> Although I've been quiet, I've been doing work'
> by Loh Chee Kong 04:47 AM Jun 08, 2011
> PORT LOUIS (Mauritius) - After 12 years in office as the Republic's
> second Elected President, Mr S R Nathan - who has yet to decide
> whether to run for a third term - indicated yesterday that he had many
> thoughts on the role and how he has performed it, including the
> highlights and challenges of his tenure and criticism that he had been
> "doing nothing".
> But Mr Nathan, 87, who was speaking to the Singapore media at the end
> of a state visit to Mauritius, would not elaborate despite repeated
> requests from journalists - at least not now, not when the country is
> poised for its most hotly-contested Presidential Election to date.
> Mr Nathan said all will be revealed in his memoirs, which are expected
> to be published in September. "When that book is published, you will
> know that, although I've been quiet, I've been doing work."
> Mr Nathan said his age was a factor he would consider when deciding
> whether he would contest the election. He added: "I have to think of
> my age. People say, 'This old man, what the hell is he still there,
> wanting to do it? Some others think I'm doing nothing, so it's a waste
> of time for them to think of me. But all this noise will always be
> there in the world. You have a sense of what you want to do and you
> just do it because if you listen to the world, your work will never be
> done."
> Mr Nathan acknowledged that there is a perception that he had not been
> as aggressive in his approach as his predecessor, the late Mr Ong Teng
> Cheong, who was Singapore's first Elected President.
> Said Mr Nathan: "There are voices saying that but I can't answer them.
> I know the limitations of the Constitution and what you have to do. So
> I'm not there in a boxing match."
> Mr Nathan declined to be drawn into whether the role of the elected
> presidency has to evolve in response to the new political landscape.
> Doing so would be unfair, he reiterated, as it is for the presidential
> hopefuls "to think what they want to do and to face the realities"
> eventually.
> Former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian, who confirmed that he
> will put himself forward for election, has proposed to clarify the
> role of the President, should he be elected.
> On Mr Tan's plans, Mr Nathan said: "You must remember that the
> Presidency operates on the Constitution - and what is possible and
> what is not possible is determined by that ... I won't want to
> belittle his enthusiasm. If he can do it, good luck to him."
> Still, Mr Nathan pointed out that the elected presidency has to
> "strike roots" as well as "adjust to changing situations". He added:
> "It's a new institution and Singaporeans must understand that there's
> a difference between that institution and the executive Government."
> On his work over the past dozen years, Mr Nathan said: "Often I ask
> myself: What have I done? (I have) done nothing ... It's hard for me
> to quantify. I mean it's not like building a housing estate and saying
> I've got so many units and so on. We can't ... It's a very intangible
> thing. You may have to go round (asking) the people in the heartland
> and see how many of them were satisfied with whatever I did or
> whatever I did not do."
> And it is the heartlands that the presidential hopeful will have to
> appeal to, Mr Nathan noted. He said: "Each one should have a fair
> chance of presenting their viewpoint, of convincing the heartlands
> that they are the most suitable person to lead them. Most of my time
> over the last 12 years, I've endeavoured to develop a bond with the
> people of the heartlands and I value that very much."Additional
> reporting by Hoe Yeen Nie
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT MISQUOTING HIM. THIS IS THE ENTIRE PIECE ON TODAY
NEWSPAPER.
Source: http://www.todayonline.com/Hotnews/EDC110608-0000315/Although-Ive-bee...
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