By LEE U-WEN
THE age limit for taxi drivers should be raised from the current
73 years to 75 years, said presidential candidate Tony Tan, as this
would be in line with the government's ongoing push for older
Singaporeans to remain working as long as possible.
Dr Tony Tan: Notes
that there is no such age limit for taxi drivers in major cities
such as HK or Tokyo
This was one of several issues that the National Taxi Association
(NTA) - which represents some 12,000 drivers - raised during a
closed-door dialogue with the former deputy prime minister
yesterday.
Dr Tan, 71, said this was a good suggestion and he would raise
this with the government if he was eventually elected as
Singapore's next president after Polling Day this Saturday.
'Provided the taxi driver passes a medical examination and is
fit, there is no reason why he cannot continue to drive a taxi,' he
told reporters gathered outside the dialogue venue at the NTUC
Building in Shenton Way.
He noted how there was no such age limit for taxi drivers in
major cities such as Hong Kong or Tokyo. Singapore, too, does not
impose an age cap for anyone wishing to own a drivers' licence
provided he or she has passed the necessary medical tests, said Dr
Tan.
Overall, he said that the hour-long meeting with some 25
executive committee members of the NTA allowed him the opportunity
to 'understand the concerns and problems' faced by the taxi driver
community.
The NTA was formed last year and includes six taxi operator
associations affiliated to the National Trades Union Congress.
These are Comfort, SMRT Taxis, CityCab, TransCab, Premier Taxi and
SmartCab.
Among the other issues discussed, Dr Tan said that taxi drivers
talked about their healthcare coverage given that they were
self-employed. The drivers also shared how they put in long hours
on a daily basis in a 'strenuous job' that did not have a
favourable image by others.
There were fewer public events for the four presidential
hopefuls yesterday - the sixth day of the nine-day campaign - as
they spent most of the afternoon recording their joint television
forum, which will be broadcast at 8 pm tonight.
Dr Tony Tan managed to visit the Redhill food centre to catch
the early dinner crowd there before having another closed-door
dialogue, this time with the Tamils Representative Council.
Former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian, meanwhile, was out and
about just after sunrise as he mingled with Singaporeans at
Clementi Mall. His programme also took him to Little India where he
visited a temple, followed by a dinner with the Singapore Foochow
Association.
The 63-year-old did not think that being endorsed by the unions
was necessarily an advantage as he believed that those in the
unions would 'make their own decisions' about who to vote for.
'I am not upset that I have not been endorsed by unions. I
prefer to be endorsed by the people,' he said.
As for former senior civil servant Tan Jee Say, his busy
schedule included an evening stop at Tampines Central as he looked
to garner more support ahead of his election rally that will be
held tonight at the Toa Payoh Stadium.
Former Ayer Rajah member of parliament Tan Cheng Bock,
meanwhile, was busy shaking hands and taking photographs with
people outside Kovan MRT and the nearby Hougang Mall.
The 71-year-old is the only candidate yet to announce whether or
not he will hold an election rally. Time is fast running out as
Thursday is the last day to conduct any rally. Friday is a
cooling-off day with all election campaigning prohibited.
