Jakarta –
Tharman Shanmugaratnam was elected President of Singapore. The former Deputy Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore won a landslide victory in the city-state’s first ever ballot.
“I believe this is a vote of confidence in Singapore. This is a vote of optimism for a future where we can move forward together and support each other as Singaporeans,” said Tharman Shanmugaratnam in his speech before the election results were announced, as reported by AFPFriday (1/9/2023).
“I am humbled by this vote. This is not just a vote for me, this is a vote for the future of Singapore.” he continued.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam won 70.4 percent of the vote to win a six-year term. The office of president in Singapore has been largely ceremonial in more than a decade.
Quoting from the official page Singapore ParliamentTharman Shanmugaratnam has been a Senior Minister of Singapore since May 2019. He also served for eight years as Deputy Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore.
On July 7 2023, Tharman Shanmugaratnam resigned from politics and all his positions in government to run for the Singapore Presidential Election (Pilpres). In August 2023, Tharman won the election and was elected President of Singapore.
It is known that Tharman was Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2019, and Minister of Finance from 2007 to 2015. He also served as Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from 2011 until his resignation on July 7 2023.
Previously he also served as Minister of Finance for nine years since 2007 and Minister of Education for five years since 2003. Tharman was first elected as a Member of Parliament in November 2001, and was re-elected 4 times since then.
In the international arena, Tharman leads Group of Thirty, a global council comprised of economic and financial leaders from the public and private sectors as well as academia. He also chairs the G20 Distinguished Persons Group on Global Financial Governance, which in October 2018 proposed reforms in development financing and the international monetary system to advance a new, cooperative international order. He previously chaired the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) for four years.
Currently, Tharman Shanmugaratnam also serves as co-chair of the Global Education Forum and the Advisory Board of the United Nations (UN) Human Development Report. He is also a member of the External Advisory Group to the Managing Director of the IMF, and the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum.
The man who was born on February 25 1957 studied at the London School of Economics and Cambridge University, after attending school in Singapore. Tharman later earned a Master of Public Administration at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where he was named a Lucius N Littauer Fellow for his outstanding performance.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam is married to Jane Yumiko Ittogi, a lawyer by background and now actively involved in social development initiatives. They have a daughter and three sons.
(wia/imk)
