PE2023: IT consultant says he's running for president, wants to be 'SAF commander-in-chief' if he wins

With the Presidential Election due to be held no later than Sept 13, things are starting to heat up.

An IT consultant has declared his intentions to run for president in a TikTok video on Thursday (June 29).

"My name is Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming", the 45-year-old said as he introduced himself. Turritopsis Dohrnii is the name of a biologically immortal jellyfish. 

"I've collected the forms at the Elections Department (ELD) office on June 27. If I win, I shall become the commander-in-chief of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Marine Corps.

"I will defend the constitution of Singapore."

While the president of countries such as the United States and the Philippines also act as commander-in-chief of the military, this is not part of the Singapore president's responsibilities.

For the record, the duties of the president include representing Singapore in official diplomatic functions and to support charitable and social causes.

The president also has the power to veto or disagree with the Government’s proposals in areas such as the country's reserves and key appointments in public service, if there are reasons to do so.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@teo.en.ming/video/7249993619023596808?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7246038907857634842[/embed]

Besides his lifelong dream to work in the Japanese adult video industry, Teo is known on the internet for taking selfies with local celebrities.

Some of the actresses seen on his TikTok page include Sharon Au, Hong Ling and Ah Girls Go Army star Xixi Lim.

Teo's announcement of his presidential bid has since garnered over 28,000 views on TikTok.

In the comments, netizens were left scratching their heads over this bizarre declaration of his desire to become Singapore's head of state.

Some of them commented on his chances to win the presidential election, if Teo meets the stringent eligibility criteria, that is.

Other netizens have voiced their support for Teo.

Teo joins a growing list of hopefuls for the upcoming presidential election.

So far, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, businessman George Goh, and former secondary school teacher Seng Soon Kia have thrown their hats into the ring.

AsiaOne has contacted Teo for more information.

ALSO READ: Former teacher shows up at ELD, says he wants to improve condition of public toilets, standard of public bus services

chingshijie@asiaone.com