A six-year-old girl in Singapore has written to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong with a request that probably was not covered in the National Day Rally policy briefs: please do not give her another sibling.
Sarah wrote the English letter herself after her mother, Humairah Suhaimi, joked that the Government would give families “a lot of money” to have more children.
The letter begins with the rather adorable “Dear Lorens Wong”.
Sarah then makes her position clear, writing that she does not want to become a big sister.
A Joke Turned Into A 30-Minute Letter
Humairah, 36, told Lianhe Zaobao that the episode happened on Wednesday, 26 August.
She sometimes jokes with Sarah about becoming pregnant again, knowing that her daughter is not exactly enthusiastic about the idea.
This time, Humairah brought up PM Wong’s National Day Rally and told Sarah that the Government wanted Singaporeans to have more children and would give families plenty of financial support.
Sarah became upset and asked what she could do.
Her mother jokingly told her that if she really did not want another sibling, she would have to write to PM Wong to “apply” for permission.
Sarah apparently took that instruction very seriously.
According to Zaobao, she took a piece of her nine-year-old brother Adam’s homework paper and spent about 30 minutes writing the letter without assistance.
Among her arguments was a point that would make any finance minister sit up: “Even if you want to give us a lot of money, we don’t need more money.”
She said she only wanted to remain with her mother, father and Adam.
And just in case her brother tried lobbying the Government from the other side, Sarah added that “if Adam wants more siblings, don’t listen to him.”
Mum Eventually Sent The Letter To PMO
Humairah initially saw the whole exercise as a chance for her daughter to practise writing.
But Sarah became increasingly serious about completing her message, so her mother shared the process on social media.
Friends then encouraged Humairah to actually send the letter, partly because they wanted to know whether PM Wong would respond.
She eventually did so and also emailed the Prime Minister’s Office to explain the story behind it.
Sarah told Zaobao that what she really wanted was reassurance that it was fine for her parents not to have another child.
At the time Zaobao published its report on 30 August, no reply from PM Wong was reported.
Her Parents Already Planned To Stop At Two Children
There is one detail Sarah may be relieved to hear: her parents were already on her side.
Humairah said she and her husband had decided to have two children and currently have no plans for another.
Sarah is the younger child, while Adam, 9, has apparently been hoping for another brother or sister.
The children have also met PM Wong before. According to Zaobao, Sarah and Adam took a photograph with him at an event in January 2025.
Their family refers to the Prime Minister as “Big Daddy” when speaking to the children, since they are still too young to fully understand what the Prime Minister’s role means.
The “Lots Of Money” Joke Came After NDR 2026
Humairah’s joke followed several family-related measures announced by PM Wong at the National Day Rally on 23 August.
Among them is the new SG Child Support Package, which will replace the Baby Bonus and Large Families schemes.
The Government says the package will provide up to S$62,000 in support for each Singapore citizen child from birth until age 17, regardless of birth order.
That includes a S$10,000 Baby Gift, annual Child Credits, Child Development Account support and a Post-Secondary Education Account top-up. Existing MediSave and Edusave support brings the total direct financial support to around S$70,000 per child.
For Sarah, however, the cost-benefit analysis appears to have been completed rather quickly.
More money: nice.
Another sibling: application firmly rejected.
