'Oh, don't play a joke on me!': Boy does not recognise President Tony Tan

A video of a boy sharing a tongue-in-cheek moment with President Tony Tan and his wife, Mary, has gone viral. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM FACEBOOK/MEDIACORP CHANNEL 5

SINGAPORE - The best thing about kids: They say what they mean and never hold back, even to the President and his wife.

And the Internet agrees, as a video of a boy sharing a tongue-in-cheek moment with President Tony Tan and his wife, Mary, has gone viral, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sharing the clip on his Facebook page on Monday (Oct 24).

The footage was originally shared by Mediacorp Channel 5's Facebook page in support of the President's Star Charity, which raised a record $7.37 million for 58 charities on on Sunday (Oct 23) night.

In the clip, Madam Chee asked the boy: "Have you met the President?"

The boy did not recognise Dr Tan initially and responded with a nonchalant "no", drawing laughter from the audience.

When he finally realised he was sitting opposite the President and his wife, the boy slapped his head and exclaimed: "Oh, don't play a joke on me!"

The child also tickled the audience when he got Dr Tan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confused, citing PM Lee's near-fainting spell during the National Day Rally in August.

PM Lee responded to the clip on his Facebook page, saying: "One of the fun things about chatting with young children is that you never quite know what they are going to say."

He also made a plug for the President's Star Charity, calling for donations for a "worthy cause to help the less fortunate".

Most netizens were amused by the video clip, including Facebook user Vanessa YV who commented: "So cute. Children are so innocent & natural."

Another Facebook user, Rayson Choo, commented: "The funnest thing a boy can say to the president. I believe the boy will be telling his future kids and grandkids about this."

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.