In a Facebook post earlier today, Ho Ching, the Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings and wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, shared the story of Kylian Mbappé.
She shared an article by the Business Insider Singapore, titled, ‘France’s 19-year-old wunderkind is donating his World Cup winnings to charity — and the total could be more than $500,000’.
Her post about Mbappé saw 79 reactions and 23 shares from netizens, a lot more than the usual one or two reactions her many Facebook posts see.
One of the comments stood out over the rest.
Netizen Arnold Yeo said, “I hope the local kid can play for EPL too. He too should shine”.
His comment came at a timely moment, where there have been heated talks over whether 17-year old Singaporean Ben Davis should be granted a deferment from National Service (NS) to be able to play for Fulham Football Club.
Other netizens who commented on her post seemed to express their happiness for Mbappé and his career.
The two young football players are around the same age, so it begs the question as to why Ho Ching would advocate for a French player, but not for a homegrown one.
Many Singaporeans are also of the opinion that because Ben Davis is not asking for a complete exemption of his NS, he only requests for a deferment, which should be considered by the Government.
Ho Ching’s Facebook post also raises the question as to how much support local talent receives.
A similar Facebook post was one by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam who also praised the French football team and “19 year-old sensation Kylian Mbappe, the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pele did sixty years ago”.
DPM Tharman’s post also raised many questions about Ben Davis and the support he received locally.
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obbana@theindependent.sg