A small act of kindness: PAP's Diana Pang hands tissue to sniffling WP MP Jamus Lim in Parliament

A little kindness can go a long way, even in Parliament.

Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim was delivering a speech in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 6) when PAP MP Diana Pang came to his aid with a tissue, after noticing he had been repeatedly sniffling.

Lim was seen wearing a mask when parliament began its sitting at 10.30am.

He later rose to speak on the Finance (Income Taxes) Bill, addressing the international aspects of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, which seeks to tackle tax avoidance by multinational enterprises.

As he spoke, Lim appeared to be under the weather, pausing occasionally between sentences as he sniffled and wiped his nose.

About eight minutes into Lim's speech, Pang walked over and discreetly handed him a tissue.

Lim thanked Pang for the act of kindness, smiling and quickly wiping his nose with the tissue.

Addressing the Speaker of Parliament, Seah Kian Peng, Lim said: "It's the haze, sir. I apologise."

He then grinned and continued his speech on proposed revisions to the Multinational Enterprise (Minimum Tax) Act 2024.

The gesture was reminiscent of another recent display of cordiality across party lines. During National Day Parade 2026, PAP MP Tin Pei Ling shared a wefie with Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh and WP chair Sylvia Lim.

The photo drew positive reactions from netizens, with some praising the display of goodwill and camaraderie despite political differences.

laili.abdeen@asiaone.com

即使在议会里，一点点善意也能产生巨大的影响。

周二（10月6日），工人党议员林志蔚在国会发表演讲时，人民行动党议员彭丽媛注意到他一直在抽鼻子，便递给他一张纸巾。

林冠英在上午10点30分国会开会时被看到戴着口罩。

随后，他起身就《财政（所得税）法案》发表讲话，谈到了旨在打击跨国企业避税行为的税基侵蚀和利润转移（BEPS）项目的国际方面。

林先生说话时似乎身体不适，不时会在句子之间停下来，抽泣着擦鼻子。

林先生演讲大约八分钟后，庞先生走过去，悄悄地递给他一张纸巾。

林先生感谢庞先生的善意之举，笑着迅速用纸巾擦了擦鼻子。

林冠英向国会议长谢建平表示：“是雾霾造成的，先生。我深表歉意。”

然后他咧嘴一笑，继续就 2024 年《跨国企业（最低税）法》的拟议修订发表讲话。

这一举动让人想起近期另一次跨党派友好互动。在2026年国庆庆典期间，人民行动党议员陈佩玲与工人党主席毕丹星和工人党主席林瑞莲合影留念。

这张照片引起了网友们的积极反响，一些网友称赞照片展现了超越政治分歧的善意和友谊。

laili.abdeen@asiaone.com