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Tag: Presidential hopeful

  • Presidential Hopeful Farid Khan Says He Will ‘Work Harder’ And Is ‘Almost Ready’

    Presidential Hopeful Farid Khan Says He Will ‘Work Harder’ And Is ‘Almost Ready’

    Singapore presidential hopeful Farid Khan Kaim Khan said on Tuesday (Aug 8) that he would “work harder” to “reach more people” in order to compete with favoured rival Halimah Yacob and her greater political pedigree.

    Mr Farid, 62, first stated his intention to run for presidency in early July. The chairman of marine sector company Bourbon Offshore Asia was the second to do so, after an announcement by 67-year-old businessman Salleh Marican in late May.

    Mdm Halimah on Monday confirmed her bid for the post, the third name in the ring, for an election scheduled for September and reserved for Malay candidates only. The 62-year-old resigned from her official roles as Speaker and Member of Parliament (Marsiling-Yew Tee) the next day.

    Speaking on the sidelines of an annual Bourbon beach cleaning event at Pasir Ris, Mr Farid said he both “expected” and “welcomed” the entry of another candidate.

    “We want the people to have more choice,” he said. “Now there are three of us, and if more come, we welcome them too.”

    Asked what his edge was over Mdm Halimah, he said: “I’m not linked to any political party and I have no personal agenda.

    “I’m here to serve the people and the people will have to decide. If they want someone independent, that’s me.”

    He added that his campaign strategy would centre on using “a lot of social media”.

    “People just need to know me and what I stand for. This is important and it’s the message I will drive to the public.”

    It remains unclear if Mr Farid meets the eligibility criteria to join the presidential race – specifically in the requirement for private sector candidates to helm a company with at least S$500 million in shareholders’ equity.

    When first asked this at his unveiling last month, he said his team was “still compiling documents” for a successful application and he reiterated this point on Tuesday.

    “We are almost ready,” he concluded. “We will submit our application by next Wednesday.”

     

    Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Future First Lady Series: Getting To Know Mrs Maria Marican, Wife Of Presidential Hopeful, Salleh Marican

    Future First Lady Series: Getting To Know Mrs Maria Marican, Wife Of Presidential Hopeful, Salleh Marican

    In the first of our Future First Lady series, we take a closer look at the women who stand beside our Presidential hopefuls. Now, Singapore may not have an Office of the First Lady, but their roles are crucial, nonetheless. They accompany our Presidents to key state or diplomatic events, and are arguably, an important face of Singapore as well.

    We start with the wife of Second Chance CEO Salleh Marican, Mdm Sapiyah Abu Bakar. Mr Salleh Marican announced his intention to contest the election last week and collected his application forms from the Elections Dept yesterday on 5 Jun.

    So, who is Ms Sapiyah?

    1.   She has been married to Mr Salleh for 43 years and they have 4 children

    Mdm Sapiyah married Mr Salleh in 1974 and has 4 children, 3 daughters and a son. She is a housewife who appears to have a close relationship with her children.

    2. She is sometimes known as Maria Marican.

    A CSI search online throws up precious little information about Mdm Sapiyah – she has virtually no online presence. She does, however, have an Instagram account @mariamarican, with 1,000 followers (not too bad!)

    The name ‘Maria Marican’ is quite unusual, actually. Traditionally, most Malay wives keep their maiden name – and do not take on their husband’s last name.

    Perhaps, this is Mdm Sapiyah’s way of portraying herself as a more Westernised figure.

    3. Mdm Sapiyah aka Maria Marican is always well-dressed, and appears to have a fondness for fashion.

    Photos online of Mdm Sapiyah typically shows her glamorously dressed, such as photos of the Marican family at events like Prestige’s Crystal Anniversary Ball – an event for society’s creme da la creme. Her heavily lined eyes seem to be a personal trademark.

    We aren’t sure if this works in their favor though. Already, with Mr Salleh’s business background, people have likened him to Singapore’s Trump. And Melania Trump.

    Netizens, generally, had mixed reactions towards Mdm Sapiyah.

    Some appreciated her good looks (come on, she’s 65!)

    While others…

    And still others likened her to other famous figures, such as our friends next door.

    Come September, will her portrait be up on the halls of fame, alongside Encik Salleh Marican?

    Your pick.

     

    Source: www.thoughtssg.com