In the 2011 Presidential Election, there was a Tan-Tan-Tan-Tan contest: all four candidates had the surname Tan, with Tan Kin Lian against Tan Cheng Bock against Tan Jee Say against Tony Tan. The latter Tan won with a slim margin.
Fast forward to 2023, the three other Tan’s, who were once rivals, have united in a surprising move. This morning (27 August), Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Jee Say have both publicly endorsed Tan Kin Lian for the presidency.
This surprising alliance has drawn a response from Mr Ng Kok Song, who, for the first time, is using very strong words to express his concerns.
Ng Kok Song Calls the Latest Tan-Tan-Tan Alliance “Unhealthy” & “Worrisome”
The allegiance was announced at the People’s Park Food Centre this morning.
Mr Ng, who was at the nearby Chinatown Complex in the afternoon, expressed strong opposition to this alliance during a media interaction. He commented, “They are dragging the presidential election into gutter politics. I think that’s quite shameful. How can you dishonour the presidency by making this presidential election into gutter politics? We should not dishonour the office of the president.”
He further added, “What happened this morning is going against the spirit of the constitution,” and described it as a “very unhealthy and worrisome development”.
Mr Ng opined that the presidential election should not be politicised, and he accused Mr Tan of being confused between a presidential election and a general election.
You can watch this video to know the difference between these two:
However, Mr Ng also acknowledged that not all opposition parties are involved in the polarisation of the election.
“I think the people of Singapore will begin to realise that you do not want to vote for a candidate who is going to be manipulated by several opposition parties who are supporting you. We must prevent the presidency from being manipulated by any political party.”
This morning, when questioned whether being supported by prominent opposition figures could cast doubt on his independence as president, Mr Tan Kin Lian stated that he intends to be an independent president who considers all inputs.
“I do treasure all inputs from other sectors of the people that convey the right information about what is happening on the ground,” he added.
Mr Tan Kin Lian also referred to his past record of expressing independent views on government policies as a private citizen. “So the fact that I’m independent in my thinking is not an issue,” he clarified.
To give a bit of context, in the 2011 election, Dr Tan Cheng Bock received 34.85% of the votes, Mr Tan Jee Say secured 25.04%, and Mr Tan Kin Lian garnered 4.91% (losing his deposit), while Dr Tony Tan emerged victorious with 35.2% of the votes.
Second Presidential Broadcast to be Broadcast on 30 August
As fresh updates continue to emerge daily, the upcoming Presidential Broadcast promises to be one to watch closely.
The second round of broadcasts from the presidential candidates is scheduled for Wednesday (30 August), followed by a cooling-off day, and then the much-anticipated Polling Day on Friday.
And in case it slipped your mind, a friendly reminder that we have these three gentlemen to thank for the long weekend ahead.
Over in TikTok, there’s a drama involving property agents that’s caused by us. Here’s what happened:
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