Tan Kin Lian's Blog: Personal values and characters

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Personal values and characters

I wish to share some of my personal values that define my character:

> work for the benefit of all, and not for self-interest
> respect other people, including the poor and weak
> be fair
> be honest
> be courageous

I hope that more Singaporeans can share these values, for the good of the people of Singapore.

AFTERNOTE:
I wish to thank Everlearning for the following additional values (which I agree with):
> be humble
> be kind-hearted (or thoughtful or considerate)

34 comments:

Everlearning said...: A few more to add to the list:

> be thoughtful
> be humble
> be kind-hearted
> be docile
> be contented

I want to be remembered for having these values.; November 20, 2008 8:19 AM
Anonymous said...: I hope that more politicians and aspiring ones can share these values, for the good of the people of Singapore.; November 20, 2008 8:50 AM
Anonymous said...: Insurance agents, RMs and the financial consultants should have character traits like yours. It is very important that these salesmen and women consider the interest of others first otherwise the money they make is as good as ill gotten gains.
First financial consultants, advisers or RMs must ask themselves these.
1.am I honest? must I disclose the toxic even I have to lose a deal?
2.am I qualified and competent?.
Do I measure up to industry standard?
3.am I willing to put the customers' interest before mine?
4.is the product good for my client? Is there a better alternative?
5. how will the product help my client in addressing his need?.
6.have i given best advice to my cleint?
7.do I give in to my company's demand at the expense of my cleint or collude with my company to fleece the cleint.
All good advisers must satisfy the above criteria of "fit and proper".
There should no lapse in any of them.; November 20, 2008 9:18 AM
Anonymous said...: Dear Mr Tan

Thank you for your sharing your values and outloo. These are often forgotten because we are so mesmerized and bamboozled by foreign talents, qualifications and so-called expertise. Many Singaporeans share and admire these values. We would not be where we are today if ONLY politicians share these values: workers, aunties, uncles, my parents, yours, share these values in the building of Singapore yesterday and today. They do not expect and have never expectd million dollar salaries. We are told that because of the economic crisis we need to go back to economic fundamentals. It is also time to go back to social and cultural fundamentals. The government has lost the script somewhere along the way.; November 20, 2008 9:51 AM
Anonymous said...: Dear Kin Lian,

I realised you didn't publish my comments made to your "Town councils should take legal action.." post.

Nevermind that. With this post of the listing your apparent personal values and character, you have confirmed my suspicions of your narcisstic nature. You are a dangerous man indeed.

I repeat my comments made earlier that you didn't publish. You are exercising a censorship regime in this blog. Not very fair. And it's not like I'm hurling vulgarities so I don't see why you shouldn't publish.

You were previously leading an organisation which was a market participant in the financial markets. You are just plain lucky that this turmoil didn't blow up in your face during your tenure there. It was not like you could stop it or foresee it. All this hindsight talk irritates me. If DBS/UOB/OCBC Bank folds and the depositors deposits were compromised, would you lead a charge accusing the bank that they should have told the depositors that bank deposits were a risky product? Nobody expected Lehman Bros to fail. Did you expect AIG to falter? Some of these corps have better credit rating then the local banks. The rating agencies screwed up, and the industry relied on them. Why don't you go to the source and question S&P, Moodys etc?

You have now not only become the champion of the weak (I am sure there were some that were being misled), but also the leader of another group of opportunistic investors who refuse to accept that they went it with their eyes open, and now the ugly side of human nature has surfaced. You have opened Pandora's Box my friend, I hope you know how to deal with the contents. The rest of your fellow countrymen are watching. And you will be judged.

