‘He should be in the birth rate task force’: Singaporeans congratulate Tan Kiat How on birth of third child

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s 61st birthday proved to be a special one for Member of Parliament Tan Kiat How, as it marked a welcome addition to their family, as his wife went into labour on National Day.

Mr Tan and his wife welcomed their third child on August 10, and he posted a photo of himself holding his youngest child on his social media accounts.

This sparked a flurry of congratulations from many Singaporeans, with some commenting, perhaps only half-jokingly, that the MP should be part of the Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, which has been tasked with tackling Singapore’s historic low total fertility rate of 0.87.

On Monday (Aug 10), Mr Tan wrote in his post that this year’s National Day Parade had been “exciting in more ways” than he had expected, going on to explain that “towards the end of the show, my wife’s water started leaking.”

Fortunately for their two older children, six-year-old Isaac and two-year-old Ayla, their younger sibling had been “patient enough” to wait to be born until the parade was finished, “fireworks, pledge and all!”

The MP wrote that he and his wife dropped off their children at their house after the parade, then went to the hospital, and that baby Micah, whom Mr Tan called “our best National Day gift,” was born on the morning of Aug 10.

“Feeling incredibly grateful and blessed as we welcome the newest member of our family.

A big thank you too to the wonderful doctors and nurses who took such good care of my wife and Micah through the night and this morning,” he added.

Warm wishes have since poured in, including from Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore Grace Fu and former Mountbatten SMC MP Lim Biow Chuan.

Members of the public have also congratulated Mr Tan, who has been representing East Coast GRC in Parliament since 2020, and is also the Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information as well as the Ministry of Health, especially given the timing of his newest child’s birth.

“Heartiest congratulations to SMS MP Tan Kiat How and his family on the arrival of baby Micah! What a beautiful and unforgettable National Day celebration — welcoming a precious new addition to the family on 10 August! Wishing Mum, Dad and the three children lots of love, joy, good health and happiness,” one wrote. /TISG