Singapore—While the Workers’ Party’s Jamus Lim is undoubtedly the superstar of the recently-held General Election, some netizens are calling the Reform Party’s Charles Yeo GE2020’s ‘real oppa.’
A meme of the 30-year-old lawyer, dapper in a suit, has been making the rounds online and has been shared over 2,000 times. The post is captioned, “You guys are missing out on the real Oppa. P.S. it’s not Jamus”
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Mr Yeo catapulted to fame during the campaign period after struggling with a speech in Mandarin during a constituency political broadcast on July 3. His party mate, Darren Soh, had prepared the speech, but had gotten sick and was unable to deliver it.
And while Mr Yeo struggled manfully in his delivery of the speech, launching numerous memes of people’s flashbacks to their Chinese oral exam days, he was praised by many for his courage and for being a team player.
Even Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek Holdings and wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, jumped to his defense, writing, “I give him very high marks for doing his best to deliver his message despite his language handicap. That takes courage.
This willingness to try is how we all can learn and improve over time.
Yes, it is painful to see his struggle, but that is no reason to make fun of him or his courageous effort.
So for all the folks who are making or circulating memes to laugh at him, please stop.”
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And now that the election is over, Mr Yeo is still winning people’s hearts. On Instagram, where he goes by the interesting handle of @toxicstatenarrativeinsg, the lawyer not only offers a free 30-minute consultation, but also painstakingly answers questions that netizens pose.
Moreover, he has waxed eloquently and knowledgeably on the education system in Singapore, globalization, the law, and other topics.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCq6k8vprt5/
His videos have been getting thousands of views.
Netizens have been asking questions like this: “Charles. What do you think about the IB program in ACS I. There was an investigation by IBO on the school several years ago . It seems the school finds ways to bypass the system. For eg. By having multiple remarks for extended essays and internal assessments when rightfully it should be mostly independent work by the students with at most 1 viewing by the teacher of their work.”
Followers, apparently, have the freedom to ask him anything. One asked, “How much did you get for your Chinese oral exam?”
He answered, “A2 and distinction bro. Believe it or not. This is how fail education is in Sg lol. Shows that paper qualifications dont mean sh*t.”
One netizen asked, “Sir, do you have any advice for a student whose A level MT oral is this Friday?”
Mr Yeo threw it back to the wisdom of the crowd and wrote, “Can you all help this guy out?”
While election fever is waning and life is going back to the (new) normal, we have a feeling that Charles Yeo is here to stay and that Singapore will hear a lot more from him. —/TISG
Read also: Reform Party’s Charles Yeo: “We cannot have so many foreigners studying in Singapore”
Reform Party’s Charles Yeo: “We cannot have so many foreigners studying in Singapore”