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Presidential hopeful Tan Kin Lian hopes George Goh changes his mind about not stepping down if both qualify

SINGAPORE — Mr Tan Kin Lian on Tuesday (Aug 15) expressed his hope that fellow presidential hopeful George Goh will change his mind about not stepping down if both of them qualify for the Presidential Election.

Prospective presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian speaks to the media during a walkabout at Jurong West on Aug 15, 2023.

Prospective presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian speaks to the media during a walkabout at Jurong West on Aug 15, 2023.

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SINGAPORE — Mr Tan Kin Lian on Tuesday (Aug 15) expressed his hope that fellow presidential hopeful George Goh will change his mind about not stepping down if both of them qualify for the Presidential Election.

Speaking to reporters at a walkabout in Jurong West, the former NTUC Income chief executive reiterated that it would not be good to split the votes among "independent candidates".

Mr Tan first mooted the idea of discussing with Mr Goh who would step down if both qualify, during the launch of his presidential bid last Friday.

On Monday evening, Mr Goh responded to his remarks, saying the two men have no agreement.

Both men are among four presidential hopefuls who have thrown their hats into the ring. The other two are former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, and former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song, 75.

On Tuesday, when asked if it was possible that both he and Mr Goh contest the election, Mr Tan said: “It’s also possible that we decide to go in, and even so, I don’t think it will be an easy win for Mr Tharman.

“I have high respect for him - I don’t think it will be an easy win for him.”

He added that his team of advisors thinks even a non-establishment candidate might win in a four-way contest. “That’s their judgment and I trust their judgment,” Mr Tan said.

The 75-year-old has applied for a certificate of eligibility, but he said previously that he wants to know which candidates are approved by the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) before deciding whether to submit his nomination papers. 

He also said earlier that he decided to throw his hat into the ring following comments and his team's advice that Mr Goh, 63, might not meet the qualifying criteria, resulting in a possible two-way contest between Mr Tharman and Mr Ng.

Mr Tan said on Tuesday that he still expects either he or Mr Goh to qualify.

“If he qualifies, I will give him my full support because I believe it’s important we should have an independent candidate. But if I qualify and he doesn’t, I hope he will reciprocate,” Mr Tan added.

“If both of us qualify, I still think it is a good idea that we should discuss who should step down because it's not good to have a split vote among those who want to have an independent president.”

Mr Tan said he will gauge the views of the people on whether the majority support him or Mr Goh.

“So far, the sensing is, of course, quite random. We have to make some judgment. In my case, if I get more people that welcome me than scold me, then I think I’m doing quite well,” he added.

When asked if he or Mr Goh is more popular, he said: “I don’t know how popular he is but I would say I’m quite popular.”

He also said he met Mr Goh a month ago but they have not spoken since. He declined to disclose what they discussed.

In terms of his engagement activities with the public, Mr Tan said he has not approached community organisations to visit them because “they are also in a difficult position”.

Mr Ng had previously said that he was turned down by some organisations he had approached as part of his community engagement efforts, because he was a “non-government-endorsed candidate”.

Mr Tan added: “If they agree on one candidate, then they might have to agree on other candidates, so I can understand … (they) will be in a difficult position so I’ve not approached them.

“I think market and MRT trains are wonderful places to meet people and I don't want to put difficulty on these organisations, so I didn’t approach them.”

This is Mr Tan’s second bid for the presidency. He was unsuccessful in his 2011 attempt and lost his deposit of S$48,000 at the time.

He said last Saturday that he has paid his election deposit of S$40,500 and has "no doubt" that he will be able to keep it this time.

Meanwhile, there have been questions about whether Mr Goh, founder of Harvey Norman Ossia, will meet the eligibility criteria.

At a press conference on Aug 4 to launch his bid, he said he has a group of five companies with a combined shareholders’ equity of S$1.521 billion over three years, and reiterated that he is confident of qualifying under the private sector "deliberative track". CNA

For more reports like this, visit cna.asia.

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Tan Kin Lian George Goh Presidential Election 2023

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