I refuse to believe that you have no political agenda. You are just as opportunistic as the group of investors who want their money back. The smaller weak and vulnerable group is a convenient front for your righteous campaign. If stability of our nation is compromised resulting from this episode, I as an ordinary Singapore citizen will not forgive you.; November 20, 2008 9:58 AM
Anonymous said...: i wish you will contest for election. singapore urgently need a stronger alternative. the current party is too arrogant and has loss touch with people.; November 20, 2008 10:32 AM
siewkhim said...: Kin Lian,

Most politicians that we know are

(a) only for themselves but pretend to care for others

(b) they respect only people or countries that they can benefit

(c) never fair, they give you a drumstick today and take back a whole chicken slowly without you knowing it.

(d) 100% dishonest. Never fulfilled their manifestoes and blame others for their follies. They are always right and if you say otherwise, they make you sorry for what you said.

(e) Show courage when they can take advantage of the weak and the poor

And by doing all these they are always above water in any economic situations.

I rather be like them than like you since there are a lot of worldly benefits.; November 20, 2008 10:44 AM
Anonymous said...: I think it unwise of tan kin lian to state facts which appear to put himself on a pedestal. Everyone aspires to be good and nice, in the ways which were enumerated in this posting. There is no need to speak it out else parties will think that it is self glorification.

Tan Kin Lian's actions since the creation of his blog in Feb 2007, are good, sincere and noble and he commands respect (even before Lehman bonds issue) except for some who have ulterior motivations. There is no need for a righteous man to do self defence against any of such idiots.
I like all Tan kin Lian's postings except this one. It is not necessary.

REX; November 20, 2008 11:09 AM
Anonymous said...: A BIG THANK YOU Mr. Tan for waking S'poreans up.

Just ONE problem. S'poreans got short memories. Come next elections, the PAP give them some money, they forget the PAP's follies quickly.

If you can make them remember and get rid of their short memories, then that is the MASTER KEY to unlock all.

Not difficult really. Just need an able person.

MAY YOU BE THAT PERSON.; November 20, 2008 11:32 AM
Anonymous said...: Congrats on your good and honest traits. That is more than I can for the news we are getting locally.

1) Raise GST to help the poor.

2) Raise electrity by 21% because of oil, but we use gas to generate electricity.

3) HDB actually losing millions.

4) Never admitted to any mistakes made.

5)Wrong investments are always "long termed".

And these people tell it with smiling faces.; November 20, 2008 11:37 AM
Anonymous said...: Are not these values we have learnt in the school and from our parents since young?

Jasmin; November 20, 2008 11:48 AM
siewkhim said...: Kin Lian,

Why is somebody angry with you that you did not post his/her comments?

I thought the right to post any comment belongs only to you and you take full responsibility for it content?

Why is he very angry????; November 20, 2008 12:24 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: The personal attack by 9:58 AM is malicious.

I normally publish comments, except when they have mailicious or mischievous intent or defame other people.

Occasionally, I delete some comments by mistake - e.g. together with a malicious comment.

If anonymous people like 9:45 AM have malicious intent and wishes to leave my blog, it will be all right. This also applies to people who do not trust my judgement or views. There are other forums that you can give your opinions about me.; November 20, 2008 12:29 PM
Anonymous said...: Dear Tan Kin Lian
As expected there is one adverse email posting. I feel that you should not have published the email which states facts about how to be a nice person. They unnecessarily create a cult-culture if you are not careful. Your enemies will pounce on you. already proven in the 9:45 am posting, so there.

I re-iterate, Your posting of 7:33 AM is not necessary and invites criticism. I think you are doing a great job, action speak louder than words. It is not necessary to write the posting. If you delete it totally it will save everybody time and bandwidth. This post is generating 12 comments already it is wasting time instead of focussing on more objective issues.

REX; November 20, 2008 12:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Dear Kin Lian,

You have taken the step to speak out and front this campaign, then you should be ready for the general public's opinion about your actions, regardless of whether they are in line with yours or not.

Unless you merely want the comments posted here only comprising of people patting your back, applauding your self described character and personal values, or urging you to be President, then I (as a member of the general public) will have to stop taking you seriously.

