Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a renowned economist and Singapore’s ninth president, is the third person of Indian ancestry to hold the position for the next six years.
Tharman, who was born to Tamil ancestors from the Singapore Indian community. Which accounts for around 9% of the more than 2.7 million Singaporean voters. He is one of the most qualified residents of the resource-scarce city-state. Has gone through several stages of growth over the course of more than 50 years.
Just days before the September 1 presidential elections, the 66-year-old economist, sportsman, and poet said, “I have been deeply privileged to serve you in many ways over the decades. working on the ground as well as shaping national policies for a fairer and more inclusive society, and flying the Singapore flag high abroad.”
In the first contested presidential election since 2011, Tharman won with over 70% of the vote, defeating Ng Kok Song, a former chief investment officer. The Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC), and Tan Kin Lian. A former chief of the state-owned union-based insurance group NTUC Income.
The six-year tenure of current President Halimah Yacob expires on September 13. The elected president is in office for six years.
Tharman, a multi-generational Singaporean with Tamil heritage dating back to the 19th century, was born there on February 25, 1957. Tharman is one of three children born to Emeritus Professor K. Shanmugaratnam, a pathologist renowned as the “father of pathology in Singapore” who established the Singapore Cancer Registry and served as the head of several international organizations dedicated to cancer research and pathology. Professor Shanmugaratnam is also the father of Tharman.
Jane Yumiko Ittogi, a Singaporean lawyer with mixed Chinese and Japanese heritage. Who works actively in social business and the non-profit arts sector in Singapore, is the spouse of Tharman. The couple has three sons and one daughter.
While Chengara Veetil Devan Nair, also known as Devan Nair, a Singaporean politician of Malayali ancestry, served as the country’s third president from 1981. Until his resignation in 1985, Sellapan Ramanathan, also known as S R Nathan, has been in office since 2009.
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