So it wasn’t too long ago that the most Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam threw his hat into the Singapore Presidential Election ring in a most spectacular manner. In other words, he spoke calmly into a camera and articulated why he thought he was the best man/woman/person for the gig. By most standards, it was probably the most mundane way to launch a political campaign, but it sort of symbolised his usual approach to things. Understated, Factual, and Heartfelt.
Now, I’ve been a big fan of the big man with the big brain for a fairly long time, and I honestly can’t say anything bad about him. He had a somewhat rough start in politics with what can only be called a somewhat terrible time working at the Ministry of Education. However, once he was placed in his happy place of economics, he really shone in more ways than one. From Chairing the Monetary Authority of Singapore to giving Budget Speeches to even playing with analogies with foreign correspondents, you can hardly find a time he placed a finger, toe or smaller appendage on the wrong side of the scale.
I believe in the notion of a trampoline.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 45th St. Gallen Symposium
Now Tharman sits on the left leaning side of the PAP, which by all accounts is a big tent party, and there have been many criticisms of Tharman for not stepping and pushing for more social policies or being more assertive in putting himself forward as a PM. These are both fair and unfair criticism. They are fair in the sense that if we are political purists, we shouldn’t be in a party that doesn’t fully align with our thinking. That is assuming that Tharman is thinking the same way his critics are, and that is likely not happening, I think some of them are projecting their desires and making assumptions on his political beliefs. But it’s unfair because frankly the PAP is aligned with Tharman’s thinking and over the years he has been tweaking it along the lines that are both comfortable for the party and his own political choices. Would he have moved it even more given the choice, we don’t really know, what we do know is that political parties are about compromise. Assuming you want to get anything done.
” Singapore cannot defy the global economic downturn. But we must absolutely defy the loss of social cohesion, the polarisation, and the despair that is taking hold in many other countries.
National Broadcast, 17 Jun 2020
https://www.gov.sg/article/senior-minister-tharman-shanmugaratnam-a-stronger-and-more-cohesive-society
That being said, I do look forward to a Tharman Presidency. It will be one where the country can really galvanise around an institution that they actually like, believe in and ultimately trust to get the job done in the best possible way. If we do get a Tharman Presidency, and I say if because it’s still an election, I think we could potentially be going into period interesting changes. For one, the PAP will no longer have their foil that the population love so much, they can no longer bring out the big guns to explain difficult international financial issues in simple terms or express tough policy in ways that people can at least admit they understand why we may need to make the tough calls. Secondly, having a person that really understands the reserves and the government service, serving as the second key and appointing authority really lends credence to the institution of the Presidency. And Thirdly, this is a President that other Presidents would want to talk to, potentially opening up another avenue of diplomacy when there is a need.
So yes I’m looking forward to seeing a Tharman Presidency. But first lets have those elections.
thebumblingtechnocrat 