The presidential race for 2023 has officially heated up, with three candidates now standing for election.
Among them is Mr Tan Kin Lian, who believes strongly in his chances against fellow candidate Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
During a walkabout at Chong Pang Market and Food Centre on 20 Aug, he expressed his confidence in securing a significant share of the votes from the population.
In addition, he explained more about what he hoped to represent for the people of Singapore if elected.
Speaking to reporters after his walkabout, Mr Tan said support for him was strong due to feedback from social media and online chat groups.
“People would come to me and say they would vote for me. The reception is overwhelming,” he shared.
In addition, he conducted surveys to gauge the strength of his supporters. While he could not reveal the results during the doorstop, he said they had been “encouraging.”
“I think I have got a good chance to win against Tharman… although Tharman seems to be quite popular,” he added.
However, Mr Tan noted that the splitting of votes between the other two candidates, Mr Tharman and Mr Ng Kok Song, would impact his chances for the election.
He said Mr Ng would take away some of the votes of those who supported the establishment and the idea of a Chinese president.
Ultimately, though, he was uncertain how the votes would be split among the three.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Mr Ng had earlier questioned Mr Tan’s motivation in standing for the election.
To this, Mr Tan said, “I do not respond to Ng Kok Song’s agenda.”
He reiterated that he had announced his intention to run for the presidency on his social media platform on several occasions, with many responding positively.
Mr Tan added that he was also aware that he would have to work with the government to bring about change. “We have different views, [which] we can discuss,” he said.
“I would like to represent the views of the ordinary people.”
For instance, he had received complaints about the rising cost of living and decreasing housing affordability.
He wanted to assure the people that he would discuss these issues with the ruling government.
These conversations would also involve gauging whether policies could undergo changes to give the people “relief” from current hardships.
As for representing Singapore’s interests on the international stage, Mr Tan highlighted three key areas — the promotion of international cooperation, trade and peace.
He especially wanted to focus on having friendly relations with major powers and neighbouring countries.
Furthermore, he noted the importance of not “taking sides of one over the other” and remaining friendly with “the countries that matter”.
Mr Tan also stated that he would leave most foreign policy matters, such as handling the Ukraine war, to the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister. However, he would be taking an interest in issues relating to international trade and peace.
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Featured image by MS News.
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