Singapore — As Mr Goh Chok Tong turned 80 on Thursday (May 20), he said his birthday wish was “to stride on to be a nonagenarian”, a person who is between 90 and 99 years old.

In a Facebook post, the former Prime Minister and Emeritus Senior Minister shared a photo of himself with his cake that had the words, “Standing Tall at 80”.

“I seek good health, warm family relationships, genuine friendships, purpose through serving the country and community, and tranquillity in the process”, Mr Goh wrote.

He thanked everyone for their birthday wishes and said he was “touched that so many of you care, including people whom I have never met”.

“You have stood tall with me. Now, I hope you will continue Standing Tall with Singapore. I wish all of you good health and more good years,” Mr Goh wrote.

Earlier this month in a rather odd post, Mr Goh shared photos of himself in what looked like a park. In the accompanying caption, he wrote: “As I crawl towards 80, I paused on the way towards my destination.”

“No, I did not need to use a walking stick. I took one along just in case as I had a backache on Friday”, he added.

Read related: Is age creeping in for Goh Chok Tong who says he ‘crawls towards 80’?

In January this year, the former Prime Minister noted on social media that “Every day is a bonus,” despite suffering from radiation dermatitis as a result of the radiotherapy he received to remove cancer cells.

That month, Mr Goh also indicated that he plans to try to live till at least 93, much like his Malaysian counterpart, Dr Mahathir Mohammad. He wrote about the former chairman of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Mahmud Awang who died on Jan 4 at the age of 93. “When asked how he kept so slim and fit, he explained he “curi makan”. He meant eating sparingly, even for food which he liked”, Mr Goh added.

“From now on, I will have to “curi makan” to increase my odds of living till 93 like him”, Mr Goh quipped.

At the end of last month, Mr Goh’s good friend Progress Singapore Party (PSP) founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock turned 81. /TISG

Also read: Tan Cheng Bock turns 81 this weekend