Tan Kin Lian - An Opportunist? Let see the Facts

[SalahParking]

I read somewhere on this thread that Koh Boon Hwee is a cousin of TKL?? How so? Was TKL a result of a freakozoid gene?

 

[MightyMouse]

Hi there mightymouse, where did you get these numbers from?

The poll is taken at Temasek Review at the end of this article.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/06/08/if-the-presidential-election-were-to-be-called/

There is a separate poll in Facebook with a much smaller total number of votes. The problem with the TR vote on the web is that there is a possibility of multiple votes (as compared to FB where you need to login to individual FB accounts to vote more than once).

The TR FB votes show GY leading with TKL second and TCB distance third.

 

[sharingan83]

The poll is taken at Temasek Review at the end of this article.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/06/08/if-the-presidential-election-were-to-be-called/

There is a separate poll in Facebook with a much smaller total number of votes. The problem with the TR vote on the web is that there is a possibility of multiple votes (as compared to FB where you need to login to individual FB accounts to vote more than once).

The TR FB votes show GY leading with TKL second and TCB distance third.

Thanks for that MightyMouse

 

[n1etzche]

I think it would do a lot of good if the uninformed masses are made aware of tkl's past. This conniving scum should not be allowed to get away with this deception. Personally I rate this rat below the pap pricks, lest pap clowns are visible.

The poll is taken at Temasek Review at the end of this article.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/06/08/if-the-presidential-election-were-to-be-called/

There is a separate poll in Facebook with a much smaller total number of votes. The problem with the TR vote on the web is that there is a possibility of multiple votes (as compared to FB where you need to login to individual FB accounts to vote more than once).

The TR FB votes show GY leading with TKL second and TCB distance third.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

wld not be too sure of this bro...go look at the latest issue of the SMA mag which highlights its latest annual dinner...a v interesting event going by recent local political circumstances...Tan Cheng Bok was invited as guest of honour!!...n this was on 14th May just awhile after the so called watershed GE11'...n all the surprising chnages thereafter...2 of TCB's guests at the top table were none other than Ang Yong Guan n Tan Jee Say...who had apparently asked TCB out to tea prior to GE11 to ask for advice!!...http://news.sma.org.sg/4305/Feature.pdf

. So is SDP as they invited him to speak at ralies like NSP..

quite true...TCB's speech at the this yr's SMA dinner on 14th May was eerily sort of similar to his own 'hard truth'speech in parl after the 84' GE wif largest swing vote since independence at over 12%...TCB was apparently castigated by harry after his speech n was in the wilderness for sometime thereafter...

looks like the docs r fully throwing their support behind TCB in his EP11 bid...

.
As I said Tan Cheng Bock was firing away the moment he stepped into parliament. Mind you as a PAP candidate.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

always found Bertie's daughet Gwendolyn attractive!...Bertie is indeed a gd egg...

Compared him with Bertie Cheng who ran POSB until his retirement in 1997. .

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

the moment TKL started that PE petition last yr i concluded that he was indeed a piece of shit...want to run for election just run lah...dont be so scared n think what he is doing us a favour to run is it?!...n also agree why the heck cld he not go down personally n collect the PE application forms?...who the hell does TKL think he is?...definitely not getting my vote for sure...

Same issue as well. This guy has a massive ego. Why would people sign an petition if he had not done anything other than talk in general about being not happy.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

what's the story on this one bro?...did not catch it earlier...

. Imagine hawking batteries. A true Insurance man. Till today making business referrals for his friends and new acquaintences. Maybe he will hold the first tupperware party in the Istana for those who are struggling.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

v gd post bro...the EP may well be coming back to bite PAP in the butt...just like the GRC thinggy...

btw thnk TKL probably got an apoplectic fit when he found out TCB had thrown his hat into the PE11 ring...

