Presidential candidate Ng Kok Song said that his campaign is going "amazingly well".

Speaking to the media at an Aug. 27 walkabout at Tampines Round Market, Ng noted that when he started his campaign, he felt "very much like an underdog chasing the top dog".

"I think the underdog is slowly catching up with the top dog," he quipped.

Online campaign has helped reach Singaporeans

Ng attributed his progress to his online campaign.

This has helped him reach out to many Singaporeans that he would not otherwise have been able to engage through the mainstream media or walkabouts.

Importantly, social media has also helped him reach out to the younger generation, Ng added.

"I'm so pleased with our investments [in] our campaign, on social media and online.

And I'm so happy, so delighted with the marvelous work which my social media team has done for me."

Tecochew, not Mandarin

He also spoke about his Mandarin ability, and how it has been an unfortunate impediment to his communication with the Mandarin-speaking population in Singapore.

Describing his Mandarin as "not up to standard", Ng explained that he instead speaks Teochew, his dialect.

"When I was in school — and this [was] almost 70 years ago — Mandarin was not a compulsory subject.

So the medium of instruction was English. Which explains why my Mandarin is not as good as the younger generation."

Ng added that his parents also only spoke Teochew.

However, post-election, he plans to start learning Mandarin "to communicate with the people of Singapore, especially those who are Chinese."

"I hope to be able to communicate both in Mandarin, and in Teochew," he said.

Top photo via Mothership