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http://www.todayonline.com/Singapor.../Dr-Tony-Tan-outraged-by-attacks-against-sons
Dr Tony Tan outraged by attacks against sons
by Ng Jing Yng 11:49 AM Aug 25, 2011
SINGAPORE - Presidential candidate, Dr Tony Tan, said he was "outraged by the false allegations" and the "smear campaign" against his sons concerning their National Service (NS) stints.
His sons - Peter, Patrick and Philip - had issued a statement, this morning, refuting the online allegations made against them.
They said: "The allegations concerning our National Service - circulated on the Internet and reinforced by Dr Tony Tan's opponents - are lies."
They said that they had fulfilled their NS obligations according to Ministry of Defence requirements.
The statement added: "Our reputations and the institution of National Service have been maligned, simply to attack our father, Dr Tony Tan."
Speaking after a visit to Chong Pang market, this morning, Dr Tan said that the personal attacks were "designed to distract Singaporeans from the debate on the role of the President and the future of Singapore".
While the hustings have been dignified as a whole, he added that he was saddened by the attacks.
He also said that politics ought to be based on issues and problems instead of personal attacks with no basis as it lowered the tone of politics in Singapore and did not benefit anyone.
He called for a stop to such behaviour.
On Cooling Off day tomorrow, when no campaigning is allowed, Dr Tan urged Singaporeans to reflect on the messages shared by all four candidates.
But he also asked voters to cut through all the "smoke" expected in any election and to think about who was best able to represent Singapore locally and abroad.
He also cited the importance of the President's role and his custodial powers in these challenging times.
Describing the past nine days of campaigning as exciting, Dr Tan said that his campaign, this time round, was different as he did not have the backing of any party.
While he said that a President was not an alternative centre of power, he added that he felt for all Singaporeans, whether they supported the Opposition or not.
