‘Neutral and non-partisan’ ways help me: Tan Kin Lian

Former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian said that, in comparison to the other Presidential candidates, his "neutral and non-partisan" ways will help him in getting the votes of Singaporeans.

Speaking to reporters at a lunchtime walkabout on Friday, Tan noted that he wanted to use his "moderate" ways to reach out to the many Singaporeans who have not yet made up their mind about who to vote for.

Despite the fact that he was once a member of the PAP from 1975 to 1985, he said that this association with the ruling party has "long been forgotten".

In comparison, while not naming anyone specifically, Tan said that "one (candidate) was associated with the government", so he could have the same thinking as them and might not be independent.

And then he said: "On the other extreme, you have another candidate who is very much the opposition; in the recent General Election, he even stood as an opposition member three months ago.

"Some people worry that this might lead to a quarrelsome environment with the government," he pointed out.

With respect to the third other candidate, Tan said that while he is "moderate", his knowledge of financial matters is relatively weaker than the others, and this is an important factor to consider because the President safeguards the reserves.

On polling day for the presidential election on 27 August, Tan Kin Lian will be facing Dr Tony Tan, former deputy prime minister and former member of the ruling People's Action Party; Tan Jee Say, investment advisor and former member of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party; and Tan Cheng Bock, former Member of Parliament and medical doctor.

During the walkabout, Tan also elaborated on his proposal for setting up a President's Personal Council, something he mentioned in his first televised election broadcast on Thursday night.

He said that the council, which he hopes will be a more consultative approach to finding solutions for Singapore, would consist of 10-20 core members, with an additional panel of experts in areas such as health, education and housing.

Explaining that he is looking at getting impartial and knowledgable Singaporeans who regularly use social media, he added: "If I were to become President, I expect to get a lot of people willing to come forward.

Another issue that Tan brought up was how Singaporean men should be adequately compensated for their National Service contributions.

He noted that Singaporean men are at a disadvantage when finding jobs because they have to compete with younger foreigners in the job market. To him, the best way to compensate for this is to differentiate between those who have served NS and those who have not, when giving out HDB housing grants.

When asked about the difference between the powers of a President and a Member of Parliament, Tan said: "If I were a Member of Parliament, I'd be just one out of 80 over MPs, and especially if you were a MP for an opposition party, whatever you bring up may not get the attention.

"But as a President, the issues that I bring up will have influence."