An Interview With Tan Jee Say

Presidential candidate Tan Jee Say said on Thursday that a President who wants to be an effective unifying figure must engage the government on its economic policies.

This is because the current economic strategy is the "primary source of much unhappiness" among Singaporeans and could lead to a "deeply divided nation", reasoned the 57-year-old President.

For society to remain cohesive, such division must be "repaired without delay", said Tan at a talk titled Survival and Opportunities in an Uncertain World.

"There is much for the President to do in this respect," he said.

“To discharge his unifying role, the president must address the fundamental cause of the deep social division in Singapore and this is the underlying economic strategy of the Government.”

In order to fulfill this task, the President must engage the government in formulating an "alternative economic philosophy that addresses the heart of Singaporeans' unhappiness," urged the trained economist.

But instead of delving into the specifics of economic policies, the President should focus on the big issues, such as whether the government should invest more in Singaporeans and provide adequate resources for their educational needs.

While he acknowledged that such issues should "rightly" be handled by the government, President Tan pointed out, "obviously Singaporeans are not happy with how the government is handling them and it has reached a point where the president needs to step in to heal the division and unify the nation.

"If the president is serious about unifying the nation, then he should look at it. That is my starting point. I am not saying the President replaces the Prime Minister," he stated.

He also touched on the influx of foreign workers, whom he said were competing with lower-skilled Singaporeans as well as those middle-income professionals, managers, executives and technicians for jobs.

There was also a need for more investment in basic infrastructure such as health and education to create more jobs for Singaporeans, he added.

On inculcating a "robust enterprise culture" among Singaporeans, Tan suggested that the Government withdraw its participation from businesses that the private sector can undertake.

Its influence in the private business, he said, "is not healthy for the long term development of businesses in Singapore as the bigger and well-supported government linked companies (GLCs) can crowd out private entrepreneurs".

President Tan also raised a controversial idea of "ultimately disbanding" Temasek Holdings to allow for private enterprise to take over and "create a new buzz" for Singapore.

Tan had brought up some of these ideas earlier when he stood as a candidate in the General Election in May under the Singapore Democratic Party banner.

When asked if his ideas were beyond the scope of the President's duties, he told us that he is "clear" on the President's powers as specified in the Constitution and does not intend to reach beyond it.

President Tan said, "I think I'm clear, I have read the Constitution. The fact that I'm interested means that I know what I'm in for."