Most singaporeans will be hoping and praying that PAP will tap Mdm Ho as one of their candidates in the next elections so that our country can benefit from the wisdom of one the most powerful woman in the world.
Certainly more Goodyears ahead for all of us!!
Is politics next for Ho Ching?
SINGAPORE, Feb 7 — About a month ago, certain circles were abuzz with talk that Ho Ching was planning to leave Temasek Holdings to join politics.
Strong scepticism greeted those murmurs at the time. The talk is now back.
In her typical reticent style, Ho declined to tell journalists what her next career move was. “At this point, I’m not weighing anything I want to do post-October,” she said.
What’s to stop Ho, 55, one of Singapore’s brightest, from standing for election?
Talent is in short supply here. Government leaders have often lamented the lack of fourth-generation leaders — or what Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew calls an “A” team — in the country.
Ho may be part of that “A” team. An electrical engineer with a master’s from Stanford University, she has an impressive track record, having spent the past six years building up a homegrown investment firm whose portfolio is now worth a whopping S$180 billion (RM430 billion).
Based on merit, she is without doubt a talent.
On political grounds, however, some may feel uneasy because Ho is the wife of PM Lee Hsien Loong.
When she was appointed executive director at Temasek, the Cabinet led by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong took no issue with Ho heading the state-owned investment firm, whose sole shareholder is the Finance Ministry, while her husband was then Finance Minister and Deputy PM.
Temasek chairman S. Dhanabalan shrugged off perceptions about a conflict of interest to get Ho to run the company, pointing out that she would report to the Temasek board and not directly to Lee.
Fast forward to present day: If Ho were to stand as a People’s Action Party candidate and get voted in, it is likely her talent would propel her quickly to a ministerial position.
Could fresh fears about a conflict of interest be quelled through some mechanism of checks and balances within the Cabinet?
On the other hand, Ho may, of course, not have a taste for politics. But her options in the corporate world seem more “limited” by virtue of how far up the ladder she has climbed.
Joining any other company here would be a step-down for her.
Multinational corporations would be a more likely route. That, however, would mean Singapore losing yet another homegrown talent to greener pastures overseas.
Any other options for Ho?
How about becoming a stay-home mum? Unlikely, given that her children are grown up and there would be little nannying for Mum to do at home. — Today
Certainly more Goodyears ahead for all of us!!
Is politics next for Ho Ching?
SINGAPORE, Feb 7 — About a month ago, certain circles were abuzz with talk that Ho Ching was planning to leave Temasek Holdings to join politics.
Strong scepticism greeted those murmurs at the time. The talk is now back.
In her typical reticent style, Ho declined to tell journalists what her next career move was. “At this point, I’m not weighing anything I want to do post-October,” she said.
What’s to stop Ho, 55, one of Singapore’s brightest, from standing for election?
Talent is in short supply here. Government leaders have often lamented the lack of fourth-generation leaders — or what Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew calls an “A” team — in the country.
Ho may be part of that “A” team. An electrical engineer with a master’s from Stanford University, she has an impressive track record, having spent the past six years building up a homegrown investment firm whose portfolio is now worth a whopping S$180 billion (RM430 billion).
Based on merit, she is without doubt a talent.
On political grounds, however, some may feel uneasy because Ho is the wife of PM Lee Hsien Loong.
When she was appointed executive director at Temasek, the Cabinet led by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong took no issue with Ho heading the state-owned investment firm, whose sole shareholder is the Finance Ministry, while her husband was then Finance Minister and Deputy PM.
Temasek chairman S. Dhanabalan shrugged off perceptions about a conflict of interest to get Ho to run the company, pointing out that she would report to the Temasek board and not directly to Lee.
Fast forward to present day: If Ho were to stand as a People’s Action Party candidate and get voted in, it is likely her talent would propel her quickly to a ministerial position.
Could fresh fears about a conflict of interest be quelled through some mechanism of checks and balances within the Cabinet?
On the other hand, Ho may, of course, not have a taste for politics. But her options in the corporate world seem more “limited” by virtue of how far up the ladder she has climbed.
Joining any other company here would be a step-down for her.
Multinational corporations would be a more likely route. That, however, would mean Singapore losing yet another homegrown talent to greener pastures overseas.
Any other options for Ho?
How about becoming a stay-home mum? Unlikely, given that her children are grown up and there would be little nannying for Mum to do at home. — Today
