It would appear that Desmond Lim has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
First, after an edited clip of a campaign video for the 2013 Punggol East by-election went viral earlier this month, netizens skewered the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) chairman for his poor command of the English language. But he’s taking the jibes in his stride. “I humbly tell [them] that this is me, and that I’m always trying to improve,” Mr Lim said. “I cannot stop those who wish to laugh at me, because I’m only concerned with things which are within my control.”
In this vein, what about his track record at the ballot boxes – even if they were three or four-cornered fights – something which is within his control? After all, the second criticism has been his poor performance as a political veteran. During the 2011 general elections and the 2013 by-election in Punggol East he garnered just 4.45 per cent and 0.57 per cent of the votes respectively, and as a result lost his election deposit on both occasions.
SDA's Mr Desmond Lim
SDA’s Mr Desmond Lim
“Before it was carved out, the Punggol East SMC was part of the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC during the 2006 general elections, and for that reason we had to make our presence felt there, to be responsible to the constituents who had supported us,” Mr Lim justified his decision to contest in 2011. He was part of a six-candidate SDA team which secured 31.30 per cent of the votes in 2006. And when I pressed him about his less-than-stellar showing since 2001, he conceded that “I did not act as a candidate”. He spoke of his many responsibilities beyond his own constituency, as a logistics officer and vote-canvasser in Potong Pasir (2001 and 2006) for Chiam See Tong and in Pasir Ris-Punggol (2011) for a new slate of party candidates.
The “firepower” was missing too, he added.
So what has changed this year? Raising his profile as the leader of the SDA slate in Pasir Ris-Punggol this year seems to be the obvious, especially against the PAP team helmed by DPM Teo Chee Hean. Besides the recent release of its “Singapore for Singaporeans” manifesto, Mr Lim shared more about a charity arm which provides a daily lunch service, legal aid, as well as dental check-ups within the constituency. Furthermore, framing the SDA as a party which echoes “the voice of the ordinary Singaporean”, he has also been walking the ground to gauge sentiments, collecting audio interviews with residents along the way.
SDA will announce its line-up on Nomination Day, Mr Lim revealed. The team might include Harminder Pal Singh – a crowd-favourite at the NUSS dialogue two weeks ago – who also joined us at the end of our interview on Friday.
It is hard to doubt Mr Lim’s sincerity and ruggedness, especially when he detailed his thankless labour (my words) in the background. Fuelled by sips of coffee – having had just two hours of sleep in the past week – when we met at McDonald’s Kallang, I asked him to list the administrative tasks he had to see to. There were the nomination forms and elections deposits to handle before Nomination Day, for instance, and once the campaigning period commences, the flags, banners, posters, and flyers will follow. Not to mention the hectic preparations for the rallies, in terms of getting the stage and speakers all ready.
If his bid is successful, his experience in town council management – having served 14 years as a consultant to the Potong Pasir Town Council, as Mr Chiam’s right-hand man – will be an asset. “I have set up a shadow town council with a core team of six, who has been trained in administration, operations, IT, finance, public relations, as well as landscaping and conservancy,” he said. “The handing and taking over process is the most important to understand the orientation and demarcations, counterchecking the list of residents.”
This process was the first of 13 procedures he listed, contained in a private document which also specified the structure and main councillors of this shadow town council.
Yet, perhaps it is his legislative agenda – and its communication – which may not necessarily resonate, or distinguish the SDA from the other opposition parties in a crowded field. Municipal issues are important to the voter, though with a more active citizenry the MP is expected to perform as a parliamentarian, raising important socio-economic issue.
Hence, Mr Lim raised the Population White Paper, the Central Provident Fund, and housing as main policies he would challenge if he was elected. These were also three of the seven issues published in the SDA’s manifesto. While not against immigration, and even if it is mooted as an “ambitious stretch target”, he opposes the 6.9 million figure; calls for higher returns on CPF investments without touching the principal sum in the accounts; and champions more affordable public housing as well as a greater supply of rental housing.
What is the mood of the people today? “Based on our groundwork in Pasir Ris-Punggol – with more than a thousand [voice interviews and conversations] – people feel that Singapore does not belong to them, that they are money-making machines for the government, and therefore they think that it is time to reinstall their rights,” he said.
And as Mr Lim emerges from the background to the spotlight for the upcoming general elections, he is also providing the younger members with the exposure, training, and knowledge for the future. The fight in the next two weeks will not be easy, and will take more than panache in the face of scepticism or increasingly demanding voters to secure electoral victory. “For me, I will continue regardless of the outcome,” he responded when I asked about his plans if he was defeated on September 11, “but the SDA is not about me.” Strategic and leadership visions are in place for the next few years, it would appear.
