Singapore, 07 July (Hindustan Times). Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam, considered a veteran of Singapore politics, will contest the presidential election to be held this year. For this, he has resigned from all political and official posts along with leaving the ministerial post.
Singapore’s presidential election, held every six years, is due to be held before the end of current President Halimah Yacob’s term this year. His term ends on 13 September. There are strict terms and conditions for the presidency in Singapore. A candidate contesting the presidential election must be a citizen of Singapore. He must be over 45 and must have been living in Singapore for at least 10 years. He should not be affiliated to any party at the time of nomination and should have worked for at least 20 years in public and private service.
Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, resigned from the People’s Action Party as well as the cabinet to contest the presidential election. Thurman entered politics in the year 2001. During this, he also held several positions in the cabinet. He has also been the Deputy Prime Minister, Education Minister and Finance Minister of the country. Apart from this, he has also held the position of chairman of the Monetary Authority and de facto central bank of Singapore and vice-chairman of sovereign wealth fund GIC. Thurman also served as chairman of the International Advisory Council of the Economic Development Board.
After working for the people of the country for more than two decades, now he is going to contest the presidential election after resigning from all political and official posts. On his last parliamentary sitting, Leader of the House Indrani Raja said we will miss Thurman and his powerful speeches. His greatest gift was the simplification of complex economic principles. We will also greatly miss his wit and humour. Most people here will remember him as a friend and Member of Parliament.
