On Tuesday (22 Aug), Singapore’s presidential candidates celebrated their nominations alongside their supporters and loved ones.
Former NTUC income chief Mr Tan Kin Lian was one of the three successful candidates.
Amongst the scenes of joy, some netizens have zeroed in on photos of him hugging a little girl.
The comments that followed were “nasty and disgusting”, according to Mr Tan’s son who has publicly spoken out about the issue.
He clarified that the girl in the photo was his daughter and Mr Tan’s granddaughter.
Mr Tan’s son, Mr Tan Boon Keng, posted his statement on Facebook on Thursday (24 Aug).
In his statement, the younger Mr Tan addressed posts that had been circulating “showing [a] maliciously angled photo” of Mr Tan Kin Lian holding a little girl.
Source: Boon Keng Tan on Facebook
He said that the photo “was commented and captioned with tons of nasty and disgusting comments”.
In his post, Mr Tan Boon Keng attached screenshots of the said comments.
Source: Boon Keng Tan on Facebook
“Pretty girl like[s] to be touch[ed]. He will say that,” read one comment, referring to Mr Tan’s previous posts about pretty girls, which he has since apologised for.
Another comment said that Mr Tan “didn’t just catch a glance” but actually caught the girl this time.
In response to the deluge of unsavoury remarks, Mr Tan’s son spoke out to clarify that the girl in the photo is his daughter.
“She was supporting her grandfather on the field and was excited to see him when he came over to the rail for photos,” the younger Mr Tan said.
He then provided more context to the photo, stating that his daughter had excitedly run over while calling out to her grandfather.
Mr Tan Kin Lian responded in kind and hugged his granddaughter over the railing.
“This is a loving moment between a grandfather and his granddaughter,” said Mr Tan Boon Keng, “but the photo was maliciously angled and captioned.”
Mr Tan Boon Keng then shamed those who had taken the chance to “smear” his father over what was a “loving moment”.
“Look at yourself in the mirror and hope one day someone does not judge you for holding your own daughter or granddaughter,” he said.
Also read: Tan Kin Lian Apologises To Ladies Who Feel Uncomfortable With His ‘Pretty Girls’ Remarks On Facebook
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Featured image by MS News and adapted from Boon Keng Tan on Facebook.
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