Tuesday 26 July 2011
Tuck Everlasting
When Winnie stumbles across a spring which can bestow the gift of everlasting life, she also stumbles across the unforgettable Tuck family. The Tucks are a unique family. After consuming some of the magical water, they gained immortality; they are unable to age, and unable to die. For many decades, they have striven to keep the secret of this spring's powers and its whereabouts, knowing very well of the harm and destruction it would bring to the world. And now, the Tucks have to take grave measures to protect the secret of the spring ...
Saturday 23 July 2011
Baptism Testimonials - John Chua
My Testimony - John Chua
I was born into a good Christian family. We did many things together like going on family outings and having fun times. I remembered almost every night we would gather and together have a short devotion. We would sing songs together. It would then be followed with verse memory, prayer etc. People would say how good I was.
When I entered Public school things started changing. Though outwardly I might still look like the obedient boy, I was actually becoming very naughty. I started buying things without permission. I sometimes got into trouble with the teacher for playing in class. All this time I still went to church. I went to Sunday school and learned about the bible. But although I had a Christian family I knew I was a sinner. Romans 3:23 was clear: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And I knew that I was one. One day when God comes or if I die, where would I go? Which place would I head to, Heaven or hell?
Because of this during the night I would sneak out of my room and peak into my parent's room to check if they are still there. Sometimes if they saw me I would pretend that I was hot and would ask them whether I could turn on the air conditioner.
Well, one day, a day in September 2001 that I will never forget, something happened. It was a Tuesday evening and both Dad and I were in the car on the way to church. As we were about to turn out of the car park my father decided to turn on the radio to listen to the BBC news. Immediately after it was turned on, we heard screams. Increasing the volume, we realised it was coming from the radio. As it turned out this commotion was caused by the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. At that moment to the time we reached church we thought it was only a minor attack. After we switched on the news right on coming back from church, we realised that it was no small thing. Seeing the commotion, screams, and collapse of the Twin Towers made the whole event seem very real. That night was a night that I will never forget. For it brought me thinking whether I was ready to die and if I died, where would I go. Once again Roman 3:23 came to my mind: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Finally one month later while on my bed, I decided to ask God to save me for I knew I was a sinner. John 3: 16 says "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Quietly I got off from my bed and went into my parent’s room. There I told my father how I wanted to be saved and what brought me to make that decision.
After that time. I really am so glad for that day October 11, 2001 where at my bedside I made a life changing decision, a decision to be saved. As time passed I wanted to learn more about God. I tried to overcome my shyness of speaking and tried to make friends and share the gospel with them. I remember once that while at the a tuition centre I meet another guy who was also a "home schooler". We talked and helped each other in our O- level preparations. Sometimes when there were opportunities I invited him to my church. Though sometimes I still disobey my parents and get angry with them, I would feel uncomfortable and would apologize. As the years go by, I have grown slowly but surely. But the most important thing is that I know from the bottom of my heart, that I am saved and will always be a child of God.
One thing I would like to ask you, Are you ready when He comes?
A Personal Story - Janna Chua
In 2001, after the Twin Tower collapsed, my brother got saved. Not long after, one night, I was lying in bed pondering upon this issue.
Since the rest of my family were Christians, when Jesus comes again, I would be the only one left.( At that time, sometimes when the house was too quiet, I would sneak around to check if my parents were still around). I did not want to be left alone when Jesus comes back. I knew no matter how good I try to be, I would never be able to reach God’s perfect standard. In God’s eyes, I am a sinner; and sinners are eternally thrown to hell. I did not want to go to hell, in fact, I was afraid of it.
So that night, 28 October, 2001, I turned over in bed and prayed to God. I asked Him to save me from my sins; told Him I wanted Jesus, who died on the cross to save sinners, to be my Saviour. After that, I happily went and told my parents. After I accepted Jesus as my Saviour, sometimes when I still check to see if my parents were still around, God would reassure me that I belong to Him and He would not leave me alone. The words of Hebrews 13:5 echoed in my ears, “...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” “...And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world,” Matthew 28:20.
