Is your Facebook NewsFeed flooded by greetings from local politicians? Maybe it is time to "unlike" some of them.
Nevertheless, it is not easy being a politician in multi-cultural Singapore. You have to learn the various customs, tradition, and languages of different festivals here.
Kudos to these eight non-Chinese politicians who have put in some thought in crafting a sincere Chinese New Year greeting online.
1. Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam goes informative.
How? Our super knowledgeable DPM explained what Chap Chye is.
And? He also told us why the Chinese included black moss in the dish during CNY. It is considered auspicious because black moss in Mandarin (‘fa cai’) sounds like the term for "striking it rich".
He then went on to share about the health fears and how the harvesting of the moss provides income for the ordinary folks in the inner provinces of China.
Wishing'>
all Chinese Singaporeans Gong Xi Fa Cai! Last night extended families came together for their reunion dinners,...
2. Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugan goes makansutra.
How? Our video-savvy Minister shared a bit about bak kwa.
And? He plugged a traditional bak kwa shop in Chong Pang. Why? Because he is the Chong Pang MP. Shanmugan said that the bak kwa taste is "exceptional!".
The video is 10/10 for the effort and would have been 10/10 for performance if the Minister had placed the bak kwa in his mouth while exclaiming that the bak kwa tasted exceptional .
href="https://www.facebook.com/k.shanmugam.page/videos/992452180801312/">Wishing everyone a Happy Lunar New YearMany families will be gathering for their reunion dinners tonight. Here's wishing everyone a Happy Lunar New Year.#lunarnewyear #chinesenewyear #yearofthemonkey #cny
3. Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin goes Mark Zuckerberg
How? Like the FB founder, Amrin greeted his fans in Mandarin.
And? He went one better. Unlike Mark who wore his grey uniform, Amrin was all ready for CNY visiting with his red shirt and oranges. Amrin's Mandarin is pretty solid too.
Dear'>
friends, warmest wishes to you and your family. Happy Lunar New Year! 恭祝大家新年快乐!#CNY2016 #GongXiFaCai #HuatAh
Posted by Amrin Amin on Saturday, February 6, 2016
4. Rahayu Mahzam goes Mark Zuckerberg 2.
How? Rahayu Mahzam also greeted her fans in Mandarin.
Then? While she doesn't sound as fluent as Amrin, she gets 10/10 for effort as she strung three sentences together, with many Chinese idioms included. Her CNY greeting 萬事如意 (may all your hopes be fulfilled) sounded like 往事如意 (the past is okay). Never mind, try again next year.
6. Non-constituency Member of Parliament Leon Perera goes all family too.
How? Reunion dinner with his wife's family.
And? He praised his mother-in-law's cooking. And included photo oppo of a Pioneer Generation member - 91-year old grandmother-in-law. #perfectsoninlaw
Reunion'>
dinner tonight with my wife's family. My mother-in-law is quite a chef. Here's my 91 year old grandmother-in-law, one of those who built this country. We love her very much.