Looks like Tan Kin Lian has served as a unifying figure even before taking office, managing to unite even key opposition figures who have been at loggerheads with one another.
Tan Cheng Bock threw his weight behind presidential election candidate Tan Kin Lian over the weekend, citing the need for an independent president to check on the government.
The PSP founder and current chairman now joins the ranks of other opposition party leaders who have thrown their support behind Tan.
One of them – SDP GE2020 candidate Tan Jee Say.
Relations between Tan Kin Lian, Dr Tan, Tan Jee Say have been frosty since PE2011, when Dr Tan’s narrow loss was blamed on the other 2 Tans.
Even in public events, there was tension in the interaction between the Tans.
Up until the weekend when all 3 Tans came together for makan and even a ukulele sing-song session.
And then there is Michelle Lee, who spurned Dr Tan’s PSP for Red Dot United just before GE2020, and now has left RDU.
But whatever bad blood appears to have been put aside – or at least for now.
Even the terse relationship between the PSP and the supposedly up-and-coming “People’s Alliance” is on the backburner.
The PSP has consistently rejected joining the “People’s Alliance” – a coalition idea mooted by Goh Meng Seng, Lim Tean and Kennneth Jeyaretnam from the People’s Power Party, People’s Voice and Reform Party respectively.
Yet, it appears that all these key opposition figures have put aside their disputes and differences in pursuit of a common goal.
Whether Tan can pull it off with the PAP if he does become president, however, is anyone’s guess!
