PE2023: PEC Gives George Goh the Facepalm, 5 Chicken Wings Not the Same as 1 Whole Chicken
Disqualified presidential aspirant George Goh has condemned the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) in a statement and press conference following his rejected application for the 2023 Presidential Election.
However, the PEC has hit back by publicly publishing the letter sent to Goh to dispel misleading claims that he made.
Goh claimed that the PEC made an “unfair” decision, did not explain their choice, and took a “very narrow” interpretation of the Constitution to bar him from running.
“For me, this is a very sad day. 18 August, we all must remember this date.”
He said that his team of “heavyweight advisers” assured him that he would be given the green light despite not meeting the criteria of being the CEO of a company with S$500 million in shareholders’ equity.
Among these “advisors” are an individual formerly from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), a “senior constitution professor”, a “CFO”, an a lawyer.
“These 2 group of people are the top, top people in Singapore. Are you saying they’re all wrong? Cannot be.”
Goh had submitted a list of 5 companies for vetting by the PEC, and has persistently refused to divulge the names of the companies even up until his latest press conference.
The PEC, publishing its letter to Goh, shed light on the companies which Goh had included in his application.
Goh, had said in his application that he is group executive chairman of Ossia International, executive deputy chairman of Pertama Holdings, group executive chairman of ITG International, chief executive officer of Crown Essentials and chief executive officer of Vernal Ventures.
Crown Essentials is registered in the British Virgin Islands.
The PEC said that it had “carefully considered” Goh’s application for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) under Article 19(4)(b), the private-sector deliberative track.
“However, after taking into account the relevant facts and circumstances, including how the companies were owned, managed and operated, the committee was not satisfied that the 5 companies constituted a single private sector organisation.”
As a result, the PEC said that it could not grant Goh a "COE" under the law.
Under the Constitution, the decision of the PEC on whether someone is eligible to be a candidate is final and cannot be appealed in any court.
‘I cannot accept the decision’: George Goh says disqualification from presidential race not fair
SINGAPORE – Businessman George Goh said on Friday that he cannot accept the decision by the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) not to grant him a certificate of eligibility, thereby ending his run for the presidency.
The PEC had rejected his argument that his experience running five companies that together met the shareholders’ equity and profitability criteria was equivalent to that of a CEO running a single company, he said.
This was a “very narrow interpretation of the requirements without explaining the rationale behind its decision” and has deprived Singaporeans of a wider choice to select the next president, he added in a statement.
At a press conference at his Holland Road house on Friday afternoon, the mood among his family and campaign team was sombre.
Asked if the PEC had provided any specific reason as to why he was not eligible, Mr Goh would only say that the PEC did its own review.
“I cannot accept the decision given by them. I personally think it’s not a fair decision,” he said.
Mr Goh said he had been fairly confident he would make the cut because he had assembled a broad team of experts to assess his eligibility. They included a former attorney-general, a constitutional law professor, a former judge and a senior counsel, among others.
“This group of people are the top, top people in Singapore. Are you saying they’re all wrong?” he asked. “Cannot be – they’re all from the system.”
Asked whether he would consolidate his companies or build a $500 million company in order to qualify for future elections, Mr Goh reiterated that he already met the shareholder equity criterion for private sector candidates.
“It’s not ‘tomorrow I have to try and work harder’ – it’s already there,” he said. “If I continue what I’m doing now as an independent candidate, (it’s) whether the system allows me to go in or not. We should ask this question.”
He added: “I have $507 million (in shareholder equity). I don’t know what they want. We should ask them.”
Mr Goh was also asked whether he would now reveal the names of the five companies he submitted to the PEC, but he declined to do so. He had declined to name them on Aug 4, when he held a press conference after submitting his application for a certificate of eligibility.
“We do have shareholders, so I also don’t want, because I stand for the election, then the few thousand shareholders suffer,” he said.
On whether he would now stand behind one of the remaining three candidates, Mr Goh said it was difficult for him to say as he did not know them well.
“You must prove yourself, that you’re really independent,” he said. “If you’re not independent and you say you are independent, it’s very sad.” He added: “Because I’m so truly independent, you know what the result (is) – they know if I go into (the) Istana, I will work for (the people and) look at (things) differently.”
At his home, Mr Goh showed the campaign collaterals he had already prepared, which included T-shirts, badges, flags, some 1.4 million mailers and a container full of tissue packets.
He declined to say how much he had spent on them, but said he would sell the items and donate the proceeds to charity.
Quoting his campaign slogan, Mr Goh said Aug 18 was supposed to be a day of change but had turned out to be a very sad day.
While he did not qualify, he said that private sector candidates will not be discouraged from stepping forward to contest future presidential elections.
“This country needs an independent president; we cannot continue (with) the same system (where) after 30 years, we are still rejected by the establishment,” he said. “I hope this day will come... An independent president must walk into the Istana tall, (to) represent the people of Singapore.”
GG is still so generous despite being kantong by the PEC, give this man a Thai Ger!
PE2023: PEC Gives George Goh the Facepalm, 5 Chicken Wings Not the Same as 1 Whole Chicken
Disqualified presidential aspirant George Goh has condemned the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) in a statement and press conference following his rejected application for the 2023 Presidential Election.
