SINGAPORE - Everyone should be recognised for what they contribute to society, and no one should feel that they are a nobody, said presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Friday.

While material progress is important, “it’s the things we can’t measure that are critical to our future”, said the 66-year-old former senior minister.

This includes whether people feel they matter to others, or if they feel their lives are unfair because they come from a tough background.

“That’s why at the front of my purpose, and the heart of my campaign even, is the idea of deepening respect for all – respect for every person, especially those who face disadvantage,” he said.

Mr Tharman was holding an election meeting with about 650 registered guests from the public on Friday evening, to share his vision for the presidency. He made a 20-minute speech and answered questions submitted by the audience for an hour.

The meeting was held at Pasir Panjang Power Station, with a dress code of smart casual and “pineapple theme”. Mr Tharman’s campaign logo is a pineapple.

Asked when Singapore will know it is ready for a non-Chinese prime minister, Mr Tharman said: “Singapore is ready any time for a non-Chinese prime minister.”

Race is a factor in politics everywhere, he noted, citing former United States president Barack Obama, who has spoken and written about it.

Mr Tharman said Singaporeans today, compared with 40 or 50 years ago, look at all factors, not just race.

“They look at people in totality... Singapore’s ready any time. If someone comes up who’s a superior candidate for prime minister, the person can be made the prime minister. I believe they can,” he said.

It is a marker of Singapore’s progress as a society, he added.

His wife Jane Ittogi, 69, told the crowd: “The answer to that (question) is before your eyes, when Singaporeans vote (for) a non-Chinese president.”

In his opening remarks, Mr Tharman said Singapore cannot be a fairer and better place just through government policies, as important as they are.

Instead, things must go much deeper, and the next phase of Singapore’s development is to pay attention to things that cannot be measured.

Noting that there are many people who are doing meaningful jobs that are not visible, he said: “Every skill and every job deserves respect. Better pay for the low-paid – but (also) respect and dignity.”

He recalled an interview he had in 2015 with BBC’s Stephen Sackur, where Mr Sackur had asked if Singapore believed in a safety net via a welfare state.

Mr Tharman had replied then that he believed in the notion of a trampoline.

Such a trampoline is not just about government policies such as housing subsidies, and training for workers who lost their jobs – efforts that allow someone who takes a fall to bounce back, he said.

“It’s actually about all of us. It’s the trampoline of moral support, that trampoline of knowing that you’re part of a circle of motivation at work, in the community... of knowing that you’re never looked down upon. In this next phase of society, we really have to focus on that social trampoline. It’s not just about policies, but about the way we relate to each other and respect each other.”

Independence and trust go hand in hand

Mr Tharman was asked how, as a president working with a new prime minister, his approach and style would be different from working with a seasoned PM.

He replied that everyone knows that he is his own man and independent-minded.

“I’ve always sought to find the consensus of my colleagues on the direction of change and the policy changes required,” he said.

“But there’s a certain respect. We have differences of views all the time in (the) Cabinet... that’s the strength of the Singapore system, that we have extensive debate in government on every significant issue, before we finally agree on a practical approach that will take us forward.

“But I’m not known as someone who just toes the line or as a yes-man.”

He said that he would have a relationship of mutual respect with the current or future prime minister.

He noted that the president needs to have trust all around to operate effectively, including trust among international partners.

“If you’re just a solo operator, no matter how independent-minded you are, you won’t get very far,” he said, adding that one would, in fact, find one’s independence then constrained.

On why he did not join an international organisation

Asked why he wanted to run for president instead of doing more on the international stage, Mr Tharman said that he had, at various points, been approached to take on major leadership roles in international organisations.

But he was not interested in leaving Singapore, as this was where the people had elected him, he said, explaining why he declined those roles. “And I was very straightforward about it.”

“There is no greater purpose in life than serving your own country,” he added. “Because when you serve your country, it’s not just a position you hold, it’s an emotion. You’re really doing something for your own people, with your own people, and that’s very different from serving in international organisations. I feel I can play a very useful role for Singapore in this next phase, outside of politics, as your president.”

His cats disrupt his meetings

While most of the questions posed to him were serious, Mr Tharman also answered some light-hearted ones.

Asked if he would turn the Istana into SpongeBob’s pineapple house, he admitted that he did not know what SpongeBob meant.

SpongeBob SquarePants is a popular children’s cartoon character who lives in a pineapple-shaped house on the seabed.

On a question about his cats, Mr Tharman said they are named Judy, Socks and Awan, which means “cloud” in Malay.

He added that his cats would regularly disrupt his Zoom meetings with international colleagues, as they sought a warm surface to sit on – the keyboard on his laptop.

“Fortunately, my international peers are very understanding and humane people. And no one has objected to this phenomenon,” he said.

Friday’s event was hosted by comedian Suhaimi Yusof and deejay Karyn Wong. 

Mr Tharman was jovial during the event, cracking jokes at times. 

When Mr Suhaimi likened Mr Tharman’s voice to that of the fictional robot Optimus Prime, Mr Tharman quipped: “In case I don’t win the presidential election, I know I’ve got some options.”

The atmosphere at the power station was relaxed, as supporters listened attentively to Mr Tharman’s answers.

Some of the supporters who turned up on Friday were dressed in bright yellow or green, in pineapple prints. One even pinned on a sparkly pineapple brooch.

A group who coordinated their outfits were young business owners from the Bosses Network Young Chapter. 

Mr Dedrick Loo, 32, chairman of the chapter, said some members of the group of about 20 attendees had gone out on Thursday to find clothes to fit the theme, including two who were decked out in red shirts with a shiny gold pineapple print. He said he supports Mr Tharman because he can represent Singapore best on the international stage amid the current global situation.  

Chapter member Karen Ng, 43, stressed that he was genuine, while Mr Tan Ming Yao, 41, also a member, said Mr Tharman had a “long and proven track record both at home and abroad”.

Two business owners brought along pineapple-shaped ang ku kueh and pineapple tarts. 

Ms Elizabeth Chan, 34, owner of Kueh Ho Jiak, said it took around four hours on Friday to make the box of ang ku kueh, which she said was meant to mark the “joyous occasion”.