I plan to work my utmost for Singaporeans, whatever be their political affiliation. The presidency is above politics.

Whatever initiatives we launch, we must always put the interests of Singaporeans and Singapore first.

a moment of the utmost gravity.

Through the outreach that I have done, through platforms, I hope to unify Singaporeans because at the end of the day, Singapore is our home. We share a common destiny, and I think all of us work together for the benefit of our country.

The primary elections are the cornerstones of the plebiscitary presidency. They strip away the veneer of party unity and expose the individuality of each candidate. As contemporary selection procedures force party leaders to compete with one another in the open, they prompt them to differentiate themselves publicly and to boast of their independence of mind. Pitting potential party spokespersons against one another in public combat, these procedures undercut the credibility of the candidate's affiliation with anything other than him- or herself.

All modern U.S. presidents are perforce politicians, prisoners of their past pronouncements, their party, their constituency, and their colleagues.