So, Nomination Day was yesterday and it is confirmed that the upcoming presidential election will be a four-cornered fight consisting of four men by the surname of Tan. However, other than having the same surname, they differ from each other in a myriad of ways.
Today, I shall give you my own analysis on Singapore's first presidential election in 18 years.
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Disclaimer: This post was written without doing any research beforehand. It only represents the writer's point of view and impression of the candidates. Hence, readers should not take offence should they find it displeasing. However, the writer would like to assure all that he did exercise caution before penning his thoughts.
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Below is a humble self-drawn diagram by myself about the ideologies of the four gentlemen vying to be the head of state of my country.
As you can see, the diagram is divided into four parts, liberal/conservative for top/bottom and capitalist/socialist for right/left. However, I have added some extra diagonal ones in between the vertical and horizontal lines for a more detailed approach.
If you are eagle-eyed, you should have, by now, noticed that one name sits in a different region from the rest. That is "JEE SAY" (Tan Jee Say).
I placed Tan Jee Say on the right (capitalist) because of his emphasis on the economy in his campaign. Moreover, he has a rich background in economics having studied and worked in that field.
Tan Jee Say is the only one who should be in the vicinity of the liberal area as he is the only one who is truly independent of the ruling party.
Like Jee Say, Tony Tan opts for a more "glam" approach in his campaign. He also speaks about the economy and portrays more of a capitalist than being interventionist for social reasons.
However, the difference between Jee Say and Tony lies in their political backgrounds. There is still a very conspicuous white shadow wherever Tony Tan is at, if you catch what I mean.
Due to his cosy ties with the ruling party, it is inevitable that Tony will be perceived as biased no matter how independent he proclaims himself to be.
Likewise, Dr. Tan Cheng Bock, situated at the opposite end on the left, is also a conservative after being a PAP member for decades.
However, he differs from being a liberal left-winger (top-left quadrant) as he believes in striving for the greater good or rather interest of the majority. Just like his campaigning where he talks about promoting mulitracialism and bonding Singaporeans together.
Cheng Bock is also not similar to Tony as he is always prepared to "interfere" when there is a need to. Just like the days when he used to be a Member of Parliament before quitting in 2006.
Lastly, it is Tan Kin Lian. Honestly, I do not know much of him except that he used to be the CEO of a life insurance company whose name is also that of Singapore's most popular supermarket.
I decided to label him as communitarian due to him having the moral courage to be the voice of the common man. (He looks too common anyway). He might be popular among the grassroots but winning the pro-establishment votes may seem to be a bit difficult.
That's all, thank you for your time. Please vote wisely on Polling Day.
Today, I shall give you my own analysis on Singapore's first presidential election in 18 years.
***
Disclaimer: This post was written without doing any research beforehand. It only represents the writer's point of view and impression of the candidates. Hence, readers should not take offence should they find it displeasing. However, the writer would like to assure all that he did exercise caution before penning his thoughts.
***
Below is a humble self-drawn diagram by myself about the ideologies of the four gentlemen vying to be the head of state of my country.
As you can see, the diagram is divided into four parts, liberal/conservative for top/bottom and capitalist/socialist for right/left. However, I have added some extra diagonal ones in between the vertical and horizontal lines for a more detailed approach.
If you are eagle-eyed, you should have, by now, noticed that one name sits in a different region from the rest. That is "JEE SAY" (Tan Jee Say).
I placed Tan Jee Say on the right (capitalist) because of his emphasis on the economy in his campaign. Moreover, he has a rich background in economics having studied and worked in that field.
Tan Jee Say is the only one who should be in the vicinity of the liberal area as he is the only one who is truly independent of the ruling party.
Like Jee Say, Tony Tan opts for a more "glam" approach in his campaign. He also speaks about the economy and portrays more of a capitalist than being interventionist for social reasons.
However, the difference between Jee Say and Tony lies in their political backgrounds. There is still a very conspicuous white shadow wherever Tony Tan is at, if you catch what I mean.
Due to his cosy ties with the ruling party, it is inevitable that Tony will be perceived as biased no matter how independent he proclaims himself to be.
Likewise, Dr. Tan Cheng Bock, situated at the opposite end on the left, is also a conservative after being a PAP member for decades.
However, he differs from being a liberal left-winger (top-left quadrant) as he believes in striving for the greater good or rather interest of the majority. Just like his campaigning where he talks about promoting mulitracialism and bonding Singaporeans together.
Cheng Bock is also not similar to Tony as he is always prepared to "interfere" when there is a need to. Just like the days when he used to be a Member of Parliament before quitting in 2006.
Lastly, it is Tan Kin Lian. Honestly, I do not know much of him except that he used to be the CEO of a life insurance company whose name is also that of Singapore's most popular supermarket.
I decided to label him as communitarian due to him having the moral courage to be the voice of the common man. (He looks too common anyway). He might be popular among the grassroots but winning the pro-establishment votes may seem to be a bit difficult.
That's all, thank you for your time. Please vote wisely on Polling Day.
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