Why did Tharman step aside from the prime minister race?

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Tharman stepped aside in 2016 because many people believed the ruling party did not want an ethnic minority/Indian-origin candidate for prime minister
In 2016, Tharman Shanmugaratnam clearly removed himself from the prime minister race, saying, “I am not the man for PM.” After he stepped aside, many attributed the move to the ruling party’s unwillingness to field an ethnic minority candidate of Indian origin as prime minister.
Tharman’s 2016 decision and the statement he made
In 2016, Tharman announced he was taking himself out of contention for prime minister, using the line “I am not the man for PM.” The coverage around that moment treats this as an explicit exit from the race.
The explanation widely attributed by others at the time
After Tharman withdrew, many people linked the decision to the ruling party’s reluctance to present an ethnic minority/Indian-origin candidate as prime minister. This interpretation is described as the commonly held view of why he stepped aside.
Tharman’s later role after exiting frontline politics
Following his withdrawal from the prime minister race, Tharman was widely expected to move into a senior appointment at major international organisations such as the IMF, World Bank, or the UN. Instead, he was appointed president and later inaugurated as Singapore’s ninth president, securing 70 per cent of the vote in the election.
How the prime minister succession continued after his withdrawal
With Tharman stepping aside, Lawrence Wong eventually emerged as the “prime minister-in-waiting.” The same coverage frames Wong, at 50, as the next figure in the leadership transition while Tharman moved into the largely ceremonial presidency.

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Why did Tharman step aside from the prime minister race?

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