Second presidential candidate broadcast: Tan Kin Lian’s speech in full

My name is Tan Kin Lian. I am contesting the election to become the president of Singapore.

Under the Constitution, the president has two specific duties, which are to safeguard the past reserves and uphold the integrity of the public service. If elected, I will carry out these duties diligently, honestly and to the best of my ability.

The president must always put the needs of the country and the people first. He must be committed to the duties and responsibilities of this high position, understand the needs of the common man and serve without fear or favour.

The president is also responsible for safeguarding our past reserves. In order to do so, he must possess independent thinking, good financial knowledge and a strong sense of integrity and responsibility to the people.

As a trained actuary and chief executive officer of NTUC Income for 30 years, I have a good track record of making sound investment decisions that improve the lives of many people. Under my leadership, I grew the assets from $28 million to $17 billion, or 600 times, in 30 years. I loved my work because I was able to influence decisions that benefited ordinary people, especially through difficult times.

I also had the opportunity to represent Singapore on the international stage by being on the board of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation for more than 20 years, including five years as its chairman. This federation had over 123 members, which are large insurance groups, in 65 countries.

I believe my knowledge and experience will be useful in performing the key duty of the president. As custodian of the reserves, I will ensure that our past reserves are managed prudently to benefit Singaporeans both present and future.

The president is the head of state of Singapore. As a leader, you must not be afraid to exercise independent thinking and not be afraid to stand alone for what is right.

Throughout my life, I have had to stand alone through many difficult times. When many investors lost their savings by investing in bad financial products in the past, I was not afraid to stand up on their behalf to ask questions. It takes courage, tenacity and resilience to ask these difficult questions and make people accountable for their actions.

I have a deep appreciation for the difficulties of ordinary people because I came from a very poor and humble background. I myself keep to a simple lifestyle and live frugally. When I was young, I lived in several rental homes all over Singapore. I could not go to university despite having very good results because I needed to provide for my family. I self-studied and worked my way up to become the CEO of NTUC Income.

Today, I am grateful for a loving wife, three adult children and five adorable grandchildren. It is wonderful to have a family where the members take care of each other over the years. I will continue to uphold important family values as this is the cornerstone of any society.

As an active and outgoing person, I like to share about my daily activities and observations of everyday life. I have never meant any disrespect to the people I encounter. To all those who have found any of what I have said or done in the past upsetting or inappropriate, I would like to sincerely apologise for it. I will be more mindful of what I say in the future. I also thank my wonderful family and supporters for their understanding and support.

During the walkabouts throughout my campaign, I have met many people from all walks of life and many have come forward to join and encourage me with their support. I am very grateful to all those around me who are willing to put down any differences we may have and stand together with me for the benefit of Singapore.

I have also met many ordinary people who told me about their hardship caused by the recent increase in the cost of living. Many young people told me that they do not plan to get married because of the high cost of housing and difficulty of getting secure and well-paying jobs.

If I am elected 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.

I am aware that the president does not have the executive authority on these matters. However, I believe it is possible to achieve these goals by using the soft influence and prestige of the president’s office. I hope to work in collaboration with the Government to achieve our common goals for the benefit of Singapore.

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.

I hope that you will vote for me, Tan Kin Lian, to bring back trust, and give hope to the people.

Thank you.