Gan Kim Yong promotes “Not a Stranger” hashtag after Punggol GRC resident appears to snub him in viral video

SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong has promoted a video on social media with the hashtag “NotAStranger,” hours after a video in which he seemed to be snubbed by a resident in Punggol GRC went viral.

Mr Gan was moved from his longtime Choa Chu Kang GRC homeground in the West of Singapore to the new Punggol GRC near the East at the nth hour on Nomination Day. The contest at Punggol GRC is being closely watched and it remains unclear if the DPM will be returned to Parliament, with his team facing off against a WP slate led by Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal.

A slew of establishment figures have vouched for Mr Gan since the campaign began. One of Singapore’s longest serving politicians K Shanmugam said Mr Gan is “quiet but very effective.”

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong touted Mr Gan as his “task force man” and said “he has done so much for Singapore,” while his predecessor Lee Hsien Loong’s wife Ho Ching paid tribute to Mr Gan with a lengthy vote of confidence on Facebook. Asserting that Mr Gan “cares deeply,” Mdm Ho credited him for lobbying to set up and fund the Rare Disease Fund.

She wrote, “This is a good man that I respect a lot bcos he cares enough to try this way and that to find solutions that can make lives better.”

Sentiments on the ground, however, appear to be mixed. While some Punggol residents have welcomed him warmly, some others do not seem impressed.

This week, two videos suggesting poor ground response for Mr Gan went viral on social media and messaging platforms. One video that appeared to be taken from a high-rise building shows Mr Gan waving to someone but is isn’t clear if the gesture was reciprocated.

Another video, which is going viral especially on WhatsApp, showed Mr Gan meeting residents on a sidewalk in Punggol. Taken from a car that had stopped at an intersection, the video shows Mr Gan reaching out to greet a resident who snubs him and walks off.

As the videos began circulating online, Mr Gan’s team published their own video montage of other residents receiving the DPM warmly. The video was emblazoned with the hashtag “NotAStranger”.

Netizens responding to the video were divided. One commenter quipped, “What if all of them are grassroot volunteers in plainclothes.” Others said they feel bad for Mr Gan for being moved from his former ward and felt he must miss Choa Chu Kang.

Some observers felt that the interactions or lack thereof may not such a big a bearing on the results of the election, once polling day arrives. A netizen said, in a well-liked Reddit comment, “To be fair, there will still be people who stop and talk to him. That viral video so happen to catch a moment where a few people walk past him without interacting with him.”

They added, “But interacting with the people on ground doesn’t translate to votes.”