PUBLISHED ONAugust 15, 2023 10:37 AMByClaudia TanPresidential hopeful Tharman Shanmugaratnam may be well-known for his sharp economic mind, but who knew he was also a funnyman?
Since announcing his bid for Presidency, the former Senior Minister has been tickling netizens with his TikTok content.
He started his TikTok account in late July, with a video of him doing a walkabout and greeting residents.
On Tuesday (Aug 15), Tharman posted a video where he sat down with his wife, Jane Ittogi, to answer some online questions from Singaporeans.
When asked by the producer about how he felt, the 66-year-old replied: "I'm anxious, but looking forward to them."
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@tharman.sg/video/7267358708072451330[/embed]
The first question presented to him was regarding the 'crescent and stars' which happened to appear on his head during a Parliament sitting in 2019.
Besides references to the symbols on the Singapore flag, another netizen also teased: "This one not Krillin from Dragonball meh?"
"I can't claim this is a talent of mine, but I happen to have a head that reflects light quite well. And when I sit in Parliament, with all the lights, it often forms an interesting pattern on my head.
"This one just happens to be the crescent with five stars," he said, earning a chuckle from his wife.
For the uninitiated, Krilin is one of the characters from the Dragon Ball series.
A second comment Tharman received was regarding his trusty Pilot pen which he carries in his breast pocket.
"I always carry a Pilot pen," he said, adding that it was a Pilot G-2 0.7. He shared that he also carries "a few pieces of paper" with him, which he uses to take note of things people tell him.
"[So I can] make sure I can follow up on them."
Another video which bemused netizens was a clip of Tharman interacting with the viral Douyin frog.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@tharman.sg/video/7266381813197704450[/embed]
After showing a snippet of the famous amphibian doing a little jig, the video cuts to Tharman doing a similar move while playing football with some children.
"Guess who toad me how to dance?" wrote the video's caption.
Over in the comments, netizens lauded Tharman's sense of humour.
Just last week, Tharman submitted his application for a certificate of eligibility to contest in the upcoming Presidential Election.
On July 26, he also unveiled his slogan for his presidential bid - "Respect for All", during a press conference at the York Hotel, where he spoke about becoming a "president for a new era".
READ ALSO: Presidential hopeful Tharman reveals why he never proposed to wife
claudiatan@asiaone.com
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