After a meeting with several opposition party members yesterday calling Dr Tan Cheng Bock to come and lead efforts an opposition coalition, Dr Tan himself has spoken out.
In a Facebook post earlier today, the former presidential election candidate said, “Right now, the 7 parties have asked for my help. They are not the only ones who have spoken to me. I think I must help but in what capacity, I have not decided”.
The Singapore Democratic Party’s Dr Chee Soon Juan said that, ”With his experience and leadership, the SDP is confident that Dr Tan will be able to lead the effort.”
Similarly Mr Lim Tean, leader of unregistered People’s Voice party that while the exact form of such cooperation remains to be worked out, it is important that there be a more centralised form of leadership.
In his post, Dr Tan said that while many parties act in Singapore’s best interests, “some may also need to stand down and serve from the backroom if it is for the good of the country”.
Age as a factor for Dr Tan
While many Singaporeans have urged Dr Tan to ‘do a Mahathir’ and return despite his age, the 78-year old expressed that his age is a limiting factor when it comes to his involvement.
He said, “I am now 78 years old. I may only have a short time to mentor a team to work for the good of the nation. This is a small window of opportunity, a moment for ubah (change in Malay). I want to put my last years to good use. I want to pass all that I have acquired and learned in the political arena to the next generation.”
Dr Tan ended his post seeming to confirm his involvement with the following: “I would regret it if I had the chance to make a difference, but did nothing”.
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obbana@theindependent.sg