Shall I choose the one who said “The Government didn’t ask me to stand.” and “I must say what I believe and I must say what I think is good for Singapore. If it happens to coincide with some of the views expressed by ministers, well it is up to the people of Singapore to judge.”?
Hmmm… that sounds convincing enough, but what’s even more telling is this: “I would like to stress again there is only one power centre in Singapore and that is the Government of the day. The Presidency is not a second power centre in Singapore and should not be a second power centre to rival the Government.”
OK, I’ve pretty much made up my mind about this one. And I believe anyone with an IQ above that of a Chimpanzee would think the same way.
Wait a minute. There’s another guy who asked for 100,000 signatures to help him decide whether he wants to stand. This other guy also comes from the same establishment as the first guy. Only difference is, he fell out with them quite a while ago because he felt that the establishment used to be for the people but has recently lost touch with the ground. Lost touch with the ground? Or just lost touch with him, giving him no opportunity to shine at the polls? I may just vote for him because he’s funnier than the other two.
Then, we have a doctor who, in his last days with the establishment, decided to cross swords with them over a few petty issues like the naming of a school. He insists that he is not a yesman, mentioning the vigorous debates he started in Parliament. He gives one example of the time he voted against the party. Can we see that as a sign of sincerity in enforcing checks and balances? We can’t really tell, can we? Maybe this will help.
So in conclusion, they all had connections with the establishment. They are all Tans (I thought there might be a Yeo or something). Two appear to be somewhat against the establishment and they may turn out to be another truly independent elected president like the first one we had. Of course, even the blind can see that one of them is just trying to take us for a ride. Who do I choose? I really don’t know.
