Benjamin Cheah/
Mr Tan conducting a walkabout at Ghim Moh Market on August 13th
Presidential candidate Mr Tan Kin Lian maintained that NTUC Income had intended to privatise itself during his tenure as CEO of the cooperative.
He was speaking in response to a press statement released by NTUC Income on 11th August which reiterated that its board “had no intention then and has no intention now to privatise NTUC Income”.
The cooperative’s press statement came shortly after a Sunday Times article reported Mr Tan as saying that he had fought the NTUC Income board on suggestions of privatising the cooperative, and suggested this was the reason he was asked to leave. In the same article, NTUC Income had said that Mr Tan’s departure was linked to its need to “professionalise itself”.
Saying that the statement is ‘not true’, Mr Tan pointed out that NTUC Income’s current Board of Directors had only been in their posts for only about the last five years, and might not have known about previous discussions about privatisation. He furthered added that the Board’s statement was probably referring to NTUC’s activities within the tenure of the current Board, while Mr Tan’s original claim that NTUC Income was privatisation was to be seen in context of the last fifteen years.
“So when NTUC say they never wanted to privatise, they’re probably referring to a shorter period,” he added.
Mr Tan was speaking to The Online Citizen following his walkabout at ABC Brickworks and Food Centre on Sunday.
Mr Tan also said that the NTUC Income should clarify what it means by ‘professionalise’, specifically how much of professionalisation equates to commercialisation or privatisation.
‘Not everything needs to be told to the people’
When asked for his thoughts on reports that the reserves were used to pay for land reclamation and Selective En-block Redevelopment Schemes since 2001 without public knowledge, Mr Tan said he did not see anything wrong with that, as land reclamation was ‘a useful purpose’.
“I would not say that those use of the money was wrong. What has to study carefully whether the intent was with good intent or was it with bad intent,” he added.
At the same time, he felt that ‘it was better to be transparent’ in reporting the use of the reserves, as there had been quite a lot of public distrust due to lack of transparency. Despite this, he said that not everything needs to be told to the people as the public are ‘not really financial experts’. But if elected, Mr Tan said he would ‘improve transparency’.
President should do more than what is required
Mr Tan disagreed with Dr Tony Tan’s recent statement that Presidential candidates ‘should run for the office that exists, not for the one they wish to have’. He felt that Dr Tan ‘looks at a very narrow description of the duties of the President’. While agreeing that the duties of the President ‘must be carried out’, Mr Tan also stated that the President of any country represents the people and should therefore speak up for the people.
“I believe that the President, earning such a big salary, should do more than just a simple job required under the Constitution where it was made clear that most of the decisions are made by the Cabinet,” he said.
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he still don’t get it that Singapore is a Parliamentary Republic and that the president is the head of state and represent the state and not the people. the PM represent the people.
how can someone with no executive power be in the position to represent the people, and how can someone who don’t have the executive power whom want to change the constitution knows what the heck he is really running the election for!!?
Of course I believe TKL. He was the CEO of NTUC for 30 years, for goodness sake. If you don’t believe him, who can you believe?
@Gosh!,
yeah right! TKL doesn’t get it but you and the pappies do get it right about the constitutional authorities of the Singapore EP.
Besides repeating what the pappies are saying in the local media what else do you know? Gosh your head lah!
Like I say , Laws are made by Man themselves…so do you think it cannot be changed ,modify,updated or thrown out of the window ?
Did this Constitution existed by itself ?
Somebody must have written it and proposed and got it approved it ,rite ?
The President can always be the “guiding principle”, the “light leading the correct pathway”.
It is high time we should privatise all those businesses that can be performed better by the private sector.
The Government should stop feeding the many parasites and cronies in these organisations. It is really frustrating and disgusting to see so many blatantly incompetent jokers are being appointed to the leadership and managerial positions in many of our GLCs/TLCs. They are not only ruining our businesses, they suffocate our entrepreneurs and deprive our promising young generation the opportunities to grow.
Ya, he’s a very humble person. We need more people like him. If he’s the president, I hope he can influence the cabinet to be like him – leadership by example. If the leader is money-faced, the followers also money-faced, and they will just make themselves rich at OUR EXPENSE!