My comments are not meant to be malicious. Why the aggressive snap? Isn't it funny how a man as opiniated as you are about so many issues cannot accept other people's opinion about you? So you are indeed like the rest of us mere mortals.

"9:58AM Poster"; November 20, 2008 1:04 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Some people, like 9:58 AM, think that they have the right to criticise and attack other people under an anonymous posting or under a fictitious name. I do not respect this "right".

I do not wish to have these type of people visiting my blog. They are not welcomed here. They are free to attack me in some other forums, even anonymously.; November 20, 2008 1:12 PM
Anonymous said...: Dear Kin Lian,

Then I shall not overstay my welcome in your kingdom. My opinions about you have been concluded especially after this post of your values.

As a parting shot why don't you display your 3rd personal value that shaped your character (Be fair) and answer my questions posted in my previous comments:

"You were previously leading an organisation which was a market participant in the financial markets. You are just plain lucky that this turmoil didn't blow up in your face during your tenure there. It was not like you could stop it or foresee it. All this hindsight talk irritates me. If DBS/UOB/OCBC Bank folds and the depositors deposits were compromised, would you lead a charge accusing the bank that they should have told the depositors that bank deposits were a risky product? Nobody expected Lehman Bros to fail. Did you expect AIG to falter? Some of these corps have better credit rating then the local banks. The rating agencies screwed up, and the industry relied on them. Why don't you go to the source and question S&P, Moodys etc?" - and also the US Govt for allowing Lehman to fail?

Remember Kin Lian, as mentioned previously I am certain that there were investors being misled. And yes, your actions for the weak and vulnerable are commendable, but what have you done to ensure that there were no 'opportunistic' investors in your herd? ALL were misled? Including the Town Councils and Government investment agencies? You must be kidding me. Clearly this was a case of the worst case scenario that was deemed highly unlikely that turned into a reality. Surely you must know this.

That's all for me now. Have a good life.

"9:48AM Poster"; November 20, 2008 1:30 PM
Concerned said...: Dear 9:58 AM

If you have a better alternative to help those 10,000 suffering investors, please share you plan with us so that we can recover some of our savings. It is no point being jealous of others and in the process run down so many poor investors that have been mislead. Don't you honestly believe that many of these who are mislead and lost money as a result.; November 20, 2008 1:36 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Hi 9:48 AM Poster

I normally do not reply to anonymous comments with a provocative agenda. But as a parting gift, I will reply to you.

I consider a bank deposit to be a fair and transparent product. If the bank goes bust, I will not lead any protest against it.

I have a friend that invested in the bonds of Lehman Brothers. He lost the entire saving. I consider that it is just his bad luck, although I felt that a good relationsship manager should advise him to diversify the risk and not invest a large sum in a bond.

The credit linked notes are an entirely different matter. I believe (like many other people) that they were designed to take advantage of the unsuspecting public.

I feel strongly that an independently investigation should be carried out by the authority, as they have the power to ask for information that will lead to a fair conclusion.

Wish you all the best in your next forum. Do give your real name there, if you wish to be treated with credibility or to recieve a proper reply.; November 20, 2008 1:40 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi 9;48 AM Poster,
If I put my money in FD at DBS, and unfortunately DBS collapses, I will willingly take the loss. But if OCBC collapses and DBS claimed that since there are some investment DBS made in OCBC, my FD are now reduced to zero, I will not accept this. Do you?? Please reply frankly, remembering "God is watching".

