A SHORT clip showing Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong boarding budget airline Scoot after an official visit to Laos has gone viral. Wong was flying back to Singapore on Oct 12 after attending the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits.
It elicited a response from Indian industrialist Harsh Goenk who surmised that this was how respect is earned. The billionaire lauded the no-frills approach of the Singapore politician noting the lack of a large entourage that are nothing but a burden on the taxpayer.
The PM of Singapore travels on official duty aboard a low-cost airline—on a normal scheduled flight, no frills, no national or private jet, and without a large entourage at the taxpayers’ expense. This is how respect is earned. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/JHTdQnJcXi
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) October 14, 2024
The same clip was shared on the X platform by pro-opposition Solisiditor (@solisidtor) who echoed the same sentiments that Malaysian leaders were an entitled bunch.
However, unlike the majority of comments that accompanied Goenka’s post lamenting India’s culture of showy excess, quite a few local netizens simply saw it as a convenient excuse by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) backer to bash Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
One questioned the motives of the poster.
Another commenter said PMX was on official duty when travelling on private jets; sarcastically pointing out previous PMs who travelled in such luxury.
One netizen pointed out that PMX had foregone his salary, unlike his counterpart across the Causeway who is among the highest paid country leaders in the world.
Another said that any attempt by Pakatan Harapan (PH) to praise or draw comparisons with the island republic would have PN supporters howling like “dogs on heat”.
With quite a few others also pointing out the poster’s obvious hypocrisy.
While the issue degenerating into a mud-slinging match between Madani and PN supporters, many local netizens seem to be missing the point.
As highlighted by a commenter on Goenka’s post, it is a malaise of an entitled class.
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, such attitude is very prevalent here regardless of political affiliation.
Perhaps, Malaysians should put aside political differences and demand that local MPs take a leaf out of Mr Wong’s book. Even if it is a mere public relations exercise, it would be a step in the right direction in creating a positive perception among citizens. – Oct 16, 2024
