Singapore—The Worker’s Party’s Nicole Seah, who is contesting in this year’s General Election (GE) at East Coast GRC, is getting a whole lot of love online. The candidate, who was thrust into the national spotlight in the 2011 elections as part of a team that launched a credible threat to unseat former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at Marine Parade at the tender age of 24, is enjoying a resurgence of popularity these days.
Ms Seah is facing a tough battle, as the People’s Action Party slate at East Coast GRC is headed by none other than Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
But she has a lot going for her as she is not only articulate and passionate but is also greatly admired and respected by those who have gotten to know her.
A photo of Ms Seah with a little girl who had been following her around at a hawker centre was taken by artist Edwin Koo and uploaded on his Facebook page late on Wednesday night (July 1), the first full day of campaigning. Mr Koo had accompanied the WP team at a walkabout at 85 Fengshan market that day.
The photo has been shared almost 500 times. And the comments netizens have made are a testament to Ms Seah’s character.
https://www.facebook.com/singaporeson/photos/a.10150280459215127/10158570670555127/?type=3&theater
Mr Koo wrote, “At today’s evening walkabout at 85 Fengshan, I noticed Nicole spending quite a bit of time speaking with a young girl at the hawker centre. When I asked her, she said she had noticed the little girl following her around the hawker centre. She then asked the girl if she wanted to ask a question or take a photo with her. The shy girl nodded but she didn’t have a mobile phone, so Nicole took a wefie with her and asked for her parent’s number, so that she could send the photo to her. This is what I often like to allude to in my photography classes: don’t just take a photo, make a photo together. #ge2020 #nicoleseah.sg”
Ms Seah, who is a mother herself, shared Mr Koo’s photo, writing, “A little girl with big dreams ❤️”
And it seems that Ms Seah doesn’t just care for children, but for senior citizens as well. One netizen commented that he had seen the candidate at a seniors’ home a few years back, talking with the residents, and even weeping with them.
Others were impressed that she had taken the time to give the young girl special attention, with netizens calling it “thoughtful” and “genuine,” as opposed to a merely performative action.
After she was confirmed as a WP candidate last week, Ms Seah said that she was contesting in the election for her daughter. “I do it for my daughter because she’s the next generation of Singaporeans and I want to leave behind a legacy for her where she would feel comfortable regardless of her political inclinations or the kinds of views she’s expressing.”
On her own Facebook page, she posted another photo with an even younger child, captioning it, “We do it for our children.”
https://www.facebook.com/nicoleseah.wpsg/photos/a.116092936821667/116092870155007/?type=3&theater
-/TISG
Read also: Is the Nicole Seah, Heng Swee Keat face-off at East Coast GRC a David and Goliath story?
Lee Hsien Yang’s son Li Shengwu donates to both the Workers’ Party and the Progress Singapore Party