A National Day signboard erected by the People’s Action Party (PAP) team for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC)has elicited humorous puns and jokes surrounding the image, the team, and even Ivan Lim.
A photo of an ostentatious display of Tharman Shanmugaratnam and the other four elected Members of Parliament (MPs) for Jurong GRC was uploaded in a thread titled “Who approved this?” on Reddit.
Mr Tharman, Singapore’s Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, led his team in the GE2020 where they won with 74.6 per cent of the vote share over Red Dot United.
The other four members are Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Industry and Foreign Affairs Tan Wu Meng, backbencher and lawyer Rahayu Mahzam, and newcomers Xie Yao Quan, who is head of healthcare redesign at Alexandra Hospital, and Shawn Huang, a director for enterprise development at Temasek International.
Erected at a junction situated in Jurong GRC, Reddit’s Singapore community did not hold back their puns as they unleashed a combination of jabs online.
Is Mr Tharman and his MPs shooting an indie album cover?
Many of the tongue-in-cheek comments centred on the aesthetics of the background and poses in the photo.
Some alluded it to an album cover for a folksy indie or soulful country album. Others commended its promotional message of social distancing by “avoiding crowds in barren fields”.
Witty puns flourished in its full glory
Netizens showed their ingenuity with piquant puns playing on the words “field” and “grassroots”. They believed it was the main inspiration behind the backdrop of the photo.
Where is Ivan Lim?
Even though Ivan Lim is out of the picture – both politically and literally – he was not spared from the jocular scythe of the community.
Users asked if he was hiding in the tall grass though he was not in the picture, as he appeared in the press conference following the PAP’s win in Jurong GRC even though he was not a fielded candidate.
Mr Lim withdrew from the GE after a sensational public outcry over his character and ethics. He was originally to contest in Jurong GRC, and was introduced as a new candidate on 24 June. However, just three days later, he announced his withdrawal.
Your wedding photographer will know the location
On the other hand, others were curious about where the photo was shot.
They inquired about the actuality of such a large and open field in Singapore.
Users aided by identifying it as possibly Jurong Lake Gardens.
This focus on the location branched out into a cheeky tangent that wedding photographers would know the location because it is idealistic for a wedding shoot.
It is different from the usual “thumbs-up” pose – I approve it
Jokes aside, some remarked that it is a creative and refreshing idea.
They expressed their thoughts that it was nonetheless better than a “school-graduation” or a cordial “thumbs-up” pose that is typically seen from politicians.
