Chee Soon Juan mocks Gan Kim Yong’s controversial energy saving tips

SINGAPORE: Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan has made a dig at recent comments Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong made, as he expressed concerns online about the rate of deforestation in the country.

The party chief is presently on a trip to the US and has been invited to give talks to a number of groups, including students at top American schools. He wrote in a social media post that he took a drive to a state park to see the famed California redwood trees and was left amazed at the sight of the giant trees.

He wrote, “It didn’t disappoint. Its magnificence is truly breathtaking. Some of them are more than 2,000-years old.”

Reflecting on the state of forests at home, Dr Chee added, “Meanwhile, in Singapore, we are clearing more forests for development, including more data centres. But no worries, the government says they are ‘green’ data centres. And to compensate for the immense heat generated, not to mention the enormous amounts of power and water needed, we just have to use more fans and less air-con.”

His tongue-in-cheek comment about using less air-conditioning is a reference to the DPM’s controversial energy-saving tips that recently went viral.

Mr Gan had advised in Parliament earlier this month that Singaporeans should take public transport instead of driving and use fans instead of air-conditioning units to do their part in conserving energy.

Netizens on social media, online forums, and messaging groups were quick to ask whether the DPM and his fellow ministers would lead by example and take buses and trains, and turn off the air-con in Parliament, to do their part.

Others described the remarks as “tone-deaf” and “out of touch,” with some suggesting they reflected a disconnect between policymakers and ordinary citizens.