SINGAPORE — The Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) said that it was not aware of Mr Tan Kin Lian’s social media posts before issuing him a Certificate of Eligibility, in reference to his Facebook posts on the "pretty girls" he had met. And having made its decision, it is not legally allowed to revoke it.

The committee also said on Monday (Aug 21) that the issuing of the certificate was not an endorsement of Mr Tan’s social media posts.

This came after Mr Tan's Facebook posts — which describe his encounters with "pretty girls" in Singapore — appeared in a video on social media platform TikTok on Sunday. 

The presidential hopeful told the media on Monday morning that only "a very small minority" of people find his posts "uncomfortable". 

However, the Association of Women for Action and Research later voiced concerns over Mr Tan's participation in the coming Presidential Election, pointing to his "history of objectifying women" based on the posts.

The organisation said in a statement that there is a "systemic worry" in the granting of a Certificate of Eligibility to such a person, as it "signifies that these views and behaviours are not just acceptable, but perhaps even agreeable enough for a potential presidency". 

It also called on the PEC to "thoroughly consider the broader implications of such endorsements in the future".

The Certificate of Eligibility is issued to a prospective candidate who wishes to stand for the Presidential Election and is given to those deemed to have met the criteria to do so.

In response to media queries, the PEC said that it does not go through "every applicant’s past social media posts" before deciding whether or not to issue the certificate. 

"Nevertheless, where comments made by an applicant on social media or in other media are specifically brought to the PEC’s attention before a Certificate of Eligibility is issued or declined, the PEC would consider them in its assessment of the applicant’s eligibility," it said.

"After the PEC has issued a certificate of eligibility, the PEC is not legally entitled to revisit its earlier decision so as to confirm or revoke the certificate previously issued."

Any extra facts regarding a candidate that emerge after the certificate has been issued would be "for the electorate’s consideration and assessment before casting their votes", the committee said.

"The PEC was not aware of Mr Tan’s social media posts before Mr Tan’s Certificate of Eligibility was issued. Hence, the issuing of the certificate could not have amounted to an endorsement of Mr Tan’s social media posts by the PEC," it added.