Former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin felt “a sense of loss” after he “accidentally deleted” his Instagram account, he said in a LinkedIn post on 19 Feb, describing the move as “significant”.
After the post was questioned by national athlete Soh Rui Yong, Mr Tan later clarified that he “had forgotten” about the 30-day grace period where one could reactivate a deleted Instagram account.
Source: Chuan-Jin Tan on LinkedIn
In his initial post, Mr Tan said his Instagram and Facebook accounts had been dormant since he resigned as Speaker and a People’s Action Party (PAP) member in July 2023.
“There was no longer a need for a public platform,” he noted, adding that he had “already moved on in some ways”.
His LinkedIn, however, would remain active as he still needs to remain connected professionally.
However, losing his Instagram account felt “significant”, Mr Tan said, as it “wasn’t just a page” but almost 12 years of his life.
He had run his social media platforms himself, using them not just for communication, but “connection”, he added.
Source: Tan Chuan-Jin on Facebook
He then listed out what the account was used for: “conversations, disagreements, encouragement, banter, runs, fund-raising efforts, and celebrating so many everyday heroes”, as well as bo liao “whimsical nonsense”.
He thus admitted to “a sense of loss”, explaining:
Those interactions shaped how I thought, how I listened, and how I made decisions, big and small. It made me a better public servant, and I hope, a better person; though I remain deeply flawed.
The demise of his Instagram account is also a “quiet reminder” that “not everything is meant to be kept”, as things we build and treasure do not stay, Mr Tan said.
Perhaps musing about the transience of his political career, he noted that people hold on to little, but memories are “for a lifetime”, adding:
What remains are the people, the conversations, and the shared journey.
Concluding his post by thanking those he met along the way, he shared:
Being a public leader was a privilege that I have never taken lightly. Thank you to those who had shared a part of your lives with me as our paths criss-crossed in the miracle that is life.
As Mr Tan’s post went viral, receiving more than 1,000 likes to date, national distance runner Soh Rui Yong had a riposte.
Soh, who crossed paths with Mr Tan when the latter was President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), posted on Facebook the next day, listing out the tedious steps required to delete an Instagram account.
According to Google, one must navigate through several menu options, enter their password and provide a reason for wanting to delete the account.
Source: Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash
Even so, the process to permanently delete the account takes 30 days. During that time, users may change their minds and reverse the deletion by logging in, Soh pointed out, saying:
To me this is a prime example of why I don’t believe 75% of what most people post on LinkedIn these days.
In a subsequent comment on his original LinkedIn post, Mr Tan seemed to address what Soh said, though he did not explicitly name the athlete.
The former politician said he was planning to put his account into “hibernation” as he had no plans to reactivate it.
Source: Chuan-Jin Tan on LinkedIn
But he did not realise that there was a 30-day grace period and “had forgotten about the timeline”, he said.
When he finally remembered, he could not recover the account, he explained, adding:
So better note and take that timeline seriously.
Mr Tan left politics after his “inappropriate relationship” with former Tampines MP Cheng Li Hui came to light.
Source: Tan Chuan-Jin on Facebook
But before news of the relationship broke, he was one of the more active politicians on social media, sharing his views on various issues and even communicating directly with the public.
Thus, his radio silence on social media felt surreal, with his Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter accounts all turning up error messages at the time.
Source: Tan Chuan-Jin on Instagram
While Mr Tan is no longer in public service, his LinkedIn profile states that he is an advisor to expert networks Infoquest and GLG. He also co-founded a payments-solutions company and founded a consultancy and advisory practice.
He is also a consultant for the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, a philanthropic organisation.
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Featured image adapted from Chuan-Jin Tan on LinkedIn and Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash.