Dr Tan Cheng Bock, or commonly known as the person blocked by the recent amended Elected Presidency, has announced that he will be turning up at the Silent Sit-In protest held at Hong Lim Park today from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, to show solidarity with Singaporeans who are unhappy with the way the government denied the citizens’ right to vote and elect their President and to make a point to the government that citizens must not be taken for granted.
The sit-in protest is organised by Gilbert Goh and his volunteers and will not have any speeches for the duration. Goh had earlier tried to organise an earlier protest prior to the nomination day of the Presidential Election but a last minute demand by National Parks Board to apply for police permits resulted in the event being cancelled days before the actual event.
Dr Tan. a former People’s Action Party Member of Parliament who nearly won the last Presidential Election in 2011, had earlier filed a constitutional challenge to question the Government’s decision to count President Wee Kim Wee as Singapore’s first elected President. However, the High Court dismissed his application saying that the Parliament has the right to decide who to be counted as the first President for the period required for the reserved election.
In his Facebook post, Dr Tan noted that his earlier Facebook post about the Elected Presidency had reached out to more than half a million people within two days and like many Singaporeans, he is disappointed that two other candidates wither their reasonable credentials were disqualified.
He clarified that it is not Mdm Halimah Yacob whom the Singaporeans are unhappy about but the way how the government conducted the walkover Presidential Election. To those who might be afraid of turning up for the protest, Dr Tan wrote that there is no need to fear as responsible peaceful expression is good for the maturity of democracy in Singapore.
Below is Dr Tan’s post in full
I will be there..Silent Sit-in Protest
A Silent Sit-in protest will be held at Hong Lim Park today Saturday 16th Sep 2017,from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.l will be there.
Many Singaporeans have expressed their disappointment and anger about this Presidential Election, after reading my last
fb post which reached more than half a million people within 2 days
While l have congratulated President Halimah Yacob on her unopposed election, like many other Singaporeans, we are disappointed that 2 other candidates with reasonable credentials were disqualified, making this 2017 PE a no contest.
It is not President Halimah as a person that Singaporeans are unhappy about.it is about the way our Government has conducted this whole walkover Presidential Election.I share the frustrations of other Singaporeans at being deprived.
My attendance at this Silent Sit-in protest is a show of solidarity with Singaporeans who are unhappy with the way the government has denied us the right to vote and elect our President.The Government must not take us citizens for granted.
For many, this will be their first peaceful protest.There is no need to fear. Responsible peaceful expression is good for the maturity of democracy in our country. Lets believe that Singaporean can be better when we are all united as one and are not afraid to show it.