So far we can see from his reply is very straight to the point, unlike a Tan which refuse to answer his scandal.
His reply are also very true, if you had bought NTUC Income policies over the years, especially motor insurance. After he left, NTUC really just care about profits and charge us premiums on par with other commercial companies. Before that, ask around for the cheapest insurance companies, everyone sure says NTUC lah!
Anyway, if what he says is untrue, do you think NTUC will still take their own sweet time and do nothing about it?
By the way, I was a neutral supporter, but after seeing all the candidates, he won me over.
now,rational singaporeans can all see that TOC is surely progressing into a CREDIBLE news source with revelations like this one that no MSM’s editors dare even to put on print.
singaporeans are much more educated and want to read and hear the HARD TRUTHS rather than the lame stuffs.
ONE UP FOR TOC.
KEE P UPO THE GOOD WORK.
ALTERANTIVE VIEWS MUST ALSO TRY TO BE CREDITABLE AND SENSIBLE,IMHO.
NTUC is ruled by one lousy politician.
So I do not trust them.
I will not vote for Mr Tan Kin Lian,but between him and the words of NTUC,I trust him more.
NTUC,better wake up and stop talking cock again,you have a credibility problem.
Better not elect a president who has so many pieces of bone in his closet.
Hahaha!!! The PM rep the people??? The PM is the head of govt – he is further away than the head of state to rep the people
That issue regarding NTUC seems to be old history. What TKL did and not do isn’t too relevant to me.
I will vote for him for the simple fact that he not only talks (which every other candidate are as capable, maybe some are even better than him) but he actually translates them into action. Tbh, I can only quote the lehman brothers thingy, but that is more than I can do for the other candidates already.
It was a choice between TKL and TSJ for me, but TSJ did nothing in comparison. And this is when BOTH are neither MPs nor in any position of power. TKL step up to be counted, whereas TSJ… I don’t know where he was. Only hear of him again in the elections.
Send flyers and brochures and SMS and YouTube and emails to inform about tre and yahoo and onlinecitizen and mr brown and yawning bread and Sammi boy etc websites
Toc and tre and other please have donation drives and awareness.
It depends whether we become Alternative media or sph.
We are already doomed. We must choose tjs.
Not even tcb who is mole of pappies or 2nd choice tkl who don’t know Pappies inside out well enough
Gosh!
My understanding is that most classic parliamentary systems follow the Westminster “first past the post” system.
The Parliament is elected by the people; as you have rightly pointed out. The head of state is however,mostly non-elected. In UK, Canada, and Australia, the head of state is the Queen (non elected). Hence, the position is mostly ceremonial, and it would be hard to make a case for this “ceremonial head of state” to represent the people.
In Singapore, we are practising an elected Presidency.
The implication to this is that there are certain rights and powers vested unto the elected president; (which has been elaborated at great length by various constitutional experts).
It would also imply that the elected President has certain obligations to represent the people who elected the President in the first place.
the president is elected by the majority of Singapore has a lot of moral authority.
What if TKL or TSJ say the wrong thing to head of state of other countries?
TLK to Japanese PM; Last time ur soldier bully my grandmother, took 5 of her chicken away…….
TSJ to India head of state; your economy policy lousy lah, I got better ideas for you….
@Gosh “…the president is the head of state and represent the state and not the people.”
If what you say is true, why waste all the time and money for us citizens to vote for the President?
The President should then be elected by the lawmakers.
Better still, do away with the elected President, just appoint a figure head like in the past.
@quek j h,
Tt And also tcb even worse due to their affiliation to Pappies. Tkl is half linked… if tjs stories were true…
This election is to safe guard our wealth and also not to give Pappies too much power…if tjs have an axe to grind, pls do so.
Grind out truth of cpf to prevent people from further bankrupt
@ Gosh
“he still don’t get it that Singapore is a Parliamentary Republic and that the president is the head of state and represent the state and not the people. the PM represent the people.”
Dont confuse people can or not? You said that the President represent the state… and NOT the people.. Then in that case let me ask you:
1) If there are no “people/citizens” how do you get a “state” in the first place?
