In my very first comment I revealed a series of facts which have never been refuted and also accompanied that we comments based on these facts. To his claims of "smears " I penned this;
Couple of observations in regard to his response to allegations of smear.
1) He needs to understand that there is distinct difference between smear and adverse comments or comments that are not flattering.
2) The following are facts;
- he was a branch secretary of Marine Parade which is the highest ranking party post after the MP in a constituency
- He was chairman of Marine CCC which is a political appointment and the most important committee in a constituency
- He was also the chairman of the Marine Parade Community Centre Management committee
- He was a cadre member of the PAP for 30 years
- He headed NTUC Income for 30 years
- NTUC is a political body and a sister organisation of PAP
- NTUC Income has a captive market share courtesy of the PAP and the Govt
The PAP does not give such posts to any Tom, Dick and Harry. While he was holding these posts, Chia Thye Poh was still a guest of the PAP.
3) Many people including PAP MPs have made comments that went against the Govt and PAP. They include Tan Cheng Bock, Wan Soon Bee , Tan Soo Khoon, Lily Kong etc. I can't recall Tan Kin Lian ever making an adverse comment that had similar impact or came close to that. Can anyone recall he ever doing prior to his retirement? All we can recall is that having enjoyed the fruits of PAP for over 30 years and after retirement, he is now claiming to be a freedom fighter. That's like asking a convicted pedophile who has reformed to run a kindergarten.
4) Thousands of people have written to the Press on many things and the majority are adverse comments. I can't recall a single letter of his and probably it was not earth shattering. By the way writing letters to the press does not earn anyone any credit or certainly the office of President. There has to be a clear pattern of thought and opinion and a distinct reputation is earned.
5) No one has accused him of not serving NTUC income policy holders. I am beginning to worry about his poor comprehension of English which is crucial if he is going to give assent to bills that will eventually become law. The claims are that NTUC Income has a captive market and he enjoyed the benefits of being a PAP member.
6) His claim that he was invited to be an MP twice but was declined can best be addressed by naming those who requested him to do so. It similar to me making the false claim that 2 cabinet ministers asking me to be MP. It is a hollow claim and notice how easily one can make the claim. Its common knowledge that Tan Kin Lian was asked to move on. I am sure if he was well regarded he will have no qualms naming the person or persons who asked him to be an MP. After all he is running for the highest public office and Singaporeans are keen to make an informed judgment. Those who approached him if they really value him would have no problem acting as referees.
7) The claim that he did not take up the offer of MP is that he was occupied by work. Tan Cheng Bock was running a medical practice. Davinder Singh, MD of Drew and Napier, all the cabinet ministers are not full time MP. What about Chiam, LTK and MAO. 99% of parlimentarians around the world have a day job. By the way NTUC Income is serving a captive market and it does not operate outside Singapore. Even at the time, there was no town councils to occupy the MP.
8) He was asked for his past history of being associated with social work and or charities. All he could claim was mini-bond. Quite a worry for someone who claims that he wants to help Singapore. People who bought mini-bonds are actually those who have savings and those who had surplus income. Not exactly a charitable act in my opinion.
As far as I can tell this guy has been moving around opposition parties and exploiting the gullibles ones for air time and exposure. Just go to Youtube and watch his rally speeches. No substance but general motherhood statements about fairness, Justice, equality etc. You be the judge.
Most importantly from his reply you can see that he likes obfuscating to make claims that he was unfairly smeared.
- Nobody ever claimed that he was branch secretary for 30 years. The claim was that he was enjoying the benefits of running NTUC Income for 30 years. He was also a PAP cadre member for 30 years.
- Nobody ever claimed that he was silent of issues. The claim was while enjoying the fruits of his time with PAP/NTUC for over 30 years he kept silent.
- Nobody ever claimed that he was ripping his policyholders. The claim was that he was given a captive market and enjoying it
Either he has poor comprehension of English or he is developing the art of obfuscation but quite poor it.
No comments:
Post a Comment