Dr Tony Tan favourite for President role
A recent poll of Yahoo! Singapore users has revealed Dr Tony Tan to be the number one choice for the role of President.
Of the 12,652 users who participated in the poll on Yahoo!'s Fit-to-Post blog, 6,013 people -- 48 per cent of the vote -- voted for the former Deputy Prime Minister, who stepped down in 2005 and was succeeded by Wong Kan Seng.
The 71-year-old is well-known to have a strong independent mind, standing up to then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew over issues such as the Graduate Mother's Scheme when he was Minister for Education.
Currently the deputy chairman and executive director of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), Dr Tan also spoke against the introduction of the Integrated Resorts, leading to then-East Coast GRC MP Tan Soo Khoon's comment, "It is probably the first time that I have heard Cabinet Ministers, starting with no less than the Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Tony Tan, expressing divergent views on a single topic."
He is also currently the chairman of the Singapore Exchange-listed, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), a post he has held since his retirement from Cabinet in December 2005.
Other options listed in the poll included former Ayer Rajah MP Tan Cheng Bock (1,987 votes), ex-NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian (2,270 votes) and incumbent President S R Nathan (2,382 votes).
