I pledge to work with all S’poreans: Dr Tony Tan
Newly elected President Dr Tony Tan has pledged to work with all Singaporeans and said his work to unify Singaporeans would begin right away.
In his victory speech early Sunday morning, he told supporters who had remained behind at the Toa Payoh stadium that he was happy to be given the opportunity to serve the nation and Singaporeans again, after what he described as a "strenuous" campaign.
"The president is a president for all Singaporeans. Not only for those who have voted for me, but even for those who have not voted for me.
"I pledge to work for each and everyone of you. It has been a strenuous campaign, it's over now. The real work begins straight away," he stressed.
"I just want to tell you that in the next six years, I will work very hard. I strive to be the best possible president that I can be to work for all of you and to represent out country and all Singaporeans."
Early on Sunday morning, he was announced as the country's seventh and third elected President, winning by a 0.34 per cent margin, or by 7,269 votes.
He secured 744,397 or 35.19 per cent of total valid votes, narrowly beating former Ayer Rajah Member of Parliament Dr Tan Cheng Bock who obtained 737,128 or 34.85 per cent of the votes.
The 71-year-old also took the opportunity to thank his "dearest" wife and family for their strong support, as well as his campaign team for their great effort.
Speaking to reporters after his speech, Dr Tan said he hoped that his team had been able to deliver a "clear message" to voters about his priorities, what he could offer and his plans while serving his term as President.
"I'm glad that Singaporeans were receptive to my message and have elected me to serve as their president," he added.
Dr Tan also said that the presidential campaign reflected the political maturity of the nation, adding that Singaporeans should put their political differences aside.
"Now that it's over, we should all unite. Put aside our political affiliations. The presidency is above politics and we should all build (a) better Singapore for everyone."
"Through the outreach that I have done, through platforms, I hope to unify Singaporeans because at the end of the day, Singapore is our home. We share a common destiny and I think all of us work together for the benefit of our country," he said.
Saying that it has been a "hard-fought" campaign, the former deputy prime minister also sportingly thanked the other three candidates whom he mentioned have campaigned with "vigor because they have given Singapore a choice".
When asked about his father's victory, Peter Tan told Yahoo! Singapore that the family is happy, adding that it was close fight and good for Singaporeans to have a choice in the election.
"We are very happy, it's good for Singapore. It's a good day for Singapore; we have a very good president," he said.
A close, tough fight
Meanwhile around 150 supporters had stayed behind past 4am in the morning to congratulate Dr Tan on his victory. While some were confident of his win, others were surprised that the fight came down to the wire.
Soh Suan Fong, 61, who works in the entertainment industry told Yahoo! Singapore that Dr Tan was the ideal candidate, adding that his background played an important factor.
"Basically he's very calm. He has carried out himself with dignity throughout the campaign, he's the best man for the office. He has every credential. I think he has a heart for the people and he makes a brilliant president," he said.
However, N. Silvia, 60, and president of Union of Security Employee said that while it was expected to be a tough fight between Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock, he had expected the former to win by a comfortable margin.
"I actually think it's a good fight, I had expected it to come down between Tan Cheng Bock and Tony Tan."
"It was really close and I definitely did not expect that at all. I had been thinking of a 10 per cent margin, but it's 2 to 3 per cent difference, I'm really surprised," he said.
The new President will be sworn in on Thursday, 1 September.