As the years go by, the Lord has shown and taught me many things through His word, Bible studies, and events in my life, etc. These are a few...
There was a point of time when I was watching a lot of shows. But time and again, God showed to me Psalm 107:9. “For he satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” He revealed to me that God alone can satiate my soul, things of the world may fill one for a little while, but after a while, when the “thrill” wears of, it leaves you emptier. But God fills the soul totally and permanently compared to the things of the world. Of this I wrote at that time:
All I need is Jesus. I need no other so dear. Only He, no other, can satiate my soul. Thrills of the world, things of the world, only expand that emptiness of my soul. They might fill it for a little while. But when the satisfaction wears off, and you tire, it’ll be worse off than before. Only in Jesus’ bosom can I feel the true satisfaction of life. This is an important thing, it is not good to forget and then leave to fill again with rot. Remember: Only Jesus, no other, can actually satiate or satisfy your soul.
Another time during the holidays, I felt as though I were caught up in my own things, only remembering God when I was “supposed to”—QT, church, short prayers at meals and before sleeping—going through the motions. However, other than that, I felt far away from God. So I decided that for a fixed time period, I will not read any other story book (except one I was finishing) and not to think thoughts which had preoccupied me at that time. Although I struggled at first, I found it rewarding. Throughout the day, I talked with God, praised Him, and was constantly aware of Him. Even though I could not do the things I liked, I was still happy and satisfied. In actual fact, I was never so happy than I was at that time. I learnt that God alone is sufficient to make me truly happy.
During PSLE, I experienced God’s peace. God gave me peace that “surpasseth all understanding.”When I was sitting there waiting for the test to be given out, I felt calmness of spirit. I neither felt nervous nor felt that I needed to be nervous; instead I felt that God was with me and that I was not going through the “battlefield” alone. I was reminded of verses. Two of which are 2Timothy 1:17 and Psalm 20:7. They read, “For God hath not given to us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,” and, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” These verses comforted me and gave me strength.
I also learnt that God is my best friend. Upon “graduating” from my tuition class from primary 6 to secondary 1, I had a lot to adjust to. All the students in my class were super noisy, ill-mannered and playful. Usually, I would be able to make some good friends at tuition class, but I felt I couldn’t with this group of people. The students were really different from the primary 6 people I knew. Everywhere, I felt people I knew changing. I felt so alone. Then one day, during Bible study, I was singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and the third verse really stood out to me. “Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer; In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.” I was reminded that no matter what happens around me God is in charge, knows what is going on, and will always be there for me.
I am so glad that I belong to Jesus and I will never regret believing in Him.
The Land of the Dinosaurs
By Jodd Foxfire
“Ring…” Recess time!
Sean and his two best friends, Max and Clara dashed out of the class like lightning. One moment listening to the teacher talk, the next moment at the far end of the playground! Sean and his friends decided to play a game of hide-and-seek. Clara closed her eyes and started counting. “1,2,3….” Sean spied a heavy long metal pipe a few meters away and crouched down and crawled in. As Sean slithered further in, Clara’s voice grew softer and softer until it was not audible.
When Sean dragged himself out of the tube, he was not at the school playground anymore.
“Wow! Where are you, Max? Clara?”
The sand was like burning hot coal, and the air was humid. The surrounding trees were alive with the sound of birds. In the distance, a long, low moaning sound could be heard. Sean realized that he was at the top of a valley and as he looked down into the ravine, he saw hundreds of dinosaur nests, and lots of mother dinosaurs.
“Oh my! Where am I?” Though he took a while to realize it, the truth was obvious. Sean had been transported to the age of the dinosaurs!
Meanwhile, Clara finished counting. “…19, 20. Ready or not, here I come!” She found Max stooping behind an old refrigerator box. Max and Clara then went on to find Sean. Max recalled, “I remember that Sean went into the ancient rusty pipe at the end of the playground.” Max and Clara scrambled in and started calling, “Sean… oh, Sean… Where are you?”
As they hauled themselves out of the tube, Clara shouted to Sean.
“Hello, Sean. We’ve been looking for you for ages. What are you doing…” She stopped short and gasped as she peered into the valley.
