'He looks like my ah gong': Netizens 'feel bad' over video of Gan Kim Yong allegedly being snubbed while campaigning at Punggol

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Gan Kim Yong allegedly gets snubbed while campaigning at Punggol

A video of Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Gan Kim Yong allegedly being snubbed while campaigning at Punggol recently began circulating on social media on Sunday (28 Apr).

In the 19-second clip posted on the Reddit communities r/SingaporeRaw and r/singapore, DPM Gan — who leads the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) team contesting the Punggol group representation constituency (GRC) in the upcoming General Elections — is seen standing on a pedestrian path.

Source: Reddit

He waves at a group of people riding a personal mobility aid (PMA), but they do not even bother to look at him.

DPM Gan then extends an arm to a pedestrian for a handshake, but the man simply passes by him.

Source: Reddit

A woman also walks past the minister, meeting his wave with a nod and a smile.

Source: Reddit

Some netizens feel bad for DPM

Some netizens said they felt sorry for DPM Gan.

“I feel bad bro, he looks like my ah gong,” one user wrote.

Source: Reddit

Many said that regardless of one’s political views, people should have shaken the DPM’s hand as an act of kindness towards another human being.

Source: Reddit

One added that they would have shaken the DPM’s hand and spoken to him to let him know Singaporeans’ concerns on the ground.

Source: Reddit

Another user questioned why the DPM was campaigning alone, to which another replied that his companions might just be spread out along the road.

Source: Reddit

Others said there’s no need to feel bad for DPM

Meanwhile, others believe there is no need to feel bad for the Minister of Parliament (MP) candidate.

They said DPM Gan earns an amount that would take most Singaporeans “a whole lifetime to earn” and “goes back to his million-dollar good class bungalow” while most have to take the “crowded MRT and bus back to our little HDB flats”.

Source: Reddit

Some also pointed out that if people do not feel sorry for snubbing people who hand out flyers or ask for donations on the street, then they shouldn’t feel bad for the DPM.

Source: Reddit

“Look left, look right for a handshake,” one user joked, referencing PPP candidate Samuel Lee’s song introduction, which DPM Gan has also made a parody of.

Source: Reddit

Some people believe an average Singaporean who “does not care about politics” simply does not recognise the public figure.

Source: Reddit

Others also speculated that the DPM must be missing the Choa Chu Kang GRC, which he served for 14 years from 2011 to 2015, after being snubbed in Punggol.