2) If the state is does not consist of its citizens or the representing of the citizens why even hold a presidential election in the first place?
3) If the President does not represent the people; why in the world does the current govt keep emphasizing that the PResident shld include a unifying role?
How to Unify people when the president does not represent the MAJORITY in the 1st place?? Would you think that if a president with only 10% of votes can ever be a “UNIFYING” figure? What do you think the remaining 90% will do? Listen to him?
faintz… know how to write but dunno how to think..
Gosh,
If President doesn’t represent the people
,then why subject the office to universal suffrage?
When the President is VOTED in by the people, then certainly he should have the right and the duty to speak for the people?
All the more reason since the PM, at the most is only voted in by the electorate in a constituency but the President by all citizens in all constituencies.
In response to the unfair support by some Singapore Unions for the highly unpopular TT, international clubs from all over the world have today pledged their support for TJS. Clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea,Inter Milan, etc have agreed to hold a world class soccer tournament in Singapore for free if TJS is elected President.
In a group photograph of top managers wearing TJS tee-shirts, Alex Ferguson, speaking on behalf of the group, urged Singaporeans of all races, religions and languages to vote for TJS. He promised to play his first team here in honor of TJS Presidential victory.
Vote TJS for President.
Singaporean Voters are all double-headed snakes. Talk and critize PAP backed TT, but come 27th Aug these critics will mark TT in the ballot paper once nobody is around. That is the way Singapore politics have been played all the time. Talked bad about it but comes to the crunch must vote for PAP
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NTUC Income board knows that they wanted Tan Kin Lian out of the cooperative NOT because of his lack of performance. In fact, under TKL’s care, NTUC Income grew enormously and policyholders also benefited (in the form of higher than market bonuses and lower premiums) from TKL’s frugal ways in running the cooperative.
Given the above, the board can only put out very vague “reason” such as “the need to professionalise”. Why is the board being used as a mouthpiece of MIW???
After watching video clips of the TV debate of the 4 candidates on ST Razor, it is apparent that Tan Jee Say is not suitable to be President. His body language, coherence, stage presence, and content was even worse than Tan Kin Lian, which was unexpected.
I think Doc came across the best overall speaker. Phony Tony was second.
I think I will write TJS off.
we all know president has limited power, that why TKL say, that doesnt mean he cannot speak up for the singaporeans if he get elected. THAT THE SPIRITS WE want!
Do you want another rubber stamp president? NO!! DO you want to vote for a president that took 4million a year and hardly speak on behalf of the singaporeans plight, sorrow and problems that was ignore in the last few years.
All these Tans a bunch of jokers. None even fit to walk behind Ong Teng Cheong. It’s like selecting the person who’s the best of the worst.
@Eric
You are speaking rubbish, apparently TJS is the best speaker among the 4.
Especially his speech during nomination day, he had hit all the crucial points.
U wanna bet with me?
I can bet with my last dollar that TJS rally will be sold out crowd like WP rally.
Finally, the EP is elected by the people.
Not some rubber stamp puppet that got fatter and fatter.
I have been to Dr. Tony Tan’s facebook to ask him the most important question that concerns every Singaporean. The GIC report shows that real returns has fallen down and down and down to only 3.9%. This concerns many billions of dollars. Yet, he has failed to answer this question. Why? Only if more people ask him that question on his facebook, then perhaps he might answer it. The elections is the only time to ask him such a question that concerns your well being. Seize the opportunity now before it is too late! http://singaporereserves.blogspot.com
TKL past PAP but not ready…need more time
TT PAP people so cannot
TCB PAP people so cannot
TJS past PAP backroom but combatant and want to re-invent the wheel.
So how…who to vote? asks my aunty of 73 yrs old. I told her to vote for someone with a strong arm for the President’s job has one very important pre requiste- a strong arm that would not falter among the countless waving for thats what I saw in SRN as a president. He was after all the’wave to all president’. Will anything change should any of them are voted in. I doubt so. But then TJS being in his 50s would still have some beef in his arm I suppose. So he would stand the ardous task of waving the longest among the 4.
Looking at the govt’s track record, I am surprised they have not privatised NTUC.
