SINGAPORE: Like the other new candidates for The Workers’ Party (WP), Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal was introduced to the public with a short video clip posted over the WP’s social media sites.
While the WP publishes a standard bio for each candidate, including their educational background and the career path they’ve taken, the videos allow viewers to get to see and hear what the candidate is all about.
Mr Singh, who is arguably the most qualified candidate for the May 3 polls, has created a lot of buzz due to his sterling credentials, having been educated at the National University of Singapore and Harvard University. He also taught at Harvard Law School’s Summer Program of Instruction for Lawyers and served as a Justice’s Law Clerk in the Supreme Court of Singapore.
In the video, he talks about how his aspirations to become a fighter pilot were thwarted due to shortsightedness in his left eye after he had already qualified as a pilot at the age of 17. He also said that his father, brother, and his four children continue to inspire him.
At one point, however, he talked about how “everyone” calls him Happy.
“My mom calls me Happy. Relatives call me Happy. People who grew up in the kampung call me Happy. Many of them don’t even know my real name; they just know me as Happy.”
He added that when he does house visits with older people, he simply tells them in Teowchew or Hokkien to call him “Happy,” which brings on a smile.
“‘Happy’ is the callsign I would give myself, so feel free to call me ‘Happy,'” he said.
But this is not the only nickname the candidate has. In an episode of the Yah Lah BUT podcast aired on April 10, the hosts teased Mr Singh about netizens who had called him the “harpoon of The Workers’ Party”.
The Senior Counsel then revealed that “Harpoon” was the nickname that his closest friends gave him when he was in Harvard Law School. “And so it was interesting to see this connection a couple of decades later,” he added.
The nicknames appear to be sticking in commenters’ memories, some of whom have begun to refer to him as such.
“Harpoon is indeed a GEM. Let’s not wait. We should send him to Parliament,” wrote one.
“Thank you very much for stepping up. Thank you, Happy,” noted another.
One chimed in, “If only he is in my constituency! I will Happy-ly vote for him.”
“We want happy. So we need Happy. Vote him to Parliament,” a commenter wrote.
One Facebook user, who said they had lived near Mr Singh, spoke up on his behalf, as well as expressed concern over the negative comments others have made about him.
“I was once Harpreet’s neighbour, and I can personally vouch for his character. Harpreet is truly a good man; genuine, grounded, and deeply compassionate. He carries a heart for the people, always treating others with humility and kindness. There isn’t a trace of arrogance in him.
“It saddens me to see some trying to discredit him without ever having met or known him. They grasp at straws, hoping to cast doubt and prevent a sincere, capable leader from being elected.
“If Harpreet is not given the chance to serve, it is not just a missed opportunity, it would be a loss for the nation.” /TISG
Read also: ‘Please send this intelligent person to Parliament’: Singaporeans wowed by WP’s Harpreet Singh