MP for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, David Hoe, reminded netizens that he was alive after being featured on the Death Kopitiam Singapore page, which had prompted concerned individuals to reach out to him.
The Facebook account, which is known for uploading photos of deceased individuals in an obituary-style format, had shared Mr Hoe’s photo along with a parliamentary question he posed on May 7.
Mr Hoe had asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health, if the Ministry would consider working with the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment and relevant agencies to address gaps in public understanding of end-of-life issues.
One comment on Death Kopitiam’s post read: “I thought he passed on… before I read the caption.”
David Hoe confirms he’s alive
“For avoidance of doubt: I’m alive,” Mr Hoe said in a post on May 8, adding that he had received messages from netizens who saw him featured on the Facebook page.
Mr Hoe said that individuals running the page might have found his parliamentary question “relevant to share”, and encouraged netizens to check out My Legacy — a platform launched by LifeSG for citizens to plan for end-of-life matters.
A written response from the Ministry of Health highlighted efforts to raise death literacy, such as the national legacy planning campaign. Over 70 partnerships have been formed with various commercial, social and community entities, the response added.
Mr Hoe said in his post that he was “encouraged” by these efforts, stressing the importance of normalising conversations around death and legacy planning.
In the comments section, one netizen who said she works in “afterlife pre-planning” thanked Mr Hoe for raising the topic in Parliament.
“Many people still avoid talking about end-of-life matters until it becomes urgent, so creating more awareness on death literacy is really meaningful,” she said.
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