SINGAPORE Aug 25 — Those contesting the Presidential Election will come up with various "tactical statements” and voters can judge these for themselves, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam said today.

The presidential candidate was responding to reporters who had asked him for his views on rival candidate Tan Kin Lian's claim earlier in the day that Singaporeans would "prefer a chance” to have both the President and his or her spouse to be "true Singaporeans” born here.

Mr Tan's veiled reference to the wives of his opponents who were born abroad was immediately labelled by political analysts as "insidious”, "dangerous” and appealing to anti-foreigner sentiment present in a small segment of the population.

Mr Tharman has said that his spouse, Ms Jane Yumiko Ittogi, was born to a Japanese father and Singaporean mother and has lived in Singapore since she was three, but did not state where she was born.

Ms Sybil Lau, the fiancee of former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song, is a Singapore citizen who was born in Canada.

Speaking to the media during a walkabout at the Amoy Street Food Centre on Friday, Mr Tharman declined to comment directly on Mr Tan’s remarks, adding that he would "let people judge for themselves”.

He cited the example of entrepreneur George Goh, who applied for a Certificate of Eligibility to run for President but was rejected as he did not meet the private sector requirements.

"For instance, I have nothing against George Goh. The fact that he was born in Malaysia, worked very hard,” said Mr Tharman.

"He started off poor, worked very hard, came to Singapore and succeeded.... This has always been the Singapore Story.

"So I would rather not comment on any particular statements by other candidates. It is not my style,” he added.

"My life is an open book, everyone knows me.” — TODAY