by: Jewel Philemon/
First it was the lecture in Singapore Management University, then it was the care provided to the boy who had injured himself, and now it is a dialogue organised jointly by Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI).
Yeah, OK I believe that the boy was really hurt and Dr Tan showed his care genuinely for the injured boy. But to think that a ST photographer was at hand, when Dr Tan brings his grandson to the playground with his wife is, to say the least – incredulous.
Even though Dr Tan said that he’s running as an independent and did not need the Government’s endorsement, everyone in the Government, from the President, to the Prime Minister, to the Emeritus Senior Minister ‘endorsed’ him anyway; saying things like he has the “qualities to lead Singapore” and “he will be a unifying figure for all Singaporeans”, and by calling him an “eminently suitable candidate”.
I think the Government heard the people when they said that they see the seeming hypocrisy behind all this.
So now, I get the impression that they are going the round-about way of ‘endorsing’ him, by getting Government linked organisations to ‘cook-up’ events like public lecture and dialogue sessions. The sole intention of such events could of course be only to ensure that Tony Tan remains in the limelight of news, and so remain fresh in the minds of the electorate.
And this may not be mere speculation, for organisations like Singapore Management University and ISEAS are mostly funded by the Government.
If ISEAS indeed wants to have a dialogue on the topic of “The Indian Community in Singapore: Business Linkages and Socio-Economic Contributions”, would not someone like Mr S Dhanabalan or Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam be more apt?
All these attention given to Tony Tan by the establishment and the mainstream media, makes me want to throw-up.
Has not this gone overboard? How much more exclusive coverage does Dr Tony Tan need?
