‘Thanks anyway’: Singapore’s DPM Lawrence Wong puzzled by TikTokker’s ‘Daddy’ remark

Wong and Singapore’s other leaders such as Health Minister Ong Ye Kung have a sizeable presence on TikTok, with some of their quirky posts going viral
‘Daddy’ in recent years has had dual uses in mainstream culture as gay men and straight women use the term to refer to their objects of sexual desire

Singapore

SCMP’s Asia desk

Published: 8:00pm, 14 Apr 2023

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What’s with TikTok users calling politicians “Daddy”?

Singapore’s prime minister-in-waiting Lawrence Wong is the latest to be on the receiving end of the affectionate term on his widely followed TikTok account. In a post responding to a series of comments left on his account, Wong singled out a message left by one Daisy, who wrote: “thanks daddy wong!”

Wong, wearing a wide smile, replied: “Daisy, I am not sure why you’re calling me daddy, but thanks anyway.”

Another TikTok user Sngittarius also got the attention of Singapore’s no 2 leader, who noted that his Western horoscope sign was also Sagittarius. Sngitarrius had asked Wong if he would be attending a concert by the K-pop girl band Blackpink at the republic’s National Stadium in May. In response, Wong said he was “unfortunately” not attending the much-hyped event.

“They are an amazing band, very successful. I hear tickets are selling out very quickly so if you’re going next month, do enjoy yourself,” said Wong, who is deputy prime minister and finance minister.

Another user Kellynnn described Wong as a “fashion icon, purr”. To that, the minister, 50, said he was “definitely not a fashion icon”. “You will always see me in the same shirts because when I find something that fits I will buy multiple versions of it and I think that just makes life simpler,” Wong said.

Lawrence Wong, 50, said he was “definitely not a fashion icon”. Photo: Internet

Along with Wong, other top Singaporean politicians such as Health Minister Ong Ye Kung also have a sizeable presence on TikTok, with some of their quirky posts going viral in the past.

Last September, for instance, a 10-second TikTok video by Wong – the designated successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – garnered more than 2 million views.

The slowed-down footage showed him walking and removing his mask with a song by Blackpink playing in the background, and was put up as the country ended its mask mandate.

Quirky social media comments, usually by Gen Z social media users, have befuddled politicians elsewhere in the region too.

Days after Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was appointed last November – after a deadlocked election – one chirpy user responded to a post by the leader with the greeting “Selamat Pagi Papa” (Good Morning Papa).

Anwar, who has a habit of replying directly to social media followers, wrote back: “pls – don’t do that”. That one-line reply went viral.

For years a word used affectionately by children, the term “Daddy” in recent years has come to have dual uses in mainstream culture as gay men and straight women use it to refer to their objects of sexual desire.

In a 2018 skit on US hit comedy show Saturday Night Live, comedian Kate McKinnon and guest star Matt Damon offered a more clinical definition, saying it described a person who was “George Clooney but achievable”.

“Any guy can be a father, but it takes a hot, middle-aged guy with a big job to be a Daddy.”

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