SINGAPORE - Presidential hopeful Tan Kin Lian has officially launched his bid for the presidency, becoming the fourth candidate to throw his hat in the ring.

Here are six things to know about the 75-year-old, who also contested the 2011 Presidential Election.

1. Led NTUC Income for 30 years

Mr Tan helmed NTUC Income for 30 years before stepping down as chief executive in 2007.

In an online post on July 30, he said NTUC Income’s assets were $28 million when he joined in 1977.

This had increased to $17 billion when he left.

He said that he enjoyed working in NTUC Income because it was a cooperative society. “Most of the profits that it made were ploughed back to give higher bonuses to its policyholders. They did not go to pay big dividends to shareholders or to pay high salaries of the board and top management,” he said.

He added that he ran NTUC Income frugally and kept operating expenses low. This helped to keep premiums low, so that policyholders paid less.

2. Former PAP branch secretary

Mr Tan was a member of the ruling People’s Action Party for 30 years, and served as branch secretary in Marine Parade for several years in the 1970s.

He left in 2008 due to his inactivity and disagreement with the party’s value system.

At a press conference on Friday to launch his bid for the presidency, Mr Tan was asked about his pitch as an independent candidate, given his former PAP ties.

He replied that he was very proud to have helped the PAP in the past, when it was very clear that the party had the support of a large part of the population.

“The PAP today is quite different, I think many people feel that they are more towards the elite and not towards the ordinary people,” he said.

This was why he left the PAP 15 years ago, he added.

3. Ran for president in 2011

In 2011, Mr Tan ran for president alongside Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Mr Tan Jee Say.

He received 4.91 per cent of the vote, the least among the four candidates. The low vote share meant that he lost his deposit of $48,000.

Back then, he said in a Facebook post that the results were “shocking”. He added that the results of a Yahoo poll that showed he had low support had left the impression that he was the “weakest link”.

“This perception had led many of my supporters to abandon me in favour of the two stronger candidates, as they wanted a strong candidate to compete with Tony Tan. I did not anticipate that the move would be so severe, leading to a very low score for me!” he said.

During the 2011 campaign, he had pledged to be the voice of Singaporeans and highlighted his record of speaking out on people’s behalf.

He also championed the investors’ cause when they lost their life savings during the 2008 economic meltdown and mini-bonds crisis.

4. Enjoys singing and cycling

Mr Tan’s interests include singing and cycling.

He has shared on social media his adaptation of popular Mandarin tune The Moon Represents My Heart, which he sang in four languages.

He has also posted online his renditions of other popular songs such as Spanish hit Besame Mucho and The Music Of the Night from musical Phantom Of The Opera, which he sang while wearing the iconic half-face mask.

Mr Tan enjoys cycling, and has an exercise bike at home.

He posted on Facebook that he went for a ride on National Day, donning sportswear and a helmet.

Earlier in July, he went on a morning ride around Cactus Road, and said on Facebook: “If I become president, I will open the Istana grounds for cycling on Saturday 7am to 10am. Good or not?”

He then invited cyclists to join him in Cactus Road on Saturdays from 7am to 10am.

5. Left school after Sec 4 to work

Mr Tan said he came from a family of six children, and lived in rental rooms.

The family had to move from place to place on expiry of the lease. 

“My father lost his livelihood during the Indonesian confrontation in 1965,” he added.

He left school after Secondary 4 to work to support his family. 

Mr Tan has said that he leads a frugal life, and posted selfies on Facebook of him taking the public bus.

He is married to Madam Tay Siew Hong, 67, with whom he has three children. Madam Tay became a housewife after the pair got married. They now have five grandchildren.

6. Frequent Facebook user

Mr Tan gained followers online after the 2011 Presidential Election, and currently has more than 64,000 followers on his Facebook page.

He regularly posts updates about his life on the social media platform, often with a light-hearted tone.

His updates include posts about the food he eats, such as duck porridge or fishball noodles.

In an online post, he said that he first started using Facebook about 10 years ago.

“Over the years, I had a lot of problem in juggling between the Profile and the Page,” he said.

“Facebook introduced many new features, which I found to be quite confusing. Some of the features apply to the Profile and others to the Page. It was difficult to follow. Somehow, I managed.”

While Facebook has been his social media platform of choice, he recently created accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram.

Correction note: An earlier version of this story referred to Mr Tan as the former NTUC chief. He is the former NTUC Income chief. We are sorry for the error.