Singapore — After People’s Action Party MP and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin shared on social media an appeal from Burger King UK for support of rival burger chains Burger King and McDonalds, as well as other fast-food eateries, someone commenting on the post asked if the country’s political parties would unite in the same way, “for the good of Singapore”.
Mr Tan posted a photo of a tweet on his Facebook page on Tuesday (Nov 3) which was from Burger King UK and had the surprising headline “Order from McDonald’s”.
The tweet, posted on Monday (Nov 2), was captioned: “We know, we never thought we’d be saying this either.”
We know, we never thought we’d be saying this either. pic.twitter.com/cVRMSLSDq6
— Burger King (@BurgerKingUK) November 2, 2020
Burger King UK appealed to consumers to order from McDonald’s and other fast-food chains (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc) or any eatery, for that matter, because “restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment”.
“So, if you want to help, keep treating yourself to tasty meals through home delivery, takeaway or drive thru.”
However, it cheekily added that the fast-food chain’s Whopper “is always the best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing”.
The tweet has since gone viral, getting thousands of retweets and likes, even though many people commenting on it pointed out that the fast-food chains are multi-billion- dollar companies.
Mr Tan clearly approved of such a broad and big-hearted appeal for support: “Pretty cool move and gesture by Team Burger King UK.”
He wrote that Singaporeans “don’t need to fly to UK to buy the burger there … just do so locally here in SG!” He asked for help for businesses at home: “Do support our local businesses where we can. Local retail, F&B, attractions … etc.”
However, he added a reminder. “BTW. Eat healthily! Don’t take fast food too regularly. Eat in moderation and also exercise regularly.” And added links to dietary guidelines and healthy eating.
While the Speaker was clearly calling for support of local food and beverage businesses, one person commenting on the post asked if the same spirit of unity and support of rivals for the sake of the common good amid a crisis would extend to Singapore’s political parties.
On the Concerned Citizens Band Together For A Better Singapore Facebook page, that person, with the name Kane Cane, shared Mr Tan’s post and wrote: “So will our political parties gracious enough to do such too, for the good of Singapore?”
Since Burger King UK’s premise is that, in this time of crisis, everyone needs support, this person wondered if a similar call for support would be made for political rivals — as though to ask if the ruling party would call for support for the opposition, given the difficult times the country was in at the moment.
Another person who commented on the Speaker’s post wrote: “Where are the ‘Voting for opposition is also not such a bad thing’ comments? haha”
Someone else wrote: “We may prefer different political parties in Singapore but WE ARE ALL SINGAPOREANS, wanting the best for our country. This is a great advertisement for tolerance and acceptance.” /TISG
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