SINGAPORE: Election symbols used by Singapore politicians seldom make headlines. However, when the Singapore presidential candidates unveiled their election symbols on Nomination Day (Aug 22), Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s pineapple became an immediate talking point.
This was probably the first time a fruit had been used for a local election campaign.
Mr Tharman did not stop with just having a unique symbol.
Unlike his two opponents, he leveraged his symbol to reinforce his winning message, and ultimately won 70.4 per cent of the vote in one of the most memorable presidential campaigns in local history.
THE POWER OF SYMBOLS
Humans have used symbols since the beginning of time to communicate and to understand the universe. Symbols can be in the form of images, gestures, numbers or words, and they can deliver multiple meanings to the recipient.
We all interpret symbols based on our cultural context and shared stories. For example, a dragon symbolises heavenly authority in Chinese culture, but it is often a diabolical figure in European folk tales.
What does a pineapple stand for in Singapore’s culture?
Firstly, it is a familiar tropical fruit that is used in local cuisine like rojak and pineapple tarts.
To the older generation, the Hokkien term for pineapple is “ong lai”, which sounds like “good fortune to come.”
Mr Tharman explained to the media during Nomination Day, “Ong lai – it is a propitious and welcome symbol for many people – when we move into a new home, when we start a new business and we want good luck and good things to happen. It is our future.”
His public mention of the term “ong lai” itself demonstrated the political veteran’s savviness – he was using local lingo that many people could connect with instantly.
Commentary: The unexpected power of the pineapple in Singapore’s Presidential Election
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SINGAPORE: Election symbols used by Singapore politicians seldom make headlines. However, when the Singapore presidential candidates unveiled their election symbols on Nomination Day (Aug 22), Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s pineapple became an immediate talking point.
This was probably the first time a fruit had been used for a local election campaign.
Mr Tharman did not stop with just having a unique symbol.
Unlike his two opponents, he leveraged his symbol to reinforce his winning message, and ultimately won 70.4 per cent of the vote in one of the most memorable presidential campaigns in local history.
THE POWER OF SYMBOLS
Humans have used symbols since the beginning of time to communicate and to understand the universe. Symbols can be in the form of images, gestures, numbers or words, and they can deliver multiple meanings to the recipient.
We all interpret symbols based on our cultural context and shared stories. For example, a dragon symbolises heavenly authority in Chinese culture, but it is often a diabolical figure in European folk tales.
What does a pineapple stand for in Singapore’s culture?
Firstly, it is a familiar tropical fruit that is used in local cuisine like rojak and pineapple tarts.
To the older generation, the Hokkien term for pineapple is “ong lai”, which sounds like “good fortune to come.”
Mr Tharman explained to the media during Nomination Day, “Ong lai – it is a propitious and welcome symbol for many people – when we move into a new home, when we start a new business and we want good luck and good things to happen. It is our future.”
His public mention of the term “ong lai” itself demonstrated the political veteran’s savviness – he was using local lingo that many people could connect with instantly.
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