Singapore: First entrepreneur declares plan to run for presidency
Businessman George Goh Ching Wah, a former non-resident ambassador of Singapore to Morocco, on June 12 announced his intention to enter the race to become President of Singapore as an independent candidate.
Businessman George Goh Ching Wah (Photo: //www.channelnewsasia.com/)
Singapore (VNA) - Businessman George Goh Ching Wah, a former non-resident ambassador of Singapore to Morocco, on June 12 announced hisintention to enter the race to become President of Singapore as an independent candidate.
George Goh is the second person to step forward as aprospective candidate for the Presidential Election after Senior MinisterTharman Shanmugaratnam, who announced on June 8 that he will resign fromthe People's Action Party and step down from his ministerial roles to contestthe Presidential election.
According to Channel News Asia, George Goh was born in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. He is best known asthe founder of Harvey Norman Ossia, which distributes consumer electronics andfurniture in Asia under the Australian brand. He also chairs ITG International, whose main project is a property developmentinvestment in Jiangxi, China.
As a young entrepreneur, he set up hisfirst business in shoemaking at the age of 22.
The term of Singaporean President Halimah Yacob willexpire on September 13. The presidential election, which is held on a regularsix-year cycle, will take place from June 13 to September 13. Unlike the 2017 election, which was onlyopen to Malays, the 2023 presidential election will be opento candidates of all races./.
Singapore’s economy grew by 0.4% on a year-on-year basis in the first quarter of 2023, lower than the 2.1% expansion in the previous quarter, the Ministry of Trade and Industry announced on May 25.
All national servicemen in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will receive a 125 USD to 200 USD increase in their National Service (NS) allowance.
Sembcorp Gas Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Singapore-based energy firm Sembcorp Industries, has signed a deal to import natural gas from Medco E&P Natuna Ltd, a unit of Indonesian oil and gas company PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Businessman George Goh Ching Wah (Photo: //www.channelnewsasia.com/) 
