China cable ad sparks double-take after logo looks uncannily like PAP’s
A photo of a cable company advertisement in China has caught the attention of Singaporeans online after netizens noticed that its logo bears a striking resemblance to the People’s Action Party (PAP) emblem.
The image, shared on Reddit on Friday (23 Jan), shows a sign packed with cable brands and cross-section diagrams. But what grabbed Singaporeans was the logo in the top-left corner — one that looked uncomfortably familiar.
Source: Reddit
The company, Electric Star, uses a blue circular outline with a red lightning bolt running through it.
Compared to PAP’s iconic logo, the electric company’s logo is rotated 90 degrees clockwise, and the lightning bolt does not entirely pierce through the blue circle.
Still, that did little to stop Singaporeans from doing a double-take.
Netizens recall origin of logo
The Reddit post was shared by a 43-year-old National University of Singapore faculty member, who told MS News that they took the photo while visiting Jinhua in Zhejiang, China.
They admitted feeling shocked upon spotting the logo, adding that it initially felt “inappropriate”, even if they were unsure whether any laws had been breached.
While some commenters joked about simply tilting their heads to make the resemblance obvious, others brought up the PAP logo’s lesser-known historical controversy.
According to local design archive Graphics.sg, when PAP unveiled its logo in February 1955, observers pointed out its similarity to the British Union of Fascists (BUF).
Source: Wikipedia
On 6 Feb 1955, The Straits Times (ST) even ran a short piece titled “Now what will Sir Oswald say?”, comparing the two symbols.
Sir Oswald Mosley founded the BUF after being inspired by Benito Mussolini’s Italy.
Source: NewspaperSG
Lee Kuan Yew once dismissed fascism claims outright
The following day, ST published PAP co-founder Lee Kuan Yew’s response.
“Good heavens, no!” he said. “Do people think we cannot be original.”
Mr Lee explained that the circle symbolised unity, inspired by the Olympic rings, while the lightning bolt represented action.
“It is gratifying to know that even Sir Oswald Mosley knew that a flash of lightning is a symbol of action,” he added.
According to PAP’s official website today, the red lightning bolt symbolises action, white represents purity and integrity, and the blue circle stands for the unity of all races.
Netizens also point to Malaysia’s DAP logo
One netizen raised a regional comparison, pointing out similarities with Malaysia’s Democratic Action Party (DAP).
“Malaysia’s Democratic Action Party (now one of the component parties of Anwar’s govt) was founded by Malaya–based members of PAP as the direct successor of PAP’s Malaysia branch following Singapore’s separation from Malaysia,” the commenter wrote.
Source: DAP Malaysia
Although the colours are similar, DAP’s logo features a rocket instead of a lightning bolt.
The blue circle and the white in the logo represent remarkably similar things, however, with the circle standing for a “united multiracial Malaysia” and the white standing for “purity & incorruptibility”.
On the other hand, the rocket represents their “dream for a modern, dynamic, and progressive society”.
So who is Electric Star?
As for the cable company itself, Electric Star appears to be based in Yiwu City in Zhejiang province.
Yiwu is known as a trading hub for small commodities. It is home to Yiwu International Trade City, the largest wholesale market for small commodities.
Interestingly, the company also seems to operate a Facebook page based in Cameroon, advertising cable exports to multiple African countries.
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Featured image adapted from People’s Action Party on Facebook and Reddit.
