Endorsement from Financial Freedom blog

Here is a personal perspective from the author of this blog:
http://www.financialfreedomsg.com/2011/07/mr-tan-kin-lian-running-for-president.html

Presidential Election - views of netizens

Read this report and the views of netizens
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/tan-kin-lian-applies-eligibility-certificate-under-special-093316464.html#mwpphu-container

Media conference by Tan Kin Lian - videos

Here are the videos of my introductory speech and the questions and answers session . 

Conference Speech - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beE1OhBb40g

Q&A Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqkrvLPsdJw
Q&A Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa0ab-9qXVI
Q&A Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwxUV_hAP_Q
Q&A Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o85UuXtAz-4
Q&A Final Part - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-ckgKxuJHg

Introductory speech by Tan Kin Lian at Media Conference

This is the introductory speech made by me at the Media Conference on 7 July 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beE1OhBb40g





After the speech, there was an active question and answer session (videos will be posted separately). Later, I  went to the Election Department to lodge the application for the Certificate of Eligibility. I am commited to stand for the Presidential Election, if I get the certificate of eligibility.

Tan Kin Lian

Guided by the right values - Ivy Singh

I am not a Tan Kin Lian supporter but I am a supporter of his five very good values of honesty, fairness, positive attitude, courage, and public service. The key word HONESTY is very often missing from the vocabulary of people especially politicians .


As such I can easily vote for Tan Kin Lian because he represents the very values I have also been brought up with as a child and have tried my best to be guided at all times by these values.


MRS IVY SINGH - LIM
THE GENTLEWARRIOR FARMER

Media conference - Tan Kin Lian

I am holding a media conference at 10 am at the Bayview Hotel. After the conference, I will be submitting my application for the Certificate of Eligibility at the Election Department in Prinsep Street.

Why we need a President - Ivy Singh

First of all the question to ask is ‘DO WE NEED A PRESIDENT?” and if the answer is yes then we must ask ourselves “WHY, WHAT FOR and WHO SHOULD IT BE?”

I am a fortunate 62 year old Singaporean and I do have a view about how I would like my country to move forward.

I am very clear in my mind that we in Singapore need a President for now. The reason is because we are currently bombarded everyday with the following words that worry me :

RULING PARTY – These words indicate to me that we are a ruled people and nation and therefore we could be like slaves in the kingdom. Kings and Queens in most modern developed countries nowadays are quite powerless and they are usually quite kind and do good things for society. I do not have the same confidence in all politicians.

PARTY IN POWER – These words also worry me because POWER strikes me, that unless I am in the same party I am powerless.

As such it is clear to me that we need a president so that in times of ABSOLUTE DESPAIR I can refer to his or her office for some compassion. In other words He or she must almost be the god that I can pray to and give me some kind of an answer whether it is good news or bad news but it must be an honest answer.

Singapore is a young nation in the making and we people are in charge of our own destiny and the constitution we would like our country to be governed by so that we can become the paradise that it should be – We are small but we are blessed being where we are located in the world – A cross road for almost the world. We have still enough good and honest people who care for our country and want to make the difference not only for ourselves but for the rest for our fellow men and women and children and anything with the heartbeat living in this beautiful little island called Singapore.

MRS IVY SINGH - LIM
THE GENTLEWARRIOR FARMER
BOLLYWOOD VEGGIES PTE LTD

Is there room for respect?

Here is a good article by Andrew Loh, the founder and former chief-editor of The Online Citizen. I understand that Andrew is no longer connected with TOC.
http://andrewlohhp.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/is-there-room-for-respect/

Certificate of Eligibility for Tan Kin Lian

I am applying for the certificate under a special clause. More details here:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/tan-kin-lian/tan-kin-lian-applies-for-certificate-of-eligibility-under-a-special-clause/158536220885705

Affordable HDB flats

Many people have written about the high cost of HDB flats under the DBSS, BTO and EC schemes. The problem has become so large that even the Minister, Khaw Boon Wan, is having sleepless nights. The main culprit, in my view, is the use of tendering for the price of land.

To make HDB flats affordable, we have to get away from using tender to fix the market price of land. It is better to adopt a different measurement, such as the valuation that is used to determine property tax. It is market linked, but does not push the prices to the extreme. If we price land using a more conservative approach, and allow a big supply of land to be made available on tap, it will moderate the increase in prices.

I will write more about this matter, and cover a few related issues, within the next few days.

Split within the PAP?

An interesting article about the two candidates from the PAP
http://singstatistician.blogspot.com/2011/07/dr-tony-tan-vs-dr-tan-cheng-bock-battle.html

Electing a President with limited powers

This message is sent by my supporter to his friends who are cynical about electing a President that has limited powers.

Given that the government does not intend to scrap the office of the President, why not put all your weight behind the candidate that is most independent of the ruling party to help develop a basis of checks and balances, however difficult. With Tan Kin Lian, you have more chance of getting some value for your money, instead of being cynical about it and giving up in despair.

