MP Shawn Huang Addresses Daughter In Parliament On Her Birthday
Singapore’s Parliamentary debates are usually serious affairs, and they should be since important national matters are at hand.
However, from time to time, MPs might show some emotion when speaking about a subject that’s close to their heart.
Jurong GRC MP Shawn Huang appears to be one such MP, having recently gotten a tad emotional in Parliament.
He was speaking on strengthening Singapore’s science and technology capabilities.
Shawn Huang urges the building of capabilities
The impassioned episode occurred during a Parliament session on Monday (28 Feb), as the House debated Budget 2022.
When it was his turn to speak, Mr Huang noted that Singapore had many notable achievements in science and technology, such as:
- Sound Blaster audio cards from Creative Labs in 1989
- locally invented ThumbDrive by Trek2000
- e-payment service NETS.
Singapore was ahead of our time in spearheading technologies and pushing the frontier of fintech.
However, our ability to produce knowledge products and creative assets has been “less than ideal”, and he urged Singapore to be courageous in building up our future capabilities.
MP touched by success of programme
Towards the end of his speech, Mr Huang, who is also Jurong MP, talked about his experience in a cybersecurity pilot programme.
Giving a shout-out to individual members of his team, he lauded them for their “remarkable performance”, which led to an increase in the hiring of cybersecurity analysts by 400%.
He also added,
When I heard the programme was a success, it truly touched by heart.
As a measure of just how touched he was, he then appeared to wipe a tear from his eye.
He followed up by urging Singaporeans to “be bold” in investing in our future and our people, adding,
Be hold. And there will be a place for all of us.
He seemingly couldn’t help getting even more emotional this time and quickly squeezed his eyes to stem the waterworks.
Shawn Huang addresses his daughter
Mr Huang, slightly red-eyed, finally turned his attention to his daughter Geraldine, addressing her directly in his speech.
On her birthday, he said while rubbing his nose, he wished his girl would have a Singapore that is “tech-enriched, inclusive and above all kind and loving in all we do”.
Ordinary girls would probably prefer an iPhone for their birthday, but Geraldine must be a really smart kid.
Her father concluded his speech by saying he supported the Budget.
A tear-jerker in Parliament
After the tear-jerker in Parliament, we can’t help but be full of admiration for Mr Huang’s passion for Singapore’s science and tech scene.
Geraldine has a good role model to look up to, indeed.
Of course, he’s not the only local politician to shed tears in Parliament. Senior figures like Ministers Lawrence Wong and Josephine Teo and even Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have broken down during emotional speeches.
Do Singaporeans like these glimpses of humanity in our politicians? We hope so. Do share your thoughts with us.
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Featured image adapted from MCI Singapore on YouTube.
