8 Facts About Tan Kin Lian, Who Might be the Fourth Presidential Candidate in Presidential Election 2023

The Presidential Election 2023 race is really heating up.

Thus far, we’ve witnessed three promising Presidential candidates: Tharman Shanmugaratnam, George Goh and Ng Kok Song. All accomplished individuals, with numerous achievements. Indeed, it’s an established line-up that few would be displeased at, considering their stacked accolades and statures.

But just when we thought it would be a three-way race for the “throne”, a new challenger bares his fangs…

And it’s none other than a veteran who’s back to reclaim his “rightful” spot.

Yet, the question begets; who on Earth is Tan Kin Lian, who might be the fourth Presidential candidate in this esteemed race?

8 Facts About Tan Kin Lian, Who Might be the Fourth Presidential Candidate in Presidential Election 2023

1. Campaign Veteran

For those unaware, Tan Kin Lian is not a first-timer in Presidential elections.

In 2011, the former chief executive officer of NTUC Income contested in the famous tan-tan-tan-tan election race, against former deputy prime minister Tony Tan, Progress Singapore Party founder Tan Cheng Bock and opposition politician Tan Jee Say.

Tony Tan eventually swept the prize, winning second-placed Tan Cheng Bock by a mere 7,382 votes (0.35%).

Meanwhile, Tan Jee Say came in third with 530,441 votes (25.04%).

Tan Kin Lian would, unfortunately, bow out with 104,095 votes, just 4.91% of the total tally. And because he failed to meet at least 12.5% of votes, he lost his deposit of S$48,000.

Nevertheless, accumulating 104,095 votes is still no easy feat, and that’s why his participation this time round may be the ultimate comeback of all time.

2. Potential Fourth Presidential Candidate

On 30 July, Mr Tan Kin Lian revealed that he applied for a Certificate of Eligibility around three weeks ago, on 11 July 2023.

He purportedly submitted his application through a proxy and had also submitted his community declaration.

Mr Tan said he did not collect the documents from the election department as he could download the forms online.

3. Not Confirmed

Though Mr Tan has applied for a Certificate of Eligibility, he has not decided whether to contest in the Presidential race 2023.

Instead, he has expressed his intention to wait till the confirmation of eligible candidates, which will take place a few days before Nomination Day.

Mr Tan is, however, confident that he is fully qualified.

Indeed, he believes that out of the four candidates, only he and Mr Tharman are eligible candidates. But he acknowledges the Presidential Elections Committee’s ability to grant waivers “for some of the shortfalls.”

Despite his confidence, however, things may not be so clear-cut. For instance, conditions have been amended since the 2011 election, meaning his qualifications would need to reach a higher level now.

You can watch the blue cat down below for a more concise explanation:

4. Make Life Better for Singaporeans

Despite his current dilemma, Mr Tan has publicised his Presidential vision, which seeks to better life for Singaporeans.

In a recent blog post, the 75-year-old announced that if he were elected, he would “leverage the power of the President’s office to make life better for the people of Singapore.”

He will essentially focus on “three fundamental areas”: the cost of living, affordable housing and stable jobs that are stable and progressive.

He clarified that he does not intend to go against the “elected government”, and will instead work with them to achieve the aforementioned goals.

“I want to offer an independent perspective,” he wrote. “To guide and support the ministers in finding alternative solutions to the issues at hand.”

Mr Tan has also made his campaign website available in all four local languages.

5. Media Release

On 3 August 2023, Mr Tan released a media-ready version of his vision, this time with additional details and thoughts.

In the media release, Mr Tan reiterates that he will collaborate with the government to “find alternative solutions to bring down the cost of living, ensure affordable housing for all, and secure stable jobs with a path to progress.”

During the process, he will go about it with a “positive, constructive and open-minded approach” and make suggestions to the ministers.

He will also use various means to influence government policies.

However, he acknowledged that the President’s abilities are limited and that the government and other relevant institutions are still in charge of policy implementation. Even so, he professed that he could still use the President’s capabilities to fulfil his vision and goals.

He also promised to “encourage public debate” and “create a platform for various stakeholders to voice their opinions and propose solutions.”

6. Background

One of six children growing up, Mr Tan’s family stayed in rental rooms and would move from place to place when the lease expired. In 1965, his father lost his livelihood during the Indonesian confrontation. To support the family, Mr Tan began to work after completing his Secondary four education.

At the time, he was “among the top students in Raffles Institution.”

In 1966, he began his insurance career. And in 1975, he became a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries.

In 1977, he joined NTUC Income as the chief executive officer, where he spent 30 years. He eventually left in 2007.

He was also the PAP branch secretary for Marine Parade GRC during this time. He tested the pilot scheme for setting up block communities, which eventually evolved into our current residents’ committee.

He left PAP in 2008.

After leaving his job at NTUC Income, he set up a computer software business and regularly travels to Indonesia to offer insurance consultancy.

From 1992 to 1997, he was also Chairman of the International Co-operative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF), an international organisation representing 123 insurance groups in 65 countries.

He was previously awarded the Friend of Labour Award in 1978, the Public Service Medal in 1983, the Rochdale Medal Award in 1992, the Financial Personality of the Year Award in 2000, the 2001 International Management Action Award, the Public Service Star in 2004, Leading CEO Award 2005 and the Friend of I.T. in 2007.

He’s the father of three children, and the grandfather of five.

7. Reputation

If you’ve seen one of his Facebook posts, you would know how vocal he is on the social media page.

Exceptionally active on Facebook, his page is filled with anecdotes about current affairs, his stock portfolio and weight loss. He also posts music and food-related stuff.

He has also been pretty open about his perspective on local political affairs.

8. Controversies

Perhaps because of his “free-spirited nature” on social media, he had invited several controversies.

For instance, in 2015, Mr Tan posted a photo inside a bus on his Facebook page, alongside the accompanying caption, “I boarded SMRT 857 and found that I was in Mumbai. Hahaha.”

The post was later retracted.

And in 2019, he posted his details, including his NRIC number, email address, mobile number and date of birth, online to prove that even if third parties obtain our details, we do not need to worry much as no one can access anything sensitive.

A few hours later, he got locked out of his SingPass account.