George Goh 'does not visit pubs, nightclubs', has no pending lawsuits against him: Statement

Presidential hopeful George Goh wants to set the record straight.

In a statement released on Tuesday (June 20) by Goh's media team, the 63-year-old entrepreneur addressed alleged attacks from detractors since he announced his intention to run for President at this year's election.

"Mr Goh is deeply saddened and disappointed at the attempts and attacks to distract from the key issues of his campaign and undermine his credibility as a serious contender for the presidency," read the statement from his team.

Among the issues addressed in the statement included topics of "misinformation", "untrue allegations" and "fake accounts".

Goh's team reiterated that he is not a member of any political party and has "no links to organisations such as the People's Association and its grassroots offshoots such as the Citizens' Consultative Committee".

They added that Goh is also standing as an independent candidate and is not "'a puppet' or proxy for others" — a stand which Goh had asserted publicly.

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Goh's team also clarified that his appointment as Singapore's honorary ambassador to Morocco "does not make him a government employee", stating that the position is unpaid.

"Since deciding to run as a Presidential candidate to serve Singaporeans, he has resigned from his post and is serving his three month notice until Sept 8," the statement read.

Will not respond to rumours not based on facts

Addressing "other online comments targeted at impugning Goh's character", Goh's team stated that they would not be responding to rumours "made by anonymous commentators that are not based on facts".

However, one point that Goh's team did highlight, was that Goh "does not visit pubs, nightclubs and has no lawsuits pending against him or his companies".

This comes after allegations of him frequenting nightlife establishments surfaced on social media. 

In addition, the statement also pointed out the existence of a fake Twitter account, @GeorgeGoh_CW, purported to be set up by Goh, which the team have since asked Twitter to remove.

Goh's official account is @georgegohcw, said Goh's team, stating in conclusion: "We ask that members of the public be mindful about sharing falsehoods designed to spread negative sentiments about Mr Goh."

In an earlier portion to the statement, the team had added that Goh is grateful for the "unwavering support from his family and supporters and remains undeterred and committed to standing as a candidate for the upcoming Presidential election, to serve Singapore".

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Goh, who is chairman of Ossia International Limited, is best known for expanding the Harvey Norman brand to Asia and founding the World of Sports retail chain.

The impending presidential election has so far generated much interest online with the two names currently in the running — Goh and Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. 

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's wife Ho Ching has also joined the fray, giving her take on what the role of a president entails.

In a lengthy Facebook post on June 14, she noted that the primary role of the President is "that of a head of state, representing Singapore as a nation and state, and the symbol of unity for our people".

She added: "The secondary role for which the election is to be held is to hold a second key to help safeguard our reserves and the integrity of our key institutions.

"It is not to be an independent voice, a check on govt, or an ombudsman to all the woes and ills of society."

She also stated that Singaporeans should "by all means, step forward to run for the Presidential elections in Singapore".

"But don’t fly the false flag of independence, check and balance, complaints bureau, etc," said Ho, reiterating the two key roles. 

candicecai@asiaone.com

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