of eligibility at the Elections Department earlier this morning. Seated with Goh at the conference were 9 friends and supporters, which he dubs as the ‘Heart of Singapore’.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Good afternoon, welcome to the press conference.
00:05 I just say a few short words in the moment.
00:10 I would like to thank everyone for coming.
00:16 And my friends and supporters are sitting here with me today.
00:22 These people are important to me and who I hope to represent.
00:31 So all these are the so-called heart of Singapore.
00:36 So we all belong to the ordinary group.
00:40 So I must say special thanks to all of them joining this press conference.
00:46 Today I submitted my application for the certificate of eligibility for this year's presidential election.
01:00 I have planned for this day since 2017 and I first heard of the changes to the eligibility criteria for private sector candidates.
01:16 They are very stringent conditions.
01:19 Very few people can qualify.
01:23 So I worked hard with my team to make sure that I would be able to meet the requirements.
01:33 I have said previously in various media interviews that I wouldn't have to run if I didn't meet the criteria.
01:47 But there have been doubts about my eligibility.
01:53 So today, after I have submitted my papers, I'm putting out some numbers to show that I'm a serious candidate.
02:05 I have a group of five companies to have a combined shareholders' equity of $1.521 billion over three years,
02:21 making the average shareholders' equity $507 million.
02:30 I have been profitable for the last three years.
02:37 I'm the most senior executive in every one of these companies.
02:45 It was not easy to meet the requirements because we were working during the COVID-19 period when most of the businesses were down.
03:00 It was difficult to make profits, but our hard work paid off.
03:07 And I'm confident that I have met the requirements.
03:14 Why do I want to stand for this election?
03:20 I believe it is important to have an independent president with no past link to any political party.
03:34 For the president to exercise his checking powers and drawing down the reserves in the key appointments,
03:46 he must have acted independently of the government and been seen to be doing so.
03:59 Too many of our past presidents have been senior members of the ruling party who have worked closely with the government.
04:11 Can they truly act independently when they become a president?
04:18 I believe it is better to have someone without this link.
04:26 I have no past association with any party.
04:30 I am not a grassroots leader or any constituency or community organisation.
04:39 My companies have no business with any government-linked company,
04:46 and no investments from sovereign funds from the Welfare Fund.
04:52 I have never been employed by any government or worked in any of these agencies, such as MAS, GIC.
05:04 I want to offer Singaporeans a chance to elect a truly independent president.
05:12 I am a self-made man who started from scratch at the age of 16, working in a shoe factory.
05:23 Over the past decades, I have owned more than 100 companies,
05:29 including 7 that are listed on the stock exchanges of Singapore, the United Kingdom and Australia.
05:37 The total market propagation or valuation of my listed companies is $3.15 billion.
05:48 I am grateful to Singapore for giving me this chance to grow my business and become the person I am today.
06:01 Singapore has been good to me and my family.
06:05 I hope my life story will inspire others.
06:12 Today, I have my friends and supporters sitting with me on this panel,
06:20 ordinary heroes from different segments of society,
06:27 who have been contributing to Singapore's success and will continue to do so for our future progress.
06:37 These people I have with me, they are the heart of Singapore.
06:46 We should ensure that Singapore continues to be the place where anyone can make it.
06:55 Even you come from a background like mine.
07:00 If I have a chance to be elected, I will strive to be a president of all.
07:10 Thank you for your support.
07:14 (Music)
07:16 (Music)
07:18 (Music)
07:20 [BLANK_AUDIO]