PSP's Tan Cheng Bock: Let us never take Singapore for granted

SINGAPORE: On the occasion of Singapore’s 61st National Day, Tan Cheng Bock took the time to remind everyone to never take the country for granted, underlining how fortunate its citizens are.

Dr Tan, a longtime Member of Parliament under the ruling People’s Action Party who later founded Progress Singapore Party, turned 86 in May.

He wrote in a Facebook post on August 9 that he and his family had dinner together the night before, and as they drove around Singapore, he thought about how far the city-state has come.

“I truly cannot imagine living anywhere else in the world.

From our clean and peaceful streets to the variety of cuisine from our multicultural communities, we are truly fortunate. Let us never take it for granted.

I hope you have a wonderful National Day celebration!

Majulah Singapura!” Dr Tan wrote.

He also posted a photo of Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, and another of a flag posted at a gatepost.

Many Singaporeans commented on his post, with some even thanking him for his contributions to society. As a physician, he started his first clinic in 1971 in Lim Chu Kang, was a part-time clinical teacher in general practice at the National University of Singapore, and served in a number of health-related councils and organizations.

As a public servant, he represented Ayer Rajah SMC for over two and a half decades, from 1980 to 2006, until it was absorbed into West Coast GRC for the election in 2006.

In 2011, he resigned from the ruling party when he mounted a bid for the presidency. However, he lost by less than one percentage point to Tony Tan.

Nine years later, Dr Tan, along with around a dozen other individuals, founded Progress Singapore Party. He served as its first Secretary-General from 2019 to 2021, and as its Chair from 2021 to 2025.

In the General Election in 2020, PSP’s slate at West Coast GRC, headed by the former MP, did so well that two of its members, Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa, became Non-constituency Members of Parliament. 

In last year’s GE, however, all of PSP’s teams and candidates lost in the constituencies where they contested. Following the election, Dr Tan retired from PSP’s Central Executive Committee and as chair, though he has stayed on as a member of the party. /TISG

Read also: Singaporeans call Tan Cheng Bock ‘a good man with a good heart’