Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam may be the Head of State, but he still flies budget like the rest of us. When he boarded a Scoot flight back from Ipoh to Singapore on Tuesday (Aug 26), fellow passengers broke into applause. Tharman responded by standing up, smiling, and waving to everyone onboard.
According to Sin Chew Daily, Tharman was in Ipoh for a two day working trip. He left Sultan Azlan Shah Airport on Scoot’s 5.25pm flight. Before boarding, passengers noticed a motorcade at the tarmac and started guessing which VIP was flying with them.
Tharman was the last to board and sat in the first row. Many passengers quickly whipped out their phones to snap pictures. When he heard Singaporeans seated behind clapping for him, he graciously turned around, stood up, and waved back.
In fact, this was not the first time passengers spotted him. The day before, when he arrived in Ipoh on another Scoot flight, travellers waiting to board had already recognized him.
While in Ipoh, Tharman and his wife Jane Yumiko Ittogi were hosted by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, and the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim.
They had breakfast at the Old Town White Coffee Experience Centre and also visited popular attractions like Concubine Lane, the Han Chin Pet Soo Museum, and Nam Heong coffee shop to soak in the city’s heritage charm.
