Another name has sprung up in the President Election's conversation. 

And it is a familiar one this time - former presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian.

The 75-year-old, who contested in the 2011 election, announced on Sunday (July 30) that he has applied for a certificate of eligibility for this year's Presidential Election. 

Tan added that he will wait for the Presidential Elections Committee to decide on approved candidates before deciding on whether to submit the nomination paper.

Here are five things you should know about Tan. 

1. Former CEO of NTUC Income, past PAP links

Tan joined NTUC Income in 1977 as a general manager, where he became the chief executive 17 years later. 

It was a position that he held for 30 years until he left in 2007.

In a blog post shared on Sunday, he said that the company's assets increased from $28 million to $17 billion under his tenure.

After leaving NTUC Income, Tan started a business in computer software and travelled regularly to provide insurance consultancy in Indonesia.

He was also a People's Action Party member from the 1970s to 2008.

In an interview with The Straits Times in 2008, Tan said that he was "hand-picked" by Goh Chok Tong, then a new MP, to test a pilot scheme for setting up block committees, now known as residents' committees.

In 1979, he became chairman of the Marine Parade Community Centre.

Tan was awarded the Public Service Star in 2004.

2. Lost his $48k deposit during 2011 Presidential Election

In the 2011 Presidential Election, Tan was up against opposition politician Tan Jee Say, Progress Singapore Party founder Tan Cheng Bock, and former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan who was elected as president.

Campaigning under the slogan "the voice of the people", Tan said in a television broadcast that his vision was to "improve lives of all Singaporeans".

Tan's proposals also included forming a President's Personal Council, giving more money to NSmen and having a pension scheme for the elderly.

But he lost his deposit after his number of votes - 4.91 per cent of the total 2,274,773 votes - failed to garner more than one-eighth of the total number of votes cast in the election.

This time, Tan in a Facebook post on Sunday said that he will "work with the government to bring down the cost of living" if elected as president.

3. Vocal about social issues

Tan is not shy about giving his take on the hot button issues over the years.

He is regular at public rallies held in the Speakers' Corner - from the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008, to calling for a ban against e-scooters on footpaths in 2019.

Tan has also taken to Facebook, where he has 63,000 followers, to give his hot take.

In May 2019, He shared his NRIC (National Registration Identity Card) number on social media to prove his point that the "paranoia about the privacy" of personal information is "overblown".

But after he was locked out of his own SingPass account, he called for a review of SingPass's security features.

4. A family man

Tan has three children with his wife Vivian.

The couple also has five grandchildren whom he regularly shares about on social media.

In a recent Facebook post, Tan shared that he grew up with five siblings while living in rental rooms.

He added that after his father lost his livelihood in 1965, he had to leave school to support the family.

5. Avid cyclist

Besides his endearing selfies on Facebook, Tan has several posts that are dedicated to his love for cycling.

Earlier on July 26, he posted a selfie with his bike and wrote: "You can call me cycling President-to-be."

And last Friday (July 28), he said that if elected President, he will open the Istana grounds every Saturday from 7am to 10am for members of the public to cycle there.

"Good or not?" He asked.

ALSO READ: 'Misleading to the public': Presidential election not a two-horse race, says George Goh

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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