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A farewell event for Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was held at Taman Jurong Community Club on Saturday (Jun. 24).

There were two sessions for the farewell event, one in the morning and another in the late afternoon/evening.

Due to overwhelming response, the morning session, which was supposed to end at 11am, was extended.

Residents were already queuing before 9am

When Mothership arrived at Taman Jurong CC at around 8:50am on Saturday (Jun. 24), a number of residents were already queuing outside the hall to register their attendance.

At 9am, long queues were formed inside the hall as the residents waited for their turn to take a photo with their MP and his wife, Jane Yumiko Ittogi.

Some managed to get Tharman and Ittogi to sign their photographs.

Refreshments were also provided for the residents after the photo-taking session.

Ittogi was seen tearing up in both the morning and evening sessions as she spoke to some of the residents.

Well wishes corner

Besides the photo-taking session, a well wishes corner was set up for residents to pen their messages for Tharman.

An elderly man on a wheelchair was seen writing his well wishes to Tharman in Mandarin.

He wrote:

"Dear Mr and Mrs Tharman, to have Tharman as Singapore’s President is Singapore's blessing. Wishing [the] future president well and [I am] grateful to have SM serving the nation for 32 years."

What Taman Jurong residents have to say about Tharman

Mothership spoke to some of the residents who attended the event.

Elderly couple Saanea Abdullah and Mohd Kasim, who have lived in Taman Jurong for decades, said that Tharman has been a "very good" MP to them.

"He cares for the residents... He is always around," Saanea said in Malay.

Kasim added that he felt "sad" to see Tharman step down from his role in Jurong GRC as he won't be able to see him around the area anymore.

Mothership spoke to another couple, Ethan and Gerry, as well as their son, Evan.

Gerry labelled Tharman as an "accessible" MP, explaining:

"Tharman was at my son's pre-school graduation ceremony and his primary school ones. So I felt that Tharman is very hands-on. And it was nice. Tharman would talk to you about anything."

Commenting on the number of people who showed up for Tharman's farewell event, Evan said:

"That goes to show just how much we all love him."

When asked how they felt about Tharman's resignation from the PAP, Gerry joked: "Now we've got to share Mr Tharman with the rest of Singapore."

A group of three friends, some of whom are still studying, told Mothership that they have known Tharman since they "were born".

One of them said:

"He has proactively engaged [the residents through] the meet-the-people sessions. He has come to our houses a lot. So we have had a lot of engagements with him. And the thing is, he always remembers our previous interactions, which is something that touches me lah."

Following the farewell event's morning session, Tharman went to a nearby hawker to have lunch with his residents.

Tharman running for president

On Jun. 8, 2023, Tharman announced that he would be resigning from the People's Action Party (PAP) to run for the 2023 Presidential Election.

He will step down from all his duties and roles for the PAP from Jul. 7, 2023.

This includes his role as Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong GRC.

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Top images by Keyla Supharta.