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Singapore presidential election: 4 candidates, 4 different campaigns
Straits Times - August 18, 2011
Tan Cheng Bock, Tan Jee Say, Tony Tan and Tan Kin Lian arrived at the Nomination Centre at the People's Association (PA) headquarters in Jalan Besar well before the noon deadline and committed themselves to the contest with the submission of their papers.
No one can pull out now, without forfeiting his election deposit of $48,000. Thus ended earlier talk that a candidate may drop out at the last minute to avoid a four-cornered fight. At 12.30pm, Returning Officer Yam Ah Mee officially announced the quartet as candidates.
In Singapore's most intensely-fought presidential election since 1993, how the candidates present themselves to the 2.27 million voters before Polling Day on Aug 27 will be critical.
With only nine days of campaigning, the aim is the same: reach out to as many people as possible by visiting high-traffic areas such as hawker centres and MRT stations, and to use social media.
Tan Kin Lian also confirms that he will be holding his rally next Wednesday night in Yio Chu Kang. Tan Jee Say also said he would most likely hold a night rally to reach out to the most number of supporters. There are no election meetings scheduled for today.
But while the mediums might be similar, how the four leverage on them as well as their messaging would be different, based on how the first day of campaigning went yesterday after the nomination period ended.
In the hours leading up to Nomination Day yesterday, there was apparently jockeying behind the scenes. Right till late Tuesday night, supporters from rival camps purportedly contacted former NTUC Income chief Tan Kin Lian and urged him to step aside so that those opposing former deputy prime minister Tony Tan could join forces. He declined.
Meanwhile, outside the nomination hall yesterday, there was robust action. By 9.30am, the quiet neighbourhood in Jalan Besar – a mix of residential and light industry units – was abuzz.
As a reflection of Tony Tan's organized and well-resourced campaign machinery, his 3,000 supporters from unions, clans and community bodies were the first to arrive in chartered coaches.
They also boast the most professionally-prepared campaign paraphernalia, from caps adorned with his election logo – his trademark square-rimmed spectacles, to banners and posters. In the afternoon, Dr Tan unveiled magnets and postcards to be given away.
In contrast, former senior civil servant Tan Jee Say, who stood as an opposition candidate in the May General Election, had fewer supporters, numbering about 100. But they made up for their lack in numbers with raucous enthusiasm.
It showed from the moment he alighted from a mini-bus a street away from the Nomination Centre, where a scrum of supporters waited. Shouting "Jee Say, ho say (Hokkien for 'very good')!", they escorted him to the PA headquarters.
Under the erratic weather – first, searing heat followed by a tropical storm and then the brutal afternoon sun, temperatures soared as supporters waited for the candidates to emerge at 12.30pm.
The first to go, Tan Cheng Bock, spoke of his desire to promote multiracialism, while Tan Jee Say aimed for the political jugular saying: "The primary purpose of the elected president is to provide checks and balances on the Government."
But Tony Tan, the third candidate to speak, found himself contending with loud heckling from rival camps of supporters, as he strove to stress that the president must be "above politics".
One group distinguished itself without such behaviour: Tan Kin Lian's supporters.
Tan drew chuckles and cheers when he high-fived his wife Vivian after his speech. It was an allusion to his 'Hi-5' catchline reflecting his five values: honesty, fairness, positive attitude, courage and public service.
On stage, the candidates also unveiled their teams of key supporters.
Tan Jee Say is counting on mainly opposition party leaders like National Solidarity Party's Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss.
Tony Tan has a high-powered team comprising a mix of diplomatic heavyweights, corporate chieftains and professionals such as Gopinath Pillai, Ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Hyflux boss Olivia Lum.
Former veteran People's Action Party MP Tan Cheng Bock's choices include heartlanders such as taxi driver G.K. Singam and private tutor Nadarajah Loganathan.
Election logos launched yesterday were also designed to emphasize different points.
Tony Tan explained his spectacles logo thus: "No one ever ruined his or her eyesight by taking a long-term view."
Tan Jee Say went for the heart – to symbolise "empathy", he said, in contrast to the government's 'hard-nosed' approach.
Voters will make up their minds soon enough on Aug 27, but not before the Tans throw their all into the campaign.
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