Bro Scro,

I am not at ease that he gets a WP chap to collect the forms. It is aimed as a signal to give the perception that he is not from PAP camp. Whereas all the while, he has been with the PAP camp in his life and career. If anything, the perception if one is to read deeply, suggests that he is out to garner some political points from the WP thing. It is a badly conceived political move. Also he is caught offguard by Tan Cheng Bock's move which gains the early publicity.

I am ok with folks wanting to champion the rights of Singaporeans, fighting on issues in the political sphere. I am just curious why would one want to go and fight in the elected presidency. The elected presidency is a restricted post, with supposedly non-executive powers, but in reality it does have "executive" powers. I think one should find it hard to draw the line between custodial and executive powers. Custodial powers in its sense, will have some reference to executive powers if the executive conflicts with the custodial. The elected presidency has not properly worked out these norms and procedures. Even if we are to consider the elected presidency with some form of "executive" powers, its areas of influence is narrowed to very specific issues on use of reserve and appointment of civil servants and overseeing some sensitive laws which have been specified ie race and religion and the Internal Security Act.

Here is the gist.

Hence anybody wanting to champion and fight on common issues on life and bread-and-butter, would be best advised to run as candidates as MPs rather than go for this elected presidency. If you truly want to fight on issues, then you should go and fight in the general elections to be a MP. In this case, why did Tan Kin Lian not fight to be a MP or join a political party? Nor does Tan Cheng Bock. Both of them are now championing on issues which i find disconcerting for them to use the elected presidency as a platform. I support their endeavour to champion these issues, in fact welcome them. I like Tan Cheng Bock tremendously and admire for him willing to stand out for his beliefs when he was a MP. Yet why use the elected presidency? In fact, once you are president, you are legally bound not to have any chance to champion, fight or govern on such issues, as this is not what the elected presidency is meant for. I think the elected presidency has tremendous prestige and of course, outrageous pay, and in symbolic terms, ranks over the executive. If anything, it is to be seen as a fight for a job with better pay? - hey not bad, one can still claim to fight for the commoners on issues that matter. Hence this could be the reason these folks go for elected presidency instead of being a MP. I personally would think if one reduce the pay of president dramatically by say 99.9% and suggest one should run out of conscience and public interest, I wonder whether people still step forward?

PAP thought they were smart to enact all kind of rules to restrict to those who could run to only come from a small select group. So it can create the wayangs which they like to show. They forgot what if there are to be rising factions within them, which will happen when the strong political centre weakens? It is now perhaps happening. How they are going to resolve this? If supposedly Singaporeans elect a president with strong "executive" and oppositionist tendencies, we are talking about political impasses and constitutional disputes, which are nothing good for Singapore. Ong Teng Cheong was the first to try to work out this system when he did not heed the hidden intentions of this elected presidency. The elected presidency is only meant when the opposition takes over power as government, and this is used to check and maybe make life difficult for the executive.

Like it or not, I am uncomfortable with the folks standing to fight in this elected presidency. I guess there is no precedent, and we just await and see. One wonders who will get the support of PAP camp - it could be a kiss of death though :-p

I still prefer Wee Kim Wee type of presidency, and more than anyone, he did much to unite the hearts of Singaporeans. We should revert to this type of presidency.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

i get a feeling that TCB is perhaps playing along the lines of King Bhumiphol's constitutional monarchy reign in Thailand??...PE to act a unifier of the nation/ctry...PE to gently n indirectly push the govt of the day in the direction to do good for whole nation/ctry n not forget the common folk, marginalised classes n poor...

. Both Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Kin Lian if they are concerned should carry the fight in parliament. .

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

hahahahaha...tks for reminding me of these circumsatnces...this TKL really appaers to hv great tickets on himself...also it wld appear that he was pushed rather than pulled out of his beloved Income...

When Tan Kin Lian was in charge of Income, Uncle noticed that everything was signed under his name. He takes credit for all the good things and when there were complaints he directed others to answer. He never gave credit to his staff.

The result was that I refused to have anything to do with Income until he left.

God help Singapore if he ever by miracle become President. He might changed the Istana into Tan Kin Lian's palace.

