Haze was Singaporeans' top Google search term for 2015, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

Haze was Singaporeans' top Google search term for 2015

This article is more than 12 months old

2015 might go down in history as the year Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew died as the country celebrated her 50th birthday.

His death in March moved the entire country.

However, in terms of Google searches, the haze was the top issue in Singaporeans' minds.

According to the search engine giant, the phrase "PSI Singapore" was the top trending search among Singaporeans for 2015 as they sought to keep on top of the haze situation between September and October.

"Lee Kuan Yew" was the second most-searched term on Google while "SEA Games" took third spot.

While Mr Lee did not take top spot overall, he was the most trending person followed by controversial YouTuber and blogger Amos Yee and Mr Lee's daughter, Dr Lee Wei Ling.

Here is a quick run-down of the top 10 most-Googled persons for 2015 among Singaporeans:

1) LEE KUAN YEW

Even in death, Singapore's founding prime minister still managed to bring the nation together for one grand send-off.

Once the news had broken that Mr Lee had been hospitalised with severe pneumonia in February, his failing health became a hot topic of conversation among Singaporeans.

When the dreaded news of his passing came on March 23, the nation was plunged into mourning.

On the day of his state funeral on March 29, Singaporeans braved the pouring rain to line the streets and bid Mr Lee his final farewell as his hearse journeyed to Mandai Crematorium for cremation.

2) AMOS YEE

Controversy is never far away when it comes to YouTuber and blogger Amos Yee.

The teen became a polarising figure when he was charged with posting a video containing a rant against Christianity and Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Following a dramatic court case that saw him falsely accuse his bailor of molest as well well being slapped outside the court room by a man offended by his video, Yee was sentenced to four weeks' jail on July 6 and released on the same day after his sentence had been backdated to include his time in remand.

However, the 17-year-old could be in hot water once more as he is reportedly under investigation for making more offensive remarks on his blog.

3) LEE WEI LING

The middle child of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his wife, Madam Kwa Geok Choo, Dr Lee leads the pack among her siblings in Google's top searches among Singaporeans for people.

Currently the custodian of Mr Lee's famous 38, Oxley Road home, the 60-year-old published a book called A Hakka Woman's Singapore Stories in September which talks about different issues facing Singaporeans.

4) LEE HSIEN LOONG

It has been an eventful year for Singapore's incumbent prime minister.

From the death of his father to the nation's SG 50 celebrations, Mr Lee also led the People's Action Party's (PAP) to a resounding victory in this year's general elections.

5) CHEE SOON JUAN

The controversial opposition politician proved to be a charming adversary for the PAP when he made his return to politics during the general election.

However, Dr Chee's charm didn't translate to votes as his Singapore Democratic Party team for Holland-Bukit Timah only managed to garner 33.38 per cent of the valid votes in September.

6) NAJIB RAZAK

The Malaysian prime minister has endured a difficult 2015.

Faced with accusations of corruption after it was revealed that he had RM2.6 billion ($850 million) in his personal bank account, Mr Najib has had to deal with repeated calls for his resignation, most notably from former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

7) LEE HSIEN YANG

The youngest of the Lee siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang has been prominently in the news as one of the administers of his late father's estate.

Along with PM Lee and Dr Lee, the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore recently agreed to donate half of the value of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's Oxley Road home to charity.

8) MANNY PACQUIAO

The Filipino boxer's highlight of 2015 was his high profile showdown in May with rival Floyd Mayweather for the first time.

Despite losing the bout, Pacquiao still won over the hearts and minds of fight fans with his attacking display and humility in defeat.

9) JOSEPH SCHOOLING

By all accounts, Singapore's golden boy in the pool had a blockbuster year.

Schooling blazed a trail of national records at the SEA Games in June where he bagged a perfect nine gold medals from nine events and went on to bag a historic bronze medal for the Republic at the Fina World Championships in Kazan two months later.

10) SUBHAS ANANDAN

The late lawyer was a legend in Singapore legal circles as the criminal lawyer who would take on any case that came to him.

Mr Subhas died on Jan 7 of heart failure at the age of 67.

SingaporegoogleLee Kuan YewHazePSILee Hsien LoongAmos YeeinternetLee Wei Lingjoseph schoolingmanny pacquiaoChee Soon Juan