It turns out I was terribly mistaken! The Tans ARE easy to tell apart. On the ballott sheet, not only are there black and white pictures, but also
symbols!! That's right, the presidential candidates each have their own symbol. I was quite confused (glasses? But they all wear glasses. And is that an aboriginal headpiece?), but I found the
answer:
The heart stands for
conscience and empathy (I thought love, but I was again wrong).
The hand-bubble stands for the
Voice of the People. But there's more! The five fingers, (consistent with chinese reflexology), represent
honesty, fairness, a positive attitude, courage and public service. However I'm not sure if these are features of the Tan or of the People...
Anyway the
headdress palm leaf represents: "
the multiracial society, the trunk represents them coming together (the races?),
and the roots represents (sic)
people taking root in Singapore" (roots however not shown).
The glasses represent, well, glasses. However, Mr. Tan adds: "
No one has ever ruined his or her eyesight by taking a long-term view".