The businessman is NTUC Income's former CEO, and he is also currently lecturing in SMU as an adjunct professor.
A former doctor and ex-PAP member, the ex-Ayer Rajah MP will opt for a strategy of quiet diplomacy if elected.
Tan Jee SayAn investment adviser and a former private principal secretary to then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Former Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan won a narrow victory to become the country's seventh president, officials said Sunday, a sign that the popularity of the Southeast Asian city-state's ruling party is eroding.
The 71-year-old Tan received 35 percent of about 2.1 million votes in Saturday's election, edging former member of parliament Tan Cheng Bock by just 7,269 ballots, Elections Department chief Yam Ah Mee said early Sunday. Tan Jee Say earned 25 percent of the vote, while Tan Kin Lian got 5 percent.
The announcement of the results was delayed by a few hours as election officials recounted the votes because of the tight contest between the top two candidates.
The election was Singapore's first contested vote for president — mainly a ceremonial position in the country's parliamentary government — since 1993.
"I plan to work my utmost for Singaporeans whatever be their political affiliation," Tan said after the results were announced. "The presidency is above politics."
Analysts were closely watching the performance of Tony Tan, who was backed by most of the political establishment, as a barometer of voter discontent with the ruling People's Action Party, which has held power since 1959.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the PAP did not officially endorse Tan, but Lee praised Tan last month and didn't mention any of the other three candidates. Until last month, Tan was executive director of sovereign wealth fund Government of Singapore Investment Corp. and chairman of media company Singapore Press Holdings.
In May, the PAP's vote total in parliamentary elections fell to 60 percent — its lowest since Singapore split from Malaysia in 1965 — amid a backlash against soaring housing prices, a surge in foreign workers and rising income inequality.
The PAP maintains a large majority in parliament, with 81 of 87 seats. But its grip on power — once so complete that it controlled every parliament seat and PAP candidates won most districts unopposed — appears to be slipping.
"The overwhelming majority of the voters didn't vote for the government-sponsored candidate," said Tan Jee Say, who lost a bid for a parliament seat in May representing the opposition Singapore Democratic Party. "More than 60 percent wanted some checks and balances."
Singapore's constitution allows the president to veto the use of the country's reserves and some public office appointments, but doesn't give the post any executive authority.
Tan Cheng Bock was a PAP member of parliament from 1980 to 2006, but said during the campaign that he would put the interests of the country above those of the party and speak out if the government makes a mistake.
"I'm not a proxy to any political party. I'm not a proxy to the PAP," he said early Sunday before the results were announced. "I'm the one who can unify all Singaporeans."
Outgoing President S.R. Nathan, who won two six-year terms unopposed, consulted with the prime minister and Cabinet in private but avoided public comment on government policy. Tony Tan and government spokesmen sought in recent weeks to quell calls for an expanded role for the president.
Tan will take office Sept. 1.
ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED PERSON ON EARTH
STEVE JOBS
Steve Jobs had no formal schooling in engineering, yet he's listed as the inventor or co-inventor on more than 200 U.S. patents. Below are the significant products that were created under his direction:
1. Apple I (1976) — Apple's first product was a computer for hobbyists and engineers, made in small numbers. Steve Wozniak designed it, while Jobs orchestrated the funding and handled the marketing.
2. Apple II (1977) — One of the first successful personal computers, the Apple II was designed as a mass-market product rather than something for engineers or enthusiasts. It was still largely Wozniak's design. Several upgrades for the model followed, and the product line continued until 1993.
3. Lisa (1983) — Jobs' visit to Xerox Corp.'s research center in Palo Alto inspired him to start work on the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface, with icons, windows and a cursor controlled by a mouse. It was the foundation for today's computer interfaces, but the Lisa was too expensive to be a commercial success.
4. Macintosh (1984) — Like the Lisa, the Macintosh had a graphical user interface. It was also cheaper and faster and had the backing of a large advertising campaign behind it. People soon realized how useful the graphical interface was for design. That led "desktop publishing," accomplished with a Mac coupled to a laser printer, to soon become a sales driver.
5. NeXT computer (1989) — After being forced out of Apple, Jobs started a company that built a powerful workstation computer. The company was never able to sell large numbers, but the computer was influential: The world's first Web browser was created on one. Its software also lives on as the basis for today's Macintosh and iPhone operating system.
6. iMac (1998) — When Jobs returned to Apple in 1996, the company was foundering, with an ever shrinking share of the PC market. The radical iMac was the first step in reversing the slide. It was strikingly designed as a bubble of blue plastic that enclosed both the monitor and the computer. Easy to set up, it captured the imagination just as people across the world were having their eyes opened to the benefits of the Internet and considering getting their first home computer.
7. iPod (2001) — It wasn't the first digital music player with a hard drive, but it was the first successful one. Apple's expansion into portable electronics has had vast ramifications. The iPod's success prepared the way for the iTunes music store and the iPhone.
8. iTunes store (2003) — Before the iTunes store, buying digital music was a hassle, making piracy the more popular option. The store simplified the process and brought together tracks from all the major labels. The store became the largest music retailer in the U.S. in 2008.
9. iPhone (2007) — The iPhone did for the phone experience what the Macintosh did for personal computing — it made the power of a smartphone easy to harness. Apple is now the world's most profitable maker of phones, and the influence of the iPhone is evident in all smartphones.
10. iPad (2010) — Dozens of companies, including Apple, had created tablet computers before the iPad, but none caught on. The iPad finally cracked the code, creating a whole new category of computer practically by itself.
