private secretary to Goh Chok Tong joins opposition

Another top ex-civil servant to join opposition?
By Kor Kian Beng

IS ANOTHER former high-flying civil servant set to stand as an opposition candidate at the upcoming general election?

Mr Tan Jee Say, 57, previously a principal private secretary to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, told The Straits Times last night that he was not ruling out the possibility.

'It is interesting. I have not decided yet. But it is not outside the realm of possibilities,' said Mr Tan.

The former Administrative Service officer declined to say whether he was leaning towards running as an independent or joining an opposition party. Nor did he want to name the party he would be open to joining.

Mr Tan was responding to talk that he was a candidate whom the Workers' Party (WP) could field at the next polls.

Sources said Mr Tan was among two other 'heavyweight' candidates the WP had been keeping under wraps, apart from its 'star catch' Chen Show Mao, 50, a Beijing-based corporate lawyer.

It is understood that Mr Tan and Mr Chen - a former Rhodes scholar who topped his 1979 cohort at the A levels and attended top universities overseas - have known each other for some time.

Sources also said Mr Tan had been earmarked as the WP's candidate for the single-seat ward in Joo Chiat, where he lives.

If he did contest the polls, he would join the ranks of at least four former government scholarship holders to have enlisted in the opposition camp. There were none at the 2006 polls.

Mr Tan studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. From 1985 to 1990, he was the principal private secretary to SM Goh, who was then deputy prime minister. Mr Tan left in 1990 to join Morgan Grenfell Asia.

Now a private investor, he has come up with a list of ideas for regenerating the Singapore economy, which he set out in a 45-page paper titled 'Creating Jobs and Enterprise in a New Singapore Economy - Ideas for Change'.

Mr Tan spoke about his paper when he was a panellist at a post-Budget forum held by sociopolitical website The Online Citizen in February this year.

Since then, several opposition parties have courted him. He has met some of them, but he says he has not met any WP leader.

He added that he was amused by the talk. Asked if that meant it was true, he said: 'It is speculation.'

††††† said:

Another top ex-civil servant to join opposition?
By Kor Kian Beng

IS ANOTHER former high-flying civil servant set to stand as an opposition candidate at the upcoming general election?

Mr Tan Jee Say, 57, previously a principal private secretary to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, told The Straits Times last night that he was not ruling out the possibility.

'It is interesting. I have not decided yet. But it is not outside the realm of possibilities,' said Mr Tan.

The former Administrative Service officer declined to say whether he was leaning towards running as an independent or joining an opposition party. Nor did he want to name the party he would be open to joining.

Mr Tan was responding to talk that he was a candidate whom the Workers' Party (WP) could field at the next polls.

Sources said Mr Tan was among two other 'heavyweight' candidates the WP had been keeping under wraps, apart from its 'star catch' Chen Show Mao, 50, a Beijing-based corporate lawyer.

It is understood that Mr Tan and Mr Chen - a former Rhodes scholar who topped his 1979 cohort at the A levels and attended top universities overseas - have known each other for some time.

Sources also said Mr Tan had been earmarked as the WP's candidate for the single-seat ward in Joo Chiat, where he lives.

If he did contest the polls, he would join the ranks of at least four former government scholarship holders to have enlisted in the opposition camp. There were none at the 2006 polls.

Mr Tan studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. From 1985 to 1990, he was the principal private secretary to SM Goh, who was then deputy prime minister. Mr Tan left in 1990 to join Morgan Grenfell Asia.

Now a private investor, he has come up with a list of ideas for regenerating the Singapore economy, which he set out in a 45-page paper titled 'Creating Jobs and Enterprise in a New Singapore Economy - Ideas for Change'.

Mr Tan spoke about his paper when he was a panellist at a post-Budget forum held by sociopolitical website The Online Citizen in February this year.

Since then, several opposition parties have courted him. He has met some of them, but he says he has not met any WP leader.

He added that he was amused by the talk. Asked if that meant it was true, he said: 'It is speculation.'

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hi there


1. i am wondering whether any of those crying sheep would label such individual as "quitter" or what.
2. since the same individual has switched camp.

What will PAP do if all their ex-PPSes to PM/SM/MM chose to stand for election with the opposition parties?

