Second Presidential Candidate Broadcast by Tony Tan Keng Yam 04:45 AM Aug 27, 2011
My fellow Singaporeans, my name is Tony Tan Keng Yam.
Over the past nine days, we have been talking about the presidential candidates.
But when you cast your vote tomorrow, it is about you.
This is not an election for your local MP.
It is not an election for a political party.
You will select your Head of State. You will elect a candidate to the highest office in the land.
This is a position above politics and with critical responsibilities at home and abroad.
The President has to advance the interests of all Singaporeans, and embody Singapore to the world.
I ask you to cut through the heat of the hustings and focus on the key roles of the President.
Who do you want to represent Singapore at home and abroad for the next six years?
Who do you want to protect our financial reserves - our country's savings - in this volatile period in global markets?
Who can give investors confidence in Singapore?
Who can work with all Singaporeans to face the future with confidence? These are big questions that affect us at every level.
Singapore has a low unemployment rate of 2.1 per cent.
But if you cannot secure a job or are retrenched, you are 100-per-cent unemployed.
I want to help Singaporeans be employed and stay employed - by making sure our country has enough savings to see our people through tough times.
I decided to run for President because Singapore is my home, my passion, and where my heart is.
The US, European and Japanese economies are in trouble. Every country in the world is affected.
Singapore faces very complex challenges.
I believe I can carry out the custodial functions of the President, working with the Government to save jobs.
I have been the Minister of Finance and the head of OCBC Bank and GIC. I offer these to you as examples of my leadership, knowledge and experience.
If you elect me as President, I will do the job well. We will get through this, together.
I have spent my professional life serving Singapore.
I have contested elections.
I have run Government ministries.
I have run OCBC Bank and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund.
I can tell you today that this campaign is one of the most challenging things I have ever done.
But it has also been one of the most exciting!
I was privileged to serve the people of Sembawang for 27 years as their MP.
I worked closely with many sectors including education, finance, trade, health, defence, and national security as a Deputy Prime Minister.
This campaign has been different.
I had the freedom to speak with Singaporeans from all walks of life across the island.
As an independent candidate, I no longer toe a party line and I am free to discuss whatever issue is close to their hearts.
Two things struck me:
First, you don't need the President to be your conscience. Everyone I have met has been thoughtful, caring, and clear in their priorities.
Second, you have your own voice and you know how to use it.
Our society is vibrant because we are all different. We must encourage diversity of views. We can cherish many voices in one Singapore.
This has been a remarkable campaign - four candidates for one position.
I do not know if I will win the presidency. But I know I have to try because Singapore is my home.
During the campaign, I met the founder of Dignity Kitchen twice. He embodies the "must try and never give up" spirit.
Dignity Kitchen is Singapore's first hawker training school for disabled and disadvantaged people.
He told me how they struggled to launch this initiative.
But they did not give up. Dignity Kitchen opened in October last year.
With confidence in themselves and for the future, they faced challenges head on. We must learn from their spirit and their drive.
On another occasion, a young man asked me whether there were now too many university places, since I played a central role in establishing Singapore Management University and the new Singapore University of Technology and Design.
He wanted to know if the increase of new graduates meant greater competition for jobs.
I told him yes, there would be an oversupply of graduates - if the economy did not grow.
Economic growth allows us to do a lot of things: To invest in people, to build infrastructure and to improve amenities.
With prosperity, we have been able to provide for our families at a level unmatched in the region.
But economic growth is just one measure of a nation.
I spent my formative years at St Patrick's School and St Joseph's Institution.
These were schools run by the La Salle Brothers. They dedicated their lives to educating us.
The brothers reminded us daily that we each had an obligation to help the last, the lost, and the least.
Singapore's success cannot be judged solely by our ranking on international tables or the success of our highest flyers.
As a society, we must judge ourselves by how we care for those in need.
As President, I will work with the government, all political parties, civil society and the entire nation.
Together, we should ensure that
- the last are not left behind,
- the lost have a guiding hand,
- and the least are the first in our considerations as a democratic society.
In difficult times, we, the citizens of Singapore, must stand together as one united people. We are all Singaporeans. This is our home. This is where we have roots.
We are Singaporeans first, regardless of race, language, religion, or political affiliation.
We seek happiness, prosperity and progress for all Singaporeans.
I promise you I will make our Singapore pledge ring true.
When you vote tomorrow, I ask you to consider my experience and ability to deliver on my promises.
I can - and I will - represent Singapore at home and abroad with confidence and dignity.
I can - and I will - protect our nation's reserves, our country's savings.
I ask for your support to serve as your President.
I ask for your vote.
And I ask you for your help in building a better tomorrow.
A tomorrow we can all greet with confidence for the future.
My fellow Singaporeans, please vote for me.
Thank you very much!
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