No donations please, said presidential candidate Ng Kok Song. 

In a walkabout this morning (Aug 24) at Ghim Moh Road Market & Food Centre, the former GIC investment chief officer told reporters during a doorstop interview that he will not be accepting any donations to finance his election campaign. 

"I've decided to finance my campaign using my personal savings," Ng said.

He explained to reporters that this decision was taken in order to "not be beholden to anyone" in standing for the presidency. 

The 75-year-old added that he has received offers to finance his campaign. But these offers has been respectfully rejected, he added.

Ng suggested to potential donors that the money could instead be donated to charitable causes. 

When asked about his budget for the campaign, Ng declined to elaborate and instead pointed to the election expenses limit set by the Elections Department at $812,822.10, adding that he'd "have to stay below" that amount.

Separately, fellow candidate Tan Kin Lian had earlier told AsiaOne on Aug 14 that his projected expenditure will be "between $50,000 and $150,000".

His expenses to run for president will also come at a personal cost, he said then.

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At the walkabout, Ng, a Catholic, was also asked about his views on LGBTQ+ issues.

"I believe that this is a very personal matter," he said before echoing the sentiments of Pope Francis. "Who are we to judge?" 

No posters, no chance?

Earlier on, Ng had said that he does not have the "party machinery" to hang up posters or banners across the island.

This is due to him having "very limited resources". However, he mentioned that he will still be handing out pamphlets during his walkabouts.

Fellow presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam took a different approach to his election campaign, using posters aplenty.

When asked if this might put him at an advantage over his other candidates, the 66-year-old said last night: "Not really — actually, I've spent a lot of time in the last month with my team, mobilising volunteers. We put a lot of effort into it."

As for Ng, he said he'll focus on tapping the powers of social media to reach out to the younger generation of Singaporeans.

When asked by AsiaOne today if this might put him at a disadvantage with older Singaporeans, as some may not have easy access to social media, Ng did not seem worried.

"I hope that the younger generation of voters who are more familiar with social media will be able to share with their parents and grandparents," he responded.

ALSO READ: In emotional visit to site of childhood home, Ng Kok Song kowtows and kisses ground

amierul@asiaone.com

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