HS; November 20, 2008 2:30 PM
Falcon said...: It is obvious that 9:58 has an agenda. Perhaps he has been fired by Mr Tan before for doing a lousy job when he was in NTUC Income. During the time I was in Singapore, I came across many disgruntled individuals, some even holding high posts, who grumble to me about Mr Tan while asking me for a job. I never took them seriously.
On the other hand, I have bought many policies from NTUC Income during Mr Tan's tenure as CEO and was very satisfied with it. Only now, have I become disgruntled with it and start surrendering some of them in disgust. Why?
Because I feel that they are no longer as valuable because the management now is different from Mr Tan, whom I have the highest respect for and whom I have full confidence that my needs are well taken care of. He belongs to a special breed of people and anyone who try to discredit him is trying to discredit humanity.
9:58, look beyond yourself and your own needs and try to look at the world's needs. The world need more people like Mr Tan. Period.; November 20, 2008 4:29 PM
Anonymous said...: That was a nice parting gift.

IMO, now that you are considered a 'public figure' there are bound to be people who likes you, and people who don't, regardless of what you do. Same applies for the ministers or even celebrities.

Please be prepared. Some of them may be just a clash of views, while others may have hidden agendas.

Would like to also thank you for leading the affected investors, especially the non-educated elders, who would be so lost wo your help.

For the record, i am also one of the affected investors.; November 20, 2008 4:58 PM
Raymond T said...: All this exchanges may soon degenerate into insults and sarcasm by both parties. Simmer down, drink some cooling tea. Best to move on from here =); November 20, 2008 5:35 PM
Anonymous said...: Mr. Tan,

My impression from your blog is that there is no good insurace agents/RMs. I find it hard to accept that.

Can you recommend some good agents or RMs?; November 20, 2008 6:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Mr Tan Kin Lian,
With all due respects to you, i strongly urge you to remove your posting concerning your personal values. There is no purpose at all in generating a chain of postings which will lead to a cult-culture and hero worship. We all support you and think very very highly of you. But it is meaningless to pursue this as an end in itself. It attracts jealous people, it attracts people with bad motives. To put it more strongly, I would even suggest you to remove any posting which just praise you and thank you. They do nothing other than harbour jealsousy and suspicion for those with twisted minds. Actions speak louder than words, so just remove the posting and also all postings which thank you and glorify you. Concentrate on the task at hand. Let your good deeds proliferate and ignore personal comments about you whether these comments are just to thank you or is all out to kill you.
Please heed my advice sir.
REX; November 20, 2008 8:39 PM
Anonymous said...: I believe Mr. Tan wrote these because of some people's nasty remarks and accusation. Please bear in mind that Mr. Tan is as much a human being as anyone of us.

However he is much more courageous and helpful than most, in coming forward to help the investors who lost their money in these toxics. He is spending his energy, time and money in doing this and the truth is, he don't have to do it.

He has shown himself to be caring, fair, honest in his assessment and most of all, courageous. In the process, some people may be offended because of differing opinions and approaches.

It is always easy to be critical of others or suspect others of ulterior motives. However, before doing so, please ask yourself if you have the capability and be willing to step out. lead and do as much as him or even more.; November 20, 2008 9:14 PM
Monsoon said...: Dear Mr Tan - I appreciate your honest posting of your core value and how you try to live your life. May you by posting this up for comment inspires others to do what you have done so much for your fellow Singaporean, and without any personal agenda.

The values of our leaders should be benchmarked against your values so that we who are your supporters can easily measure you against our current leaders who are paid millions of dollars. We can see who has done a better and more honest job in standing up for their fellow Singaporean.

I appreciate your courage and sincerity in declaring your values to the world at large, challenging all of us to live up to our own values.; November 20, 2008 9:41 PM
Anonymous said...: Somebody once got very angry because the person he was attacking decided to defend himself. How can you have the cheek to defend yourself when I attack you. Do you know who I am? Do you know who you are. Merely the lowly whom I attack at will. This posting by 9:58 is anonymous (preoperly so since it appears to have been put together by a committee to disparage all those who dare to speak up against the powers that be):
"Dear Kin Lian,

I realised you didn't publish my comments made to your "Town councils should take legal action.." post.

Nevermind that. With this post of the listing your apparent personal values and character, you have confirmed my suspicions of your narcisstic nature. You are a dangerous man indeed.

