I agree with you re Tharman may have been upset with not given the opportunity. After S Ramanathan and Halimah, it is a waste of money to have such EP.What a coincidence you brought up this topic about Tharman being PM. I was having this conversation with my buddies over dinner and drinks earlier this evening.
Yes, it's a real pity Tharman was not given a change to lead the pap. The Lees and their cronies kept saying SG is not ready for a non-chinese PM blah blah blah. We didn't buy into this illogical line of reasoning but in SG, what they say goes.
This is probably why after resigning his position in the pap, Tharman said he believes S’pore is ready for a non-Chinese PM. I think he's somewhat pissed at not being given that opportunity.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...believes-s-pore-is-ready-for-a-non-chinese-pm
More so, for an "unqualified" individual without sufficient business knowledge and experience. Worse, is to project to the world an observant Muslim woman as the President.