While Mr George Goh faces accusations of secretly being a party man, Mr Ng Kok Song faces accusation of trying to rig the game when he announced his intention to run for President.
Diluting the Votes
For those who needs a refresher on what “diluting the votes” mean, here’s a simple example:
Imagine the Goody Feed Blue Fat Cat and Skinny Cat running for CEO of Goody Feed.
There are four employees in the company who can vote; two decided to vote for Ah Fat while two voted for Ah Shan (skinny in Hokkien).
Then Skinny Cat decides to bring in a friend, Fluffy Dog, to run together. One of the two employees who love dogs more then vote for Ah Mao (Fluffy Dog).
With an additional candidate, the votes could split this way: Ah Fat (1), Ah Mao (1), Ah Shan (2).
Essentially, Fluffy Dog diluted Blue Fat Cat’s votes and allowed Skinny Cat to win.
In the case of the President’s Challen-I mean, Presidential Elections, people are accusing Mr Ng Kok Song of being the fluffy dog.
Mr Ng Kok Song: I Have the Most to Lose
Regarding the rumours, Mr Ng told The Straits Times that he’s “saddened” by the rumours.
No one put him up to running for the role, he said.
After all, he’s the one who has the most to lose.
And thus far, it seems like his prediction is coming true; not only did he face accusations of diluting the votes, his love life has also drawn much criticisms.
Mr Ng Kok Song is currently engaged to Ms Sybil Lau, a Canada-born Singaporean who is 30 years younger than him.
So Why Did Mr Ng Kok Song Decided To Run For Presidency
Mr Ng had been thinking about running for president months ago.
He had given interviews about Singapore’s reserves and thought that since he had helped built it up, he can follow up with protecting it as the president.
In addition, he did not want the Presidential Elections to be a walkover, as that will not count as Mr Tharman becoming a president with the people’s mandate.
The recent scandals has made people question the integrity of the institution. By coming forward, he hopes to encourage more good people to step forward and serve the country.
And last, but not least, he wanted to pay back to society.
He figured that the best way to thank Singapore and MM Lee Kuan Yew for things he’s received in his life, was to become the president of Singapore.
There’s a reason why Mr Ng Kok Song became a bona fide rags-to-reaches story in the investment industry.
He’s able to quickly relate to, and catch the attention of his target audience.
He likes Mr George Goh’s strategy of becoming the Mao Shan Wang, a premium durian variety, of the presidential candidates.
However, he said, he is like “teh o kosong”, a play on his name, which basically means tea without anything. It’s a healthier option than durians, he quipped.
For those who wants to know more about Mr Ng Kok Song’s race to become the president, you can the video below: