SINGAPORE: A screenshot of a comment purportedly by presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian is going viral online in the wake of a harassment incident involving his rival Ng Kok Song.
Mr Ng was harassed in public by a young man at Clementi on Tuesday evening (29 Aug). Mr Ng was engaging with residents near Clementi Mall when the man, on a bicycle, approached Mr Ng’s team. The man began shouting vulgarities, making threatening gestures and followed Mr Ng for a short distance. He eventually left the area, shouting Mr Tan Kin Lian’s name.
@sgwhatsup Tan Kin Lian supporter disrupts Ng Kok Song’s walkabout at Clementi earlier today by riding his bicycle into the crowd and hurling vulgarities. We do not condone such acts, viewer discretion is advised. #pe2023 #presidentialelection #singapore #tankinglian
Mr Ng was not hurt in the incident, but members of the public alerted the police to the incident, with one individual reportedly making a police report.
Mr Tan’s team disavowed the man’s actions. His principal election agent, People’s Voice party member Prabu Ramachandran, has said that the individual who accosted Mr Ng is not a Tan Kin Lian campaign volunteer. He said on Facebook on Tuesday night:
“I have been campaigning with Mr Tan Kin Lian’s team of supporters and volunteers, I have never seen the guy riding bicycle who shouted at Ng Kok Song during his Clementi walkabout. I disavow such indecent actions and call for decency.”
Some netizens also raised concerns that the man may be deliberately trying to sully the Tan Kin Lian campaign in an attempted smear attack. Some welcomed Mr Prabu’s response and thanked him for asking voters to express their support at the ballots.
Others, however, were stunned by how Mr Tan himself allegedly responded.
A profile with Mr Tan Kin Lian’s name and picture commented on a video of the incident: “How do you know he is TAN KIN LIAN’s supporter? Is that Because he called my name? DRAMA QUEEN. #Smearcampaign”
Some ask whether this is Mr Tan’s real account or a parody profile, while others point out that all he needed to have said was that he condemns such actions.
Some are also asking who Mr Tan refers to with the label “drama queen,” while more cynical critics have said it is a clear jibe at his opponent, Mr Ng.
Mr Tan has made allegations of a smear campaign after receiving criticism for previous social media posts perceived as sexist. This is despite the fact that his opponents, Mr Ng and Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, have declined to comment on the controversy involving their rival.
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