IMDA and ELD remove inaccuracies about the president’s powers from Tan’s speech
Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian was required to revise parts of his official candidate broadcast after the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Elections Department (ELD) determined that certain statements misrepresented the constitutional role of the president.
According to a joint statement by IMDA and ELD, Tan had inaccurately suggested that the president could provide investment guidance for Singapore’s reserves and influence government policies. After being informed of these inaccuracies, his election agent made the necessary corrections without objection.
In a post on his website, Tan acknowledged that IMDA requested the removal of several key paragraphs from his speech. These omitted statements included his vision of using the presidency to influence policies related to reducing the cost of living, ensuring affordable housing, and securing stable job opportunities for Singaporeans. He argued that these were the most critical parts of his speech and criticized IMDA’s “narrow interpretation” of the Constitution.
IMDA and ELD emphasized that all candidates had been briefed on the president’s constitutional role before the campaign began and had signed statutory declarations confirming their understanding of the rules. They also reminded candidates of their voluntary agreement to conduct their campaigns in a manner that upholds the dignity of the presidential office.
The agencies reiterated the importance of ensuring the public is not misled about the president’s actual responsibilities, reinforcing that the role is primarily custodial rather than executive.
