Tan Kin Lian, a man full of surprises, has recently thrown a curveball that could give an M. Night Shyamalan plot twist a run for its money. Known for his daily walkabouts and engagements with people, primarily at hawker centres, Mr Tan, like other presidential candidates, understands that every day of the nine-day campaign is crucial.
However, with just three days left before the Cooling-off Day on 31 August, he cancelled all his walkabouts and focused on distributing flyers instead.
This unexpected move came just a day after he secured the endorsement of Dr Tan Cheng Bock.
A Sudden Change of Plans for Tan Kin Lian
Initially, the former NTUC Income CEO had informed the media of his plans to visit Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village today, and Ayer Rajah Food Centre tomorrow.
Yet, on Sunday night, journalists in a WhatsApp group with Mr Tan and his media team were informed that there would be no walkabouts or interviews from Monday to Wednesday.
While his media team mentioned they would provide updates “if anything new is finalised,” there has been no response to queries regarding the reason for the cancellations.
In a separate chat group for Mr Tan’s supporters, volunteers were instructed to distribute flyers and “micro posters” across various parts of Singapore from Monday to Wednesday.
They were asked to distribute the campaign materials to shops, market stalls, and customers, and to drop any remaining materials into letterboxes.
In his Facebook page, his team said that in the next three days, they will be “focusing our efforts to distribute our campaign flyers at HDB heartlands and MRT stations throughout various parts of Singapore. As such the original walkabouts plans have been cancelled in order for us to concentrate our efforts in this final lap.”
In other words, the walkabouts were cancelled to focus on flyers distribution.
A Night of Anticipation
Tonight, at 9pm, the Presidential Forum 2023 will be broadcasted live.
According to CNA, the three candidates will answer questions during this live presidential forum broadcast.
Interestingly, two presidential forums were scheduled even before the Certificates of Eligibility were issued, one by The Straits Times and the other by CNA.
Mr Tan had declined to attend The Straits Times forum, leaving us all to buy our popcorn and wonder if he will address the burning question on everyone’s mind during tonight’s forum: Why cancel the walkabouts to distribute flyers?
Of course, this hinges on whether he attends the forum in the first place.
The Endorsement Before the Cancellation
Yesterday, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, a former presidential candidate and current chairman of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), formally endorsed Tan Kin Lian. This endorsement was announced during an impromptu appearance by Dr Tan at a Tan Kin Lian walkabout at the People’s Park Food Centre.
Dr Tan also addressed the “pretty girl” saga surrounding Tan Kin Lian’s campaign, lamenting the defamatory nature of “gutter politics” and suggesting that concerns about “slip-ups” should be directed towards the authorities who approved the candidates.
During the press conference, Tan Kin Lian was also questioned about potential appointments of Dr Tan and Tan Jee Say to the Council of Presidential Advisors (CPA) if he were elected. He expressed belief that both would be excellent candidates for the council but did not confirm any appointments.
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