Minister Yaacob Ibrahim also congratulates Dr Tony Tan on behalf of Muslim community
04:46 AM Aug 31, 2011
SINGAPORE - The results of the recently-concluded Presidential Election showed there was "strong support" for the ruling People's Action Party, even though voters were divided between two "very good" candidates in the form of former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan and former Ayer Rajah Member of Parliament Tan Cheng Bock.
This was the view of Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Yaacob Ibrahim, who was speaking to reporters yesterday after attending morning Hari Raya prayers at the Assyafaah Mosque.
Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, congratulated President-elect Tony Tan on behalf of the Muslim community.
Adding that Dr Tony Tan has done a lot for the Muslim community, Dr Yaacob noted that Dr Tony Tan was at Assyafaah Mosque some years back - following 911 - "trying to reach out to the Muslim community, trying to explain what is it we can do together with the country, with the nation, to strengthen social cohesion."
Dr Yaacob disagreed with suggestions that Dr Tony Tan's razor-thin winning margin of 0.34 per cent reflected a political divide among Singaporeans.
Pointing out that the combined vote share for Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock - both former PAP MPs - was about 70 per cent, Dr Yaacob said:
"There's strong support for the party in that sense. But it's clear that there are people who are divided, as explained by the Prime Minister, (who) were basically having to decide between two very good candidates."
In a press statement issued after the official results were announced on Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that voters "faced a difficult choice between Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock".
Mr Lee had added: "This explains why the winning margin is so narrow, and why the winner only gained slightly more than one-third of the total votes. Nevertheless, under our first-past-the-post system, the election has produced an unambiguous winner, who has the mandate to be the next President."
Dr Yaacob said the process of electing Singapore's seventh President reflects a maturing democracy, "that we're able to agree to disagree".
He added: "But most important thing is, as the Prime Minister has said, now we have to move forward and build the nation together."
Speaking to reporters at the Istana's Hari Raya Puasa open house yesterday, outgoing President S R Nathan - who will step down from office today - described Dr Tony Tan as "a highly capable person, very approachable, a person who carries himself well". Mr Nathan said: "I'm sure he will be a great asset and the pride of Singapore... I'm sure he's got the experience and the ability to deal with it."
I try to refrain from writing about the PE2011 since the result is heart wrecking and I more or less have moved on but the papers keep printing boot licking articles praising Tony’s amazing win is really too much for me to swallow.
Now Yacob is thinking we are as stupid as him and is trying to score points for PAP.
In the first place the presidential election is not supposed to be political and the candidates cannot be from any political parties and should be non partisan.
Yacob now trying to add politic into this election result thinking Singaporean are stupid by basically is adding up the 2 formal PAP’s members votes and claiming victory for the incumbent.
This has brought the art of self denial to a whole new level. Amazing!
The fact about PE2011 is Tony had won, scraping through by winning 35% of the votes.
He has won but majority of Singaporean did not want him to be the President of Singapore.
This is the hard truth.
