Recounting her childhood, People's Action Party (PAP) candidate for Punggol West SMC, Sun Xueling, said her grandmother once told her, "If you follow Lee Kuan Yew, you won't ever go wrong."

Speaking in a 60-minute Chinese interview hosted by television personality Dasmond Koh, Sun credited her grandmother as the person who inspired her to go serve in the community.

That was what the elderly typically thought during that time, Sun explained.

Grandmother was an inextricable part of her life

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and National Development added that she feels extremely fortunate to have had a grandmother who loved her very much.

She said: "I feel that if you have even one person who loves you that much in your life, then your life is complete."

Sun said her grandmother -- whom she referred to as her ah ma -- brought her up and left an indelible mark on her life, adding that her grandmother made breakfast for her every single morning without fail, and even helped with her hair, although she joked that the hairstyles were not exactly fantastic.

Sun also recounted how she used to encourage her grandmother to walk faster when they were trying to catch the bus in the past.

Her grandmother could not walk fast at that time due to her knee problems, and could not undergo knee surgery as she was rather old, Sun said.

Should have been more sensitive when younger

Looking back, Sun said she should have been more sensitive to her grandmother's condition, but being young, she did not think much of it, as with other young people.

"When you're young, you don't really think of valuing your loved ones, and you don't really have the concept that they will not be around some day," she said.

Sun also revealed another fond memory she had of her grandmother standing at the window and waving at her until the bus she was on was out of view.

This is why she chooses to wake up at 6am every morning to spend some time with her own children before sending them off to school, despite her busy schedule, she said.

Learning Malay now to communicate with Malay residents

Sun also revealed that she has been learning how to speak Malay so she can better communicate with residents in her constituency.

"You gain one additional channel of communicating with others if you know one more language," she said.

Joking that her mother tongue is actually the Chinese dialect, Hokkien, Sun said that it is also important to learn new languages as one can understand the entire culture behind the language as well.

"When you talk to others using their mother tongue, you are 'exchanging hearts' with them, and not just talking on a surface level," she added.

She later said in the interview that she makes the effort to listen to her residents, and remember what they say, as they are "living persons" with their own stories and difficulties.

Thought more about what it means to be a Singaporean when she was working overseas

Sun also talked about her overseas working experience, and how she gained a deeper sense of the Singaporean identity when she was overseas.

As one of the few Singaporeans around, and surrounded by foreigners, Sun started to think more about the kind of value and contribution she is bringing to the table as a Singaporean.

Foreigners think highly of Singaporeans, she said, as the latter are perceived to be bilingual. Hence, Sun was tasked to do a slides presentation completely in Chinese by her ethnic-Chinese Australian boss.

The task was not an entirely easy one for her, as she had to know the Chinese translations of the technical words used in the railway industry.

She further elaborated that to others overseas, Singaporeans are known for their trustworthiness, their honesty and their meticulous attitude.

"It's not just Singaporeans, Singapore as a country gives people this impression," she said.

Singapore is a safe haven for Singaporeans overseas

Here, Koh chimed in and said that while he does indeed feel proud to go overseas while holding a Singaporean passport, the younger population might not be able to understand this sort of pride as a Singaporean.

This might be because they went through a different childhood from the one that the older generation experienced.

Addressing younger Singaporeans specifically, he said: "You have seen what's happening overseas, how politically unstable it is in other countries. You should reflect on this and think about the reasons why Singapore is this safe and secure. [The security here] is not something that you can take for granted."

He added that many sacrifices have been made by Singapore's leaders behind the scenes to maintain this peace, but it is something that others don't necessarily see.

Sun then said her colleagues who were overseas told her that they returned to Singapore after the Covid-19 pandemic struck as they view the country as a safe haven for them to take refuge during the crisis.

"Without such a crisis, it's sometimes hard for people to treasure these things," she said.

You can watch the interview here:

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Top image via PAP's Facebook live