“Who is that eye candy?”
That was the question on the lips of many who have noticed President Tharman’s stand-in at the recent National Day Parade (NDP) rehearsals.
Well, it seems the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) caught on the public’s curiosity and posted a reveal video on Sunday (July 7).
Turns out, President Tharman’s “body double” is Captain Lam Hong Xiang from RSAF’s 18 Divisional Air Defence (18 DA).
After introducing himself, Hong Xiang proudly shared that he had volunteered for the gig and said “the committee found [him] suitable for the role.”
He also explained in detail that he works “closely with different participants for the different cue timings and advises the reviewing officer on where he needs to be”.
Hong Xiang ended the clip by saying, “Duty calls” before heading off.
The reveal video has since raked in more than 68K views on Instagram.
Of course, netizens lit up the comments of the videos again, mostly praising Hong Xiang’s looks.
Another suggested Hong Xiang consider joining the next round of Manhunt auditions.
We can’t confirm if Hong Xiang is currently single, but don’t be too surprised if you spot thirsty fans lingering around the Padang just to catch his attention.
Though seemingly private on social media, a quick check on Hong Xiang’s LinkedIn revealed an impressive resume with stints as a data analyst for Google and OCBC
In addition to being an alumnus of Republic Polytechnic, he also holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from RMIT University.
In more recent news, Hong Xiang completed his Master of Business Administration in Data Science from Murdoch University last month.
Before Hong Xiang’s reveal, a teaser with the caption ‘Does he look familiar” was posted on Saturday (July 6) renewing interest in Hong Xiang’s identity.
By then, netizens were already thirsting for him with one commenting, “Our president is so fit that he can represent Singapore at [the] Paris Olympics.”
Now, isn’t that quite a stretch?