Tan Jee Say collects eligibility forms for Presidential Election

Finally, a candidate we can all vote for.

Former civil service high-flier Tan Jee Say has collected the Certificate of Eligibility forms on Friday in a bid to contest in the upcoming presidential election.

Tan arrived at the Elections Department at around 10.20am and was accompanied by his wife Patricia Khoo, 50.

Speaking to reporters later, Tan who contested in the 7 May General Elections under the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), revealed that he has resigned from the party with immediate effect.

Under the eligibility criteria, presidential candidates should not be affiliated to any political party.

The 57-year-old said that he had earlier met SDP's chief Dr Chee Soon Juan and other key party members including Dr Ang Yong Guan, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha and Michelle Lee, who were "supportive of his decision".

All three, including Tan, had contested in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC but were defeated by the People's Action Party (PAP) team led by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

On whether he is eligible to run as a candidate, Tan said he will be applying under a clause which states that applicants must hold a "comparable position of seniority and responsibility in any other organisation or department of equivalent size or complexity in the public or private sector".

This however, is subjected to the approval of the Presidential Elections Committee.

Tan said he had been a regional managing director of AIB Govett (Asia) -- an asset management company -- from February 1997 to March 2001, for a period of 4 years. He added that the Singapore company is registered under the Companies Act.

Although the company did not have a paid-up capital of S$100 million, as required under the eligibility criteria, he said that it had managed total assets of more than S$100 million.