Tan Kin Lian: If all presidential hopefuls qualify, I will withdraw from election

After making several remarks about wanting to convince his fellow presidential hopeful George Goh to step down if both of them qualify, former chief executive officer of NTUC income Tan Kin Lian seems to have changed his mind. 

Tan, 75, told the media during his walkabout at Bedok Reservoir Food Centre on Thursday (Aug 17) morning that he would withdraw from the race if all four presidential hopefuls are eligible to run for head of state, reported Lianhe Zaobao. 

And should he decide to throw in the towel, Tan told AsiaOne that he'll lose about $25,000 — which he's spent on posters, banners and flyers for his campaign. 

He added that the $40,500 deposit, which he already paid, will be refunded to him if he pulls out of the race. 

Besides Tan and Goh, former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song and former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam have also thrown their hats into the ring. 

Addressing the media during a doorstop on Thursday, Tan, who also contested in the 2011 Presidential Election said: "My campaign advisors urged me not to make such a statement [about withdrawing] as I could potentially lose supporters, but I disagree."

He also noted that Goh was relatively young at 63, with a good team and a sizeable number of supporters, making him a good independent candidate. 

When asked by AsiaOne about why he chose to make such a statement, Tan replied: "As the decision of the Presidential Election Committee (PEC) is due in four days time, it is the right time for me to make this statement." 

Aside from his comments about his potential competitors, Tan also divulged that he's been on the receiving end of some malicious remarks since announcing his intention to run for president a second time. 

He addressed his detractors in a Facebook post on Thursday morning, writing: "If you cannot help, do not distract, judge or be a burden". 

Last week, Tan suggested to the media that either he or Goh should step down if the PEC deems both of them eligible to run for head of state, to prevent "splitting the non-establishment" vote. 

Responding Tan's suggestion, Goh rubbished the idea during a media doorstop on Monday evening, saying: "Of course we don't have such an agreement, because I don't know him very well; he belongs to the previous [batch of candidates] from 2011." 

Despite Goh's remarks, Tan doubled down on his suggestion the on Tuesday (Aug 15). 

"If both of us qualify, I still think it is a good idea that we should discuss who should step down, because it’s not good to have a split vote among those who want to have an independent president," he told the media during his visit to Jurong West 505 Market and Food Centre that day. 

Tan officially launched his bid for President last Friday during a press conference, where he also announced his proposer and seconder — who are former presidential candidate and opposition politician Tan Jee Say, and opposition politician and lawyer Lim Tean respectively. 

During the 2011 election, Tan lost his deposit of $48,000 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.

READ ALSO: PE2023: 5 things to know about Tan Kin Lian

claudiatan@asiaone.com