'I haven't done it for 20 over years': DPM Lawrence Wong rides with motorcycle convoy for charity

SINGAPORE - Guitarist, singer, TikTok sensation and now, motorcyclist - Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has been showing he is a man of many talents outside of the office.

Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, rode a Royal Enfield Classic 500 motorcycle as part of a convoy on Sunday (Aug 14) to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Foundation.

Organised by Rider's Aid Singapore, the event saw the convoy flagging off from Tampines Heavy Vehicle Carpark at about 1pm. More than 700 motorcyclists turned up at the event.

Mr Suriya Kumar, president of Rider's Aid Singapore, said about $30,000 has been raised so far.

DPM Wong joined the convoy at about 1.45pm as they rode from Al-Istighfar Mosque in Pasir Ris to Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple about 1km away.

At the temple, he gave a speech thanking the organisers for giving him the chance to ride a motorcycle after more than 20 years.

"I haven't done it for 20 over years already, the last time I did it was when I was a student in America," he said.

DPM Wong, who holds Class 2, 2A and 2B licences, said he picked up riding when he was a student in the United States, and previously owned a Suzuki street bike that he used to get around the city of Madison in Wisconsin.

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"When I returned home and started work, I had a scooter for a period of time," he said.

"But it has been more than 20 years since I last rode a bike. So I was glad to have the opportunity to ride with Rider's Aid Singapore this time to support a good cause."

DPM Wong autographed the motorcycle that was provided for him to use during the event. It will be kept as a display piece by the dealership in Ubi.

Mr Kumar said he had reached out to DPM Wong to be the guest of honour at the event after hearing from a grassroots leader that the minister used to ride motorcycles in his younger days.

"We reached out to him, and we were very surprised when he said he wanted to ride a bike by himself," he said. "Usually, our guests of honour would just ride pillion so we were all very excited."

As a token of appreciation, Mr Kumar presented DPM Wong with a painting of him with a motorcycle.

Ms Ng Siao Sze, assistant director for community partnerships at the Children's Cancer Foundation, thanked everyone for their support.

"(The foundation) is celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, and we could only come so far with the continuous support and generosity of spirit from all of you," she said.

"Thank you for making such a positive impact on the children and the families with cancer."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.