This has been a rather eventful presidential elections. Firstly, the only truly independent presidential candidate George Goh failed to receive a certificate of eligibility. It’s a pity because it feels like he did try the hardest. Having decided 7 years ago when ELD increased the criteria for private-sector candidates, he came into this competition prepared. He even had his campaign flyers/merchandise/posters ready, and his team was definitely prepared.
Next, Tan Kin Lian’s past comments about pretty girls were brought to light.
Netters berated him for being overly chauvinistic. His explanation about his intent was not taken very kindly either.
We must recognize that Tan Kin Lian is not trying to be malicious.
Like he said, his intent is to show appreciation for women who tried to look good and put in effort to do so. The things that Tan Kin Lian said are common for his generation, where people are more crude and less politically correct.
Granted, he could have chosen better words, but we need to understand that he means well. This is his way of connecting with people he meets, praising people to acknowledge their effort in dressing up.
We need to be a less “exclusive” community, grouping ourselves against one another. Instead, we should be more inclusive and try to be more understanding of one another.
