Tan Kin Lian shifts focus to intensive campaign flyer distribution in countdown to Presidential Election

SINGAPORE: Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian has altered his campaign strategy in the final three days of his campaign approach, leading up to the Cooling-off Day on Thursday (31 Aug).

Instead of his planned walkabouts, he has chosen to shift his focus towards distributing campaign flyers through the efforts of his team and volunteers.

On Monday (28 Aug), Mr Tan Kin Lian updated on his official Facebook post that In the final 3 days of campaign, his team will be focusing our efforts on distributing their campaign flyers at HDB heartlands and MRT stations throughout various parts of Singapore.

“As such the original walkabouts plans have been cancelled in order for us to concentrate our efforts in this final lap.”

Tan Kin Lian himself will actively partake in this collective endeavour to connect with numerous voters across different points throughout Singapore.

“He looks forward to meeting as many of you as possible in these final days of his campaign to personally thank you for your support, ” said Mr Tan’s media team in the Facebook post.

At the outset, Tan Kin Lian, the former NTUC Income chief executive, had originally planned to engage in walkabouts at Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village on Monday and Ayer Rajah Food Centre on Tuesday.

However, a shift in plans transpired on Sunday night when his media team conveyed the alteration to journalists via a WhatsApp group. The message indicated that there would be no walkabouts or interviews scheduled from Monday to Wednesday.

In a separate chat group for Tan Kin Lian’s supporters, volunteers were encouraged to engage in the distribution of campaign materials, including “micro posters,” across different areas of Singapore.

The distribution was to cover shops, market stalls, customers, and letter boxes. Volunteers were requested to follow a routine similar to a walkabout, suggesting the importance of maintaining an active presence.

Since Nomination Day on 22 August, Tan Kin Lian has actively engaged in daily walkabouts at hawker centers, with the exception of August 26 when he participated in an event for the National University of Singapore Society members.

Notably, during his walkabout at People’s Park Food Centre on Sunday (27 Aug), he was accompanied by Dr Tan Cheng Bock, chairman of the Progress Singapore Party, and Mr Tan Jee Say, a member of the Singapore Democratic Party, both of whom were candidates in the 2011 Presidential Election.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock expressed his endorsement of Tan Kin Lian for the 2023 Presidential Election, emphasizing that this endorsement was in his personal capacity rather than as a politician.

Singaporeans to cast their vote on 1 September

The Elections Department of Singapore (ELD) is a department under the Prime Minister’s Office.

It has the responsibility of preparing for and managing the conduct of Presidential and Parliamentary elections and any national referendum in Singapore.

The Singapore Presidential Election 2023’s Polling Day is set for 1 September, designated a public holiday by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

There are a total of 2,709,455 eligible voters in the updated voter rolls – an increase of over 55,000 people from the 2,653,942 electors in GE2020.

Singaporeans will be voting to elect their ninth president from three candidates: the former GIC investment chief, Mr Ng Kok Song (75); former People’s Action Party senior minister, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (66); and the former NTUC Income chief, Mr Tan Kin Lian (75).