Former presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian argues with FB followers about his selfie with Uyghur woman

SINGAPORE: Tan Kin Lian, the former chief executive officer of NTUC Income who ran for President of Singapore both in 2011 and 2023, sounded a defensive note in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sep 16), taking aim at people whom he deemed hypocritical.

The trouble began when Mr Tan, who is a prolific social media poster, shared a photo of himself with a woman on Sunday (Sep 14).

“This Uyghur beauty is not only pretty but friendly. I asked her permission to take a picture and she replied – 可以 (possible),” he wrote in the caption. Mr Tan’s post generated a lot of interest among his followers, judging from the likes, comments, and shares it received.

While some commenters pointed out the woman’s attractiveness, others ribbed Mr Tan about the big smile on his face, teasing him about how happy he looked.

“Uncle Tan is a happy man. Enjoy his travelling, savour good foods with good company, and make unforgettable memories every day of his life, it’s truly inspiring!” was one such comment.

However, Mr Tan appeared not to appreciate some other comments, which gave rise to another post two days later.

“When I posted a selfie with an attractive Uyghur girl, I received 450,000 views in two days. My ordinary posts receive an average of 5,000 views.

“Some bad people spread smears about my liking for ‘pretty girls.’ They are hypocrites. They like photos of pretty girls themselves. They should be honest about themselves, instead of judging others.

“I was only responding to popular demand,” he wrote, which served to add fuel to the fire, so to speak.

Mr Tan added in a comment that a post he had made about the Karez irrigation system had only received 3,000 views, and added, “My followers are not interested in this historic and scientific marvel. They preferred pretty girls.”

While some made fun of his comments, others defended him, saying they saw nothing wrong with his post.

“Haha – we are humans – anyway u are showing the ordinary people lives there- maybe more ppl will go – instead of being coped up in the SG pressure cooker & argue over hawker food prices,” wrote one.

Another, however, took issue with the post, reminding Mr Tan of his age and of his bids for the presidency, implying that it was inappropriate for him to post such a photo and then try to justify it. /TISG

Read also: Tan Kin Lian slams Trump’s Tariff policies in blistering Facebook post