Just look at the number of govt functions and organisations they have privatised over the years. Look at what they charge after the privatise. Look at how easy it is for them to fire staff or put them in halfway houses out of the company (on two year term contracts) before shunting people out.
NTUC’s statements are hardly believeable. I would more likely believe Tan Kin Lian. Given half a chance, even the NTUC may try squeezing the last cent out of peasant Singaporeans.
@Redemption 17 August 2011
@Eric
U wanna bet with me?
I can bet with my last dollar that TJS rally will be sold out crowd like WP rally.
_____________________________________
I agree, TJS rally will be bigger than the other 3. I’ll also attend.
In May, TJS’s SDP rally in Holland-BT was twice the size of the rally of the scum Vivian Bala. I was there too. But we all knew the outcome, the scumbags won.
On the matter where you claim the government has no moral duties to stop people from gambling you were wrong. No one is perfect. But you made a terrible mistake in not foreseeing the dire consequences of gambling on family and social harmony. As an actuary whose expertise is in probabilities and therefore an expert on gambling it speaks volume about your actuarial abilities.
It is very likely when you claim the government has no moral duties to stop its citizen from gambling it is quite likely you were instinctive still living the climate of fear of confrontation with it. Or you could be envisaging the possibility of working in the gambling industry yourself given your expertise on gambling as an actuary.
No matter which way you slice and dice it the matter of the fact is you made a serious error in judgment. It would be better if you come right out to acknowledge you were wrong and apologize for being wrong.
At this moment you are making a more serious error of judgment in pursuing the presidential election and splitting the alternative voices’ votes. By continuing to do so you will be a much hated figure and in the future everyone will see you as an opportunist and whatever you have to say will be greatly discounted and discredited.
Please withdraw your nomination now before you cause more harm to the alternative voices’ cause.
@Apolitical
What is your aim in purposely ignoring the part where he qualifies what he thinks to be ‘gambling’?
Judge a person by his actions ….. NTUC Learning Hub, the training arm of NTUC, is expanding overseas to train workers outside of Singapore. Isn’t that privatisation of business? What has the training arm of Singapore Union to do with China, to train workers and import them??? They are supposed to be union for Singapore workers!!
I don’t get it. NTUC is into every business in the name of moderating prices.
It’s obvious the PAP propaganda machinery is set in motion. First, it’s TKL being smeared by the new bosses at NTUC, then TJS maligned by a sinister writer TheRealTruth. We wait now with baited breadth what will be said of TCB.
Phony Tan must be feeling the heat as revelations after revelations online exposed his past faux pas – from the abuse of his position as Defense Minister by abetting his son’s evasion of NS for 12 years to poor investment judgment in managing GIC, etc.
It is understandable, therefore, that so many citizens spontaneously booed Phony Tony when his retinue appeared at the Elections Center yesterday.
Voting for TJS would effectively be voting for Chee Soon Juan by proxy.
See for yourself how TJS clashes head on with TT.
The Only non PAPees Candidate and he has the moral strength to speak up.
SO V SAY VOTE FOR JEE SAY!!!!!!!!
What is the real reason for contesting ep for tkl, the ex-mastermind at ntuc income?
Of course real returns are falling- they are falling around the world because inflation is going up. Given the size of the reserves, if they can compound at 4% indefinitely, with relatively low risk so you do not lose the initial capital, that is a great thing. It’s not easy to do, no other country with reserves > 200 bn has managed this, not China, not Norway. You can’t just compare it to a personal investment account. Can I also point out that this is neither TT’s fault nor success, it only perhaps shows that he has experience and fiscal prudence.
CNA put out a TV Porgramme on Presidential Candidates Yesterday at 8pm “Presidential Candiates Profiles” which was pro Tony Tan and bias making CNA lose it’s credibility. Programme showed TKL’s loss episode during Ciputra or some investment with much prominence to discredit him despite his successful Run of NTUC Income during his tenture to grow it into a successful Insurance Cooperative with 17 Billion assets when he left Income. Tony Tan’s obvious losses in Billions in GIC during his tenure during YR2008/2009 was obviously left out and CNA maitained complete silence. CNA & main Stream Media under govt orders look more and more losing their credibility and independence, Shame On You.