Right now, “we will fight with confidence, get everything ready, and go all the way out.”
http://themiddleground.sg/2015/08/30/desmond-lim-toils-background/
First, after an edited clip of a campaign video for the 2013 Punggol East by-election went viral earlier this month, netizens skewered the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) chairman for his poor command of the English language. But he’s taking the jibes in his stride. “I humbly tell [them] that this is me, and that I’m always trying to improve,” Mr Lim said. “I cannot stop those who wish to laugh at me, because I’m only concerned with things which are within my control.”
In this vein, what about his track record at the ballot boxes – even if they were three or four-cornered fights – something which is within his control? After all, the second criticism has been his poor performance as a political veteran. During the 2011 general elections and the 2013 by-election in Punggol East he garnered just 4.45 per cent and 0.57 per cent of the votes respectively, and as a result lost his election deposit on both occasions.
SDA's Mr Desmond Lim
SDA’s Mr Desmond Lim
“Before it was carved out, the Punggol East SMC was part of the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC during the 2006 general elections, and for that reason we had to make our presence felt there, to be responsible to the constituents who had supported us,” Mr Lim justified his decision to contest in 2011. He was part of a six-candidate SDA team which secured 31.30 per cent of the votes in 2006. And when I pressed him about his less-than-stellar showing since 2001, he conceded that “I did not act as a candidate”. He spoke of his many responsibilities beyond his own constituency, as a logistics officer and vote-canvasser in Potong Pasir (2001 and 2006) for Chiam See Tong and in Pasir Ris-Punggol (2011) for a new slate of party candidates.
The “firepower” was missing too, he added.
So what has changed this year? Raising his profile as the leader of the SDA slate in Pasir Ris-Punggol this year seems to be the obvious, especially against the PAP team helmed by DPM Teo Chee Hean. Besides the recent release of its “Singapore for Singaporeans” manifesto, Mr Lim shared more about a charity arm which provides a daily lunch service, legal aid, as well as dental check-ups within the constituency. Furthermore, framing the SDA as a party which echoes “the voice of the ordinary Singaporean”, he has also been walking the ground to gauge sentiments, collecting audio interviews with residents along the way.
SDA will announce its line-up on Nomination Day, Mr Lim revealed. The team might include Harminder Pal Singh – a crowd-favourite at the NUSS dialogue two weeks ago – who also joined us at the end of our interview on Friday.
It is hard to doubt Mr Lim’s sincerity and ruggedness, especially when he detailed his thankless labour (my words) in the background. Fuelled by sips of coffee – having had just two hours of sleep in the past week – when we met at McDonald’s Kallang, I asked him to list the administrative tasks he had to see to. There were the nomination forms and elections deposits to handle before Nomination Day, for instance, and once the campaigning period commences, the flags, banners, posters, and flyers will follow. Not to mention the hectic preparations for the rallies, in terms of getting the stage and speakers all ready.
If his bid is successful, his experience in town council management – having served 14 years as a consultant to the Potong Pasir Town Council, as Mr Chiam’s right-hand man – will be an asset. “I have set up a shadow town council with a core team of six, who has been trained in administration, operations, IT, finance, public relations, as well as landscaping and conservancy,” he said. “The handing and taking over process is the most important to understand the orientation and demarcations, counterchecking the list of residents.”
This process was the first of 13 procedures he listed, contained in a private document which also specified the structure and main councillors of this shadow town council.
Yet, perhaps it is his legislative agenda – and its communication – which may not necessarily resonate, or distinguish the SDA from the other opposition parties in a crowded field. Municipal issues are important to the voter, though with a more active citizenry the MP is expected to perform as a parliamentarian, raising important socio-economic issue.
Hence, Mr Lim raised the Population White Paper, the Central Provident Fund, and housing as main policies he would challenge if he was elected. These were also three of the seven issues published in the SDA’s manifesto. While not against immigration, and even if it is mooted as an “ambitious stretch target”, he opposes the 6.9 million figure; calls for higher returns on CPF investments without touching the principal sum in the accounts; and champions more affordable public housing as well as a greater supply of rental housing.
What is the mood of the people today? “Based on our groundwork in Pasir Ris-Punggol – with more than a thousand [voice interviews and conversations] – people feel that Singapore does not belong to them, that they are money-making machines for the government, and therefore they think that it is time to reinstall their rights,” he said.
And as Mr Lim emerges from the background to the spotlight for the upcoming general elections, he is also providing the younger members with the exposure, training, and knowledge for the future. The fight in the next two weeks will not be easy, and will take more than panache in the face of scepticism or increasingly demanding voters to secure electoral victory. “For me, I will continue regardless of the outcome,” he responded when I asked about his plans if he was defeated on September 11, “but the SDA is not about me.” Strategic and leadership visions are in place for the next few years, it would appear.
Right now, “we will fight with confidence, get everything ready, and go all the way out.”
http://themiddleground.sg/2015/08/30/desmond-lim-toils-background/
