Singapore should have 'mercy' towards drug mules facing death penalty: Tan Kin Lian

SINGAPORE: Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian said "it is okay" to be merciful to drug mules facing the death penalty in Singapore, and that he does not believe granting clemency will lead to a flood of drug traffickers.

He said the President has to take the Cabinet’s advice on such issues, but he would give them his “private advice”.

The former NTUC Income chief executive was answering questions from members of the National University of Singapore Society at Kent Ridge Guild House on Saturday (Aug 26).

The closed-door event was livestreamed on Mr Tan’s Facebook page. Fellow presidential hopeful and former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song held a similar session on Friday evening.

During the question-and-answer segment, Mr Tan gave his views on a range of topics, from the death penalty and Singapore’s reserves to the rental of Ridout Road bungalows by ministers.

Analysts have repeatedly pointed out that the head of state in Singapore cannot set policies, but Mr Tan has continued to speak about issues such as the cost of living and housing.

On Saturday, he acknowledged that the President is not involved in policymaking, but said he would like to dialogue with the Prime Minister and offer his ideas.

PRESIDENT'S PARDON

The presidential hopeful said Singapore can be merciful to drug mules, and that “many of them come from very poor families”.

“Quite often, they were not aware, they were just tricked into conveying the drugs. I will certainly think that we should have the mercy,” he said.

Mr Tan said he would approach the Cabinet before it makes its decision.

“If the Cabinet decides against me, which they have the power to do, it will be not so respectful,” he said. “I will ask the Cabinet to respect the President.”

According to the Constitution, the President can grant pardon to offenders “on the advice of the Cabinet”.

Dr Felix Tan, a political analyst at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said Mr Tan can always give his point of view to the Cabinet.

“It’s not just a one-way track and that is the way it should be done,” he said. Dr Tan also noted that there is a legal process that needs to be completed before such a decision reaches the President.

Mr Tan said there may be concerns that pardoning one person means everyone else will have to receive the same treatment, and there will be an influx of drug traffickers in Singapore.

“I don’t believe in that, I think it is okay to be merciful,” he said. But he added that if there is indeed a flood of drug offenders, he will be “not so forgiving”.

SHOULD PRESIDENTS BE APPOINTED?

In response to a comment about rules for presidential candidates, Mr Tan said he agreed that the rules should be changed.

“We spend so much time to elect a president and then we end up telling the president these are the things you cannot do,” he said to laughter from the audience.

Calling it an “unproductive exercise”, he said he believes it may be better to go back to the old system where the President is appointed by the parliament.

Mr Tan also said having a Council of Presidential Advisers is complicated, and that is another reason why he thinks the president should be appointed instead of elected.

NO NEED TO KEEP RESERVES A SECRET

On the topic of Singapore’s Reserves, Mr Tan said he does not think the figure needs to be kept secret.

The Ministry of Finance previously said it is not in Singapore’s national interest to reveal the full size of her reserves because that would make it easier for the markets to mount “speculative attacks on the Singapore dollar” during vulnerable times.

Mr Tan said he disagrees. “According to somebody who has worked in the Ministry of Finance before, he told me the chance of being attacked is quite small, and I agreed with him.”

“I would certainly have preferred that we agree that there is no need for secrecy, why don’t we just tell the people?” he said.

Asked whether the President can reveal Singapore’s reserves, NTU’s Dr Tan pointed out that it is considered a state secret, and the President is not above the law.

“I don’t think that the President is entitled in any way to reveal a state secret,” he said. “There will be consequences.”

Mr Tan also repeated that he thinks Singapore has been saving too much in the reserves.

“Therefore I believe that there is no need to increase (the goods and services tax) that causes so much hardship,” he said.

“It makes a lot of sense for the government to say let’s suspend GST totally, for one year, for two years.”

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO RIDOUT ROAD

Mr Tan also responded to a question on whether he would call for a commission of inquiry (COI) into the rental of Ridout Road bungalows by Ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan.

He said the President has the power to call for a COI into any public official, but it is unclear whether that includes ministers.

Mr Tan said he personally thinks there is nothing wrong with the ministers renting those state properties because most people would not be interested in living there.

“I am one of the very few people who hold a different opinion from the majority of Singaporeans,” he said.

If there’s a big public outcry, Mr Tan said he would call for a COI.

“But if they ask my personal opinion, I will say, let’s be fair. I don’t know, who wants the Ridout bungalow for S$26,000 (US$19,000)? I don’t think many people will be interested.”

"PRETTY GIRLS" POSTS

The presidential hopeful once again apologised to those who took issue with his posts about “pretty girls”.

“I get the sense that some women actually felt unhappy at my posts of these pretty girls, I want to give them my apology. It was not meant to insult them, it was meant to be just quite light-hearted.

“I thought that most people would recognise it’s quite light-hearted. But people who feel offended, please accept my apologies,” he said to applause from the audience.

He also explained that the posts were made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was walking down the streets and it was quite boring,” he said. “I was trying to build up a following on Facebook, so I just made some light-hearted comments.”

Some of those posts were compiled into a video that went viral on TikTok, leading to a debate about whether he objectified women and whether the Presidential Elections Committee should have issued a certificate of eligibility to him.

Analysts previously told CNA that the issue could cost Mr Tan votes in the election.