KJ: I recall that at one stage you planned to be part of an independent team...
PLSJ: I said to Desmond Lim “you are a veteran in 06, why do you want to go to a single seat? We are novices”. He did not agree with me. A Malay guy working in Dubai came back for the meeting. I was not happy. I told him I will not have anything to do with it. His strategy is very poor.
KJ: Why was that?
PLSJ: There were not enough people to contest. I felt sad for him [DL]. You can see what happened. He lost his deposit. Even so if not a three corner fight [in Punggol East SMC] he will still lose his deposit but not by so much. He cried during the election campaign. He claimed Workers’ Party supporters [were] harassing him.
KJ: What state was SJP [Singapore Justice Party] in prior to Desmond taking over there?
PLSJ: SJP was just a shell party with a few core people [such as] founding President [and] Treasurer. He said: “I think Chiam See Tong will play me out”. Chiam See Tong withdrew his SPP from SDA. Desmond had no choice but to fall back on SJP. Six months out I told him to pull out of SPP. I predicted it. It’s very sad. SDA was only PKMS, SJP, and SPP. I declined to be on CEC of SJP because he refused to listen. PKMS supported him a lot. He thought he was very safe.
KJ: What state was SJP [Singapore Justice Party] in prior to Desmond taking over there?
PLSJ: SJP was just a shell party with a few core people [such as] founding President [and] Treasurer. He said: “I think Chiam See Tong will play me out”. Chiam See Tong withdrew his SPP from SDA. Desmond had no choice but to fall back on SJP. Six months out I told him to pull out of SPP. I predicted it. It’s very sad. SDA was only PKMS, SJP, and SPP. I declined to be on CEC of SJP because he refused to listen. PKMS supported him a lot. He thought he was very safe.
When CST withdrew from SDA, SDA was and is even now a total empty shell. I told GMS when we had a telephone conversation that CST is not a gentleman to Desmond. GMS said “he’s a lawyer, he will sue you”. I gave it to my lawyer friend to vet; it was all factual statements of what CST said. Desmond was left dangling. No-one was there to form our team. He wanted to recruit some Masters guy; Silhita Nilesh was to stand but he later declined saying his US Company did not give him permission to stand. Desmond fell back on me.
KJ: So what are your opinions of the campaigning performance of your SDA team in Pasir Ris-Punggol?
PLSJ: Desmond made very major mistakes, every speech took one hour; his speeches are not entertaining. He banned me from the press and speaking at rallies.
KJ: How many rallies did you actually speak at then?
PLSJ: Officially I spoke at one rally and I was last-minute replacement for the second rally. I spoke for twelve minutes; that was my best rally speech and I spoke off-the cuff with no preparation..because was not slated to speak..Only for party sake I stood in for Tony tan (same name as president)..when he got stage fright..And he never spoke in any rally at all!
read it yourself: http://leesjuanpatworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/transcript-of-my-interview-with-dr.html
KJ: What were the reasons behind your friend Goh Meng Seng’s resignation from the NSP [National Solidarity Party] Secretary-General’s post after the election?
PLSJ: GMS was pressured to resign. It [NSP electoral results] is seen as a failure. GMS is a very nice guy, very accommodating. He took all the RP [Reform Party] group in as a mass exodus. Gilbert Goh asked me which party to join. I said: “KJ [Kenneth Jeyaretnam] is not a good leader [and] I don’t think Workers’ Party will accept you. I said: “NSP is a good choice”. Out of the blue he joined RP but when the exodus happened a few days later he quit rightaway!
KJ: What do you think of the NSP’s election campaign strategy?
The NSP strategy was not really that good. He [GMS] should have put himself, Hazel [Poa], [and] Tony Tan in Tampines [GRC]. GMS approved me joining the NSP and I would have been a member in Tampines.
KJ: Ah, really? That’s new information to me. When was this?
PLSJ: Before the election. SDA had problems getting people and Desmond and Sidney Soon asked me to join them again. I said to GMS: “I’m sorry; I have to leave the party”. I do it for the best interests of the people. GMS wanted to put me into Tampines to contest Mah Bow Tan, I dislike Mah Bow Tan. and his handlin gof the HDB escalating price.I left to join SDA with GMS blessing..(Ken Sun was not happy about that!) GMS asked Gilbert Goh to take over in Tampines. I told Steve Chia I was interested to join NSP, straight away my membership was approved. I was only in NSP for one week, they approved my membership already, [and] they all know me already. Ken Sun said: “You played us out”. I said: “What about all those who played out the RP?” I wrote in the blog that the old birds of NSP should give way to the young. Sitting too long in the CEC of NSP..the main old veterans !
KJ: What is your opinion on James Gomez’ move to SDP earlier this year?
PLSJ: Gomez is on the way down. He is an intelligent guy. He does not have a mindset to stay in one place. For him and Meng Seng if he stayed with Workers’ Party he would have been an MP already. I said to GMS: “Why do you need the [SG] title?”
KJ: Can Desmond Lim bounce back?
