Mr Goh was responding to questions from the media during his visit to Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre on Sunday , a day after alternative news website Wake Up Singapore reported that Mr Ng Kok Song, the former chief investment officer of sovereign wealth fund GIC, may contest the elected presidency.
Mr Ng retired from GIC in 2013 before co-founding Avanda with two former GIC colleagues in 2015. Bloomberg reported last year that government-linked firms Singapore Labour Foundation, Temasek and GIC contributed around US$4 billion in assets to help launch Avanda.not be involved in any political party orappointments in a"government-linked corporation or company, or sovereign fund".
"Once you have a sovereign fund involved in your organisation, then it becomes very difficult for independence," he said.his intention to contest the presidential election, Mr Goh had frequently put himself forth as an"independent" candidate who has had no political party affiliations. Prospective presidential candidates from the private sector are required to run a firm with at least S$500 million in shareholders’ equity during the person's most recent three-year period as chief executive officer , among other criteria.However, some experts had earlier told TODAY that clause 4 of Article 19 in thefor the Presidential Elections Commission to assess a candidate’s suitability to run for President under what is called the"deliberative track".