Did Tan Kin Lian's 'smear campaign' claims hurt his presidency bid? PR professionals weigh in

We are about two weeks away from the Singapore presidential elections and the three candidates competing against each other have been dominating headlines. However, some have certainly been taking the spotlight more than others.

Just yesterday, presidential hopeful Tan Kin Lian put out a statement accusing some of attacking and creating a smear campaign against him for past social media posts on "pretty girls" he encountered while out and about. These posts were compiled in a TikTok video that went viral this week.

Netizens accused Tan of objectifying women in his posts, a sentiment that was amplified when women's right group AWARE posted a statement expressing concerns about his past social media posts. 

"Consistently posting about 'pretty girls', recording videos of women in public without their consent, or commenting about their appearance isn’t merely a matter of personal preference or light 'amusement'. It’s an act of objectifying women, reducing them solely to their appearances for their personal entertainment," wrote AWARE. It added:

Such behaviour from anyone in or aspiring to a position of influence suggests that it’s acceptable to trivialise women and overlook their myriad abilities and contributions.

In response to criticism from AWARE and the public, Tan released a statement addressing the social media posts and the discourse surrounding them.

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"I was the target of a smear campaign over the past few days," Tan wrote in a statement which has now, according to checks by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, been removed.

He went on to explain that someone had sent screenshots of his Facebook posts over the past ten years to mainstream media about his posts on the "pretty girls" that he met at shops, while jogging or while at the mall. 

"The sender said that she felt uneasy about these posts," he wrote in a statement that was embargoed for 1pm but that was posted to Facebook on 7.02am. He added:

I thought initially that it was the view of a single person and that the mainstream media should not blow it up. I was wrong.

He went on to note that there was a "concerted effort" by an "attack group" to smear him, citing his "top opponent", "editors of mainstream media", and a women's rights organisation. The word "top opponent" was reportedly removed at noon. 

Tan added that he does not objectify women as he has "many in [his] family". He also invited the public to look at his posts and to decide for themselves if they "objectify or denigrate women in any way". He added that the media is making a "mountain out of a molehill". 

Tan's statement was certainly an inflammatory one. According to media intelligence firm Truescope, it noted that AWARE's concerns regarding the assessment of presidential candidates, emphasising the consideration of 'wider societal impacts,' sparked intense debates.

"Notable voices within the online community have reservations about supporting hopeful candidate Tan Kin Lian, who reportedly has an alleged history of objectifying women, while others argue that sensitivity levels should be taken into account," said a spokesperson at Truescope.

So, did Tan's attempt to address his past social posts help his image or dig him further into a hole? MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to some PR professionals and ex-politicians to find out more.

"It's quite commonplace for politicians to cast any sort of criticism about them as politically motivated," said Edwin Yeo, general manager at Strategic Public Relations Group. "Such a narrative is often used to strengthen one's base, as it often motivates their die-hard supporters to try to influence others by taking to social media or in their chat groups in casting the politician as being victimised, and hopefully that translates to more votes," he explained. 

In this instance, Yeo said, there is "no doubt" that many would resonate with his message that what he said was harmless fun, as there are factions out there who are getting more frustrated with political correctness and a perceived woke culture, he added. "Blaming the media also obviously plays to the group of people who think that the mainstream media supports the establishment with propaganda."

Adding on, Charu Srivastava, chief strategy officer at TriOn & Co said that while it was necessary for him to address the increasing number of public questions and concerns as more and more of his past behavior was being publicly shared and debated, it was not necessary for him to play the blame game. She said:

Introducing the idea of a smear campaign makes him look and sound even more guilty considering that his questionable actions and comments are publicly available for all to see and judge.

Adding on, Srivastava explained that the fact that Tan did not admit his wrongdoing and, in fact, "dug in his heels further", reduces his credibility and reputation.

"A quick check of comments on social media carrying his statement, which he himself broke embargo on, shows people’s displeasure towards him, his attitude and his attempts to deflect," she said. 

Attacking the media

Beyond Tan's statement making him look worse than he probably intended, there is also the fact that he chose to trifle with the media, a key player when it comes to getting his messages across to the mass audience, according to Jose Raymond, a communications strategist who was a candidate at the 2020 General Elections in the single member constituency of Potong Pasir. He said:

There was no evidence whatsoever to suggest that there was a targeted smear campaign in which the media editors were all a part of.

"Someone who is standing for the highest office in the land must surely be prepared that his digital footprint was going to be scrutinised, and that he would be questioned over his rather interesting musings in the past," said Raymond. "He should answer them and use the media probe as an opportunity to expound his campaign narratives even further,"

Raymond added that the reality is that it will be hard to determine now if the attack strategy, if it is indeed the modus operandi, will bring in the votes.

"Candidates utilise different campaign strategies, and what matters ultimately is whether they are able to convince and influence enough voters to cast their vote in their favour," he said. 

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