Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian has cancelled his remaining daily walkabouts with three days of campaigning left before Cooling-off Day on Thursday (Aug 31), and asked volunteers to distribute flyers instead.

The former NTUC Income chief executive, 75, had earlier informed the media that he would visit Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village on Monday and Ayer Rajah Food Centre on Tuesday.

But on Sunday night, journalists in a WhatsApp group with Mr Tan and his media team were informed that there would be no walkabouts and no interviews from Monday to Wednesday.

His media team said it would give updates "if anything new is finalised".

After CNA asked about the reasons for the cancellation, Mr Tan's team sent a statement to the WhatsApp group.

"In the final three days of our campaign, our team will be focusing our efforts to distribute our 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," read the statement.

The team added that Mr Tan would be "joining us on this effort" to reach out to voters around Singapore.

"He looks forward to meeting as many of you as possible in this final days of his campaign to personally thank you for your support," the statement continued.

In a separate chat group for Mr Tan's supporters, volunteers were asked to distribute flyers and "micro posters" around different parts of Singapore from Monday to Wednesday.

The volunteers were asked to distribute the campaign materials to shops, market stalls and customers, and drop the remaining materials into letter boxes.

"Please turn up as usual, as if it is a walkabout," read a text message to volunteers seen by CNA.

After Nomination Day on Aug 22, Mr Tan held daily walkabouts at hawker centres with the exception of Aug 26, when he spoke at an event for National University of Singapore Society members.

At his walkabout at People's Park Food Centre on Sunday, Mr Tan was joined by Progress Singapore Party's chairman Dr Tan Cheng Bock and his proposer Mr Tan Jee Say, a member of the Singapore Democratic Party.

All three men were candidates in the 2011 Presidential Election, when they lost to Dr Tony Tan.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock gave Mr Tan his endorsement for the 2023 Presidential Election, saying that this was in his "personal capacity" and that he was "not here as a politician for this election".

The other two presidential candidates — former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song and former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam — have also held campaigning activities on a daily basis since Nomination Day.

The three candidates will answer questions in a live presidential forum broadcast on CNA at 9pm on Monday. They will also deliver campaign messages in a second presidential candidate broadcast on Wednesday evening.

On Friday, more than 2.7 million Singaporeans will head to the polls to vote in the country's first contested Presidential Election since 2011. CAN

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by DAVINA THAM

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