Tan Kin Lian Hopes He Or George Goh Will Step Down If Both Qualify In Presidential Election
Presidential hopeful Tan Kin Lian intends to discuss dropping out of the race with fellow potential candidate George Goh.
He proposed that they would decide which one of them would step down to avoid splitting the ‘anti-establishment’ votes.
Mr Goh had said on Monday night (14 Aug) that he disagreed with Mr Tan’s suggestion.
Mr Tan also stated his belief that they would make it a toughly-contested election against the current favourite, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Tan Kin Lian joined race in case George Goh was ineligible
Mr Tan Kin Lian, the 75-year-old former NTUC Income CEO, held a morning walkabout around Jurong West Street 52 on Tuesday (15 Aug) morning.
He was all smiles as he chatted with various citizens at the hawker centre and market.
Mr Tan also spoke with the reporters present, particularly on his suggestion for fellow presidential hopeful George Goh.
Mr Tan saw Mr Goh as a fellow anti-establishment candidate. Hence he joined the race when questions were raised regarding Mr Goh’s eligibility.
This way, there would be a third choice for those who did not want to vote for Mr Tharman or Mr Ng Kok Song.
When Mr Tan launched his presidential bid on 11 Aug, the former NTUC Income CEO floated the idea that either he or Mr Goh would step down if both ended up qualifying.
Yesterday (14 Aug), when Mr Goh launched his presidential campaign and slogan, he responded by saying he disagreed with the idea and was not too acquainted with Mr Tan.
Tan Kin Lian unclear on who’s more popular between him & George Goh
During his walkabout, Mr Tan told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) and 8world News about his plans to open a dialogue with Mr Goh should both prove eligible for the Presidential Election. They would then decide on who should step down.
He added that it was not ideal for candidates outside the system to split their votes by both running.
When asked whether he or Mr Goh would be the one to drop out, he stated that it would be up to public opinion.
He clarified that he did not know who was the more popular candidate amongst the people.
Source: 8world News
Instead, he expressed that they would cross that bridge when they got there.
Nevertheless, he said it was possible both would participate in the election. He felt confident they would give the popular Mr Tharman a difficult contest, reported CNA.
Held a random poll on Facebook
Perhaps in an effort to gauge the hazy public opinion, Mr Tan posted on Facebook last Sunday (13 Aug) requesting people to ask 10 friends who they would vote for and to send the results to him.
Source: Tan Kin Lian on Facebook
The post has received seven shares at press time.
As publishing the results would violate campaigning guidelines, the election hopeful has elected to keep the results private.
Mr Tan has indicated that he will release more details on his election campaign tomorrow (16 Aug).
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Featured image adapted from 8world News and MS News.
