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http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/tan-cheng-bock-talks-politics?page=0%2C0 Tan Cheng Bock talks politics 210214_ST_tanchengbock(edited).jpg SPEAKING HIS MIND: Dr Tan noted that the PAP Government has got itself into "a very tight situation" by letting in too many foreigners in the past. He added that the Government may now be "overdoing it" in tightening labour flows. Tessa Wong MyPaper Friday, Feb 21, 2014 SINGAPORE - The People's Action Party (PAP) Government may be trying hard to fix problems caused by the large inflow of foreigners, but it has got itself in a tight bind, said former presidential candidate Tan Cheng Bock. {C} RELATED STORIES Dr Tan and his packed calendar PA withdraws Istana party invite to Tan Cheng Bock {C} Its difficulties could help the opposition Workers' Party (WP) in the next general election, he said. The former PAP MP for Ayer Rajah spoke on the future of both political parties in an hour-long interview with MyPaper at his home. Since the watershed 2011 General Election, the Government, especially its younger ministers, has been "trying very hard" to resolve issues - like immigration - that contributed to its loss of votes, he said. In 1999, when he was still an MP, he had called on the Government to tone down its talk on attracting foreigners, earning rebukes from ministers, including then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew. "Now, (the Government) has a quota system for foreigners in HDB," noted Dr Tan, 73. But they have got themselves into "a very tight situation" by letting in too many foreigners. "The original lax policy has created a lot of problems. If you suddenly pull the brakes too hard...you titrate wrongly, you have a big, big problem, because the companies will suffer," he said, adding that the Government may now be "overdoing it" in tightening labour flows, as businesses are facing a manpower crunch. This means there is "a very likely chance" the WP could win more seats at the next election, given that some wards in the last election were won narrowly by the PAP. "I think it's good because the WP can make the Government work harder, and also I think debate on issues will be much better," he said. Asked what he thought of PAP's criticism that WP often sits on the fence or does not voice out its position on several issues, Dr Tan said: "They don't have to put forth an alternative every time an issue comes up. You can always wait. Timing is very important in politics... So they will know when to push their agenda. RELATED STORIES Dr Tan and his packed calendar PA withdraws Istana party invite to Tan Cheng Bock "I think the PAP is the same, because (when rolling out) some of their policies they will wait." With next year marking 50 years of independence, "if I were the Government, I would capitalise on it". One thing working for the party now is its renewed vigour in fighting for votes, he noted. But despite efforts to communicate more with citizens, "I don't think they have really nailed it yet...there is still a lack of trust" in the Government and its leaders, he said. They have also yet to solve the "divide" in the party, where grassroots activists can feel snubbed after "they work like hell but they don't get to be MP" when the leadership parachutes elite "prefectorial, army, navy types" who are not in touch with the ground. One exception is Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, whom he praised as "down to earth". "Tharman is the type of person we should look for, and if we can get many people like him, I think the PAP will win (future elections) hands down," he declared. "I think Tharman is a very practical chap, he knows how to move the ground...he's got the charisma to convince me that I want to go along with him," he said. [email protected]

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Received a private & confidential mail today. Open up and saw TCB's campaigning flyer in it. Did anyone receive? How in the world did he and his team get my full name and address to post the letter to me? From government? Does all presidential candidates have access to such information? I don't feel comfortable with such advertising

Have you ppl recieved any flyer address to all members in the household(with full names and address) in the letter box? Where did he get the details from?

got this link from a mellow forumer on another thread.. and i was pretty impressed with what i read http://www.tanchengbock.org/ As I was pretty ignorant of politics in my younger days.. welcome any "lau jiao" forumers to share their views on him.. for us to make an informed vote this time

Tan Cheng Bock http://www.tanchengbock.org/?p=298 VERSUS George Yeo Many Singaporeans from different walks of life, young and old, have asked me to reconsider my decision on the Presidency, some impassionately. Thinking hard about it and praying for wisdom. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/georgeyeopage