“Dinosaurs!”
“What happens if we are discovered?” Max asked.
“Not sure. Just keep your cool.” Sean replied. Just then, Clara bumped a piece of rock, which startled the boulder that they were squatting on, sending the three young adventurers tumbling headlong into the valley!
Landing with a loud “thud!”, the trio was sprawled face-down in the sand for a minute. Sean got up and dusted himself and said optimistically, “Not too bad, only a few scratches and bruises.”
“A few scratches and bruises! I feel like a hundred kilogram sack just fell on me.” Clara whined, expressing her emotions. “You should not be the one complaining, I should. After all, it is your fault you brought us into this valley. Now how are we to get out?” grumbled Max.
“Enough, enough,” Sean held up his hands.
“Fighting won’t get us out of the valley. Look, I think that mother and baby dinosaur needs our help.” Sean was pointing to a baby dinosaur that was in danger of being eaten by an enormous three-horned dinosaur. The mother was trying to stop the dinosaur from getting closer the baby, but to no avail.
Sean bent down to pick up a stick and flew forward at the dinosaur’s legs with amazing ferocity. Sean’s two friends followed suit meekly. Driven by this impulsive attack, the bigger dinosaur was forced to retreat. Eyes of gratitude looked at them as the mother dinosaur seemed to thank them. Max tried to signal that they wanted to get out. Surprisingly, the mother seemed to understand and gently lifted the kids out of the valley. Sean studied the landscape for a second before stating, “I think we are now on the opposite side of the place where the pipe is. We will have to trek through this forest to go back.
Abruptly, birds and animals started heading away from the forest, and the ground started trembling. Had the threesome got into a clearing, they would have seen what had frightened the animals. The ultimate killing machine and terror of the dinosaur era, the Tyrannosaurus Rex!
“Crash!” With a resounding stamp of its foot, the Tyrannosaurus Rex charged into the clearing. Sean, Clara and Max were dumbstruck; Sean eyes were as big as saucers, Max stood rooted to the spot and Clara’s legs were trembling like jelly. Never had they seen a creature so humongous or wrathful. Its head alone was already taller than Sean, the oldest and tallest of the three. The predator’s razor-sharp teeth were each the size of a butcher’s biggest knife, with saliva drooling from the corner of its mouth. Its dark green skin was bristling with anger. The nostrils were red from flaring hot air and blazing eyes glared down on the three children as it towered over them. The Tyrannosaurus Rex bent down and used one of its relatively puny hands to grab Max, who was too terrified to move. Sean, realizing the danger, pushed Max out of reach.
“C’mon guys, let’s get out of here! This monster is serious about devouring us, let’s go!” Sean cried out in desperation. As soon as he said these words, the Tyrannosaurus Rex started pounding after them. The trio found themselves running for their lives, but the bloodthirsty monster was hard on their heels.
Just then, a shadow hovered over them for a moment before landing just ahead of them.
“That’s a Pteranodon!” Max exclaimed excitedly, “I know that they can fly!”
“Hey Clara, you’re the best with animals, try and soothe him and get him to fly us out of here. While you’re doing that, Sean and I will create a diversion with that horrible monster.” Max shouted hastily, his mind racing for ideas.
Clara rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Why me again, it’s always Clara this, Clara that. Why can’t Sean or you do it?”
“It’s because you are the best with animals. This is our only hope, or do you prefer the monster crunching you?” Max threatened in a menacing tone. “Oh, alright Max Stoppard, but you owe me one.” Clara crept silently on her hands and feet to the Pteranodon, her heart pounding. She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart and stretched out her hands in fear and trepidation. The Pteranodon seemed calm and unafraid. Clara heaved a sigh of relief. She clambered on to its silky body and yelled to the boys, “Let’s fly away!”
Clara gritted her teeth in suspense. It looked like the Tyrannosaurus Rex would surely eat the two boys before they reached the Pteranodon. No! They had put on an extra spurt and pulled away a bit, now they were on the final stretch and, calling up stamina from some deep reserve, they actually broke into a headlong sprint. They pounded the final few steps to the flying dinosaur and vaulted onto the dinosaur as it slowly and majestically rose up into the sky.
