SINGAPORE: Veteran politician Tan Cheng Bock spent his New Year’s Eve taking a bus around Singapore and capping the night with a meal at a hawker’s centre at Bedok.
“Happy 2024 everyone!” wrote Dr Tan, adding that he was “happy that we had chosen this way to close the year – simple, and yet so enjoyable. For the new year, I truly wish for happiness, peace, and prosperity of our nation and for our world!”
The 83-year-old chairman of Progress Singapore Party braved the crowds and spent the holiday on the ground with other Singaporeans, expressing in a Jan 2 (Tuesday) Facebook post that he had been glad to do so.
Along with a friend, he and his wife, Mdm Cecilia Lee Choon Lian, had decided to spend the last day of the year “soak(ing) in the sights and sounds of Singapore far away from the Marina Bay area.”
They took a “long and winding bus trip on the No 7 bus,” a trunk route connecting Bedok and Clementi through Guillemard, Bugis, Orchard, and Holland Road.
“We took in the many familiar sights along the way, including Orchard Road, Geylang, Bugis, Kembangan, and Bedok, amongst many others,” he wrote about their trip, which lasted around two hours.
He also wrote that it had been a crowded bus, with most passengers being foreigners. Unfortunately, the trip sounded like it had been quite a loud one.
“A few times during the ride, the bus driver had to raise his voice to tell passengers to move to the back. There were also some PA announcements made, but they were sadly, mostly inaudible.”
After getting to Bedok, they went to the hawker centre for satay, braised duck, and a sugar cane drink, where they mingled with everyone. The crowd had a wonderful time at the food court and mall, even though there were no parties or fireworks.
He, Mdm Lee, and their friend also enjoyed themselves and “spent quite a while there.”
Afterwards, they took the MRT back to Clementi to get home. While the train was crowded, a kindly foreign worker showed them where there were seats reserved for seniors.
“I watched with pride as passengers politely made way for a lady on a motorised wheelchair at the next stop. Finally, we arrived at our stop, happy that we had chosen this way to close the year – simple, and yet so enjoyable. For the new year, I truly wish for happiness, peace and prosperity of our nation and for our world!” he added. /TISG
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