Screenshot Taken From: http://www.tonytan.sg/

“I'm reaching out to ALL Singaporeans.
- Dr. Tony Tan, Singapore's 7th President -

With the fanfare and euphoria of the Presidential Elections now coming to a close, I believe it is now time for Singaporeans to close ranks. That is what Dr. Tony Tan will have to do even though it may be a tough task ahead, considering that he only won 35% of the valid votes and edged out competitor, Tan Cheng Bock by a mere 7,000+ votes.

I applaud the efforts of Dr. Tan Cheng Bock, Tan Jee Say and Tan Kin Lian for allowing Singaporeans to see a contest unfold for the Presidential Elections. Congratulations to Dr. Tony Tan and I do hope he can unite all Singaporeans.

Chatter on the Internet has been rife about who supported which candidate but does it matter now? Certainly not. Every candidate was trying to bring Singapore forward in their own right. However, Dr. Tony Tan will have to engage Singaporeans better and come down to the ground to engage people rather than bank on his support which (according to some sources) derived from the upper strata of Singaporean society. Most of his campaign was about the economy but while we progress, the social fabric is equally important. Dr. Tan's role as President should not be focused solely on the economy but more importantly, unify the people and connect with the lower strata of society. The last thing I want to see is a division between the rich and the poor.

Sadly, I didn't get to vote considering that I am overseas. I am nonetheless happy with either Dr. Tony Tan or Dr. Tan Cheng Bock as both are highly qualified candidates. My heart also goes out to Dr. Tan Cheng Bock for having lost out by such a narrow margin. It's the pitfall of a First Past The Post electoral system I guess. Some say that we have the most "unpopular" President since Independence due to the % of votes garnered. As such, I feel that preferential voting should be considered for the next Presidential elections so that no one can say such words again and it will be a stronger mandate for the winner. However, it may be hard for some Singaporeans to understand preferential voting considering that already 37,000+ votes were forfeited in this elections.

Moving forward, I hope the candidates who lost will continue to serve Singapore in whatever capacity possible. For Dr. Tony Tan, the eyes of all Singaporeans will be on you as you lead us on to the next phase of our future come 01 Sept 2011. I truly hope you can fulfill the promises you have made in the elections campaign and unite Singapore for the times ahead. Only then can we have confidence in you and also our future...

Enjoy Dr. Tan Cheng Bock's "I Understand", a song of appreciation to his supporters: