Ng Kok Song says low vote share in Presidential Election was the price needed to give Singaporeans chance to vote

SINGAPORE: Ng Kok Song said that the low percentage of votes he received in the Presidential Election was the price he needed to pay "in order to give Singaporeans the opportunity to exercise their right to vote".

He was speaking ahead of the final election result which confirmed rival candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam had won the election on Friday (Sep 1) with 70.4 per cent of the vote.

Mr Ng received 15.72 per cent of the votes, while another candidate, Tan Kin Lian, managed 13.88 per cent.

The runner-up was speaking to reporters shortly after the release of a sample count which was roughly in line with the final result. Mr Ng said he had decided to concede the race, adding that “there is no need to wait a few more hours” for the final vote count. 

“The result is clear.”

He also said that giving people the opportunity to vote was "the ultimate objective when I set out to stand for the presidency, and I'm glad that I've achieved that goal".

Mr Ng added that he spoke to Mr Tharman on the phone after the announcement of the sample count and had congratulated the former Senior Minister on a “magnificent victory”.

Speaking to the media from the office of his social media agency where he and his supporters were gathered for the results, Mr Ng, the former chief investment officer of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, said he had decided to throw his hat into the ring for the presidency to ensure that the people of Singapore have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.

“I think I have accomplished that goal because the presidential election did take place today.”

Another reason for him to step forward was to give Mr Tharman a contest, he said, adding that he is “very glad” that the former Senior Minister has “earned a mandate” from the people of Singapore.

On whether he had expected Mr Tharman to lead the vote count by a huge margin, Mr Ng replied that the former politician has a “formidable political record”. 

“So, 70 per cent is not far from what he achieved in Jurong, and to be able to do it at the national level, I think it’s even more laudable.”

Throughout his campaign, Mr Ng has reiterated his lack of political affiliation to political parties and stressed the message that it is time for Singapore to have a non-partisan President. 

He does not think that the results indicated that Singaporeans have rejected that notion, adding that the principle of non-partisanship has now entered the public sphere.

“I think the seed has been sown. The word non-partisanship will now enter the vocabulary of governance in Singapore,” he said.

“My hope is that … the principle of non-partisanship will grow over time and … will contribute to the further maturing of the political process in Singapore.”

Following the elections, Mr Ng said he intends to return to his “private life”. 

Apart from spending more time with his pets, he would also be going back to running his investment firm, which he started eight years ago with the hope of contributing to the development of Singapore as a financial centre.

“I will continue to serve my country until my last breath.”