SINGAPORE - The Straits Times looks at what politicians, and the politically related, are up to in this weekly series.

In this edition, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's wife makes a "guest" appearance in some social media posts, as does former Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang.

Look out for the latest edition of the series every Friday, and check out past ones here.

Special guests

When Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong was chosen by his fourth-generation People's Action Party colleagues as their leader in April this year, curiosity peaked about him and his personal life.

And one of the things people were interested about: just who his wife is. From April 10 to 16, the search terms "Lawrence Wong and wife" reached its peak popularity, based on Google Trends.

But most people were unlikely to have found many pictures of Ms Loo Tze Lui, who has mostly kept out of the spotlight.

This week, though, she made a guest appearance as Mr Wong and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean hosted a special guest, Brunei Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, during his visit to Singapore for the 8th Singapore-Brunei Young Leaders' Programme.

Ms Loo, who is Mr Wong's second wife - his first marriage in his 20s had ended in an amicable divorce due to incompatibility - had accompanied him on a visit to River Wonders with their foreign guests.

In some photos posted by Mr Teo, she is standing close to Mr Wong, together with Crown Prince Billah, his wife Princess Sarah, and their children, Princess Muneerah Madhul, Prince Muhammad Aiman and Princess Faathimah Az-Zahraa'.

Ms Loo, who runs a family office and sits on the YMCA board of directors, was also at a dinner hosted by Mr Wong and Mr Teo for the Crown Prince and his wife, which was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong.

With Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong having said that he hoped to hand over to Mr Wong once he is ready, perhaps Ms Loo will find it harder to stay out of the spotlight.

Hammer goes Tik Tok

The Workers' Party launched its official TikTok page on Friday (Aug 5), with a video of former party chief Low Thia Khiang walking around a Sengkang estate.

Mr Low, who was covering Sengkang GRC MP Jamus Lim during his sabbatical abroad, had checked out a fitness area and playground in the estate, hanging on a pull-up bar and climbing on a suspension bridge to make sure the equipment was safe and working well.

The long-time WP leader had retired from politics at the 2020 general election - shortly after he fell at home in April 2020 and had a head injury - but it appears he is still popular with residents.

In a comment on the video, TikTok user mamafurry said: "Happy to see Mr Low in good health and in action."

Another TikTok user, Malcolm Sunny, quipped: "I thought he was going to do a pull up."

In the past week, the WP had also resumed the sale of its Hammer newsletter after a break of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The party had covered Blk 630 Bedok Reservoir Road market, in Aljunied GRC's Eunos ward - where the MP is Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh - as well as Eunos Crescent in Marine Parade GRC, where the WP has been active.Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera, announcing this in a Facebook post on July 31, said: "It was good to spend the morning with constituents and fellow members of The Workers' Party as we work towards a healthy, balanced politics in the country we love."