I repeat my comments made earlier that you didn't publish. You are exercising a censorship regime in this blog. Not very fair. And it's not like I'm hurling vulgarities so I don't see why you shouldn't publish."

If anonymous is so certain of his/her (most properly their views) then establish a blog and lo and behold publish all your comments for the world to see. This type os Special Branch trick will not work nowadays!; November 20, 2008 10:31 PM
Anonymous said...: This is how auhtorities work in Communist China and Nazi Germany.
First they arraign the prisoner and attack him for telling lies and for not being loyal to the state. Naturally the poor guy tries to explain and defend himself by pointing out that he is a loyal citizen and enumerates the things he did which make him loyal to the state. This is then taken as proof that the prisoner has something to hide because he tries so hard o justify himself. He is then shot. Of course the prisoner will also be shot if he chooses to keep quiet. This after all is taken as proof that he is guilty and so has nothing to defend himself with.

Familiar?; November 20, 2008 10:41 PM
Anonymous said...: In China they bill the family the price of the bullet expended.; November 21, 2008 5:52 AM
Everlearning said...: Hi Mr Tan
Coming back to this blog this morning to see whether more additional values listed for edification, but shockingly to read some unhappy comments.

As a guest, I have no rights to impose my host in whatever way in his house. I suppose bloggers have to exercise some discreet and courtesy when commenting in other people's blog. This is social grace.

To 9.58am Poster, you said "Nobody expected Lehman Bros to fail". Only, irresponsible people will agree with you. If, they set out to deceive others to park their money with them, knowing that they alone were be exempted from losses but the buyers, they failed miserably to the core. Did you expect AIG to falter? Yes, they failed to insure themselves from all these scams!

We are no longer decent humans if our existence on earth is just to accumulate wealth at all expense, even selling our souls and bodies to the devil. Wall Street's downfall exposed the sinfulness of men who were vain with their high-profile lifestyles and self-glorification.

I am sadden, 9.58am Poster, that you expected Mr Tan to go and deal with the American crooks, to get to the bottom of all these scams. You should write to the Singapore authorities to represent our citizens in this fiasco instead of finding faults with common individuals here.

Search the roots of all problems.; November 21, 2008 9:02 AM
Anonymous said...: Dear Sanity and Monsoon
Please do not get me wrong. I have the utmost respect for Mr Tan and I fully agree with you everything you said about him, even the benchmarking stuffs. I feel exactly the same as all the supporters of Kin Lian and am highly impressed by his fast responses and endless creativity as well as fairness in judgement.
I wrote some postings to protect him from jealous people. I am saying that his posting on personal values will do more harm to him, than good.
What i am saying is that by posting a mail telling the world that your values are honesty, courage, etc. it is tantamount to preaching and some people especailly adults do not like to be preached to in such a direct manner. Whilst the intention of the posting may be good, it will attract unnecessary opposition. Action speaks louder and Mr Tan has shown enough action and demonstration of his sincerity and values, let the public make their own conclusions. That's why i said that all ThankYou mails and Damn You mails should be removed. They serve no purpose. A righteous man does not need thank-yous and praises, just as he does not need rude remarks. He does things for the sake of doing the right thing.; November 21, 2008 9:05 AM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Somebody asked me to "be fair" and allow his critical comment to be posted.

I agreed.

Normally, I expect a person to use his real name, if he wish to post a comment to criticise any person or another view.

If you do not wish to reveal your identity, you should post your view neutrally and not attack or pass judgement on another person.; November 23, 2008 11:59 AM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Somebody asked me to "be fair" and allow his critical comment to be posted.

I agreed.

Normally, I expect a person to use his real name, if he wish to post a comment to criticise any person or another view.

If you do not wish to reveal your identity, you should post your view neutrally and not attack or pass judgement on another person.; November 23, 2008 11:59 AM

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Personal values and characters

34 comments:

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