However, the PEC has hit back by publicly publishing the letter sent to Goh to dispel misleading claims that he made.
Goh claimed that the PEC made an “unfair” decision, did not explain their choice, and took a “very narrow” interpretation of the Constitution to bar him from running.
He said that his team of “heavyweight advisers” assured him that he would be given the green light despite not meeting the criteria of being the CEO of a company with S$500 million in shareholders’ equity.
Among these “advisors” are an individual formerly from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), a “senior constitution professor”, a “CFO”, an a lawyer.
Goh had submitted a list of 5 companies for vetting by the PEC, and has persistently refused to divulge the names of the companies even up until his latest press conference.
In a previous report, we had asked for greater transparency from Goh to the public, considering that he had several firms based in the British Virgin Isle – a hotbed for tax evaders.
The PEC, publishing its letter to Goh, shed light on the companies which Goh had included in his application.
Goh, had said in his application that he is group executive chairman of Ossia International, executive deputy chairman of Pertama Holdings, group executive chairman of ITG International, chief executive officer of Crown Essentials and chief executive officer of Vernal Ventures.
Crown Essentials is registered in the British Virgin Islands.
The PEC said that it had “carefully considered” Goh’s application for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) under Article 19(4)(b), the private-sector deliberative track.
As a result, the PEC said that it could not grant Goh a "COE" under the law.
Under the Constitution, the decision of the PEC on whether someone is eligible to be a candidate is final and cannot be appealed in any court.
‘I cannot accept the decision’: George Goh says disqualification from presidential race not fair
SINGAPORE – Businessman George Goh said on Friday that he cannot accept the decision by the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) not to grant him a certificate of eligibility, thereby ending his run for the presidency.
The PEC had rejected his argument that his experience running five companies that together met the shareholders’ equity and profitability criteria was equivalent to that of a CEO running a single company, he said.
This was a “very narrow interpretation of the requirements without explaining the rationale behind its decision” and has deprived Singaporeans of a wider choice to select the next president, he added in a statement.
At a press conference at his Holland Road house on Friday afternoon, the mood among his family and campaign team was sombre.
Asked if the PEC had provided any specific reason as to why he was not eligible, Mr Goh would only say that the PEC did its own review.
“I cannot accept the decision given by them. I personally think it’s not a fair decision,” he said.
Mr Goh said he had been fairly confident he would make the cut because he had assembled a broad team of experts to assess his eligibility. They included a former attorney-general, a constitutional law professor, a former judge and a senior counsel, among others.
“This group of people are the top, top people in Singapore. Are you saying they’re all wrong?” he asked. “Cannot be – they’re all from the system.”
Asked whether he would consolidate his companies or build a $500 million company in order to qualify for future elections, Mr Goh reiterated that he already met the shareholder equity criterion for private sector candidates.
“It’s not ‘tomorrow I have to try and work harder’ – it’s already there,” he said. “If I continue what I’m doing now as an independent candidate, (it’s) whether the system allows me to go in or not. We should ask this question.”
He added: “I have $507 million (in shareholder equity). I don’t know what they want. We should ask them.”
Mr Goh was also asked whether he would now reveal the names of the five companies he submitted to the PEC, but he declined to do so. He had declined to name them on Aug 4, when he held a press conference after submitting his application for a certificate of eligibility.
“We do have shareholders, so I also don’t want, because I stand for the election, then the few thousand shareholders suffer,” he said.
On whether he would now stand behind one of the remaining three candidates, Mr Goh said it was difficult for him to say as he did not know them well.
Responding to presidential hopeful Tan Kin Lian’s remark that he is the only remaining independent candidate left in the race, Mr Goh reiterated that he was the sole independent candidate without any past ties to a political party or the Government.
“You must prove yourself, that you’re really independent,” he said. “If you’re not independent and you say you are independent, it’s very sad.” He added: “Because I’m so truly independent, you know what the result (is) – they know if I go into (the) Istana, I will work for (the people and) look at (things) differently.”
At his home, Mr Goh showed the campaign collaterals he had already prepared, which included T-shirts, badges, flags, some 1.4 million mailers and a container full of tissue packets.
He declined to say how much he had spent on them, but said he would sell the items and donate the proceeds to charity.
Quoting his campaign slogan, Mr Goh said Aug 18 was supposed to be a day of change but had turned out to be a very sad day.
While he did not qualify, he said that private sector candidates will not be discouraged from stepping forward to contest future presidential elections.
“This country needs an independent president; we cannot continue (with) the same system (where) after 30 years, we are still rejected by the establishment,” he said. “I hope this day will come... An independent president must walk into the Istana tall, (to) represent the people of Singapore.”
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/i-cannot-accept-the-decision-george-goh-says-disqualification-from-presidential-race-not-fair
George Goh nearly teared up at a press conference earlier:
Go Harvey Go Harvey GO BACK HOME!
George Goh = GG.com, my sincere condolences
Take it easy Georgie Boy, perhaps your time isn't here yet. Stay strong and live well to fight another day ya?