SINGAPORE, June 10 — First, a website detailing George Goh's biography and his accomplishments was set up several months ago.
Then, just as Singaporeans were digesting the news on Thursday (June 8) afternoon of Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's intention to contest the Presidential Election, Goh, 63, appeared in a video interview on Instagram several hours later.
Is Goh, who has been tipped to put himself forward for the coming Presidential Election, preparing the ground for an imminent campaign?
His minders said there were “no updates” in response to TODAY's queries yesterday, but political analysts believe Mr Goh's attempts to build up his public profile in recent months point to his presidential aspirations.
The interview, alongside a standalone website featuring his biography, were some indicators pointing to the businessman — who brought Australian electronics retail store Harvey Norman to Asia — as a possible presidential hopeful, political observers told TODAY yesterday.
But if he were to enter the fray, Goh would have “a mountain to climb” when going up against the senior minister, who is a more familiar face to Singaporeans, they said.
Who is George Goh?
Goh is the chairman of Ossia International, a footwear, sports and fashion retailer listed on the Singapore Exchange, and founder of Harvey Norman Ossia — a joint venture vehicle with the Australia-based electronic retailer.
He is also deputy chairman of Pertama Holdings Limited, an investment company with interests in wholesale consumer electronic products and furniture, among others.
Outside of the private sector, the father of four co-founded charity Border Mission and is a council member at the Red Cross Society, among other roles.
Since 2017, Goh has been the Singapore Ambassador to Morocco.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement announcing his appointment then said that among other roles, he founded seven listed and private companies.
Notwithstanding his portfolio, he has kept a relatively low public profile previously.
However, his recent actions have indicated to some political analysts that he might be gunning for the presidency. These include building up his social media presence.
Goh set up a public Facebook page on May 23, 2022, where he has posted almost daily since September 2, 2022. As of yesterday evening, there were about 470 users following his Facebook page.
He also has a website featuring his biography and past interviews with the media. Online checks showed that the website was set up on October 11, 2022.
Goh’s social media pages feature details about his personal life and career.
In one post on his Facebook page about his rags-to-riches story, he wrote: “We may not all start strong, but if we keep the fight and surround ourselves with the right people, I believe we can all finish well.”
Most recently on Tuesday, Goh was featured in an article by local Christian publication Salt&Light about his upbringing, religion and his work in Border Mission, which helps the underprivileged in the Himalayas.
Two videos of an interview with him were also put up on the publication’s YouTube channel a day later. One of them was posted on Salt&Light's Instagram page hours after Tharman's announcement to run for the presidency.
Aside from growing his presence online, TODAY understands that former newspaper editor Bertha Henson is helping him with media and publicity matters.
When TODAY asked Goh, through Henson, if he planned to run for president, she said on Friday that there were “no updates”.
Goh had also not refuted a report by national daily The Straits Times on May 13 that he is a potential candidate for the election, which is due to be held by September 13.
To qualify as a candidate, an individual from the private sector must have served as chief executive of a company with an average of S$500 million (RM1.7 billion) in shareholders' equity for at least three years. During this time, the company must, on average, have at least S$500 million in shareholders’ equity and have made profit after tax throughout.
What analysts say
Associate Professor Eugene Tan, a law lecturer from the Singapore Management University, said that Goh’s actions in recent months suggest he was “building up interest in his presidential aspirations”.
“His well-curated website seeks to paint an accomplished individual with a commitment to charitable works such as education and his being a non-resident ambassador to Morocco,” said Assoc Prof Tan.
He added that typically, a presidential hopeful will seek a higher public profile, which can be done by either publicly declaring their interest to run or going around to community organisations, business associations and civic groups to canvass support for their bid.
“It would appear he is seriously contemplating a run and could be testing the waters now with his media outreach,” said the political observer.
Similarly, former People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament Inderjit Singh pointed to Goh's website as an indication that he was considering putting himself up as a candidate.
Dr Felix Tan, a political analyst from the Nanyang Technological University, said that while Goh’s interviews with Salt&Light could simply be him talking about his faith, rather than indicating his intention to run, it could also suggest that he was “sussing out” the support of a community based on religious affiliation if he chooses to run.
On whether Goh would qualify as a candidate, Singh said that “all indicators” suggest that he qualifies.
However, Assoc Prof Tan said that he did not know for certain if would meet the criteria, as it is not clear if the companies he run meet the S$500 million shareholder equity requirement.
Less well known than Tharman
If Goh and Tharman eventually cross paths in the Presidential Election campaign, the latter will be a more familiar face to Singaporeans, given his public service background, the analysts noted.
Assoc Prof Tan, for instance, pointed out that Tharman is well known both domestically and internationally, unlike Goh.
“In the battle of curriculum vitaes, Tharman clearly has a superior record to Goh,” he said, adding that the latter would have “a mountain to climb” to make himself better known to the public.
On the other hand, given that Goh is not from the government, his “strongest attribute” is that he can claim to be truly non-partisan and offer a more robust check and balance presidential role, Assoc Prof Tan added.
In a recent commentary on CNA, former veteran newspaper editor Han Fook Kwang said that a Presidential Election contest between a candidate who has links to the ruling party and one who does not will be a win-win for all in Singapore.
“A contest this time round will strengthen the new president’s authority — which was precisely the reason the office became an elected one,” he wrote.
He also argued that having too many of instances of only PAP-associated candidates and no-contest elections will breed cynicism about the presidency.
Are there other potential candidates?
Singh, the former MP, said he did not expect to see a three-cornered fight as very few people can qualify to become the President due to the stringent qualifying criteria.
The only other potential candidate who could throw his hat in the ring is Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he said.
Lee Hsien Yang had told news media outlet Bloomberg in March this year that he was considering running for the Elected Presidency.
However, lawyers had previously told TODAY that Lee is unlikely to qualify as a candidate due to earlier court findings of him and his wife having lied under oath in judicial proceedings.
Assoc Prof Tan said that given Tharman’s close ties to the PAP, his candidacy might encourage other hopefuls from the private sector to step into the fray and appeal to voters who may prefer a non-establishment candidate.
Nevertheless, it would be surprising if a dark horse were to enter the race following Tharman’s announcement that he planned to contest, he said.
“In view of Tharman effectively kicking off his campaign, time is of the essence for other hopefuls to launch their campaigns,” said Assoc Prof Tan. ― TODAY
