Ramadan greetings, shooting some hoops and sharing a meal across party lines: What politicians are up to this week

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

In this edition, we take a look at Muslim MPs breaking fast together in Parliament, a pick-up game of basketball and a wax figure of Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

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

It is not uncommon for colleagues to bond and let off steam through sports, and it seems the same applies to MPs as well.

On Sunday (April 3), a day before this month's Parliament sittings, South East District Mayor and Marine Parade GRC MP Mohd Fahmi Aliman shared photos via stories on Instagram of some People's Action Party (PAP) MPs in a pick-up game of basketball.

Among them were Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman, Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary and Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan.

Also part of the group were other MPs such as Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang GRC), Mr Edward Chia (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) and Mr Patrick Tay (Pioneer).

Their court of choice? A spanking new, all-weather one at the relocated Siglap Community Centre that opened just last week.

The new basketball court is billed as the first in Singapore to not only be caged up, but to also feature a massive ceiling fan that can be turned on during hotter days.

One could say the Mayor was trying to blow the competition away.

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan started on Saturday (April 2), and MPs took the chance to share greetings with their followers on social media.

Associate Professor Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) of the Workers' Party said in a Facebook post on Sunday that when he lived in the Middle East, the holy month of Ramadan was always a time for reflection and contemplation.

"Work hours would be scaled back, the hustle and bustle of restaurants would quieten as they closed during the day, and the evening iftar (break fast meal) would be a time to catch up with friends and family. A reminder of the things that truly matter," recalled Prof Lim, who was previously a lead economist at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority - the emirate's sovereign wealth fund.

He wished Muslims here a blessed Ramadan.

In a Facebook post also on Sunday, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor took the chance to give a shout-out to Muslim taxi and private-hire car (PHC) drivers who were fasting. "Drive safe and stay healthy!" she said.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim shared his Ramadan wishes to his followers on Sunday as well.

That day, he said that he had joined a pre-dawn meal with the motorcycle group Bikers Subuhan Singapura, which he lauded for being a strong supporter of the annual anti-drug Dadah Itu Haram campaign.

"I am very happy to have strong supporters, like them, who strongly believe in our efforts against drug abuse. Wishing all my Muslim friends and families Selamat Berpuasa. May you be blessed in this holy month of Ramadan," he said.

Muslim MPs broke fast together in Parliament on Tuesday (April 5), when MPs debated the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development in a sitting that stretched on into the night.

In the later part of the almost 10-hour debate at sundown, Muslim MPs from both sides of the House, as well as the Nominated MPs, came together to share a meal, as captured on Facebook by several Muslim leaders.

"Breaking fast with fellow MPs and NMPs, at Parliament today as we stayed on late for the debate on the motion on Singapore women's development," said Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad in his post.

An accompanying photo showed the MPs spread across two tables of seven. Workers' Party vice-chairman Faisal Manap (Aljunied GRC) could be seen seated with Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli, while fellow NMPs Abdul Samad Abdul Wahab and Shahira Abdullah could be spotted at the other table.

No word on what was in the packed meals, but Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar GRC) clearly missed his go-to buka puasa (break fast) food.

"Ramly burger and dendeng (grilled beef slices) will have to wait," he quipped.

Political buffs or history collectors can own a life-size wax figure of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, thanks to a recent discovery from an overseas Singaporean - provided they have US$15,900 (S$21,600) to spare.

A Singaporean named Bryan Cheong, who is based in San Francisco, made the discovery and tweeted about it on Saturday (April 2), posting a screenshot of the eBay ad for the figure, which is apparently produced in Delano, Minnesota.

According to the post, there are only 10 of such figures, although the eBay listing has been up since at least 2019.

The item would be shipped from Minnesota and appears to be available for shipping only within the United States.

The wax figure of the founding prime minister of Singapore wears a suit with a dark purple tie and sits on a chair with his hands together.

Besides Mr Lee, other political personages with their wax likeness listed in the store include former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, South African icon Nelson Mandela, and India's independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.