PSP’s Tan Cheng Bock: Let us never take Singapore for granted
From Dr Tan's ND2026 post, " I thought about how far Singapore has come. I truly cannot imagine living anywhere else in the world. From our clean and peaceful streets to the variety of cuisine from... This article ( PSP’s Tan Cheng Bock: Let us never take Singapore for granted ) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News .
Singapore's 61st National Day served as an occasion for Tan Cheng Bock to remind the public not to take their country for granted. The 86-year-old, a long-serving Member of Parliament under the People's Action Party who later founded Progress Singapore Party, expressed his gratitude for living in the city-state in a Facebook post on August 9.
Dr Tan, who turned 86 in May, recounted how he and his family had a shared dinner the night before, and as they drove around Singapore, he reflected on how far the nation has come. He emphasized how fortunate Singaporeans are, citing the city-state's clean and peaceful streets, and its diverse culinary offerings from its multicultural communities.
Dr Tan concluded his post by wishing everyone a wonderful National Day celebration and the national motto, "Majulah Singapura!"
Dr Tan also shared photos of Singapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, and a flag that was displayed at a gatepost. His post received numerous comments from Singaporeans, many of whom thanked him for his contributions to society. Tan's background as a physician, with his launch of his first clinic in 1971 in Lim Chu Kang and as a part-time clinical teacher in general practice at the National University of Singapore, as well as his service in various health-related councils and organizations, underscored his commitment to the community.
His tenure as a public servant, representing Ayer Rajah SMC for over two and a half decades, from 1980 to 2006, demonstrated his dedication to the nation.
In 2011, Tan resigned from the ruling party when he ran for the presidency, but he lost by a narrow margin to incumbent Tony Tan. After failing to win the presidency, Tan founded Progress Singapore Party in 2011 along with around a dozen other individuals. He served as the party's first Secretary-General from 2019 to 2021 and as its Chair from 2021 to 2025.
During the 2020 General Election, PSP's slate in West Coast GRC fared well, with two of its members, Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa, becoming Non-constituency Members of Parliament. However, in the 2021 General Election, all of PSP's teams and candidates lost in the constituencies where they contested. Following the election, Tan retired from PSP's Central Executive Committee and as chair, though he has remained a member of the party.
Written by urgent.news from The Independent Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