PLSJ: His performance was terrible, 1,386 plus votes, he should not have nominated if he knew Workers’ Party would contest.
http://leesjuanpatworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/transcript-of-my-interview-with-dr.html
PLSJ: I said to Desmond Lim “you are a veteran in 06, why do you want to go to a single seat? We are novices”. He did not agree with me. A Malay guy working in Dubai came back for the meeting. I was not happy. I told him I will not have anything to do with it. His strategy is very poor.
KJ: Why was that?
PLSJ: There were not enough people to contest. I felt sad for him [DL]. You can see what happened. He lost his deposit. Even so if not a three corner fight [in Punggol East SMC] he will still lose his deposit but not by so much. He cried during the election campaign. He claimed Workers’ Party supporters [were] harassing him.
KJ: What state was SJP [Singapore Justice Party] in prior to Desmond taking over there?
PLSJ: SJP was just a shell party with a few core people [such as] founding President [and] Treasurer. He said: “I think Chiam See Tong will play me out”. Chiam See Tong withdrew his SPP from SDA. Desmond had no choice but to fall back on SJP. Six months out I told him to pull out of SPP. I predicted it. It’s very sad. SDA was only PKMS, SJP, and SPP. I declined to be on CEC of SJP because he refused to listen. PKMS supported him a lot. He thought he was very safe.
KJ: What state was SJP [Singapore Justice Party] in prior to Desmond taking over there?
PLSJ: SJP was just a shell party with a few core people [such as] founding President [and] Treasurer. He said: “I think Chiam See Tong will play me out”. Chiam See Tong withdrew his SPP from SDA. Desmond had no choice but to fall back on SJP. Six months out I told him to pull out of SPP. I predicted it. It’s very sad. SDA was only PKMS, SJP, and SPP. I declined to be on CEC of SJP because he refused to listen. PKMS supported him a lot. He thought he was very safe.
When CST withdrew from SDA, SDA was and is even now a total empty shell. I told GMS when we had a telephone conversation that CST is not a gentleman to Desmond. GMS said “he’s a lawyer, he will sue you”. I gave it to my lawyer friend to vet; it was all factual statements of what CST said. Desmond was left dangling. No-one was there to form our team. He wanted to recruit some Masters guy; Silhita Nilesh was to stand but he later declined saying his US Company did not give him permission to stand. Desmond fell back on me.
KJ: So what are your opinions of the campaigning performance of your SDA team in Pasir Ris-Punggol?
PLSJ: Desmond made very major mistakes, every speech took one hour; his speeches are not entertaining. He banned me from the press and speaking at rallies.
KJ: How many rallies did you actually speak at then?
PLSJ: Officially I spoke at one rally and I was last-minute replacement for the second rally. I spoke for twelve minutes; that was my best rally speech and I spoke off-the cuff with no preparation..because was not slated to speak..Only for party sake I stood in for Tony tan (same name as president)..when he got stage fright..And he never spoke in any rally at all!
read it yourself: http://leesjuanpatworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/transcript-of-my-interview-with-dr.html
KJ: What were the reasons behind your friend Goh Meng Seng’s resignation from the NSP [National Solidarity Party] Secretary-General’s post after the election?
PLSJ: GMS was pressured to resign. It [NSP electoral results] is seen as a failure. GMS is a very nice guy, very accommodating. He took all the RP [Reform Party] group in as a mass exodus. Gilbert Goh asked me which party to join. I said: “KJ [Kenneth Jeyaretnam] is not a good leader [and] I don’t think Workers’ Party will accept you. I said: “NSP is a good choice”. Out of the blue he joined RP but when the exodus happened a few days later he quit rightaway!
KJ: What do you think of the NSP’s election campaign strategy?
The NSP strategy was not really that good. He [GMS] should have put himself, Hazel [Poa], [and] Tony Tan in Tampines [GRC]. GMS approved me joining the NSP and I would have been a member in Tampines.
KJ: Ah, really? That’s new information to me. When was this?
PLSJ: Before the election. SDA had problems getting people and Desmond and Sidney Soon asked me to join them again. I said to GMS: “I’m sorry; I have to leave the party”. I do it for the best interests of the people. GMS wanted to put me into Tampines to contest Mah Bow Tan, I dislike Mah Bow Tan. and his handlin gof the HDB escalating price.I left to join SDA with GMS blessing..(Ken Sun was not happy about that!) GMS asked Gilbert Goh to take over in Tampines. I told Steve Chia I was interested to join NSP, straight away my membership was approved. I was only in NSP for one week, they approved my membership already, [and] they all know me already. Ken Sun said: “You played us out”. I said: “What about all those who played out the RP?” I wrote in the blog that the old birds of NSP should give way to the young. Sitting too long in the CEC of NSP..the main old veterans !
KJ: What is your opinion on James Gomez’ move to SDP earlier this year?
PLSJ: Gomez is on the way down. He is an intelligent guy. He does not have a mindset to stay in one place. For him and Meng Seng if he stayed with Workers’ Party he would have been an MP already. I said to GMS: “Why do you need the [SG] title?”
KJ: Can Desmond Lim bounce back?
PLSJ: His performance was terrible, 1,386 plus votes, he should not have nominated if he knew Workers’ Party would contest.
http://leesjuanpatworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/transcript-of-my-interview-with-dr.html
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