Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian stated that he does not intend to "be an adversary to the elected government" and hopes to "work in collaboration with the government" in his first presidential candidate broadcast, which took place on Aug. 24, 2023.

The 75-year-old also outlined how he intends to safeguard Singapore's past reserves and protect the integrity of the public service.

Asked for "strong mandate"

While he mentioned that he wants to work with the government to perform his "key duties", he highlighted that he hopes he will be given a "strong mandate" in order to "provide an independent perspective" and "act in collaboration with the ruling government to deal with the challenges of the future".

Sharing that he comes from a "humble background", Tan said that he has been in "close touch with the ordinary people" during his lifetime, and intends to "remain in close touch" if he is elected president.

"I know of their hardship and aspirations," he shared. "I believe I can perform my duty best, if [I] am in touch with the pulse and heartbeat of the people".

Wants to rekindle "the spirit of unity and pride"

Stressing that his vision is to "build a nation where the people are united and live in harmony", Tan opined that the former can be achieved when people "feel financially secure", "are able to look beyond their immediate concerns" and "think about the greater good of our society".

He continued:

"This was the spirit of unity and pride that Singaporeans felt 50 years ago. We need to rekindle that spirit."

Believes he can carry out key duties after 30 years heading NTUC Income

Tan emphasised he is confident that the knowledge and experience from 30 years as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NTUC Income will aid him in carrying out the key duties of safeguarding past reserves and protecting the integrity of the public service.

Tan added that he wants to have the "right people at the top levels of our public service", explaining while Singapore should continue to value "scholars who have excellent thinking skills", he also wants to "value the knowledge and experience of people who have spent many years on the job and know the ground well".

"We need different types of people, those with talents and those with practical experience, to form a good team," he continued, saying that he will be "influenced by these factors in approving the recommendations of the people to be appointed into the top levels of our public service".

Tan called it "vitally important" that the reserves are "invested soundly to produce a good rate of return over the long term" and "not exposed to high risk".

He also hopes to "work with the government to ensure that the past reserves are used wisely for the benefit of our current and future generations".

Portion of initial speech removed

During a doorstop interview earlier in the day, Tan told reporters that an "important part" of his speech, which was about an “overall investment strategy”, was removed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on the grounds that the issues are “outside of the president’s prerogative”.

The next presidential candidate broadcast is slated to air on Aug. 30, 2023.

Top photo via Mediacorp