MP Penny Low apologises for NDP phone incident - SINGAPORE: Member of Parliament (MP) for Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency Penny Low has offered her apologies after being spotted using her mobile phone during the singing of the National Anthem at the National Day Parade (NDP) on Tuesday.
The incident, which was captured on television cameras, showed Ms Low glancing down at the phone in her hand.
The video was posted as a 30-second clip on websites such as YouTube, which sparked an online debate among netizens.
Posting on her Facebook page on Wednesday, Ms Low, 44, said: "I was so caught up in the wonderful NDP 2011 and felt so proud of being a Singaporean, that I wanted to capture that moment of pride, at the very tail end of the anthem, to share on FB with my residents. If in my enthusiasm I offended anyone, please accept my apologies. NDP is a time to unite not divide. Majulah Singapura."
Ms Low was elected to Parliament in 2001.
She is the founder and president of Social Innovation Park, a non-profit organisation providing social entrepreneurs with a platform to commercialise their services.
Some netizens felt Ms Low's apology was insufficient.
"She gave a bad example for the young generation by doing what she did during NDP," wrote Mr Andrew Andy Lim on Ms Low's Facebook.
But other netizens, such as Ms Jessie Seah, defended the MP. "It's less than a second in the video. The MP has apologised. Singaporeans, please be more forgiving to your own fellow countrymen."
Sources : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1146343/1/.html