 

[SalahParking]

TKL is just a triple headed snake that doesnt know where to slither to. during the cold war, this will be called a triple agent

 

[Echo_O]

I'm not sure if the NTUC income CEO position is a reward for being PAP loyalist as the current CEO is a Malaysian.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

i suggest u just read TCB's speech at the SMA annual dinner on 14may11...where he 'cuts n paste's' fm his 'hard truth' speech in parl in mid 80s after the 84GE where there was the largest swing vote since independence even larger than the swing in GE11...of 12.5%...after which he got a bollicking fm harry n was not v much liked in pap for a long time...news.sma.org.sg/4305/Feature.pdf

compare the abv to TKL...who only suddenly got a 'political epiphany' after he was apparently 'pushed' out of his beloved income...n u helping TKL to try n get 100K signatures for the PE bid really struck me as pathetic...like i hv said before n say again...want to run just run lah...what is this all abt getting petitions to persuade potential candidate to run...i mean TKL ain't no cory aquino k?!...

no doubt TCB has his flaws n foibles...n his long association wif pap does not help either...however let's face it...overwhelming majority of individuals who hv the stature to run for the PE r invariably linked to the local establishment in one way r another...n hence linked to pap as well...wtd...singapore is a small nation n still developing civic society...but just on the face of it...TCB stands far n abv TKL...i wld say TKL wld only stand abv the likes of andrew kuan n crackpots like ooi n rafi...

With due respect, BOTH TKL and TCB drink from the same pool; TCB got his MP position and allowances because he stood under PAP ticket. No matter how "critical" he could be, he was still a PAP MP who will not bite too hard on his masters' hands. On top of that, TCB got his "credibility' because he is a PAP MP. Goh Meng Seng

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

what is yr basis for saying this?...

also i still cant understand why TKL cld not just go n get the PE application forms himself...i mean who the bloody hell does he think he is?...more so since he is apparently retired...

also what's all this rubbish lame pr spin abt TKL's wife asking him why does he want to bother to help the public(think i read this in TNP)??!!...this TKL really appears to hv grandiose ideas...

Well, you are saying, Huat Ah has been fooled by TKL? Right? I am no fool you know. I supported TKL for what it is and I don't go around to tell others, oh, I have been fooled by TKL! Only fools do that. LOLs!

TKL didn't fool anyone. I supported him not because he manipulated me but I see him as the best person out of the potential candidates. That's all. Crystal clear about that.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[Windsor]

what is yr basis for saying this?...

also i still cant understand why TKL cld not just go n get the PE application forms himself...i mean who the bloody hell does he think he is?...more so since he is apparently retired...

also what's all this rubbish lame pr spin abt TKL's wife asking him why does he want to bother to help the public(think i read this in TNP)??!!...this TKL really appears to hv grandiose ideas...

Somehow I don't get it. Why must there be someone else to pick up the papers on his behalf? Furthermore, it must be someone from the opposition no one else, also not someone from the PAP. Can anyone enlighten me as I it seems there appears to be a motive to want to do it. GY also did it but he had a reason or so he says and he has not confirmed as of today that he will contest.

Why can't TKL have a family member, relatives or non-political friends collect the papers? Is he handicapped? I really don't like this guy at all.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

my own take is that the 3 'wise men' shall approve both TKL n TCB for obvious reasons...the rubicon has been crossed since GE11 n PAP is now in unknown territory...so to further piss off the public so close after GE11 wld probably be a no go...hence all sorts of 'luminary eminent' characters coming out(one in a stupid kendo outfit no less) one after the other talking abt the constituitional limits n realities of the PE's capacity...

in reality there is not v much the PE can do to accept perhaps indirectly influence the govt of the day wif his independent moral authority...but even this political capital of sorts can probably only be used under v limited circumstances...

viz Khaw n Teo...i beg to differ...dont think it makes much of a difference based on their respective political imprimatur...agree viz Tony Tan...no chance agst TCB n TKL...more so Nathan...anyways i bet my bottom dollar Nathan will not run again...the fact that he has apparently already or almost finished his bo liao personal memoirs just abt says it...

now when it comes to GY however i beg to differ...n in this regards i also differ wif Scroobal who initially appeared to take the postion that GY was just being mischievous wifout any real intent to run for PE...i get the impression that GY shall run n shall give both TCB n TKL a gd fight...why?...becoz i get the feel that GY has the sympathy n appeal not only wif Gen Y but also wif the rest of the electorate...

