Presidential Elec 2023 TKL for President 2023 - Musing #2

My friend told me to take part in the presidential election. He said that in a straight fight against Tharman, I stand a good chance to win.

I disagree with my friend's flattery. Tharman is a well liked person and a strong candidate with impeccable credentials.

Using my actuarial knowledge and the help of my crystal ball CB, I calculated that my chance of winning is less than 10%.

I expect to spend $150,000 in the campaign. It will come from my personal funds. The wealthy people, including my friends, will not contribute to my campaign, as they have vested interests to protect and do not want to face "negative consequences".

I do not want to burden the ordinary people to make the donation. It would also be quite troublesome for me, as every donation have to be reported. So, the expenses of $150,000 will come out from my personal funds.

Even if I win, and the chance is less than 10%, I would face the following negative consequences:

a) I cannot go to Forest City and meet my ghost friends there.
b) I cannot speculate in stocks and share my big gains and losses
c) I cannot tell stories about the one who play tricks on me
d) I cannot visit Ah Lee for my kway teow soup.

My friend said what if I win? I would earn $1.5 million a year, or $9 million over 6 years.

I told my friend that it will not be that much. I would donate 50% of the salary towards charity and to set up a private office to monitor the views of the ordinary people, and to understand the daily problems that they encounter.

The private office will not be staffed by civil servants (who faced difficulty with the SOP of the civil service). I will employ my campaign helpers and pay them a good salary, out of a portion of my presidential salary.

So, after the charity and private office expenses, my net income as president would be modest, but more than adequate.

I did a final cost-benefit analysis and came to this conclusion. Any rational, sensible person, will not embark on this undertaking and enter the campagin. It would be against their personal interest.

But I have always been quite unconventional all my life. I pursue goals out of a sense of duty and not for personal, selfish reasons. Even my own family members find me to be "crazy".

I will ask my father, who has departed nearly 30 years ago, to come back in my dream and advise me. While he was alive, he told me something that had relevance to my decision today.

Tan Kin Lian

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You are the only one who laid out clear plans how to run the office and also donate away 50% of salary. None of rest said they will donate away.

Belvick Lee  03 Aug 2023  

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