I was at the Jurong East Stadium on Saturday night, waiting for Dr Tan Cheng Bock to appear. K was there, my parents were there--my parents are never awake past midnight, and here we all were in dress and tie from my cousin's wedding dinner, holding the fort for the president we wanted.

There was no agenda, no certainty. The growing multitude was not there because we were sure TCB would win, nor was there any speech to entertain us as we waited. I had the feeling we were proud to be there in numbers, that every one of us seated beside each other made our hero bigger. And that night, we just wanted to make TCB our hero.

Indeed it appeared that he would win, up to the 80% mark of the votes counted. But in a gutting reverse of expectations, the West constituencies let us down.

I went home to sleep when the recount began, like many supporters. I woke up to the news I expected, that a recount couldn't salvage the 8000-vote difference. That somebody I had no conviction for was now our President.


So the blame game has begun. Pointless if done for the sake of venting angst, but useful if we can learn something from this. 65% of Singaporeans must be wondering what happened.

Tony Tan's supporters can't be blamed--they are the expected percentage (in fact, lower than expected), the "lost cause" of PAP diehards, and I didn't expect faithfulness to change in nine days. Neither should Tan Kin Lian be blamed for daring to run for Presidency. TKL is a sincere man faulted all too superficially for his facial ticks and wife's appearance, and is worth more than all his detractors put together. If he had dropped out wisely after looking at his competitors, his 5% might have been sprinkled across the three candidates in an unpredictable pattern. Yes, that slight difference might have pushed TCB just above TT. But we could have done better than a marginal difference.

I think the real reason Singapore's most unfavoured candidate won was that Singaporeans remained irreparably divided, at a time when we should have looked towards unification.

For many Opposition voters, the PE was a reaction against the ruling party. And who better to champion such a movement than Tan Jee Say? Fiery, confrontational and daring, TJS was their hero who had the best shot at stirring up debate with the prime minister. He made his stand with the Opposition clear by using a familiar opposition phrase, "checks and balances", as his oft-quoted slogan. His star-studded rally lineup was a promise that he had the endorsement of popular opposition candidates. And so opposition voters rallied each other via alternative media to make Tan Jee Say their best bet against TT.They chose TJS over the seemingly losing-fire TCB, and believed that TJS was most popular and so most able to topple the stronghold that was TT. They chose TJS because his campaign rang soundly with Opposition ideals, whereas TCB, they mused, seemed to not straddle either side clearly, and so how could they know what he stood for?

Their beliefs were the very loopholes that failed them. In their pursuit of confrontation, they did not recognize that TCB made a more tactical choice. Taking a balanced, non-partisan approach, he attracted both PAP and Opposition supporters, supposedly also winning the quiet support of a certain Worker's Party hero, who had put aside their party differences to vote for the best candidate. TCB was endearing enough as a doctor and MP to win the votes of the simplest citizens; he was dignified and independent enough as a minister to win the votes of those who demanded vigilance in a president. When the opposition voters prioritized Confrontationalism in their search for a president, they underestimated traits like gentlemanliness, graciousness, honesty and compassion. Traits that appeal to citizens regardless of age, status, or political affiliation. Traits that don't attract attention in campaigns where you have to shout to be remembered, but which are the most important foundation for a leader. Traits that will pull in swing votes.

It must have come as a shock, then, when TJS's votes stalemated at 25%. And perhaps a disappointment when TJS put his losses down to "being portrayed as too confrontational" and that he wished he could go back in time to reverse that perception. The very thing his voters had betted on him for was the first thing he regretted at his loss.

To topple a PAP giant, it is not enough to remain partisanal in thinking. I was an Opposition supporter in the GE, and I still strongly believe in having more alternative voices in Parliament. But when it came down to choosing a President, it was much more important to me to choose a compassionate man of good character who unites Singaporeans, not reinforces their differences.

So we still sit and look numbly at the headlines these days. What-ifs won't change the results. Now we have a president who reminds us everyday that we are ideologically divided. If TJS were president, we would be reminded of our differences too, just from a different angle. Instead, with TCB, we could have had a president who united us all.

 We Flocked to Bock last night.

 Unlike his political opponents, Tan Cheng Bock's rally strategy was to get normal Singaporeans to speak to Singaporeans. His speaker lineup: his very enthusiastic PA, a taxi driver, a new immigrant, his patient of 35 years, a young girl who made her election choice after doing research on the candidates, and his own children.

 The focus for the first two hours, thus, was on the value of TCB as a good person, a generous doctor, and a loving man whose heart has always been for the people. 

In the GE, rallies concentrated on the negative: the injustices of one party's rule, the imperfections of another's. But this rally, named a Unifying Rally for good reason, sought only the positives. In his daughter's words, "Our nation has just had a bruising General Elections. It is time for healing, and who better to do it than a doctor?"

Can TCB really heal a divided nation? My bet is yes, and here's why.

1. He knows clearly what the role of president is limited to.  

And that is the only way the president can fulfill his function to the best effect. He is not going in with a hellbent mission to confront the ruling party and disunite Singapore's top tier of power: "The Worker's Party will do that, give them room to express themselves." He is not going in to take Tharman's role as Finance Minister: "Tony wants to plan (financial packages) with Tharman, and then approve them himself later. That's not right... That's a conflict of interest."

Rather, he knows his role as custodian of the reserves is to scrutinize financial proposals the cabinet puts before him, and ask the tough questions. "And if I see any wrongdoings, I will tell the people."

2. He is truly Independent.

Though Tan Jee Say claims to be unaffected by his mere 4 months with the SDP, he made his political preferences clear with his rally lineup of popular opposition GE candidates, and anti-establishment rhetoric. Tan Kin Lian too showed his allegiance by inviting Ivy Singh-Lim to stir up the crowd at his rally. Tony Tan left the GIC only 3 months ago, and is still in the NRF, which reports to the Prime Minister.

In a vastly different move, TCB's campaign got it right. This is not a time for partisanal talk, nor a rehash of the injuries incurred at the GE. It was solely to talk about TCB as a singular man. And it is a reflection of TCB's independence of mind while serving as an MP, not being afraid to speak up as one man against his party on more than one occasion, and even receiving public chiding for it.

3. Eloquence and Dignity

Yes, Tony Tan has the Presidential Hair. But can he discern the main point of a question, and can he give a straightforward answer? His flowery speeches and meandering thoughts are full of style and slang, but not very much definition.

Tan Kin Lian is well-versed in financial matters, but admits to not being familiar with all the sections of the constitutional law. He still takes the stance of a grassroots leader, citing one of his practices if elected to have frequent council with citizens.

Tan Jee Say makes a very good debater, and would do well in parliament. His fiery comebacks make him popular with Opposition voters, but remember that he did not win a seat at the GE. 

But as TCB says, diplomacy is not debate. In conversations with Malaysia over railway, water and land, he had to maintain amicable, pleasant conversations. "That is diplomacy. We don't have to bang tables and show how clever we are sometimes." His answers are to the point and concise,and most importantly, honest. Rather than beat around the bush, he tells the truth firmly and quietly, whether the hearer likes the answer or not.

I am unashamed and clear of my decision to vote TCB as president, no matter what the majority vote is. I am voting for Balance, for Unity, and for a man whose life has demonstrated that he puts those in need above himself, and the good of Singaporeans above his own party, even his own reputation.