 

Tan Kin Lian holds the view that we do not necessarily need full executive powers to promote and nurture change. We can do it by the power of influence and of being the voice of the people. However, we do have to work within the system and in cooperation with the government. With the steps which PM Lee Hsien Loong are taking these days, we are all hopeful that he is sincere in wanting positive change and it's really like doing tap dancing or practicing tai chi to gain one step at a time. We will get there, not tomorrow but by golly, we will!

 

Taking risky bets with our reserves

At the US ambassador's reception last night, a Singaporean asked me, "Mr. Tan, if you are the President and there is another global financial crisis, will you allow our GIC to make an investment such as the risky purchase of Citibank? How would you stop it?"  I told him that I will think about it and post my reply.

I know that it is outside of the scope of the duty of the President (who is responsible only for safeguarding  the past reserves) and the Minister of Law had said the the President should not interfere with the actual investments of the fund.

In an earlier statement, I said that the investment of the reserves should be made prudently and for the long term. I believe that the investment policy should be within the duty of the President. As there is disagreement on this point, it is better for this matter resolved at a later date.

As the safeguarding of the CPF savings and the national reserves is so important to the people,  it is important for the people to choose a candidate who has the financial knowledge and expertise and is able to take an independent view from the people responsible to invest the reserves. This is the essence of the custodial role and holding the second key.

Tan Kin Lian

US ambassador David Adelman

I attended the reception at the invitation of the US ambassador David Adelman to celebrate the 235th anniversary of the Independence of the United States. Here is a photo with the ambassador. He has three children - so I gave him the shape quiz to pass to them. I also met many Singaporeans who recognize me  and told me that they would be voting for me.

Election Website

You can view my election website using this link: www.tankinlian.com/president.
The website has been recently re-designed.

HDB prices

I have posted a comment to suggest how the HDB prices can be made affordable to young people and first time buyers.
http://singstatistician.blogspot.com/2011/07/khaw-boon-wan-accidentally-proves-pap.html?showComment=1309739653046#c8633384813670441993

Listening to the people

The Government needs to listen to the people. The best way is to vote a President that is independent of the
Government and can be the voice of the people.

http://singaporeelection.blogspot.com/2011/07/chan-chun-sing-blames-everyone-in-world.html

Why I support Mr Tan Kin Lian - Catherine Kwang

Watching him at Speakers' Corner helping the helpless,
Reading his blog as he continuously and tirelessly educate
the layman and empowering them and me,
Witnessing personally the enormous support from his former
colleagues from NTUC Income,
Seeing the strong bond he has with his family,
And finally, meeting him in person.

I am even more determined to support him.

What you see is what you get.Not pretentious, not trying to please people but just being
himself. This is his greatest strength. This is my kind of
President. And I think he will be a very interesting and
special president. But most of all, I believe I can take him
at his word and he will be a president with a heart for the people.


Catherine Kwang

An encouraging message

My Dearly Beloved of the people Mr Tan Kin Lian.

Thank you so much for standing up to be counted!

My wife and I will surely VOTE for you in your humble bid for The Elected Presidency of Singapore!

We are very impressed after we saw that demonstrated your wonderful support for the financially ignorant folks in the minibond series and spoke up for them at Speakers Corner!

Now that we read your very humble beginnings, we all the more covinced of your heart for the poorer folks of our beloved island whom our ruling party has largely overlooked by their material greed and arrogance!

We were at Whampao hawker centre today and met 6 male senior citizens who also voiced their support for your candidacy!

Tonight we will be at a friend's garden party in the Hougang area and we will surely speak up for you! So even if you run on a very tight budget, the spontaneous verbal support from those would like you to represent us as Singapore's President is surely more valueable than flag and banners which are only props!

yeo

Donate to the TKL for President campagin

I wish to ask my readers to donate to the campaign as a show of your support, and to encourage your friends, colleagues and contacts to do likewise. You can donate here: http://www.easyapps.sg/tklep/Donate.aspx

Singaporean in Melbourne

Dear Mr Tan,

I would love to vote for you but I am based in Melbourne. I will pray that Singapore will have a people's president who truly care for the citizens and not the one of the PAP who care for their own pockets. We want a Singapore for Singaporeans first, and not the other way round. I too lost my last job to Pinoy, that was why I decided to uproot and come down under. Right now, I am studying (courtesy of the Australian Govt), and would be in the work force shortly. 

Wish you the best, and in a few months, hello Mr President !

Winning back public trust after GE

An excellent article by Ngiam Tong Dow.
My views about the ministerial salary and the transparency of the reserves are similar to Ngiam Tong Dow. I am glad that he highlighted these two points as being the most important for building the trust of the public.