The threesome was now enjoying the ride over the dinosaurs land as the danger had passed. Very soon, Clara managed to guide the Pteranodon through the air to the pipe they had first emerged into this strange and wonderful land. From the back of the Pteranodon, they were treated to a panoramic view of chiseled, snowy peaks stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see. Below them nestled an emerald green forest. Sparkling streams fed into a broad river that wound lazily through a verdant and fertile valley, teeming with mother dinosaurs and their nests. The forest rang with melodic birdsong and the shrill, piercing sounds of insects. The air smelled fresh and fragrant in the spring sunshine.
As they passed the valley, they swooped low and landed outside the pipe. Clara hugged the dinosaur one last time before reluctantly letting it fly away. Sean announced to the others, “I’m going to take some pictures with my digital camera before we leave.”
Clambering out of the pipe, the trio found that not a second had past since the time they had left. Sean and his friends bolted into the classroom and showed his teacher the pictures they had taken. She looked through the pictures for a long time, staring at every picture carefully as if they were gold. Finally, they could not wait any longer.
“Well?” they said in unison. “What do you think? Do you like them?”
“I’m…I’m amazed,” She exclaimed. “These pictures are incredible. They’re so realistic, you’d think the three of you had actually gone into the time of dinosaurs. But, of course that’s impossible.”
“Of course,” Sean said with a grin. Sean winked at Max and Clara. It had been a great day. After school, Sean cautioned them, “I don’t think we will ever get back again, I’ve tried it. I went through the pipe and I only came out the other side. But I have the feeling that we will go back by other means somehow.”
“What other means?” Max asked querying.
“I don’t know. It was just a feeling.” Sean answered carelessly. “The Pteranodon sort of winked at me, you know. Some day, when we are together again, you never know, just wait, and wait.
And that is the very end of our adventure, dear reader. But don’t worry, Sean was right, it is only the beginning of the adventures in the Land of the Dinosaurs!
Reaction Time – How Fast are Humans?
By Ning Li
“Look out! There’s a guy crossing the road!” John’s brain shouted to him. Almost instantly, he hit the brakes of the car and swerved to the right to avoid hitting the pedestrian. “Well done; your reaction time is average,” said the computer. In everyday life, quick reaction time is necessary to avoid unnecessary accidents. Since it is such an important part of life, one should understand how the brain works and its limitations. The reaction time of a person can be divided into different parts based on what he sees, feels, or hears. This paper aims to help the reader better understand reaction time.
The three main divisions of reaction time are mental processing time, human movement time, and device response time. Mental processing time is the length of time taken by the driver to see or hear something and decide the best way to respond. Mental processing can be further divided into four subcategories: sensation, perception or recognition, situational awareness, and response selection and programming.
Sensation is the time taken for the driver to realize that there is an object on the road. The size, brightness, loudness, etc. of the object affects the processing time. Therefore, a driver seeing a bigger, brighter object will react faster as compared to seeing a smaller, darker object. The time taken to recognize the object (a person, vehicle, animal) is perception or recognition. Situational awareness is the time the driver takes to comprehend the scene. The driver takes time to understand that the object is in his way and a collision may result unless he takes evasive action. Response selection and programming is the time taken for the driver to take the necessary action to avoid hitting the object. Electrophysiological studies or the study of biological cells and tissue have shown that the decision making time happens faster than anything on earth can record.
After the object is seen, processed, and the driver has decided on a course of action, the driver must activate his muscles to perform the required movement. As an example, if the driver decides to apply the brake, the brain has to tell the muscles of the foot to release the accelerator pedal, shift to the brake pedal, and depress it.
The last division is device engagement time. The devices (car brakes) take time to engage. The forces of nature (gravity, inertia, etc.) also affect the device. Response speed varies in activities, people, and places. Therefore, there is no set reaction time for human beings as human reaction time can only be averaged to be about 200 milliseconds.
Reaction time can also be affected by other factors such as age, gender, and visibility. Multiple researchers have found that older people have a slower reaction time than younger people. However, failure to define “older” creates several issues with the information. An experiment done by Midwood High School showed that, between teachers and students, the students’ reaction times were faster.
Gender is another factor that affects reaction time. Females appear to have slightly slower reaction time than males. However, females have a more appropriate reaction than males. In other words, males react faster than females but females’ reaction to the circumstance is usually the more appropriate one.
Visibility is another factor that greatly affects reaction time. Low contrast, as well as bad weather affects drivers’ reaction times. Low light is not necessarily a hindrance to reaction time and can improve if the object is bright. However, too much reflection off an object in bright light can reduce reaction time. Hence, many different factors must be taken into consideration before judging a person’s reaction time.
In our life, reaction time is extremely important. Every activity has different factors that affect reaction time. However, although the reaction time may vary, the principles that stand behind the numbers in reaction time always stay the same.
Head over here to test our your reaction time!
Sources Consulted
“Fingertip Reaction Time.”
<http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2006/reactiontime.shtml> (accessed 3/21/2011)
Marc Green. “Driver Reaction Time.”
<http://www.visualexpert.com/Resources?reactiontime.html.> (accessed 3/21/2001)
“Mental Chronometry.”
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_chronometry> (accessed 3/21/2011)
“Reaction Time Statistics.”
<http://www.humanbenchmark.com/tests/reactiontime/stats.php> (accessed 3/21/2011)
“Reaction Time Test.”
<http://www.humanbenchmark.com/tests/reactiontime/index.php> (accessed 3/21/2011)
“What Factors Affect Human Reaction Time?” <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_factors_affect_human_reaction_time> (accessed 3/21/2011)
The Roles and Powers of the President of Singapore.
Prepared by Aaron Fong
Extracted from Wikipedia and Various Websites
Extracted from Wikipedia and Various Websites
Citing the Constitutional position on the Presidential role, Minister for Law K Shanmugam stressed that the President "has custodial powers, not executive powers". "In other words, he can veto or block Government actions in specified areas, but he has no role to advance his own policy agenda," said Minister Shanmugam in a three-page statement issued to the mainstream media on Friday. "Recent comments in the media suggest some confusion over what the President can and cannot do," said Minister Shanmugam, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs. He urged, "As the Presidential Elections approach, it is important for Singaporeans to understand what the President is elected and empowered to do under the Singapore Constitution." The Prime Minister and Cabinet, who are accountable to Parliament and voters, are the ones responsible for all policies and the running of the government. The President, on the other hand, only has veto powers limited to specific areas, he said. The three areas are: the protection of past reserves, appointment of key personnel and Internal Security Act detentions, investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and restraining orders connected to the maintenance of religious harmony. "On all other matters, under the Constitution the President must act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet," said the Minister.
The powers of the President of Singapore are divided into those which the President may exercise in his own discretion, and those he must exercise in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet of Singapore or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet. n addition, the President is required to consult the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) when performing some of his functions. In other cases, he may consult the CPA if he wishes to but is not bound to do so.
The Constitution confers on the President certain executive functions to block attempts by the government of the day to draw down past reserves that it did not accumulate. Thus, a guarantee may only be given or a loan raised by the Government if the President concurs, and his approval is also needed for budgets of specified statutory boards and Government companies that draw on their past reserves. The President also possesses personal discretion to withhold assent to any bill in Parliament providing directly or indirectly for the direct or indirect variation, changing or increase in powers of the Central Provident Fund Board to invest moneys belonging to it; and the borrowing of money, the giving of any guarantee or the raising of any loan by the Government if in the President's opinion the bill is likely to draw on reserves not accumulated by the Government during its current term of office. In addition, the President may withhold assent to any Supply Bill, Supplementary Supply Bill or Final Supply Bill for any financial year if in his opinion the estimates of revenue and expenditure, supplementary estimates or statement of excess are likely to lead to a drawing on past reserves.
The President is also empowered to approve changes to key civil service positions, such as the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, the chairman and members of the Public Service Commission, the Chief of Defence Force and the Commissioner of Police. He also appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament (MP) who, in his personal judgement, is likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs. The President has certain powers of oversight over the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and decisions of the Executive under the Internal Security Actand the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act.
Sources:
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110611-0000077/Elected-President-has-no-role-to-advance-own-policy-agenda
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/president-no-role-advance-policy-agenda-042621480.html
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/president-no-role-advance-policy-agenda-042621480.html
Presidential Candidate: Tan Cheng Bock
By Janna Chua
Profile. Tan Cheng Bock is a medical doctor, corporate chairman, and former MP. He studied in Radin Mas Primary School and Raffles Institution. For full details, please go to http://www.tanchengbock.org/curriculum-vitae-of-dr-tan-cheng-bock .
Family Background and a Heart for People. According to an article in Singapore Medical Association’s newsletter, “Dr Tan came from a humble background. His father was a Harbour Board employee earning a small salary to support a family of seven. They lived in a two-room quarters. Dr Tan is the second son. Life was a struggle. He often told his close friends that during the worst times, when he was given two eggs, he knew it was his birthday. On looking back, these were not real disadvantages, in fact they were the ingredients for later successes in life and more importantly I think his early life experiences have contributed to his empathy for the underdogs and the underprivileged.”1 From a story on how he treated a poor farmer’s son many times without expecting pay, Dr Tan Cheng Bock came across as a doctor with a heart for people, a character necessary in a good President. 2
Character: Family relationship priority. As a former Member of Parliament for Ayer Rajah Constituency, running under the People’s Action Party, he championed a few causes with determination and conviction. One was free parking in public car parks on Sundays which he did “to foster and promote social interaction and quality family time”. 3
Character: meaningful cause, determination, and thorough thinking. Another meaningful cause was letting CPF fund children’s tertiary education. At first, the then-Minister of Labour Lee Yock Suan countered it, worried that doing so might dilute the CPF for old age. But after the CPF was allowed to be used for investing in gold and stocks, Dr Tan asserted that it was not right if it was not allowed to pay for tertiary education. Hence, he and his Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) members presented a nine-page position paper to Parliament. With much careful thought, they put in many safe-guards, such as, using it to cover only tertiary tuition expenses of your own children and none other expenses. 4
Character: boldly standing for equality. In another incident, when Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then-Minister of Education, tried to revise the curriculum and stream all students, Dr Tan saw it as the start of class division in Singapore, stratification of our society, and division of the nation. Dr Goh was outraged and chided Dr Tan, his junior, for trying to “teach him how to run his ministry.” He challenged Dr Tan to find a classless society. Not knowing how to respond, Dr Tan remained quiet while he scolded; but the second day, Dr Tan felt he must pursue the subject if he believed in it. He read his daughter’s Primary 3 science text on “Vegetative Propagation” with about 40 terms to the ministers in Parliament. He said, “I think in the teaching of science, you must not only teach people to comprehend, but you must also teach people to appreciate, and also understand the significance of what you are doing.” He then asked how many of them (ministers) actually understood all the terms, and yet that was what the curriculum was expecting children to do. 5
Character: Conviction at a cost. Just this year, Dr Tan Cheng Bock was strongly against renaming Jurong General Hospital to Ng Teng Fong Hospital just because Mr. Ng Teng Fong donated a large sum of money. He thought that since this was a public hospital, it should reflect a suitable public figure, for example, one who made very big contributions to this country with some historical element, not just money. He also believed that the level of appreciation must take into account not only the money aspect but also that person’s contribution to this country. His fear is that if someone becomes a citizen in Singapore and he is very rich. Then one day if he wants to name, let’s say, one of our new hospital and gives you half a billion dollars, and you name it after him. Then later, when he is discovered that there is something not very good about him, you will be very embarrassed. That is why Dr Tan thinks “we have to be very careful about that.”6 Because of his strong feeling about this, Dr Tan resigned from Jurong General Hospital’s board. He said, “You must have that independence to speak up if you feel that something is wrong. Or if you can, make it right.” 7
Character: Conviction despite criticism. When Dr Tan opposed the foreign talent policy in 1999, the then-Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew rebuked him. But he decided that Singaporeans must come first. Because of his stand on this subject, he received a lot of criticism.8
Character: Foresight. Dr Tan Cheng Bock also opposed the Nominated Minister of Parliament system. He foresaw the NMP scheme leading to sectarian representations: Doctors, lawyers, clans etc. may not be happy if not represented, causing divisions. He said that NMP has no accountability and challenged the need for non-elected NMP when there are already several unionists NMPs, “Are these unionist MPs not capable enough to represent the workers?” 9
Character questioned: Never compromise? Although all these incidents tie in well with Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s promise, “I will never compromise,” some people question whether he will carry it through because he supported the preventive detention of the alleged Marxist conspirators in 1987. He explained his actions in an interview saying, “I believed the information that was given to me from the government at that time. I saw that the people believed that they were conspirators as well. As Feedback Unit Chief, I could not let my own feelings dilute the general consensus, which I presented in Parliament." When asked whether he still feels the 'Marxist conspirators' are guilty, Dr Tan says with a tone of sincerity, "I really feel they are innocent. They are all social workers and they meant well but unfortunately... (trails off)". He added, "I saw the ex-detainees and I really do feel for them. But at that time I believed the information that was given to me."10 If he really has the boldness and the determination as he claims, Dr Tan will be a good President, because if a President doesn’t dare to veto, he can’t really do anything else.
Opinion of running for President. Dr Tan Cheng Bock wants to run for President in order to have a contest. He thinks that “only through a contest that you feel you are legitimately there because you have the support of the people.” 11
Plan: Unification. He wants to be President to be the “unifying figure” for all Singaporeans after seeing the big split during this year’s general election. He thinks he has that independent streak, “You must have checks and balances. If not, Singaporeans will be very unhappy. One thing I see is a hunger for fairness. I can give an assurance that there will be more transparency in government. I refuse to compromise. I won't compromise on things I don't believe in." 12
How to unify: Opinion of Presidential race. Dr Tan Cheng Bock might be able to unify because he was a PAP party member but has also been known for opposing them. While being on “both sides” may prove advantageous, some radical PAP supporters dislike him as he opposes the party; some radical opposition supporters dislike him as he was from PAP. He claims, however, that his relationship with PAP party members is “cordial”. Setting this aside, he believes that “the Presidential race is not a political race. It is about principles, independence, commonsense and the ability to ask the right questions and do the right things, without fear or favour. It is about which candidate can do a better job.” 13
Plan as President. As a President, he wants to rigorously scrutinize the appointing of the top-echelon leaders, and work with the government of the day to protect Singapore’s reserves. 14
In All. In 28 July, 1992, The Business Times sums him up as, “Despite being a member of the party’s Central Executive Committee and a close and long standing friend of the Prime Minister (they became good chums during their student days at Raffles Institution), the MP for Ayer Rajah preferred to ally himself with the compelling ethic that friendship and loyalty should not come in between a man and the strength of his convictions. A true practitioner of noblesse oblige (rank carries with it generous and honourable conduct). Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s fair mindedness and ability to view party loyalty as important but not absolute has made him highly regarded both inside and outside the House. He is considered by some to be the outward manifestation of the PAP’s Conscience.” 15
This is Dr Tan Cheng Bock, a candidate for the 2011 Singapore Presidential Election.
Notes:
1 http://www.sma.org.sg/sma_news/3305/tan_cheng_bock.pdf
2 http://www.tanchengbock.org/video-collections/dr-tan-helped-a-poor-boy-with-asthma
3 http://www.tanchengbock.org/free-parking/free-parking-on-sundays-and-public-holidays-2
4 http://www.tanchengbock.org/interviews/cpf-for-tertiary-education-video-interview-transcript
5 http://www.tanchengbock.org/education/dr-tan-cheng-bocks-debated-with-dr-goh-keng-swee-about-education-policy
9 http://www.tanchengbock.org/video-collections/dr-tan-cheng-bock-was-against-the-nmp-nominated-member-of-parliament-scheme
13 http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/05/30/tan-cheng-bock-spore-is-polarised-but-i-can-heal-the-rift-in-society/
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