PE 2023 campaign broadcast: Tan Kin Lian would use President's 'soft influence, prestige' to convey people's views to Govt

SINGAPORE — Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian said on Wednesday (Aug 30) that while the head of state may not have the executive authority to help the Government "make life better for the people", he would use the “soft influence and prestige" of the office to seek to do so.

In one of his final pitches to voters ahead of Friday's Presidential Election, Mr Tan also "sincerely apologised" to anyone who had found what he has said or done in the past “upsetting or inappropriate”.

This was in reference to a series of controversial statements by Mr Tan, most recently his online posts about “pretty girls”, for which he also apologised earlier on Wednesday during a walkabout at Hougang Central.

Other statements made by Mr Tan in the past which have provoked unhappiness in some quarters include a post he made about riding on a bus to a destination that left him feeling he was in India.

Giving the second of the two Presidential Candidate Broadcasts allotted to each candidate by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA), the former NTUC chief executive officer vowed to do better.

“I will be more mindful of what I say in the future,” he said.

Mr Tan was the first of the three presidential candidates to give the final campaign broadcast across 19 television and radio channels, including news channel CNA.

Under IMDA rules, the candidates have up to 10 minutes to speak in each of the four official languages. If a candidate elects to speak only in English, for example, he has a maximum of 10 minutes to speak.

Mr Tan also highlighted issues he wished to address

• Young people hesitant to marry given the rising cost of living
• The high cost of housing and difficulties young people face in securing a suitable job

"If I am elected as President, I will act independently of the Government and do my best to convey the views of the people to the Government and help the Government to find out ways to make life better for the people," he said.

“I am aware that the President does not have the executive authority on these matters,” he added.

“However, I believe it is possible to achieve these goals by using the soft influence and prestige of the President’s office”. 

KEY POINTS FROM SPEECH

• Mr Tan began by pledging to carry out the presidency's two duties — safeguarding the reserves and uphold the integrity of the public service — “diligently, honestly and to the best of my ability” if elected
• The President should also be committed to his duties, understand the needs of the everyday Singaporean and be able to “serve without fear of favour”, he added.
• Mr Tan said his days as NTUC Income CEO — where he grew the insurer’s assets from S$28 million to S$17 billion — and as a trained actuary gives him confidence he can safeguard the reserves 
• In terms of representing Singapore abroad, Mr Tan said that he has experience and knowledge from being on the board of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation for over 20 years 
• Mr Tan said that he has courage, tenacity and resilience, having stood up to help investors who lost their savings in bad investments in the past and ask “difficult questions” on their behalf
• He said his family did not have the money to send him to university so he "self-studied" his way to becoming NTUC Income CEO
• Having come from a “very poor and humble background”, Mr Tan said he had to make sacrifices in his education to provide for his family — and continues to live a simple and frugal lifestyle
• This humble background has led him to have a “deep appreciation for the difficulties of ordinary people”
• He promised to uphold “important family values”, which he said was the foundation of any society, adding his appreciation to his family for their care over the years

Mr Tan reiterated his commitment to understanding the needs of the “common man”, adding that he had met people on his walkabouts that shared stories of their hardships with him. 

“As President, I will champion the well-being of Singaporeans, and always put the people’s needs above my own, to help make a better life for all of you”, Mr Tan said.  

Mr Tan ended his speech with a call for Singaporeans to vote for him by repeating his campaign slogan: “Bring back trust, and give hope to the people”.