Ex-Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng gushed over Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh’s voice and stature, in a Facebook post published at the end of the first full week of Parliament after the July election.
His post, which he called an “ode to Pritam Singh, was rare in that it was complimentary to members of the opposition. While Mr Cheng positions himself as an impartial socio-political commentator, many of his posts are pro-establishment and he is widely perceived to be a ruling party sympathiser.
On Friday (4 Sept), Mr Cheng called Mr Pritam the best performer in Parliament from the opposition benches. He said: “Pritam is a natural orator. He has the ability to speak on his feet without saying the wrong things, or using turns of phrases that can be turned into online memes.”
Gushing over the tone of Mr Pritam’s voice, Mr Cheng compared the opposition politician’s voice to that of Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Making an ‘Avengers’ reference, he wrote:
“He also has a pleasant deep tenor to his voice. SM Tharman also has this deep bass. This is something one is born with. Some people are born with squeaky voices, and no speech training can change this. In the Avengers, Starlord tried to imitate Thor’s deep voice and was laughed at by his friends.”
He was also effusive in his appreciation for Mr Pritam’s height. He wrote: “Pritam also has stature. When the ancient Israelites chose a King, they chose Saul partly because he was tall. Leaders have to look like leaders, especially in modern politics. Kim Jong Un also reportedly wears shoes that make him look taller.”
The quality that captured Mr Cheng the most was Mr Pritam’s authenticity. Pointing out that the WP chief even seemed to have made an impact on prominent members from the ruling party with the way he delivered his parliamentary speech, Mr Cheng said:
“Above all, Pritam speaks with authenticity. When he gets emotional, he is believable. When he professed his commitment to Singapore to build a better opposition, he emoted believably. Even PAP ministers thumped their arm rests in approval.”
Extolling the value of “charisma, oratorical skills, and stature” in modern politics, Mr Cheng added: “With Pritam Singh as their leader, the WP will be a formidable political opponent for the PAP.”
Read his post in full here:
https://www.facebook.com/calvinchengnmp/posts/3422808517769200?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARB_YcYKqRbUXPjpYef51J8gk-kAGcAp0REL-7Z9LXKIUoaaWuv9sT9KsSYxr6PP9mSscVcVRgqoKQzHoduXEfybhYNp8vC9ltae1-sEJ_hLd3cZznN6YU4-pGltGJcJvPAz5BEE7LqUZE_KKpggA2BME_5lTEoqvMz-ZA07e-QYCR8b4tkr08JZXVpUOcK711vusJiWmIITjW4DXTMF9m29dsDUoK_jJ75M9tuh8q9IcP4ueZeGnigvXYinRMRMLICke9kEtlIHcjQUZ8GbnAIfbwo47KJl3XQL6Xv6jJCYCLvdVNByzb1exTqvf8OrXbtBqSvCChdH681A8DgRoQ&__tn__=-R