SINGAPORE: The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) voiced concerns over Mr Tan Kin Lian’s participation in the upcoming Presidential Election, given his “history of objectifying women”.
The women’s rights group released a statement on Monday (Aug 21) saying that the assessment process for presidential candidates should not only take into account financial and management qualifications, but also “wider societal impacts”.
AWARE’s statement was published on Facebook after a CNA report on Mr Tan’s response to a viral TikTok video, which showed posts by the former NTUC Income chief executive about “pretty” girls.
Mr Tan said a “small minority” of people are uncomfortable with his social media posts that talk about “pretty” girls, and that most people find it “quite fun”.
Checks by CNA confirmed that the posts in the video were legitimate. The video has racked up more than 250,000 views and over 8,000 likes.
One TikTok user commented: “He does this all the time. (I don’t know) why (Elections Department) can pass him haha.” CNA has contacted the Elections Department for comment.
Mr Tan was one of three candidates who received a certificate of eligibility on Friday for the Presidential Election. He is due to submit his nomination papers on Tuesday.
In a press release on Friday, the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) said it is satisfied that Mr Tan is “a man of integrity, good character and reputation”.
Former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song also qualified to stand for the election.
“AN ACT OF OBJECTIFYING WOMEN”
AWARE said it shares the public’s concerns that Mr Tan has been cleared to run in the Presidential Election.
“Consistently posting about ‘pretty girls’, recording videos of women in public without their consent, or commenting about their appearance isn’t merely a matter of personal preference or light ‘amusement’,” the group said.
“It’s an act of objectifying women, reducing them solely to their appearances for their personal entertainment.
“Such behaviour from anyone in or aspiring to a position of influence suggests that it’s acceptable to trivialise women and overlook their myriad abilities and contributions.”
AWARE also commented on the decision to grant Mr Tan a certificate of eligibility for the election, calling it a “systemic endorsement”.
“It signifies that these views and behaviours are not just acceptable, but perhaps even agreeable enough for a potential presidency,” the statement said.
The President should embody the values, ethics and principles that reflect the nation Singapore wants to be, AWARE said.
“We urge the Presidential Election Commission to thoroughly consider the broader implications of such endorsements in the future,” it added.
The assessment process for presidential candidates should also consider the “wider societal impact to ensure our leadership truly upholds the values of respect, equality, and dignity for all Singaporeans”.
The video on TikTok was posted on Sunday by an account called spillthetea.sg.
In response to CNA’s question, Mr Tan said on Monday morning that most people are not bothered by his posts.
“Most of the people say it is quite light, it’s quite enjoyable. That’s how I build my people to be interested,” he told reporters before his walkabout at a hawker centre in Clementi West.
“There will be a few people who feel uncomfortable, but that is a very small minority, that’s a very small minority. (The) majority actually find that to be quite okay, quite fun.”
Mr Tan added that he posts on Facebook about other things, including “simple posts” about his meals at hawker centres. Those also attract some “nasty comments”, questioning why he has to post about his bowl of fishball noodle soup on social media.
“I say, please leave it to me. If you don’t like what I post, please stay out. Don’t make very rude remarks,” he said.
“Some of the people actually do it because they are malicious. They just want to make me look bad. And I think that’s no good. Not necessary.
“I ignore malicious people who are out to create trouble for me, so long as the majority of people find that those are quite harmless. Some people will be malicious.”