'Smart, cute move': Netizens adore independent candidates Darryl Lo and Jeremy Tan's duck and dog symbols for GE2025

Many of us are familiar with the symbols of Singapore's political parties— such as the lightning bolt for the People's Action Party (PAP), hammer for The Workers' Party (WP) and so on.
But come Polling Day on May 3, some of you — more specifically those voting under Radin Mas SMC and Mountbatten SMC — might see something a little different on your ballot papers.
The Elections Department (ELD) released notices of contested election for the two divisions this morning (April 25), and in addition to the more well-known logos of PAP and the People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), the notices include new symbols that represent the two individual candidates running for their respective SMCs.
Independent candidates Darryl Lo for Radin Mas SMC and Jeremy Tan for Mountbatten SMC have selected a duck and a dog as their respective symbols.
The ELD released a list of nine symbols approved by the Returning Officer (RO) under sections 34(2) AND 34A(2) of the Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 last Thursday (April 17).
The symbols include a bell, book, flower, magnifying glass, pen, rhinoceros, scroll, flashlight and tree.
According to ELD's website, candidates who wished to use their own symbols could've submitted a request to the RO before Nomination Day, which fell on April 23.
The duck and dog symbols representing the only two independent candidates for GE2025 were not included in the original list.
Explaining why he chose to be represented by a duck on his Instagram, Lo wrote: "Ducks look calm on the outside but work hard in the water. If given the chance, I will do my best and try my hardest to serve you."
In a Reddit thread posted on r/Singapore, netizens also commented on the new symbols — several gushing over how cute they are.
"The dog [is] so cute," one comment read.
"Not gonna lie the duck with only one foot showing is kinda cute," stated another.
But beyond aesthetics, some netizens also delved deeper into why these particular symbols might have been chosen.
"Smart, cute move. There are many dog owners in Mountbatten. Young and educated ones. Sometimes, symbols can just trigger some feelings to them," a commenter wrote.
"The duck symbol is very apt for a good representative in government. The appearance of utter calm on the outside while working very hard for the constituents. And the dog is super cute!" another stated.
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