Two Dr Tans lay out plans

By Gwendolyn Ng, Sarah Chang

Tony Tan: I'll reach out to all S'poreans

President-elect Tony Tan is set on reaching out to all Singaporeans, including winning the hearts of the "sizeable number" who did not vote for him.

Speaking at his first press conference yesterday since his win at the polls, the former deputy prime minister said: "The president must work for all citizens, regardless of how they voted. The president must be above politics."

It was a nail-biting finish as the top two contenders - Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock, both 71 - and their supporters waited till about 4.30am yesterday morning for the results.

In the end, Dr Tony Tan won by 0.34 percentage points, or 7,269 votes. He secured 35.2 per cent of votes, while Dr Tan Cheng Bock got 34.8 per cent.

At the press conference held at the Rendezvous Hotel, Dr Tony Tan was asked if he has "enough of a mandate" to carry out his presidential role.

He said: "The election is behind us...and, now, we have to concentrate on the real work, which is what we can do to make Singapore a better place."

On whether the election's voting pattern reflects a deeper division in society, he said: "We must recognise the fact that there are many voices in Singapore today. Singaporeans are more vocal. They want to make their views known."