TR EMERITUS

They all did the presidential thing and wished George well. The Mao San Wang or Orh Kim (black gold) is surely disappointed. He didn’t make the very stringent cut.

The presidential race is not for everyone, not in Singapore. It is gruelling, even before the starting shot is fired. And though George was no tom, dick or harry, yes, even harry, he sadly failed to push thru the very fine cracks of the “very narrow interpretation of the requirements.”

Tharman said that he was “very sorry” that George did not qualify. “He put in a lot of effort into the whole journey that he began several years ago, so I am sorry he is not part of the list of candidates.”

“I have a lot of respect for him for his life story. But I hope he remains in public life in some way, and continues to contribute to Singapore.”

Kok Song also felt sorry for George. “One of the reasons why I came forward to stand for the presidency was that he might not qualify. And if he didn’t qualify, that was before Mr Tan Kin Lian came forward, there would have been another walkover.”

“So, I really commend Mr Goh for his courage, his bravery, in coming forward…He was maximizing the chances of there being an election.”

And then, there is the third. The ex-NTUC chief. He said he is “somewhat disappointed.” “I would like to wish Mr Goh all the best in his future endeavours.”

Kin Lian, I have to say, is a curious kettle of fish. He came in on a less-than-sure footing. His rational requires a double-take. He said he was concerned that George would not make the cut. If that is the case, and being confident that he would make it, he offered himself as George’s stunt double. He will fill his big shoes, and run the race in the name of independence, so to speak.

(Seems like George was the inspiration for both men).

But should George qualify, Kin Lian went further to say that he would step aside for him, because George had a larger support base and resource. George was more enthusiastic too.

That’s somewhat true, since it is reported that George “had already prepared T-shirts, badges and flags” in readiness. He had also ordered “some 1.4 million mailers, and a container full of tissue packets.”

Kin Lian is thus “sacrificing himself” so as not to spilt the votes for independent candidates. And this reminded me of what Prince Harry once said, that there is the heir, and there’s the spare.

But then, the hand of fate had its own plans. And it picked the spare rather than the heir. So, the reserve is running now, while the striker is left in despair.

As a backdrop, Kin Lian’s campaign team had advised him against announcing that, because it “will be harmful to (his) campaign”. Kin Lian added: “It means people will perceive me to be weak and (have a) lack of confidence … The team asked me not to mention this so that I do not demoralise the people who wanted me.”

Well, when you offer yourself as a backup, you can’t help but risks being perceived as “weak” and “lack of confidence”. That advice is not wrong. I guess he will have to run this race from the start with his foot in his mouth. Nevertheless, I wish him all the best.

Now, we’ve three’s a crowd, and it’s a good huddle. We finally have our publicly declared holiday. TGIF, no less. I suspect many Singaporeans will be happier for that. It’s been more than ten years, since the Tan Quartet gave Singaporeans something to cheer about. It’s definitely a great pick-me-up since the last letdown.

So, who will win? Who will take home the people’s vote? Tbh, on the track this Sept first, Tharman is still the Shanti-equivalent. He is the one to beat. He is standing tall.

And I dare say that his selection with the PEC is a shoo-in. You can say that his certificate of eligibility is merely a formality. He is up and ready as PAP’s “nuclear option”, and the only next runner a few feet behind is our very own local brew, teh kosong.

At 75, he’s doing a Biden. But I have listened to him quite often, snippets online. Not planned. He just popped up. And I find him engaging, at his age, with that signature firm upper lip to boot. He spoke with confidence. He spoke with experience. He spoke sense, at least for me. And more importantly, he comes to the point. He carries no stick and bushes with his responses.

Kok Song is also the most controversial candidate, in today’s still very stiff culture about family image. So, this teh kosong may have no sugar, but he is aspartamic when it comes to breaking conventional thinking. In this strict sense, his Sybil could be the vote spilter between those on the fence and those for Typhoon Tharman.

As for Kin Lian, well, I leave you with this spoken from the man exuding much self-confidence. “I don’t want to be arrogant, I am somewhat confident I can win the election and be your next president.”

See you at the ballot boxes on the first day of September!

Michael Han

* The author is a Director at Hoh Law Corporation and blogs on Facebook.

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