Things are already heating up in the days leading up to GE2020 — political drama abound with sibling conflict, enigmatic farewells and a canned fundraising event.

But some lighthearted hijinks have surfaced amidst the serious theatrics, and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin has been game enough to partake in the fun. 

Yesterday (June 24), the Marine Parade GRC MP posted on Facebook a gender-swapped version of himself, the product of photo editing via FaceApp and the internet just being the internet. 

“New faces of the People's Action Party (PAP) since we are introducing new candidates...” Tan wrote, expressing his dashed hopes that netizens hadn’t included him in the spree of gender-swapped politicians running for GE2020. 

Before you ask, yes, there are more of these FaceApp-ed pictures featuring various MPs and ministers. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung and Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong were turned into strong female characters. 

Opposition politicians weren’t able to escape the gender-swapping either. Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh, Singapore Democratic Party leader Chee Soon Juan, Singapore People’s Party head Steve Chia and Singapore Democratic Alliance boss Desmond Lim received the same treatment. 

And just because he’s the prime minister, PM Lee Hsien Loong got a solo post of his own. 

Barring the use of photo-editing apps that you should be wary about, this year's election could actually see more women contesting across the political spectrum.

So far, the likes of PAP’s Hany Soh and Nadia Ahmad Samdin have already showcased their calibre, but all eyes are also on the WP’s potential candidate Raeesah Khan as well as other women in the opposition camp. 

ilyas@asiaone.com

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