Lee Foong Ming, Channel NewsAsia
No contest for Presidential Election, only SR Nathan gets
eligibility certificate
SINGAPORE : Only President SR Nathan has been given a Certificate
of Eligibility to contest Singapores Presidential Election; three
other applications have been rejected by the Presidential Elections
Committee.
This means that come Nomination Day on August 17, President Nathan
will be returned unopposed for a second six-year term.
The Presidential Elections Committee, which announced its decision
on Saturday, said President Nathan has all the credentials for the
office of the President and is well regarded and respected for his
public service.
It considers Mr Nathan a man of integrity, good character and
reputation.
The Committee also gave its reasons for rejecting the other three
applications.
Firstly, Mr Ooi Boon Ewe, a former tutor, had claimed to be the
sole proprietor of a realty business.
But the licence for the business had expired at the time of his
application for a Certificate of Eligibility.
The second applicant, Mr Ramachandran Govindasamy Naidu, is a
retired Senior Store Keeper who was with the Commonwealth Forces
from 1946 to 1987.
The Committee said the career history of these two men obviously
showed that they did not hold any similar or comparable position of
seniority and responsibility in any other organisation or
department of equivalent size or complexity in the public or
private sector, which is necessary for the office of the
Presidency.
As for Mr Andrew Kuan, the former Group Chief Financial Officer of
JTC, it was the Committee's assessment that the seniority and
responsibility of that position was not comparable to those needed
for the office either.
All four applicants for the Certificate of Eligibility have been
informed of the Presidential Elections Committee's decision. - CNA
/ct