Tan Cheng Bock keen to run for President By Andrea Ong & Zakir Hussain FORMER Member of Parliament Tan Cheng Bock has quit the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and indicated that he may be a candidate in the coming presidential election. He told The Straits Times yesterday: 'Many people have been urging me to stand as president, and I am very honoured. But there are rules I have to follow. One rule is I must apply for the certificate of eligibility first.' Dr Tan, 71, confirmed that he had resigned from the PAP earlier this month but declined to say if this meant he would indeed run for president in the election which must be held before Aug 31. The Elections Department is expected to announce that aspiring candidates can pick up forms to apply for certificates of eligibility next week. Under Singapore's Constitution, candidates must satisfy a list of stringent criteria and be screened by a Presidential Elections Committee (PEC). In the 2005 election, three aspiring candidates failed to meet the criteria, leaving President S R Nathan to be returned unopposed for a second time. It is not yet known if Mr Nathan, who turns 87 this year, will seek re-election. The Government usually backs a preferred candidate, and has yet to do so this time. Despite his PAP background, Dr Tan will not be entering the race as the Government's candidate. Observers believe that his entry into the race will make it a contest to watch, coming as it does in the wake of the PAP's record low vote share of 60.1 per cent in the recent general election. One requirement set by the PEC is that a candidate must not belong to any political party. Dr Tan now meets this rule. The medical practitioner joined the PAP in 1979 and was MP for Ayer Rajah single-seat ward from 1980 to 2006. He also fulfils the requirement of having served for at least three years 'as chairman of the board of directors or chief executive officer of a company incorporated or registered under the Companies Act with a paid-up capital of at least $100 million or its equivalent in foreign currency'. He has been non-executive chairman of Chuan Hup investment holding company since 1991. Its annual report for the last financial year states its issued and paid-up capital as US$152 million (S$189 million). Contacted yesterday, several former PAP MPs expressed surprise at Dr Tan's possible candidacy. Others said they saw it coming as Dr Tan had adopted a higher public profile in recent months. He started a blog and Facebook page in March, posting articles and videos on current affairs in Singapore. One post on a speech he made in Parliament in 1985, entitled 'No More Blank Cheque for the PAP', has caught netizens' attention in recent weeks. A Facebook page set up by anonymous supporters calling for Singaporeans to vote for Dr Tan as president has received more than 471 'likes'. The famously outspoken former MP and chief of the Government's Feedback Unit made headlines recently when he resigned from the board of the new Ng Teng Fong Hospital saying he disagreed with naming a public hospital after the late property tycoon simply because the latter's family had donated $125 million. 'That's very Tan Cheng Bock,' said president of the College of Family Physicians Singapore Goh Lee Gan. 'He stands up for what he believes is right and has great independence of mind. It would be great to have him as the president.' Former PAP MP Chng Hee Kok said Dr Tan would make 'an excellent president'. 'He's people-oriented, very level-headed, and has a heart for Singaporeans' well-being,' he said. Dr Tan was known for big wins in all six general elections he contested. His 88 per cent of the vote in 2001 was the PAP's best score in 31 years. Observers expect the presidential race to open officially next week. The Elections Department website says those who did not vote at the recent general election can get their names back on the register of voters from June 7. They may apply online or in person at the department's Prinsep Link office or at any community centre with a valid explanation for why they did not vote on May 7. In 2005, applications for eligibility certificates opened on May 31. The writ for the election was issued by the Prime Minister on Aug 3. Aspiring candidates will have up to three days after the writ of election is issued to submit their applications for an eligibility certificate. The PEC, which is led by the chairman of the Public Service Commission, will vet all applications. Other members of the PEC are the chairman of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, and a member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights as nominated by the Council chairman. The PEC will issue certificates after screening applicants to ensure they are people of integrity, good character and reputation. Candidates must also be at least 45 years old, and have held key appointments such as minister, chief justice, speaker or permanent secretary for not less than three years, or been chairman or chief executive of a statutory board. They can also have held similar or comparable positions of seniority and responsibility in organisations of equivalent size or complexity in the public or private sector which, in the opinion of the PEC, has given them the experience and ability in administering and managing financial affairs so as to enable them to carry out effectively the functions and duties of the office of President. Only aspirants cleared by the PEC can stand as candidates on Nomination Day. There will be a minimum nine days of campaigning, plus a cooling-off day of campaign silence. Candidates also have to place a deposit to contest. Under the Presidential Elections Act, the sum is three times the amount required for a parliamentary election candidate - which this year works out to $48,000. Those who poll less than one-eighth of total votes lose the deposit. The elected presidency was established in 1993 as a way of safeguarding Singapore's reserves, two years after the PAP scored a then-record low of 61 per cent in the 1991 General Election. Since then, the government of the day is required by law to get the approval of the president before it can draw down on the reserves, under a so-called 'two-key' system. In 1993, then Deputy Prime Minister and labour chief Ong Teng Cheong was the candidate endorsed by the Government. He won with 58.7 per cent of the votes against banker Chua Kim Yeow. President Nathan, a veteran civil servant and diplomat, was unopposed when he stood in 1999 and 2005. [email protected] [email protected]