Tony Tan is president but not endorsed by most Singaporeans

As expected, the Straits Times is splashed overwhelming with pictures and stories of "victory" of Tony Tan being elected as president? 6 pages on the online version? I cannot imagine such splashing of victory will be given to the newcomer and upstart on the political scene Tan Jee Say.

This election has shown how the people of Singapore in general think. There is more than 64% of the electorate who REBUFFED him, despite the usual low tactics to get the clans, business association, and god knows what to endorse him with the government of the day telling its citizen that this is a non partisan election? really. Tony Tan won with ONLY 35.2 per cent and he thinks he has the mandate to rule over Singapore as the president. Must be the biggest joke in town.

He won by ONLY a dismal margin of 0.35% to his PAP colleague Tan Cheng Bock, though not endorsed by the PAP explicitly, and made to believe that he is an independant candidate? so as to take away the votes from the people opposing the incumbents, like Tan Jee Say, after portraying him in the extreme. This seems to have worked strategically for the PAP, as they are aware that there is no ground support for the endorsed candidate Tony Tan.

With the full media support behind him, the current incumbents, and then the local business associations and clans, it clearly shows who is in support of Tony Tan, only the establishments, the business people BUT not the ordinary Singaporeans.

PM should shut his trap if he has nothing else to offer than -
"Voters have chosen Dr Tony Tan as out head of state, to represent us at home and abroad, and to excercise custodial powers, including our reserves and key appointments."

ONLY 35.2 per cent have chosen Tony Tan, meaning that most, the over 64 per cent do NOT believe that Tony Tan is capable to represent us as the head of state at home and abroad, or excercise custodial powers, including our reserves.

Most believe that Tony Tan's role is more likely to be for covering up for the billions of losses he, the President has made on behalf of his people, and Singaporeans while heading the GIC. Singaporeans can thank our lucky stars that Tony Tan is now no longer in charge of GIC to continue wth his ground breaking record of losing billions of our reserves in the past decades with no qualms.

"This was an intensely fought election and the result was very close.Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock (who hd the next highest number of votes) both conveyed strong unifying messages, and declared their intention to work closely with the government."

There you go, the PM has now explicitly endorsed also Tan Cheng Bock, who claims to be independant of the PAP?

Unifying messages? like what? like Tan Cheng Bock's idea of women participating in elections is to first get permission from their husbands? what a joker. At the least Tony Tan knows how to keep his trap shut and not make such type of statements.

"delcared their intention to work with the governement.."

PM perhaps mean that these two PAP supported candidates intend to keep silent and their traps shuts and be another prata man just raking in their millions for the 6 year tenure? These are the two who apparently do not have the conscience, and do not think the the current presidential salary of millions is obscenly disproportionate to what they have to do, that is, to keep silent and continue to do what their predecessor the prata man has done?

What about Tan Jee Say. PM has conveniently and intentionally left out mentioning this upstart in the race, and who has done seeming well, taking more than 25 percent of the votes. The whole PAP machinery including the mainstream media has taken a lot of effort to portray Tan Jee Say to the extreme to their advantage. Tan Jee Say has also indicated that he will work with the governement. PM should perhaps dig his ears and listen carefully but apparently not, as he is very capable of shutting out what he does not want to hear, and so far his claims of listening to Singaporeans is left much to be desired.

"Voters faced difficuly choice between Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock. This explains why the margin was so narow, and why the winner only gained slightly more than one-third of the votes."

Voters faced NO difficulty nor was it a difficult choice. 64.8 percent of voters DO NOT want Tony Tan as the president of Singapore, PERIOD, not by a narrow margin. Only pro PAP voters faced the difficult choice not voters per se.

"I have called Dr Tony Tan to congratulate him on hs election, and assured him of my full ooperation."

Pinky, please don't continue to insult the intelligence of Singaporeans, you don't have to tell us that Tony Tan has your full support. It is already OBVIOUS even before he is elected. One wonders what kind of speech this will be if Tan Jee Say has been elected, or if your reaction would have been this speedy.

"I called Dr Tan Chen Bock and his supporters for having fought an effective and dignified campaign."

Of course, you would Pinky, to try to win their votes over? Afterall Tan Cheng Bock is also an endorsed PAP canadiate, though not explicitly as Tony Tan, and as a second choice like Tony Tan was second choice to Goh Chok Tong for the Prime Minister post.

It also shows how petty the PM is. Why only call these two people. Shows how he is treating people with differing views from him and PAP, like how he has treating our past president Ong Teng Cheong.

Both Tan Jee Say and Tan Kin Lian has done the country a service by providing alternates for the people to vote, and the opportunity for the country and the people to show that it DOES NOT endorse a PAP endosed president, and not as the PM who is living in netherlands that he still has the mandate of the people. PAP is till in power becuase of the routine amendment to the constitution and laws to give them the continued grip over power.