Here comes the HammerTok: Low Thia Khiang appears in WP's TikTok debut

Not quite his old stomping ground in Hougang, but Low Thia Khiang of The Workers' Party (WP) is back.

In WP's TikTok debut today (Aug 5), their former party chief was seen at a playground in Anchorvale estate in Sengkang. And no, he's not there for a good time post-politics. 

The 40-second clip showed the 65-year-old checking out the facilities there and testing several pieces of equipment.

These included rocking on the red slides and climbing on the pull-up bar.

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With the video garnering over 15,000 views, netizens were glad to see Low in great shape – after he had hurt his head in a bad fall in April 2020.

"Encik conducting standby playground," a netizen mused, likening Low as a sergeant conducting the dreaded bed inspection for recruits in National Service.

Several netizens also shared their excitement with WP's TikTok debut, with one seizing this opportunity to alert the opposition party to another playground that needed to be fixed.

It might seem exciting that Low is back walking the ground, but he is there to cover Sengkang GRC MP Jamus Lim's duties until Aug 8.

In a Facebook post shared on July 18, Lim said that he would be in the United States for three weeks to attend a summer fellowship at Stanford University. 

But why feature Low in WP's TikTok debut?

"While not currently an MP, he's a well-established and respected political figure, having served in Parliament for almost three decades," Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera told the Straits Times today, adding that Low was chosen as he has shaped the party's collective culture and ethos.

In June 2020, Low announced that he would be stepping down from politics after 40 years and not contest in the General Elections that year.

But earlier in February this year, Low said that it was up to the residents to ask him if he will return to politics.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com