Tampines GRC Candidate Accidentally Called Lee Hsien Yang as Prime Minister & Responded to it Candidly

If there’s one thing we can learn from this election, it’s this: even our (potential) leaders can make mistake.

Ivan Lim is one. A speech about a plan in a certain part of Singapore is another.

And now, this comes from the Discipline Master of Singapore—the guy who’s been reminding us to follow the safe-distancing measures from time to time.

Yeah, we’re talking about the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, and a candidate from Tampines GRC, Masagos Zulkifli.

Tampines GRC Candidate Accidentally Called Lee Hsien Yang as Prime Minister & Responded to it Candidly

Unless you live in a cave, you should know that rallies now live in the digital world.

With a ban in physical rallies, candidates are now going online to hold their rallies.

And just like physical rallies, these are conducted live albeit without a crowd chanting, “Lock her up!” or “Make Singapore great again!”

When it’s live, you can bet there’d be a slip of the tongue, like what Minister Masagos went through yesterday.

In the verbal faux pas, he had wanted to talk about what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said during the last National Day Rally.

Nothing’s wrong with that except that instead of just saying “Prime Minister Lee”, he decided to use his full name…wrongly.

He said, “And last year during the National Day Rally, our Prime Minister, Mr Lee—Lee Hsien Yang pledged $100 billion to be spent over the next century.”

And he just continued as if nothing’s wrong.

Needless to say, someone spotted it and uploaded a short clip of the slip of tongue online, although the full rally has been removed.

Here’s the faux pas:

Addressed It Candidly on Facebook

Mr Masagos took it to Facebook to admit that it was a slip of a tongue instead of…erm, saying that different people have different interpretations of events.

Lest you can’t read:

Late at night my son WhatsApp me:

“haha omg Ibak

the slip

but I think it will just be another laugh and forget moment la

hahahahaha

Go Mr Massss”

Was too excited about my favourite topic on sustainability during the live chat and mis-spoke…LHY used to be my boss at singtel.

Good advice son!

Must focus on the tasks ahead!

Mr Masagos is a Singtel man since he graduated back in 1988. In fact, he was awarded a SingTel Postgraduate Scholarship and rose to the top of Singtel, to the Chief Executive Officer of SingTel Global Offices, before he moved to politics in 2006.

And yes, while PM Lee’s brother, Lee Hsien Yang, had started his professional career as a soldier, he joined Singtel after leaving the SAF with the rank of Brigadier-General in 1994, and worked in Singtel until 2007, holding the position as its CEO from 1995 to 2007.

Bet you didn’t know that.

Tampines GRC: The Fight Between PAP and NSP

A few days ago, Tampines GRC is led by none other than DPM Heng Swee Keat.

But you’d know by now that DPM Heng has plans for East Coast GRC, so the constituency is now led by Masagos Zulkifli with handsome dude Baey Yam Keng, young-looking Desmond Choo, son of many places Koh Poh Koon and new face Cheng Li Hui.

NSP’s team comprises Reno Fong, Mohammad Rizwan Mohammad, Yeo Ren-Yuan, Choong Hon Heng and Vincent Ng.

Reader Bao: Oh, no wonder.

No wonder what?

Reader Bao: Nothing. How’s the plan for Tampines GRC?

Together.

Lest you’ve forgotten, polling day will be on next Friday. So what happens if you didn’t vote? Would you be jailed? Would you be barred from buying bubble tea for the next five years? Watch this video and you’ll know the consequences: