75-year-old presidential hopeful Ng Kok Song and his fiancée, 45-year-old Sybil Lau, have captured the nation’s attention as the pair shares a 30-year age gap.
Ng was previously married in 1972, but his wife passed away in 2005 due to cancer.
14 years later, he met Lau through a mutual friend. It was then that he found an unexpected second love.
Former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song recently announced his bid to become Singapore’s next president in the upcoming elections.
This presidential hopeful collected his application forms with his family at the Elections Department (ELD) on Wednesday (19 July).
That includes his fiancée, 45-year-old Canada-born Sybil Lau, who holds Singapore citizenship.
In a short statement to the media, Lau expressed her and the family’s full support of Ng’s intention to run for president.
The couple shared their unique love story with Chinese daily Shin Min Daily News shortly after Ng collected his papers.
He said his decision to run for president heavily depended on his fiancée’s views.
The pair understood that should Ng decide to contest, the spotlight would be on them and their 30-year age gap.
Lau shared her thoughts upon learning of Ng’s decision, saying that she realises this will upend her life. “My family and I are very low-key. If he decides to contest, our lives would be turned upside-down.”
One factor she considered was why her partner would want to take part in the race.
“He is never one to chase fame or recognition. All his contributions to the nation have been behind-the-scenes so far, and he hardly publicises them. So, I figured he must be doing this for the country and not for personal gain,” Lau elaborated.
“When he confirmed that he was indeed doing it for the country, I made my decision. I told him he must contest. It does not matter what we go through because of it, you must do it.”
Source: Shin Min Daily News
She also wondered if her presence would put a burden on him.
While she believes love is not defined by age or nationality, she knows their unique circumstances will attract detractors.
“But, no matter the challenges this will undoubtedly bring, we are not afraid.”
Ng expressed that he never expected he would find love at his age.
The 75-year-old presidential hopeful was previously married in 1972. Tragically, he lost his wife to cancer in 2005 and never thought he would find another partner again.
Little did he know he would find another life partner in Lau 14 years after his late wife’s passing.
Around 2018, Lau saw Ng in a video where he discussed investments.
Thinking he made his points well and was well-spoken, she shared the clip with her friends, who also happened to be friends with Ng.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
The friend then connected the pair sometime in 2019, and they got along swimmingly.
Ng thought that Lau was good-looking and brilliant. “So, I asked my friend for her age. My heart sank when I learnt she was 41, as I was already 71,” he told Shin Min.
However, true love cannot be stopped. The two of them started spending more and more time together, and feelings developed.
When Lau’s mother fell ill, Ng was also constantly by Lau’s side, further driving them closer together.
He revealed, “I fell for Sybil very early on. There was once, she sent me an extremely moving voice message where I learnt she has feelings for me too.”
At that moment, I was so happy I actually cried. I never thought I would find true love again.
When asked what that voice message said, which Lau could not even recall, the presidential hopeful cheekily remarked, “That is my secret!”
Ng’s children are equally supportive of their father pursuing the relationship.
Source: Raydza Rahman via CNA on Facebook
Naturally, they were concerned due to Lau being so much younger. In fact, she is a couple of years younger than Ng’s eldest daughter.
But, after the family met her, they really liked her and said they would support them as long as Ng was happy.
In response to questions about why they are not officially married, Lau explained that her mother passed away in March 2021.
As she holds Chinese customs in high regard, she decided to postpone the wedding by three years until 2024 out of respect for her late mother.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
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