Will they jump from Pinnacle or Skydeck?

A few PPS or PPS related personnel this time round........

If this happens, will we also get to one day hear about their "entanglement" story? :o
Or was their parting an amicable one?

The quality and quantity of candidates joining oppositions have far surpassed PAP. LHL go eat shit!

streetsmart73 said:

hi there


1. i am wondering whether any of those crying sheep would label such individual as "quitter" or what.
2. since the same individual has switched camp.

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PS and PPS are not political appointments. They're just senior civil servants serving whichever party in power. They're not considered to have switched sides regardless of which party they join later.

Forvendet said:

PS and PPS are not political appointments. They're just senior civil servants serving whichever party in power. They're not considered to have switched sides regardless of which party they join later.

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Yes, while they are not political apppointments per se, I don't recall any simialr incident in the past 2-3 decades. PSs and PPSs are well-known to kowtow to their political masters. Their rise and fall depends on their respective ministers.

Whatever their motivation in joining the opposition, they are not anti-S'pore. That's important coz they won't be out to sabotage. Maybe, their parting with their political masters wasn't amicable. Just my guess.

Look at Ngiam Tong Dow. He's LKY's trusted servant. He only kpkb after he left. Why?

GoldenDragon said:

Yes, while they are not political apppointments per se, I don't recall any simialr incident in the past 2-3 decades. PSs and PPSs are well-known to kowtow to their political masters. Their rise and fall depends on their respective ministers.

Whatever their motivation in joining the opposition, they are not anti-S'pore. That's important coz they won't be out to sabotage. Maybe, their parting with their political masters wasn't amicable. Just my guess.

Look at Ngiam Tong Dow. He's LKY's trusted servant. He only kpkb after he left. Why?

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If you dig out the carreer development of most ex pps to MM/SM/PM, you will find many subsequently promoted to sensitive appointments such as Director ISD and eventually PS and even Head of the Civil Service. They are trusted confidantes and the super insiders. In the forth coming election, it is interesting that so many exPPS are being fielded as PAP candidates. Amongst this select group are at least 3 who have served the current PM ( not counting a few others who served SM/MM ). One wonders if this is because there are no other "suitable" candidates who can be persuaded to wear white on white or who can be trusted not to turn Brutus. Whichever, it certainly lends little credence to the "diversity" that the PAP claims it has in its team.

I think the current situation is PAP being a victim of its relentless drive to promote scholars. We have generals at age 42 and life expectancy at 80. People are being moved on at 55 to move way for the "young turks". Obviously some will welcome the rest, some will get golden parachute in prime GLC positions. But there will be some, for various reasons, kanna locked out of the gravvy trains and they will be desperate to get back in the limelight.

This fore well for the opposition, especially Workers' Party. I think Low Thia Khiang put it very clearly what he realised is the problem for the opposition, lack of discipline. Now they only accept potential candidates who are willing to toe the party lines like PAP. This way, they will impress the average Singaporeans. I think this election will be a coming of age for WP and Singapore. Unfortunately they are focused on the NE where I am not staying.

shOUTloud said:

Unfortunately they are focused on the NE where I am not staying.

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In the past when there was no contest in my area, I always make it a point to attend opposition rallies in other constituencies to increase the numbers and the noise level.
If the number of people attending opposition rallies are really huge -that alone will send a strong signal to the ruling party.
I remember the crowd support when Francis Seow was contesting Eunos and till today still cannot believe that he lost.Those days HDB prices were still cheap and foreign talent refers to top management caucasians or japs.

Make sure our voices are heard-by both the ruling party and the foreigners who came to steal our jobs.

There will be grand finale when we see people like Dr.Tan C B another lau goh kaki make the move. The policy of using high pay to attract is showing the negative effect. When some perceive less qualify people enjoying the fat income many will quit.

Problem is like in ancient China, there are not enough important positions to go round and many cannot survive in the real private sector. That is why the SOEs are failing big time. You have rubber stamping incompetents who ceased to be of much intellectual potential after returning to Singapore for more than half a year on their rubber stamping jobs, from the scholarships. They may have been once good but it was gone soon after they entered the service.