The National Day Parade (NDP) 2020 Execute Committee announced yesterday (20 May) that the NDP will still go on amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the first time since independence that Singaporeans are not required to gather at one place for the event, given that the celebrations will be brought into every Singaporean’s home instead.
One of the items prepared by the Committee is a Funpack. According to the NDP’s official website, the NDP2020 Funpack includes “family-friendly activity items” such as pledge cards and other celebratory items like handheld flags and torch filters that Singaporeans can use to participate in the show.
The NDP2020 Funpack was reportedly designed by aspiring artists with disabilities and Primary 5 students, and it will be distributed to every Singaporean and PR household to “encourage participation” both during and off-broadcast.
However, netizens were not happy about the Funpack as they perceived it as a “waste of resources”. They penned their thoughts under Mothership’s Facebook post regarding this particular Funpack.
Singaporeans find the Funpack wasteful, suggesting there’s “nothing fun” amid the pandemic
Many Singaporeans thought it was unnecessary to create something like a Funpack during trying times like this. They believed that the resources used to create the Funpack could actually be put into other means such as supporting the frontline workers, healthcare, and environment.
Several of them expressed that they do not see the point of receiving the Funpack, noting their preference in having the budget used for the Funpack to be invested in helping the needy with essential items.
Facebook user Chris Koh said that the pandemic is “nothing fun”, adding that it is not the time for a Funpack.
Another user, Sammie Sen, believed that Singaporeans can survive without a bag of chips and bottled water that are typically included in the Funpack. He also wished that Singaporeans would avoid creating more unnecessary trash.
Wei Yi Lim mentioned that the cost of making the Funpack could have been added to the frontline workers’ bonuses instead, implying that they deserve to be given priority after sacrificing themselves during the outbreak. He gave the benefit of the doubt that the Funpacks are sponsored, adding that the sponsors should instead provide meals for the frontline workers.
A few people hoped that there is a choice for them to opt out of receiving the Funpack. They noted that handing out the Funpack to those who do not need is simply wasteful.
Instead, they felt that it would be a better decision to distribute the Funpack to the people “who really need it”.
Hor Gaw Gan, however, thought that the other commenters are “jumping to conclusions” in regards to the cost of making the Funpack.
He stated that most of the items included in the Funpack are “sponsored by companies” – although he did not specify which ones.
Mr Hor also explained that the Funpack is a form of advertising for the sponsors, adding that the items were probably ordered before the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore. He believed that “relatively little” public money was being used for the Funpack.
