A 60-plus-year-old friendship may have been under some strain the past few months.

The man in the news -- potential opposition coalition leader Tan Cheng Bock -- and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong have been pals since their Raffles Institution (RI) days.

But what party hop? Why are we talking about Tan? It's because of this story that broke over the weekend:

According to The Straits Times's exclusive on Tuesday (July 31), last Saturday's gathering to discuss a new opposition coalition led by the ex-People's Action Party (PAP) MP "was a few years in the making".

Tan, so far, has not yet said if he will indeed lead the opposition party coalition.

But should Tan decide to go up against his former party of more than 30 years, one big question to ask is how Goh and Tan will navigate their relationship in the next General Election.

Will it be country before friendship?

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For you to understand why we see this to be a potential issue, we have to take you back a few decades:

In the 1970s, Goh vouched for Tan as a potential PAP candidate

It was Goh who recommended Tan to the leaders of the PAP.

During Ayer Rajah Constituency's 25th Anniversary Celebration dinner in 2005, Goh endorsed Tan whole-heartedly as a hardworking and compassionate member of parliament:

"I recommended him to the PAP... He passed the rigorous selection process and stood as PAP’s candidate in 1980. He won decisively.

Cheng Bock works hard and is not afraid to speak his mind in and outside Parliament. He speaks with passion. He has substance. In Hokkien, we say "wu liao". Cheng Bock is also compassionate...That is why he received such strong support in election after election."

It was also Goh who introduced Tan as a PAP candidate in 1980.

Some issues

Joining the party wasn't as straightforward for Tan, though — who is best remembered, for instance, for speaking his mind and opposing the Graduate Mothers' scheme in Parliament in the late 1980s.

As a potential candidate under the tutelage of veteran MPs, learning about grassroots and groundwork, he was once quoted saying that he "would not have joined the PAP" because of he disagreed with the implementation of a policy that shielded some 80 graduate doctors from being called up for National Service.

Tan eventually reviewed its policies and was ultimately convinced that it was moving in the right direction.

Tan, as you might know, went on to be an immensely successful and popular politician and MP — consistently winning very large vote margins in his Ayer Rajah constituency (his last election in 2001 saw him get a massive 88 per cent of the valid vote).

Post-2011 Presidential Election: they don't talk about politics anymore

But as old classmates, pals and political comrades over three decades, Goh and Tan have remained friends all the way, even after the presidential election seven years ago, which must certainly have put Goh in a tough spot.

Bear in mind that at the time, most of the establishment folks had thrown its weight behind Tony Tan over Tan Cheng Bock.

Here's some proof that they're still buddies: as recently as two months ago, Goh invited Tan to his 77th birthday party, and they shared a toast together too:

Tan also visited Goh in hospital four years ago, after Goh's successful surgery for prostate cancer. Goh spent a few days under observation at the Singapore General Hospital at the time.

In a Facebook post he shared about his visit, Tan ended his message with an endearing "Get well Chok":

During PE2011, ESM Goh tried to be as neutral as possible, though he endorsed Tony Tan as an "eminently a suitable candidate", adding that he welcomed Tony Tan's decision to throw his hat into the ring.

It's been a while since ESM Goh has talked about Tan publicly too. ESM Goh's most recent public comments about the presidential election and Tan were two years ago.

When asked by The Straits Times whether Tan consulted Goh about his 2016 presidential bid announcement, Goh said:

"In the past, we would have spoken to one another. But after the last presidential election, he was and will be on his own.

We are still very good friends, still go out with each other, but I will not try to influence him... I will just wish him good luck."

Goh's dilemma

In his most political novel, The Plumed Serpent, English writer and poet D. H. Lawrence said every man is led by three things: by an appetite; by an idea; or by an inspiration.

Following the quote, the authors of Men in White (2009), a book about the PAP leadership, said "all his life, Goh Chok Tong had been led primarily by an idea — the idea of duty".

Bearing that in mind, we recall how persuasive and incisive Goh could be in a number of Parliamentary debates, Facebook posts, and even the last GE campaign, when he is called upon to serve and defend the party and country.

The late Lee Kuan Yew also revealed that Goh had been asked by some statesmen to consider putting his hand in as the secretary-general to the United Nations, but had turned the prestigious position down — chances are, also because of his sense of duty to Singapore.

It will be an unfortunate and difficult situation, but it's possible this situation Tan is contemplating may push Goh into an even tougher spot than he was in 2011 — Goh may be asked to return to duty and serve the party and country again.

In U.S. political lexicon, "You're no Jack Kennedy" (John F Kennedy, the 35th President) was used as a way to deflate politicians or other individuals perceived as thinking too highly of themselves.

And Goh is one of the friends who could tell Tan what we imagine as the following:

"Cheng Bock, I worked with Mahathir Mohamad. I knew Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir Mohamad was a friend of mine. But good doctor Cheng Bock, you're no Mahathir."

Top photo from Tan Cheng Bock Facebook page

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