Tan Jee Say to Dr Tony Tan: Heal social divisions

Tan Jee Say has asked President-elect Tony Tan to examine issues that have divided the nation so that he can work on unifying Singapore.

On Polling Day, which saw a vote recount, Dr Tony Tan won the presidential election with 35.19 per cent of the votes, narrowly defeating Dr Tan Cheng Bock who garnered 34.85 per cent. The difference separating the two candidates was slightly over 7,000 votes.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Tan Jee Say said: "He needs to reflect on why the vast majority of 65 per cent of Singaporeans did not vote for him."

He called on Dr Tony Tan to use the moral authority of the President "to do positive things for Singaporeans and heal the deep social divisions so as to unify the nation."

In order to do to this, he added: "The President must work with the government to put the happiness of all Singaporeans at the heart of every government policy."

According to Tan Jee Say, one of the main causes of unhappiness among Singaporeans was "divisive economic and social policies of the government," which have resulted in a widening income gap and a high cost of living.

On top of unifying Singaporeans, Tan Jee Say also urged the President-elect to address the issue of transparency over the country's national reserves.

He said: "Singaporeans want to know how much there is, and how it has been invested."

He also pointed out many Singaporeans want the assurance that their CPF savings are well-protected and that it will be given back to them when they retire.

After conceding defeat at the polls early Sunday morning, Tan Jee Say said that he wished he could have been given more time to correct the impression in the media that he was "confrontational".

While acknowledging Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Kin Lian for running "an earnest campaign", he also congratulated Dr Tony Tan for winning the election and is looking forward to him performing his duties "in a fair and honourable manner."

Article By Liyana Low

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Tan Jee Say interview, Aug 28