$10000 for Singapore's ONLY Olympic Medalist

Medicated Oil SG

It is very sad that it have to take a member of the public to donate her CPF money to recognise the achievement of Singapore Only Olympic Medalist.

Monetary rewards are given if any Singapore or foreign athlete that have achieve a Olympic Medal for Singapore.

However, the only man that have done it 20 years ago for Singapore have got NOTHING.

What he get is being "recognised as a sporting icons" when there is a Olympic games every 4 years.

And being bugged by the reporters into telling the same old grandfather story again and again.

When the Olympic is over, he will be forgotten for another three years.

Although he is living a relative simple life, his reply to the generous woman is " Tell the kind woman I will galdly accept the gift. If this is to promote something or SOMEBODY, no, please, I don't want it."

For this reply, I respect Mr Tan for his pride and his integrity.

At the same time, I marvelled at the incredible speed (20 years) a certain council in doing any practical recognition beside putting Mr Tan on posters and newspaper.

Any wonders why no one bother to get Singapore a Olympic medal if they know that this is what going to happen to them in the future ?

Otingocni SG

There is a difference in budget between the sports council of yester years and recent times. Times have changed and we must remember that such measurements is unfair.

libido SG

Mr Tan How Liang deserves to get some kind of pension like $1.5K monthly for the rest of his life. When we cannot reward him in the past because Singapore is poor does not mean we cannot reward him later. Saw the answer from SSC sound really political in my opinion.

Otingocni SG

Do you sympathize with reasons or human?

Let me list down certain facts.

1. My father lost his middle finger on his right hand 20 years ago in an accident at work which is the fault of the management. For that matter, it had caused many financial difficulties for my family even up till now. Due to his inability, he was unable to perform many tasks and was unemployed for a long duration. Does the company still have to pay up the difference for these twenty years even though it was paid for medically and he was given a small sum which amounts to nothing in recent years?

The answer is no. Times are different. You learn to adopt changes, not look back on past achievements.

2. The Sports Council is in charge of funding new talents. Let us look at it at their side of view. You're given a sum of money which is already insufficient and many expectations. Now someone ask you to pay a monthly salary to someone who achieved like two decades ago. He contributes basically nothing to the current system but acts only as a trophy of past glories. Is he worthy? The sports council locally could not even compete with China where there are hundreds living off the Government by playing the game everyday as they are recognised as talents. So tight is the budget that adding a freeloader is basically madness. Think about it.

Medicated Oil SG

The rewards is for someone that have done Singapore proud.

Not for all the past althetes.

Mr Tan is now working at the National Stadium.

He is not a free-loader.

The free-loader that I have can think of is the media and the XXX committee who cannot leave this old man alone every four years.

It is time the sport organisation do something.

I dun want a scenario where they name some building after he have moved on.

It defeat the purpose of "recognition".

Although I agree on the issue of budget, my point is that if the XXX can use so much money to scout for foreign talents and sending some Minister oversea to cry on the TV, why not use some of the money one time for the only Olympic Hero around ????

gasband SG

I would agree that rather than harass him every 4 years and pretend to honour Mr Tan (I feel they are just using his name for publicity or what..), at least put the money where the mouth is. Honouring can be done not just by money, of course thats practical…but I think the least they can do is to dedicate something to him, like a statue, road or whatever lah….so that at least his efforts are not forgotten 40 yrs down the road…

The Barracuda SG

Tan Howe Liang live with pride and dignity and has the respect of all Singaporeans. Thats better than any monetary rewards.

macjoe SG

All these years nobody got an Olympic medal (other than THL) and we
still see the same bunch of administrators/managers calling the shots.

I say fire the managers and appoint great sportsmen like THL to call the
shots. They're our true heroes and they truly inspire.

Cool

gasband SG

this morning CLASS 95 was toking abt this issue...and it was said in year 2000, Mcdonalds asked Tan howe Liang that they will fulfil any wish he has. Tan said it is impossible. Macdonalds told him its ok just say it. He said he just wanted to be in the Olympics just one more time before he dies. Macdonalds sent him to Sydney that very year.

It was also said that since our very rich SSC or SOC has set aside 1 million dollars for a gold medal, 500000 for a silver and 250000 for a bronze and no one has won the prize yet, surely they can find it in their heart to present a sum of it to Tan, it is definitely not to much to ask.

Medicated Oil SG

I agree with Gasband.

If they can put that big carrot for the althete, they must have the carrot.

Imagine Jia Wei and Susilo winning themselves a medal this year,

are they going to be paid by instalment ???

Just a point of wonder.

Who is paying for the two ministers to be there ?

Dun they have any work to do in Singapore ???

Considering they command the high salary. ;(

I stand by my point.

Give the money to the ONLY one that have done it.

Or else stop bugging him.

robertteh SG

In the 1st phase of Singapore Nation Building, between 1965 and 1992, the main policies were:

(1) Meritocracy

(2) Governmental Efficiency,

(3) Education,

(4) Industrialization,

(5) Controls and Regulations to ensure law and order,

Arts, Cultures, Welfare, Community bonding, Openness, Accountability, Creativity, Teamwork, Entrepreneurship, Sports etc did not seem to fit in with the above-mentioned main policies.

Today, there is a realization that sports, arts and cultures, welfare, community bonding, youth participation in nation building, entrepreneurship etc are just as important.

Tan How Liang the only Singapore gold medalist was not recognized because under that kind of policies there was no point given to sport excellence.

So, how do we promote sports, community bonding or entrepreneurship?

Mass participation and practical knowledge should be emphasised in schools and works to reverse the overriding impact of these past policies. But past policies were still emphasised by various ministers.

We have an educated workforce today with many over-educated people but not enough entrepreneurs to give them jobs.

We are still harping on importance of talents and foreign talents. How about local talents? Can those local talents be duly recognized first before trying to promote foreign talents?

Is it true that we still must rely on all these past government policies bent on attracting more foreign workers in order to do well. Proofs must be produced before continuing with all past assumptions of any kind to avoid making of so many mistakes just to justify past policies on jobs and investments.

Rolling Eyes

LazerLordz SG

The policies we relied on in the past are now heavily out-dated.Get rid of them and adopt a new outlook, not politically charged watered down facades.It’s not too late, the SSC must be run by sportsmen, advised by corporate fellows who know how to run a tight ship.Leave the lame politics out of sport.There is no place for a minister on the council unless he was a sportsman of laudable achievement in the past.

libido SG

Well, my opinion is our only Sliver medalist Olympian should still be rewarded with a monthly allowance. He is the one and only so far for a long long time. We cannot afford in the past when our economy was bad, but what is $1k a onth from the whole country nowadays. Not even enough to feed a hand of a high rank Civil servant. For your analogy of the insurance thing, too common and too many cases to be compare to the one and only case for the only medalist in our nation. We are not even back paying Mr Tan How Liang, just compensating him when we can afford to. Monthly allowance for him and object of recognition like statue at National stadium and naming the gym after him, can we have all that please... for our only Olympian winning the Sliver Medal.