After submitting their nomination papers on Aug. 22, presidential candidates Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Ng Kok Song took questions from the media about the recent controversy surrounding fellow candidate Tan Kin Lian.

What is the controversy around Tan's social media posts?

Tan recently addressed comments regarding his Facebook posts about "pretty girls", saying that most people thought they were lighthearted and fun.

Hours later, the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) published concerns about a particular candidate's objectification of women. The candidate was unnamed, but it is widely believed to refer to Tan.

The Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) also released a statement saying it was unaware of Tan's social media posts before it issued a certificate of eligibility to him.

In the early hours of Aug. 22, Tan defended his Facebook posts in a statement on his website, claiming that he was the target of a "smear campaign".

He said on a live stream that he believed -- without evidence -- that the whole episode was orchestrated by a party backing his biggest opponent, Tharman.

Furthermore, in his statement, Tan added that if Tharman was involved in this "malicious attack", he would lose respect for him and "consider him to be unfit to be the president of Singapore".

This part of the statement has since been removed from his website.

Tharman: Glad that Tan withdrew suggestion

Responding to allegations of a smear campaign against one of his opponents, Tharman said he had "nothing to do with it".

He added that he was "very sure" that those who back him had nothing to do with it.

"I’m glad that Mr Tan Kin Lian has withdrawn that suggestion. It certainly goes against everything I represent, which I’ve said repeatedly—the need to focus on candidates’ ability to contribute to Singapore, [and] avoid smear campaigns of any sort."

Ng: Candidates should be genuine on social media

Ng was also asked about his thoughts on Tan's controversy.

"I do not wish to comment on recent criticisms of Mr. Tan, it is not the right thing to do. So I think you should ask Mr. Tan to explain himself."

In response to a question about how presidential candidates should express themselves online, Ng said they should be genuine and "let the people judge [them]".

He said social media is an important means of communication, especially to the younger generation.

"I've spent a lot of time appearing on social media. I spent a lot of time making TikTok videos so that I can communicate myself better with the younger generation.

I think the younger generation demands authenticity. They demand the truth. So speaking to social media is no different from speaking to other media. Tell the truth, tell the truth and let the people judge you."

Top images via Julia Yee and Isaac Wong.