A Nation of Champion Grumblers Finds Its Groove in Memes

Mix an innate talent for grumbling with digital fluency for a local take on political humour

- Bhavan Jaipragas

Boisterous rallies, candidates glad-handing constituents at markets, MRT stations and bus interchanges, endless door-to-door visits — these are classic hallmarks of election hustings in Singapore, and this year's polls are no different.

But there is another side to the 2025 campaign.

A parallel universe where politicians are not in control but are definitely centre stage: The unpredictable, wildly entertaining world of memes, viral clips and cheeky online banter.

Over the last few days, I have spent quite a bit of time on the campaign trail, attending rallies and observing exchanges between candidates and voters in walkabouts.

Yet each night, I find myself irresistibly drawn to this other world — the meme ecosystem that lives, for my millennial generation, on Instagram.

For Gen Zs, their version thrives on TikTok. Those of more senior vintage consume this content, spliced mainstream media or rally clips with voiceover or text commentaries, via Facebook and forwarded WhatsApp messages.

Scrolling through my phone in the wee hours of the morning, I find myself guffawing in the darkness. My neighbours must think I have lost it.

But how to explain what is so funny? It truly defies articulation, this peculiar alchemy of Singaporean political humour.

The People's Power Party (PPP) candidate Samuel Lee's impromptu career ladder jingle that has now reached nationwide fame. Mr Ravi Philemon shedding his serious Red Dot United leader persona for an unexpected rendition of the K-pop hit Apt.

PSP's Mr Sumarleki Amjah earnestly demonstrating to The Straits Times reporters how his silat training will aid his political strategy.