Tan Kin Lian says he respects Ng Kok Song but Tharman is his strongest opponent for the presidency

SINGAPORE - Presidential hopeful Tan Kin Lian said that while he respects former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song, his main opponent in the race for the Istana is Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Mr Tan said, however, that while Mr Tharman would likely make a good president, he is unlikely to be an independent one.

Pointing to the former senior minister’s 22 years as a People’s Action Party MP, Mr Tan said it was doubtful whether Mr Tharman could effect change. 

“I think that for the people of Singapore, it is better to elect a president (who is) independent of the current Government,” he said.

Mr Tan was speaking to reporters on Saturday during a visit to the Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre. 

The former NTUC Income chief noted that while Mr Tharman has touted his background in economics and international affairs, a president would have advisers to guide him on such matters. 

As to the role played by the president in articulating Singapore’s interests on the international stage, Mr Tan pointed to his own experience as chairman of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation between 1992 and 1997. 

Mr Tan said he also saw the role of the president as a “conduit for feedback” between members of the public and the Government, to address issues such as the rising cost of living. “So, my message to the younger people is to vote for the president that can change your future,” he said. 

Among the issues that Mr Tan said he plans to address is whether Singapore has enough in its reserves, or if it has too much.

Among the president’s responsibilities is to safeguard Singapore’s reserves, with his or her consent required should the Government wish to draw on the Republic’s past reserves in times of crisis.

“If we have too much, why burden the people with higher taxes or GST?” said Mr Tan.

While it is the Government’s role to decide on whether such increases are needed, the president should communicate to the Government how such matters will impact people here, he said.

Mr Tan said he plans to hold an in-person rally on Aug 25 at a location to be confirmed at a later date.

He noted that while the Elections Department said in guidelines issued on Aug 12 that

rallies were discouraged

as they could be “divisive and not congruent with the unifying role of the elected presidency”, such events were not outright banned. 

He added that the speakers would likely include his proposer Tan Jee Say – who ran against him in the 2011 presidential election – as well as his seconder Lim Tean. 

Mr Tan Jee Say was the founder of the now defunct Singaporeans First political party and contested the last general election as a member of the Singapore Democratic Party.

Mr Lim, who accompanied Mr Tan Kin Lian on Saturday, is the founder of the Peoples Voice party. 

When asked if the speakers were aimed at getting votes from supporters of opposition parties, Mr Tan said such voters were already with him, and that he was aiming to garner the support of the “middle ground”.

“They are not political, but they also want to have a brighter future. They are also suffering from hardship, (rising) cost of living and so on. So, this is the middle ground that I am reaching out to,” he said.