Singapore — Lest Singaporeans take the General Election, or themselves, far too seriously, there are always memes to inject some humour into proceedings that will, admittedly, set the country’s course over the next five years.
From the beginning of the campaign period, there have been memes about the Singapore Democratic Party’s Dr Chee Soon Juan and the 10 million population issue, the Workers’ Party’s Professor Jamus Lim and the blank cheque he refused to give the People’s Action Party, as well as the looks of what seemed to be mutual admiration and understanding of the PAP’s Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Prof Lim on the night of the first debate.
One meme that has also gone viral put the PAP’s First Assistant Secretary-General Heng Swee Keat side by side with the WP’s Nicole Seah. Mr Heng and his team are up against Ms Seah and the WP team in East Coast GRC.
The meme, found on the Facebook page MALU, is entitled “When you did your homework and you have to present”. One one side is a photo of Ms Seah with the following quote: “In East Coast, we will stand firm. We will remain courageous. Vote for fairness and balance. Make your vote count.”
The quote from Mr Heng is somewhat more lacklustre. “For our East Coast residents… we also have a plan… East Coast Singapore… we have a together…”
The meme has been shared almost 900 times.
Mr Heng contesting in East Coast GRC was probably the biggest surprise of Nomination Day on June 30, as he had been serving as an MP for Tampines GRC since 2011. During his speech, he was not his usual calm, collected self, appearing flustered and stumbling over his words.
In contrast, some netizens have said that Ms Seah’s speech was the best of all the candidates on Nomination Day.
Ms Seah rose to popularity in the 2011 elections in Marine Parade GRC under the National Solidarity Party, mounting a serious challenge against former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and his PAP team, winning hearts and a substantial number of votes. Many were impressed by her eloquence and demeanour. After her recent electoral comeback, her popularity has again been on the rise.
Many netizens went along with the fun.
Others commented that Ms Seah, who has done work on the ground in East Coast for the past several years, is a worthy contender for MP.
Some posted even more flattering memes of Ms Seah.
/TISG
Read also: Is the Nicole Seah, Heng Swee Keat face-off at East Coast GRC a David and Goliath story?