It was reported that at an SDP public forum last Saturday (16 July), one of the panelists, Mr Tay Kheng Soon. told the audience that because his brother, the late Dr Tay Eng Soon, stood up to then Education Minister Tony Tan instead of becoming a “yes” man, his brother’s career was “truncated” by the PAP.
At the time, Dr Tay was the Minister of State for Education, reporting to Tony Tan. Tony Tan was the Minister for Education from 1985 to 1991.
Mr Tay said this about his brother, “As you all know my brother, the late Tay Eng Soon, was the Minister of State for Education, he fought for ten years within the cabinet to increase funding for the ITEs and Polytechnics, yet his career prospect within the party was actually truncated by it.”
“The reason was – he never told me what actually happened, loyalty to the party, right? After he died, his wife told me the real story. All the time, Tony Tan, that’s why I have no respect for Tony Tan at all. Tony Tan said to him all the time, all through the ten years, ‘Why do you want to throw good money after bad rubbish?’ I cannot stand this. This is the inherent elitism. You have to break that.”
So, according to Dr Tay Eng Soon’s brother, Mr Tay, who heard it from Dr Tay’s wife, Tony Tan then as the Education Minister was of the view that ITEs and Polytechnics are “bad rubbish”.
More at Why Do We Have A Bad Rubbish President?
At the time, Dr Tay was the Minister of State for Education, reporting to Tony Tan. Tony Tan was the Minister for Education from 1985 to 1991.
Mr Tay said this about his brother, “As you all know my brother, the late Tay Eng Soon, was the Minister of State for Education, he fought for ten years within the cabinet to increase funding for the ITEs and Polytechnics, yet his career prospect within the party was actually truncated by it.”
“The reason was – he never told me what actually happened, loyalty to the party, right? After he died, his wife told me the real story. All the time, Tony Tan, that’s why I have no respect for Tony Tan at all. Tony Tan said to him all the time, all through the ten years, ‘Why do you want to throw good money after bad rubbish?’ I cannot stand this. This is the inherent elitism. You have to break that.”
So, according to Dr Tay Eng Soon’s brother, Mr Tay, who heard it from Dr Tay’s wife, Tony Tan then as the Education Minister was of the view that ITEs and Polytechnics are “bad rubbish”.
More at Why Do We Have A Bad Rubbish President?