So, we now have three persons officially vying for the post of the President of the Republic of Singapore. Mr Tan Kin Lian, Dr Tan Cheng Bok and now Dr Tony Tan (no blog, not identi.ca, no twitter.com etc). The last name clash does not imply that they are related, btw.. Two of them, Kin Lian and Cheng Bok, are old Rafflesians. That alone is a big plus for me. But that alone is not enough for me to vote for either.
My set of criteria was already alluded to in an earlier post. That still applies. My sense is that only Kin Lian and Cheng Bok might pick those things up. I am sure Tony will not. He is way too much of a PAP yes-man even though Cheng Bok was also a PAP MP. All things considered, I do not have confidence that Tony will be independent and have the guts to check the government of the day. I had that same reservations about President Ong Teng Cheong as I have about Tony, but Teng Cheong did prove to have an independent streak which did get him being stonewalled by the government of the day and was then disowned to such an extent that he did not get a state funeral. President Ong’s trials with the PAP-led government of the day could still be played out no matter who the president is. But I think the person who will fight hardest would be the ones most opposite from the PAP-led government. On that spectrum, I would put Kin Lian first and Cheng Bok second. Tony does not figure on it.
If I have to cast my vote today, June 23, 2011, it will definitely not go to Tony. I still undecided between Kin Lian and Cheng Bok.
As expected the PAP will not just keep quiet while the on going hype about the upcoming president election is going on. They have finally come out with their strategy to take on the other candidates and this is where Dr. Tony Tan comes. I am not sure whether Dr. Tony Tan offered himself “independently” or he was asked to.
therein lies the issue of transparency. also the best reason not to vote for tony tan. we will never know of his independence no matter what he says. both kin lian and cheng bok are known entities from an independence perspective.
[…] – The Satay Club: THE WHITEST SHADE OF WHITE – life one degree north, one-o-three degrees east: As the hats get thrown into the ring – Article 14: Dr Tony Tan: The ‘approved’ candidate? – Singapore Sojourn: A Forgone […]
lol – tony is whiter than the miws?