On 28 August 2023, for the first time, all three presidential candidates sat down together. Ng Kok Song, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Tan Kin Lian attended a presidential forum that was broadcast live. Some of us were surprised because Tan Kin Lian had previously declined to attend another forum.

Back on 12 August 2023, the Elections Department announced that the candidates would be entitled to two separate blocks of airtime for broadcasting their messages on television and radio in any or all of Singapore’s four official languages. Additionally, two forums organized by CNA and The Straits Times provided the only opportunities for the candidates to potentially meet each other.

In the first forum by The Straits Times, only Ng Kok Song and Tharman Shanmugaratnam attended.

Therefore, with Tan Kin Lian suddenly announcing that he was canceling all his walkabouts this week, I won’t blame you if you think it’d be yet another Ng-Tharman segment.

But no: Tan Kin Lian surprised us again, not just with his presence, but with other interesting things that happened.

Here are eight things that happened during the Presidential Forum 2023 that left a lasting memory:

The Mystery of Presidential Forum 2023

If you’ve tried Googling for more information about this Presidential Forum before it started, you’d know that information about this event is as limited as the funds in my bank account.

Not only was it uncertain whether all candidates would attend, but there wasn’t much information published by the mainstream media about this event.

It’s almost as if the marketing team for this event had all resigned.

And it doesn’t help that…

Tan Kin Lian’s Attendance is the First Surprise

Truth be told, this image caught me by surprise:

The odds of Tan Kin Lian attending the forum were low.

Other than the fact that he declined the invitation for the first forum and expressed his displeasure with the mainstream media (hello, Trump), he had just suddenly cancelled all his walkabouts and instead focused on distributing flyers.

Therefore, the very fact that he attended is a surprise. And there were more surprises from the 75-year-old former NTUC income CEO.

Notes, Notes & Notes

I was under the impression that the questions were not revealed to the candidates before the forum, but I was wrong.

It appears that the candidates knew the questions beforehand, as Mr Tan seemed to answer his questions from the sheets of A4 paper he had prepared.

Mr Tharman, being the eloquent speaker that he has always been, had notes but didn’t appear to refer to them (at least not when the camera was on him). The same goes for Mr Ng, although he did glance at them occasionally.

But seriously, the best speaker is the moderator, Otelli Edwards, whom you’d be familiar with if you watch CNA often, as she’s a news presenter with news network.

Tan Kin Lian’s Tie During Presidential Forum 2023

Take a look at this:

Now, take a look at this:

He said he had worn the same tie because President Ong Teng Cheong  had tasked him with chairing a charity, and the charity had given President Ong the tie.

Mr Tharman Finally Spoke About Others

Mr. Tharman has often not responded to other candidates’ comments, even when pressed by reporters. It’s like he’s campaigning against two other people: Mr Tharman and Mr Tharman.

But in a rare move, he finally spoke about them, saying this in his very first answer: “But I’ll have to say respectfully, that none of them brings the breadth and depth of experience that I have, which I’ll bring to the presidency.”

Well, it’s a debate, so keeping quiet is no longer an option.

And the debate continued.

Later that evening, when asked about independence (again), Mr. Tharman argued that people should avoid “simple labels” to link them to the establishment.

Because if that is so, then people like Ong Teng Cheong, Tony Tan, and Tan Cheng Bock. Simply put, many people are related to the establishments, lah.

And to add on, he gave another example of “a fund management company that depends on government monies.”

Familiar?

Familiar.

Songs from Other Countries

Since the forum aired, people have been making TikTok videos about something that Mr Tan said.

And yes, it’s from his script.

The candidates were asked, “What unique traits do you possess that will help you represent Singapore on the global stage?”

Mr Tharman and Mr Ng gave the usual politically correct answer, while Mr Tan’s answer was… interesting, for lack of a better word.

He had to travel often as the chairman of the International Co-operative and Mutual Insurance Federation, and he said, “Before I travel, I take some trouble to understand the culture, the history, and some languages of the country. I know songs in many languages through these travels.”

People were baffled by him using the word “trouble” and why he highlighted “songs.”

Well, at least it provided some good TikTok content.

Moderator Has to Indirectly Correct Tan Kin Lian’s Presidential Forum 2023 Closing Statement

In the forum, the moderator would ask a question and let the candidates speak. In between each speaker, she usually just said, “Next, Mr…”

But during the closing statement, after Mr Tan spoke about how his goal is to make life better for Singaporeans and how he would “collaborate and work with the government to find a better way to solve these problems,” Ms Edwards didn’t immediately move on to the next speaker.

Instead, after thanking Mr Tan, Ms Edwards said, “I would like to remind viewers of what the elected president can and cannot do. The president cannot express public views on legislation or government policy without being advised to do so by the Government.”

And as she said that, a card highlighting that point was shown on the screen.

At the end of the broadcast, even before the ending credits and music were played, Mr Tharman had already waved and said aloud, “Thank you, thank you,” surprising Ms Edwards.

Well, it’s not exactly something important, but it’s a fitting end to the Presidential Forum 2023, isn’t it?