University education

Many young Singaporeans appear to be angry at missing the chance for a university education here. Their parents have to spend a lot of money to send them for education overseas. http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/07/02/what-has-tony-tan-done-for-university-education-2/

Withdrawal of CPF savings

Here are some suggestions to deal with the problem faced by many cash strapped people who need their CPF savings  at 55, and do not like to see the money locked up in the CPF Minimum Sum Scheme. (Note: this represents my personal views and is not a matter for the Presidential Election).

Marxist conspiracy - if it happens again

I was asked - what would I have done, if I was the President in 1987 when action was taken against the people involved in the alleged "Marxist conspiracy?" .

My honest answer is, "It would depend on the information that was made available to me at that time". I would still rely on my personal values of honesty, fairness and courage. If I believed that the arrested people were unfairly arrested, i.e. that they do not represent a security threat to the state, I would have the courage to reject their detention. (But I do not wish to judge any of the parties that were involved at that time, as they might have been given misleading information at that time).

A more important questions is - what would I have done today, if I were the President and a similar event had occurred. Fortunately, we are now in a different era - where the Internet allows greater transparency to uncover any abuse of power. It would be easier today to uncover the truth from the lies or forced confessions.

The citizens would have to depend on the ability of the President to act honestly, fairly and independently and exercise courage to stop any such abuse of power. I will be able to meet up with this standard.

Tan Kin Lian
  

Impact of National Service on male citizens

During the past 25 years, I have written many letters to the mainstream newspapers about the disadvantage faced by male citizens in competing for jobs while having to carry out their national service obligations. I spoke about this matter in a meeting yesterday. Someone sent this message to me:

Dear Mr. Tan
I have friends who are working for companies that will try not to take in male Singaporeans because of Reservists. I think this is something we need to emphasize to try to gain support for the younger generation of Singaporeans male. Also for those who uses their parents CPF to pay their school fees during poly days, due to the 2 years of having to serve NS, they are unable to pay off the compound interest to the CPF board that are requested and it is a disadvantage to the guys who have to serve the 2 years of army as the compounded interest will keep increasing and it might become a financial burden to some. As you can see, it creates a chain reaction and a part of the factors of people not getting married due to all the additional burdens coming into their life. Also Singaporeans male are always being look down upon due to the financial disadvantages that they have.

SIA website

I wanted to book an air ticket to Kuala Lumpur. I went to SIA website. The website hang during the booking. I tried a few times but could not get it to work. I searched the website for a hotline number. I could not find it. I spent half an hour trying to make a booking. Finally, I gave up and move to another airline.

Statements for Election

Here is a list of statements issued by me for the Presidential election http://www.easyapps.sg/tklep/Information.aspx
Some of the statements have been translated into Chinese and Malay.

Facebook Page - Tan Kin Lian

I have set up a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/kinlian). I like my blog visitors to link (i.e. "like) my facebook to their own facebook account. This will help me to reach out to the people that are also connected to their facebook. 

Safeguard the CPF money

I have received several e-mails from the people about their CPF savings - how safe are they? They like the President to play an active role here. They feel that Dr. Tan Cheng Bock may not have the financial knowledge and Dr. Tony Tan might have a conflict of interest - as he was involved in managing the funds in GIC.

What to look for in an investment-linked policy

There is an article in the Today paper on what to look for in an investment linked policy. It is written by the training manager of an international insurance company.

The article advised consumers to consider the financial objectives, to look for the suitable funds and consider the charges. There are motherhood statements, but avoid the essential facts.

Over 100,000 consumers (my guess) buy an investment linked policy each year and do not realize that they are making a bad investment. Many of these regular premium policies give a reduction of yield of up to 4%.  If the underlying funds earn an average yield of 6%, the consumer gets a net yield of only 2% per annum. This is hardly enough to cover inflation.

If the consumer buys  a term insurance policy and invest the rest of the savings in a low cost fund, the reduction in yield is likely to be only 1%.This will allow the consumer to enjoy a net yield of 5% p.a. The difference in yield between 2% and 5%, over a period of 35 years is a lot of money. It can amount to several hundred thousand dollars!

This is explained in my book, Practical Guide on Financial Planning.  You can also attend the educational talk organised by FISCA (http://easyapps.sg/assn/Org/Event.aspx?id=5)

President S R Nathan

President S R Nathan has served Singapore with distinction for the past 12 years. He is  highly respected, friendly, approachable and portrays a fatherly figure. I wish him a happy retirement.

A favor returned

Hi Kinlian, 

I hope you do remember me? You helped me immensely in my appeal to SMRT for grossly overcharging me for their taxi repair.

Thank you for running in this presidential election. I pledge to send this message to at least 300 friends through email and at least 100 or more by word of mouth.

I wish you the very best.

Three corner contest

I have decided to go for a three contest contests after reading in the mainstream media that Dr. Tan Cheng Bock is not open to discuss this matter and has said categorically that he will not withdraw from the contest.