Perhaps, 2011 is the watershed year for Singapore, after the exciting General Election, here comes a four tans presidential election by the candidacy of four people, all surnamed Tan, who are Tan Kin Lian, Tony Tan, Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Jee Say. Ex- President S.R. Nathan had been undertaking indefinitely the heavy responsibilities and physical demands of the position of Head of State for 12 years. The 86 years old ex-president cited age as the main reason and stepped down as President of Singapore. President Nathan was first elected unopposed in 1999 and became the sixth president of Singapore. In 2005, he was re-elected, again unopposed. I would want a president at the end of the day to feel morally empowered, and has the gumption and courage and conviction to speak up for the people. Therefore, the pair of glasses which Dr Tony Tan wears has my vote.
Firstly, the main reason I would vote for Dr Tony Tan is his experiences and knowledge in different sectors. A wise, experienced and steady president is needed to help Singapore get through the economical and the other difficulties now. As an example, he has experiences in helming five ministries, including education and defence, and private sector organisation such as OCBC bank and Singapore press holding. This background enables him to share views, insights and make suggestion to the prime minister and the cabinet minister so that they will make better decision. The challenges Singapore is facing in this global economic uncertainty are clear. For this reason, I would believe his financial capabilities and experiences to make contribution.
Secondly, Dr Tony Tan has the right temperament to be a good president. He is always steady and clear thinking. The mathematician in him will work things out. His solutions were always thorough and imaginative. Most importantly, Dr Tan has the clarity of visions towards things and the quiet confidence to make the right decisions for Singapore. One of his far-sighted decisions is he helped to formalise defence and intelligence agreements with several countries, including Australia, France, Indonesia, South Africa and the United States while he was the Defence Minister. He spearheaded the Singapore Armed Forces modernisation that greatly increased the fighting capabilities of the SAF. Thus, the leadership characteristics win my support.
Lastly, the reason is his relationship with the government. He has a good relationship with the government as he used to be part of the cabinet which enables him to work with the government to the fullest to serve us. People may think that he is not neutral as he is too close with the People’s Action Party. It is not true. He does have an independence of mind; he opposed to the formation of the "integrated resorts" with their attached casinos and debated with the government. Therefore, I would trust a potential president who has the ability to cooperate with the government effectively.
The general youngster in Singapore think that the role of a president in Singapore is enjoying in the luxury palace, and wave his hand once a year during national day and receive the highest paid of president in the World which in amount of $4,267,500. No! First thing first, anyone who wishes to run in the elections to be the President of Singapore will need to meet very strict requirements specified in the Singapore Constitution. Safeguarding Singapore’s massive wealth with his power to block attempts by the current government to use past reserves that it did not saved is one of his main role. In a nutshell, the President hold important role in Singapore as he has important custodial, diplomatic, ceremonial and community responsibilities
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| I like his glasses :D |
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