SINGAPORE: Chinese New Year season love is still going strong in Singapore, as evidenced by The Workers’ Party Team at Sengkang GRC, where Members of Parliament and WP volunteers went to coffee shops and hawker centres with oranges and good wishes last weekend.
“The gifting of oranges—meant to symbolize wealth and abundance (in addition to looking like gold ingots, the Cantonese and Hokkien words for orange are also homonyms for gold)—is a common sight during this time of the year,” wrote Assoc Prof Jamus Lim in a Friday morning (Feb 23) Facebook post.
Along with Ms He Ting Ru and Mr Louis Chua, Assoc Prof Lim has been representing Parliament in Sengkang since the WP won its second GRC in the General Election 2020.
“And of course, the associated blessings are not limited to monetary ones; health, happiness, and success (in whatever endeavors one sets one’s mind to) just as much constitute parts of a full and meaningful life,” added Assoc Prof Lim.
Mr Chua also shared photos from the WP team’s distribution of oranges to residents at the hawker stalls and coffee shops, saying that the team wished “everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous year of the dragon” as they gave out oranges.
Later that day, the three MPs and others from the WP team gathered again at Compassvale, a ward of Sengkang GRC that Ms He and Messrs Lim and Chua jointly oversee.
At that gathering, which had been organized by residents, guests who attended the sit-down dinner were entertained by a lion dance and song numbers, including one from Mr Chua.
“The community-led CNY dinner at Compassvale has always been a key highlight of the CNY festivities in Sengkang, and it’s always heartwarming how strong the ‘kampong spirit’ is over here! Sang a little crowd favourite 爱拼才会赢 as a tribute to the determination and positivity of our residents!” Mr Chua wrote.
@louis.chua The community-led CNY dinner at Compassvale has always been a key highlight of the CNY festivities in Sengkang, and it’s always heartwarming how strong the ‘kampong spirit’ is over here! Sang a little crowd favourite 爱拼才会赢 as a tribute to the determination and positivity of our residents!💪🐉 #SengkangGRC #TeamSengkang #Compassvale #爱拼才会赢 #SGTikTok #TikTokSG
Assoc Prof Lim also thanked the volunteers who organized the activities at Sengkang, writing, “As always, we couldn’t have done it without you guys!”
Elsewhere in Singapore, people from the WP have also been celebrating Chinese New Year festivities and distributing oranges at Paya Lebar Division (party chair and Aljunied GRC MP Sylvia Lim), Hougang (Hougang SMC MP Dennis Tan, former WP chief Low Thia Khiang and former MP Png Eng Huat), Marine Parade (Nathaniel Koh), Bedok Reservoir (Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam) and others. /TISG
Read also: Jamus Lim: “Our nation’s reserves belong to the people, not the government”