Addressing criticism of her ungrammatical campaign slogan for her presidential bid, Madam Halimah Yacob said that she settled on “Do Good Do Together” because “it’s catchy, it’s easy to understand, easy for everyone to relate”. She was speaking to the media after submitting her application forms to the Elections Department (ELD) to stand in next month’s Presidential Election (PE) — the last of three aspirants who have publicly announced their intention to take part in the race. On Tuesday, the former Speaker of Parliament unveiled her campaign slogan — “Do Good Do Together”. Touted as a call to action, she said that the tagline embodies her goal to create an inclusive society for all. It has since received criticism from netizens for being ungrammatical.
Defending her choice of words on Wednesday, Mdm Halimah, 63, said: “I do know that there are also people who support it. (They) find it very good, very impactful. The idea of doing good is something that is so expansive. It covers many things — wanting to see Singapore doing better, Singaporeans doing better, getting the collective support of everyone to stay united so that we can progress together.” Arriving at the ELD building at Prinsep Link in a black Toyota car at 10.40am on Wednesday, Mdm Halimah, clad in a yellow headscarf, orange blouse and black slacks, was accompanied by five members of her campaign team. They included Mr Lawrence Leow, former president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Mr Bob Shaw, Marsiling Citizens’ Consultative Committee chairman. The submission process ended in 20 minutes, and she had left the building by 11.05am.
So far, two other potential contenders for the PE have emerged: Mr Mohamed Salleh Marican, 67, chief executive of Second Chance Properties and Mr Farid Khan Kaim Khan, 62, chairman of marine services provider Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific. Mr Marican was the first to drop off his forms at the ELD on Aug 23, followed by Mr Farid the next day. This PE has been reserved for the Malay community, following changes to the Elected Presidency passed by Parliament in November last year. The writ of election was issued on Monday, giving presidential hopefuls five working days, until Sept 4, to apply for a certificate of eligibility and a community certificate.
Nomination Day is on Sept 13 and Singapore will head to the polls on Sept 23 if there is more than one eligible candidate. In a press release on the campaigning rules issued on Tuesday, the ELD stressed the need to maintain the dignity of the presidential office during the campaigning period. This was a timely reminder for all potential candidates to conduct themselves properly throughout the election, Mdm Halimah said on Wednesday. Asked for her thoughts on the lead-up to Nomination Day, she said: “So far I think the (process) has been pretty good … From the time the candidates announced their intention to take part in the election till now, I think it’s gone on very well.” More details about her campaign strategy will be unveiled later.
Source: Today
