Indian-Origin Minister Set To Be Singapore's Next President

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, an Indian-origin senior minister of Singapore, has announced his intention to run in the city-state's presidential election later this year, and going by his massive popularity, it is almost certain that he will get elected.

Political pundits opine that Tharman's popularity may deter other hopefuls, even the Chinese-origin candidates from throwing their hat into the ring, possibly resulting in a walkover. They say that he is rather the People's Action Party (PAP) government's "trump card" for the presidential election, the Strait Times said in a report.

Former nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin described Tharman as "a PAP nuclear option, meaning you can't think of a better winning formula for the PAP." He added that Tharman appeals to a wide spectrum of Singaporeans regardless of race, socio-economic class, and even political party.

Stepping aside from active politics after 22 years, 66-year-old Tharman became the first person to openly declare his intention to contest the polls, which has to be completed before incumbent President Halimah Yacob's term expires on September 13.

Tharman is said to have informed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of his decision to resign from the ruling PAP, which has been running the prosperous city-state since 1960s, as well as from all his positions in the government and retire from politics to run for presidency.

Tharman was first elected Member of Parliament in 2001, in Jurong Group Representation Constituencies (Jurong GRC) which allows candidates from the minorities to join a group led by members from the city state's predominantly Chinese origin population.

"I plan to do so a month from now, on July 7, so that I can first fulfil my immediate official commitments in Singapore and internationally, and ensure that arrangements are fully in place for constituents of Jurong GRC to be well-served for the rest of the electoral term," Channel News Asia quoted Tharman from a letter he wrote to the Prime Minister.

He will also step down as chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), deputy chairman of GIC, chairman of the Economic Development Board's International Advisory Council and other responsibilities he has been undertaking in his ministerial capacity.

After the election in 2017 that was reserved for Malay candidates, the sense was voters were expecting leading candidates this time to be Chinese, male, and have as little association with the establishment as possible. This is especially more so if Chinese Singaporeans see the process of electing a President as "turn-taking".

Such a move would capture the support of those who might still feel discomfort with the hiatus-triggered ethnic reservation to ensure fair representation of the constituent communities of Singapore that was introduced then, the channel said.

While Tharman is ethnically an Indian, his family is multiracial and arguably, quintessentially Singaporean -- a unique asset to our sense of national identity. The presidential poll will be an opportunity to see if qualifications and political standing can transcend race when it comes to electing the Head of the State.