Tan Kin Lian apologises to those who feel 'uncomfortable' over his 'pretty girls' social media posts

SINGAPORE: Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian said on Tuesday (Aug 22) that he does not know why his previous social media posts on women have come under attention in recent days, but apologised to those who may have felt “uncomfortable”.

“I did say there are some pretty girls, but the pretty girls take the effort to dress up to be attractive. When I say that they are attractive, most of them actually feel quite happy," he told reporters.

“I don’t know why somebody would want to use that as a negative point,” he said, adding that he has been portrayed by the mainstream media in an “unfair and dishonest” manner.

“But in case some other ladies, after reading this, think that they are uncomfortable, I want to apologise to them,” the second-time presidential candidate said in an interview with the media after he was nominated for the Presidential Election, which will be held on Sep 1.

The other two candidates contesting the election are former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song and former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Mr Tan’s social media posts about women came to the fore after a TikTok video showing several posts by the former NTUC Income chief executive went viral over the weekend.

The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) on Monday voiced concerns over Mr Tan's participation in the Presidential Election, given his “history of objectifying women”.

Mr Tan on Tuesday morning claimed that he has been a target of a “smear campaign”. Without citing names or producing any proof, he also claimed that his “top opponent” is involved, along with the “editors of the mainstream media” and a women’s rights organisation.

However, a check by CNA of Mr Tan’s Facebook page at noon on Tuesday showed that the statement has since been amended to remove references to the “top opponent”.

Responding to questions from reporters at the nomination centre, Mr Tan reiterated that the social media posts under scrutiny were uploaded and viewed by “more than 100,000” people over a period of 10 years.

“During that time, I don’t have any objection,” he said. “Suddenly, somebody ... said ‘I feel uncomfortable’. But there are more than 100,000 people who watch the posts over 10 years. Why do you feel uncomfortable now?

“Initially, I thought that it is someone who just want to create problems for me … Later on, I realise that it is a concerted effort to smear me,” said the 75-year-old, who was accompanied by his wife.

He added that there is a group of “malicious” people out to “attack and criticise” him on social media, and he thinks they are “most likely coming from (his) competitors”.

Mr Tan said he spoke to Mr Tharman on Tuesday.

“(Mr Tharman) asked to speak to me, and Mr Tharman was quite gracious. He assured me that they are not from his team,” he told reporters.

Mr Tharman said separately that he had “nothing to do with it”, and that it “goes against everything” he represents.

Mr Tan added that he does not think the “malicious” comments have anything to do with his other opponent, Mr Ng.

“I have been the subject of smears for more than 10 years. Mr Ng was not around and these smears, of course, come from one political party,” he added.

The presidential candidate also said that he wanted to reach out to AWARE.

“I wanted to write to AWARE - 'Please tell me what exactly do you find offensive' - but I got no way to reach out to them.”