PAP Tampines candidate David Neo shares about losing mother at 5 & why he likes to use 'It's a great day' on Instagram

"I didn't have the greatest start to life," said People's Action Party's (PAP) Tampines GRC candidate David Neo.

The former army chief spoke about his humble background at a candidate introduction session on Apr. 16.

A different side of him

Opening up about a "different side of him" from his better-known military persona, the 47-year-old said he lost his mother when he was five.

He was brought up by his uncle and aunt, who then became his parents and family.

"Growing up, I didn't have much, but I never felt short of anything," he said.

Despite struggling in his academics — his best subjects were "Hokkien and catching", he quipped — his teachers "taught [him] everything".

"Therefore when it's time to choose a career, I knew I wanted to do public service," he said.

This led to his 30-year career in the military.

It's a great day

Neo, who is married with a son, also spoke about his Instagram catchphrase.

In every single post, he begins the caption with: "It's a great day".

"Contrary to popular belief, it didn't actually start out as a great day to be a soldier," he admitted.

The catchphrase's origins stemmed from when he was put in charge of organising National Day show in 2014.

"The challenge then was, how do you get 3,000 students, volunteers, seniors, to come together and do something for Singapore's birthday?"

"It's not easy."

With unending rehearsals, weekends burnt, and fickle weather, the team eventually concluded that it's impossible to control what life throws at you.

But it is possible to control how you react, Neo said.

"So we can't control whether it's going to rain or be very hot. But we can control the fact that regardless, we're gonna take care of one another, look out for one another. We're gonna make that day, a great day.

And to remind ourselves, we started every rehearsal with: 'It's a great day to be in NDP'."

Moving forward, you will see more of "It's great to be in Tampines!".

Building relationships

Addressing the audience in three languages — English, Mandarin, and Malay — Neo said that if elected, he hopes to focus on "simple, practical things" that he can do to improve the lives of Tampines residents.

Building a relationship with residents, he explained, takes time.

"A few weeks, obviously, is not enough," he said, in response to whether he was able to prepare sufficiently for the contest ever since leaving the army for politics.

"If you ask me, it's never enough."

But what he can do is to commit every day to service.

"It's a continual effort," he said.

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