Singapore has elected a new president among 3 candidates. Tharman who had held several top ministerial/ government posts resigned from PAP, the ruling party, to run for election. He won 70.4 % of the votes, a huge endorsement by the people.
I must say I am quite surprised as I was expecting him to win a shade above 50%. What I learn from my misjudgement is the tendency to mistake a few dissident voices in social media to be representative of a big segment of the masses. Of course I also gathered ad hoc views from various groups of people I know of. This taught me a lesson that bad sampling can deliver very incorrect predictions.
My incorrect instinctive prediction is also exacerbated by my perception that people will not vote for him for fear of sending the wrong message that they are endorsing the ruling party. As in any General Election the ruling party always inevitably lose 40 % of the votes, hence 60% seems to be the ceiling. I was also hearing lots of grouses against the lack of independence in a candidate put forward by the ruling party. There were also calls to support the other 2 candidates as protest votes against the whole mockery of the presidential constitution which allows for reserved presidency elections. Their thinking was to elect a clown as a tit for tat for an absurd system.
Well I voted for Tharman because I believe he can be independent and objective when called for. Don't forget he was a student activist in his younger days and during the 1987 Marxist conspiracy, he was questioned by the ISD for a week! I believe his moral belief for fairness and equitability remains in him.
At the end of the day I believe it was the Tharman factor based on his personality, experience and outlook which won him an overwhelming majority. I wish the PAP does not think arrogantly that people are endorsing their governance and I hope Tharman will live up to our expectations of him; and stand his grounds when needed.
PS- One other thing I like about him is his cat loving ways lol
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