‘Brilliant!’: Singaporeans praise WP’s ‘#MakeTimeFor’ campaign as playful jab at ‘No Time Neo’

SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) has drawn widespread praise online after launching a National Day campaign that many Singaporeans saw as a playful nod to Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo’s widely criticised “no time” remark in Parliament.

The campaign, unveiled on July 15 through the party’s social media platforms, features WP Member of Parliament Jamus Lim introducing the initiative, dubbed #MakeTimeFor, which encourages Singaporeans to share the activities, people and passions they choose to make time for in their daily lives.

Although the video never mentions Mr Neo by name, viewers were quick to connect its messaging to the minister’s controversial parliamentary quip earlier this month, with many describing the campaign as a clever response to one of the most talked-about political moments in recent weeks.

Opening the video, Prof Lim says: “No time, no time, no time… We’ve all heard that before.”

He then continues: “No time for movies? No time for singing? Even no time for football? Look, if we are honest to ourselves, if we really want to make the time, we will find the time.”

He ends the clip by inviting members of the public to submit a 10 to 15-second video showing what they “make time for” through a Google Forms link included in the caption. Selected entries will be featured in the party’s upcoming National Day video.

To inspire participants, the WP suggested a range of ideas, including spending time with Teochew-speaking grandparents, filming a hawker food mukbang, hiking in Maju Forest with a pet, introducing a hidden gem in one’s neighbourhood or showcasing Singapore’s arts and cultural attractions.

The campaign emerged against the backdrop of continuing public discussion surrounding Mr Neo’s parliamentary remarks.

The minister came under fire after replying to an opposition MP’s question about whether he had watched the original or dubbed version of the Teochew hit Dear You by saying: “Ministers have no time to watch movies.”

While the comment appeared to have been intended as a joke, it quickly spread across social media and became the subject of memes, parody videos and criticism. Many questioned whether a minister responsible for the culture portfolio should regard watching films as outside the scope of his work.

As criticism mounted, the first-term People’s Action Party (PAP) politician and former Chief of Army was widely referred to online by the nickname “No Time Neo”, a label that has continued to gain traction on social media.

The Workers’ Party’s latest campaign was warmly received by many netizens, who viewed it as a humorous but effective piece of political messaging.

One commenter called the campaign “Brilliant!”, saying Mr Neo had tried to “yaya papaya in Parliament” only to “eat humble pie” after eventually watching the movie and now finding himself “kena trolled by the opposition.” The commenter ended by encouraging the WP to “Keep it up”.

Another simply wrote, “Well played WP, well played,” accompanied by applause emojis.

One commenter praised the campaign for delivering its message in a light-hearted way, writing, “Well done, can’t charge them,” before joking that it was an “educational video to teach people how to make time for themselves.”

Others appreciated the party’s tongue-in-cheek approach, with one remarking, “Troll to the max!”, while another described it as a “Great clap back!”