Morning Digest, May 3

Singaporean dancer to portray young Queen Elizabeth at Platinum Jubilee pageant on June 5

Twenty-two-year-old Janice Ho, a third-year student at the London Contemporary Dance School, has been chosen to portray Princess Elizabeth in the Diamond Jubilee pageant next month.

The casting of a Singaporean to play the British monarch appears to have been inspired by the hit Netflix show Bridgerton, a regency drama that has won praise for its diverse cast.

Read more here.

Jamus Lim Hari Raya wishes: “I wish, as we celebrate Eid and the end of Ramadan, that we pause and reflect on things that truly matter”

Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Jamus Lim took his young daughter to a light show at Gardens by the Bay, and wrote in a social media post on Monday (May 2) that she was “thoroughly captivated by the lights and sounds, and breaking into spontaneous dance.”

Like all parents, his child’s happiness made him happy, and he wrote that he wished “as we celebrate Eid and the end of Ramadan, that we pause and reflect on things that truly matter. May we continue to discover in ourselves this sense of childlike wonder, in all that we do,” he added on posts on Facebook and Instagram.

Read more here.

WP’s Abdul Shariff who was once a general worker & dispatch rider says, many older fellow worker’s savings are ‘insufficient to retire in a first world of high costs – and still rising’

On Labour Day, Workers’ Party politician Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim, looked back on his days as a general worker and dispatch rider, but also noted that many of his former colleagues, now older but still working past retirement age, face an uncertain future as their savings may not be enough to see them through.

In a Facebook post on Sunday (May 1), Mr Abdul Shariff wrote that he thinks about his former colleagues every year on Labour Day, and shared some of his own past experiences, including lying down on a concrete floor during the midday break, a feeling that he described as “heavenly.”

Read more here.

Public on MCI ‘stereotypical’ video ad that was taken down: ‘No need to ‘progress’ or be ‘uplifted’ to celebrate Hari Raya’

The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) has taken down a Hari Raya video following online backlash that the ‘advertisement’ stereotypes the Malay community.

“It’s been two years since we’ve celebrated Hari Raya properly. You do not need to ‘progress’ or be ‘uplifted’ to be able to celebrate Hari Raya,” wrote Instagram page Lepak Conversations on Sunday (May 1). The page was referring to a video titled Messages for Syawal, uploaded by MCI on various Gov.sg social media accounts in time for Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Tuesday (May 3).

Read more here.

‘Pure stupidity’ — Netizens condemn teen who slapped ice cream on his own face, poured 2 cups of water over himself, then left a mess on McDonald’s floor, leaving old uncle to clean up their mess

A video of teens doing a silly prank at McDonald’s SAFRA Punggol recently has earned the ire of many commenters, who called the teens out for their bad behaviour.

The poster sent the video to the Singapore Incidents Facebook page, where it was published on Sunday (May 1). The 25-second clip showed a teenage boy pouring two cups of water on his head, whilst being recorded on the cam phones by a few girls.

Read more here.