The PAP's best bet is therefore to magically produce a candidate who can beat both Tan Kin Lian and Tan Cheng Bock. So far, the best they have got is Tony Tan. I am not going to bother to write about Nathan and George Yeo since the outcome if they run is pretty obvious.

I think if Tony Tan runs, he is going to be defeated quite badly. The last time he fought an election, the Soviet Union was still around. He is going to be even more out of touch with the current electorate than Goh Chok Tong in his recent GE 2011 campaign. He has been out of circulation for so long that most voters have no memory of him as a PAP Minister. Also as the President is supposed to be Independent, Tony Tan is going to have to fight this election by himself without the direct visible support of the PAP.

If the PAP wants someone friendly to win the current Presidential Election, they are going to have to ante up a big king card Minister. IMHO, the only two with a half decent chance are:

1) Teo Chee Hean
2) Khaw Boon Wan

Anything less would be a slaughter. If Nathan runs, I think there is a good chance he might suffer the embarassment of a two term incumbent President who loses his election deposit.

On disqualification, the pressence of two independent candidates makes it tough to play this card. If only one was running, it might still be possible to pull it off. To disqualify both so that a PAP friendly canidate can win unopposed would be too much of a stretch politically. If I remember correctly, Tan Cheng Bock is vulnerable on the disqualification front. The Chuan Hup group he was Chairman of barely made the $100 mil capital requirement. I think there were some question marks as there was via a capital injection and the company was not above $100 mil mark for the entire period when he was Chairman. if they disqualify one but leave the other one in, the supporters of the disqualified candidate are going to be pissed. Their votes would then most likely go to the surviving candidate as a protest against the PAP.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

do u perchance know what these so called 'legitimate reasons' are?...

i mean since the writ has not yet been issued there is still no deadline to file apart fm the constituitional limits imposed as to when PE11 needs to be held...why the need to collect the PE forms on that specific day...cldn't TKL hv picked a day when he was free???...r is TKL sooo busy???

Ok, say he had legitimate reasons and the choice was incidental...

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

actually i do not understand why all the brouhaha over getting political party endorsements, pap r oppo...real implied r otherwise...why?...becoz i tot the PE is suppose to be independent...well technically at least right!!

If Png had any sense, he would know or realise that he was a mere pawn. The target was to use the WP name. In branding world it is a guerrilla marketing. There is no such thing as in doing it in his personal capacity within the realm of politics. Png was picking up forms for EP - an elected political office. Png was not picking up TKL's medication for his ailments or cakes for his birthday party. Either Png is gullible or he is smitten by TKL. If he did wil full knowledge of WP, he has some explaining to do.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

may i just add...an intellectually dishonest opportunist?!

The way I see the thread is this.

The TS is calling TKL less than honest.

TCB was a PAP MP. He could have toed the line and be popular within PAP as a team player. But he did not, and became known as a rebel.

TKL never had a PAP MP role to play up to, yet he remained silent on many past issues. In his private capacity, as a private citizen, he had all the privileges and rights to speak up but he didnt. Not least, as the TS said, because he had been a Branch sec for many years and pulling many more levers for his own gains while as CEO NTUC Income, which was actually the largesse of his PAP association.

TKL now is now dishonestly nuancing more executive powers into the EP role than is constitutionally designed. TCB relies on his past reputation as a dissenting public servant able to take his public service experience to a higher role. TCB has not displayed any dishonest traits so far; what you see is what you get. The same thing cannot be said of TKL.

Thus, on balance, who would turn out to be an opportunist?