Excerpt of TOC’s exclusive interview with Mr Tan Kin Lian:
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TOC: Well referring to an article that you wrote in 2004, you wrote about the casinos and you wrote that you “support the idea of a casino” and that “it does not matter that some Singaporeans will eventually gamble in these casino”. You also wrote that, “It is not the job of the government to stop Singaporeans from gambling in those casinos” Can you explain what you really meant?
TKL: I think I must explain more clearly because I think there is some misperception. Firstly what is gambling? Now my family goes to my mother who is 87 years old and she likes to play mahjong. And around the mah-jong table they do have some money passed. Is that gambling? I don’t think so. If you are going to play mah-jong if you are going to have some stake, it’s more fun. I don’t consider that gambling. Similarly there are many people who go to buy- line up to buy TOTO. It’s just a way to pass the week to look forward to something. So long as the amount of money that you spend is the same money that you would spend on entertainment. Some people spend 200-300 dollars to watch one show. Other people spend that money to buy 4D or TOTO. So gambling in small amounts of money is alright. Even if you have to go to the casino, because there are things in the casino – so long as you bet with money that you set aside for this.
Now when it becomes big scale, when you bet money you cannot afford to lose, of course then you must stop it. In fact, I also said that the biggest gamble is not the casino. I said it was the stock market and the currencies. Big sums of money. So therefore we must look up on the question of gambling in a more rational way. Of course there are some gambling that are bad, when people over gamble. When they gamble on owing money. So I also said that there should be, you should ban lending of money for gambling. That’s bad. Gambling on credit is wrong. So I think of course it seems that the casino has become a bit worse than I expected. That means more people gamble large sums that they should not. We must look at this problem. But I still come back on the original premise that so long as you gamble small sums, it’s a form of entertainment.
TOC: Surely, no doubt the casino has reaped economic benefits, but wouldn’t the government have foreseen the social problems that would have arisen from the casinos?
TKL: Ok now the first is the question to foresee, it is very hard to foresee. But it’s easier to act to find the problem. Which you don’t have to foresee because there are many unexpected things but when a problem arises you must act. And since now that I realize that more people are gambling, I must take action to address this issue.
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Read the transcript of the exclusive interview HERE.
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Where was TJS all these yrs? Found his voice in 2011, a yr of multiple elections.
HE WAS BORN INTO A BANKING DYNASTY. HE WAS A FINANCE MINISTER. YET HE BOUGHT THE WRONG BANKS AT THE WRONG PRICES AT THE WORST TIME. HE STILL COLLECTS HIS SALARIES WHILE SINGAPOREANS PAY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR HIS HORRENDOUS MISTAKES. http://singaporereserves.blogspot.com
I disagree with TKL.
TKL, you talked too simply about gambling.
Gambling is addictive.
Most people are guaranteed to lose as long as they continue to gamble by the law of gambling.
Never condone gambling. Its more of a problem than you attempted to paint it to be.
I disagree with all the posters who insist that gambling is wrong, no matter the sum. Gambling in affordable sums is indeed like entertainment. The odds being in your favour is not the point; if one spent $x travelling, one would be guaranteed he gets $0 back. The perception towards gambling is SUBJECTIVE. To keep harping on moral and subjective issues is ridiculous. I want a President who does his job faithfully and not try to represent morality. It reeks of religious fundamentalism.
Why is tkl suggesting casino gambling affordable now? Is he indirectly trying to take down tjs?
Will he speakup on casino or continue to say its affordable?
Up until yesterday, i could not decide who to vote : tjs or tkl.
Thanks tkl, u made it easy for me now.
Tan Jee Say has my vote! He is purely non-pap.
There are just too many pap people in this small island.
We now need a non-pap president.
TKL is S’pore’s Ralph Nader. He can be a good consumer advocate but will he ‘spoil’ the PE result and allow Tony Tan to slip in as President? Ralph Nader split the left vote in USA and allowed Bush to get in. The Democrats may like him as a consumer advocate but
hate his entry into Presidential politics.
Probably the only candidate that can come close to beating TT would be TCB. Voting for TKL or TJS, one is basically throwing away one’s vote. So vote tactically even if you can’t stand TCB for being ex-PAP.
if you want to care for all citizens, asks the Government, therefore HDB to make all HDB Freehold, this is the only way we know that we own Singapore
From his former classmate. Nothing has changed since, it appears about the man.
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Why Tony Tan must never become the next President
TT was my class mate in HSC at SJI. He was a cold person and very unfriendly. At a small old boys lunch yesterday 8 out of 10 would not support him. All were shocked that he abused his power in the son’s NS. Being rich all his life he cannot relate to the masses. I know many want a good looking grey haired person. I would too but only if the person has the moral quality which TT does not have. TT had not leadership quality either. All his previous responsibilities did not require such, Education, Finance. What is so wrong with Jee Say or even Kin Lian’s looks. I think Jee Say is the least contaminated with PAP except being the principal secretary which probably gives him some insight into the secret workings of PAP.
We have little time left. We have to assume Jee Say has COE and work on it.
TO all my fellow Singaporean (whether true born or new), seriously, do you really want a PAP-man to do the check and balance the PAP govt? (I am not even saying ‘ex-PAP’ because they are still so..PAP). Voting either of them we will have another term of ‘Nathan’, highly paid aside, what has he done for his countrymen? Speaking and doing things quietly? If it works, we will not be in this state, or was him not influential enough? We already have PAP as government and why not give the younger candidate Jee Say a chance to try? If you also think that President is for check and balance and speaking for the people to better their lives, Jee Say is definitely the one. He is sincere in wanting to do it for Singaporean, not for the high salary and really, who has got his courage? He is against all odds with so much to lose and yet stepping forward.
not give Jee Say a chance to try, we
Lily,
dear poster, please do better than ask for sympathy votes for Mr Tan JS. Mr Tan JS deserves more credit than that.
IMPO, gambling with a small amount of money isn’t bad, but its the addictiveness of gambling that is more than bad. Mr Tan KL should never have said “So gambling in small amounts of money is alright. Even if you have to go to the casino, because there are things in the casino – so long as you bet with money that you set aside for this.”
potential gamblers who may be addicted to gambling than can cite this as a bad example.
:)
TKL just want to be popular. Giving half of his President’s pay away, amounts to vote buying. not my choice. Vote Dr. Tony Tan for President.
when your family plays mahjong with your 87 year-old mum that’s not gambling. correct.
but that’s not because the sums were small or you could afford to lose.
it cannot be considered gambling because the purpose of the mahjong was fun and social/family interaction. the winning/losing was ancilliary.
however if your apps had the effect (whether you intended it or not) of promoting the habit of fortuitous gain i.e. punting, it’s outright gambling whatever the sums involved.
lousy liar!
Josh, you were dammmmm right you said TKL is a spoiler.Sure he is and loose his deposit!!!How can he be a president when he say gambling/casino is ok? Madness man.Many were addicted to casino gambling and it is a serious social problem!!!