Tan Kin Lian launches presidential bid, names Tan Jee Say and Lim Tean as proposer, seconder

The President must be someone who is "independent from the People's Action Party", Tan Kin Lian has said on Friday (Aug 11) to officially launch his bid for president. 

In a press conference at the Copthorne King's Hotel that is reminiscent of a opposition political party rally, the 75-year-old also announced his proposer and seconder. 

They are former presidential candidate and opposition politician Tan Jee Say, and opposition politician and lawyer Lim Tean respectively. 

Lim is the leader of Peoples Voice while Tan Jee Say began his political career with the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in 2011. The latter founded SingFirst in 2014 and then asked to rejoin the SDP after his party was dissolved in 2020.

But even with endorsements from these opposition figures, Tan believes that he can be a president who will be "above politics".

"I will take the advice from various people [not just from the PAP and the opposition], and make the final judgement," he told AsiaOne, adding that both Lim and Tan Jee Say "know that this is my stance".

Tan Kin Lian announced on July 30 that he has applied for a certificate of eligibility in the upcoming Presidential Election, adding that he will wait for the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) to decide on approved candidates before deciding on whether to submit the nomination paper.

And a blog post published on Aug 3, Tan said that he intends to "use the power of the president's office to work collaboratively with the government" and to "find alternative solutions" on issues such as cost of living, housing and jobs. 

"I do not intend to be an adversary to the government," said Tan. "Instead, I plan to collaborate, engage in discussions and meetings with government ministers and share my insights and proposals for alternative approaches." 

Tan also shared that the President's veto powers can be used "to ensure that government policies align with [his] vision and goals". 

But several analysts have labelled Tan's aims as unrealistic and misleading - with one telling CNA that Tan is setting a dangerous precedent by "demonstrating that he is going to be rather antagonistic" to the government. 

Speaking at the press conference today, Tan reiterated that if elected as president, he plans to "hold conversations" in the form of regular meetings with the government to "influence policies".

"People who know me, they know me to be a very innovative and creative person. I think outside the box," said Tan.

"The President should work with the prime minister and ministers in a constructive way. There should be consultation and collaboration because we share the same goal - to make life better for Singaporeans."

In the 2011 Presidential Election, the former NTUC Income chief 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.

At the press conference, Tan Jee Say was asked why he did not stand for the upcoming presidential race, to which he said he did not believe that he would not qualify this time round.

Instead, he shared his reasons for endorsing Tan Kin Lian's candidacy.

"[Tan Kin Lian] is independent and meets the strict criteria. No problem. And we want a contest. We cannot afford a walkover," he said.

On his former 2011 presidential election opponent, he said that Tan will be a "good president".

"It definitely takes a lot of courage to place himself at the mercy of the voters to contest again. No matter what, I think we can all admit that this courage is commendable," he added.

Tan Kin Lian had previously 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.

ALSO READ: 5 things to know about Tan Kin Lian

chingshijie@asiaone.com