DPM Wong rides in motorcycle convoy to raise funds for charity

Guitarist, singer, dog lover and now, motorcyclist.

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong showed another side when he donned biking gear and rode a Royal Enfield Classic 500 motorcycle yesterday.

He was part of a convoy to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Foundation organised by Riders Aid Singapore, a riding group.

More than 700 motorcyclists turned up for the event, which saw the convoy flagging off from Tampines Heavy Vehicle Carpark at about 1pm.

Riders Aid Singapore president Suriya Kumar said about $30,000 had been raised so far.

DPM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, joined the convoy at about 1.45pm as the participants rode from Al-Istighfar Mosque in Pasir Ris to Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple about 1km away.

At the temple, he gave a speech supporting the charity drive and also thanked 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 holds a Class 2 licence, which means he is licensed to ride any type of motorcycle in Singapore.

He said he picked up riding as 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.

"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 Riders Aid Singapore this time to support a good cause."

DPM Wong autographed the motorcycle that he used during the event. It was provided by a dealership in Ubi, and will be kept there as a display piece.

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. 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, noted that the foundation was celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. "We could come so far only with the continuous support and generosity of spirit from all of you."