Desmond Lim

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Desmond Lim
林睦荃
Desmond Lim Bak Chuan (cropped).jpg
Lim at a rally speech in 2015
Personal details
Born
Lim Bak Chuan

1967 (age 57–58)[ citation needed ]
Singapore
Political party SPP
SJP
SDA
Education Master of Engineering Management [1]
Alma mater University of Wollongong [1]
Occupationpolitician, engineer

Desmond Lim Bak Chuan (Chinese :林睦荃; pinyin :Lín Mùquán; born 1967)[ citation needed ] is a Singaporean politician. He was formerly the president of the opposition Singapore Justice Party (SJP), which joined forces with three other opposition parties (SPP, NSP and PKMS) to form the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) in 2001. He became the SDA secretary-general in 2009 and SDA president in 2011 before stepping down from the position of SDA chairman after the 2020 general election. [2]

Contents

Formerly a principal engineer at telco company M1, [1] Lim made his electoral debut in the 2001 general election when he joined a five-member SDA team to contest in Jalan Besar GRC against a five-member team from the governing People's Action Party (PAP). The SDA team lost with 25.51% of the vote against the PAP team's 74.49%. [3] Since then, Lim had contested in all the subsequent general elections (2006, 2011, 2015 and 2020) and one by-election in 2013. He contested with a SDA team in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC in all the general elections except in 2011, when he contested as a solo SDA candidate in Punggol East SMC, and again in the 2013 by-election. However, he did not win any of those elections. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Lim was initially considered a protégé of Chiam See Tong, the SDA leader from 2001 to 2011, until they had a falling-out, which led to Chiam and the SPP withdrawing from the SDA. Widely seen in opposition circles as a friendly person who is pleasant to talk to, Lim is also known for his willingness to attempt new methods of campaigning and has described himself as "dedicated and determined". [9] When he was campaigning during the 2013 by-election, he was ridiculed for his poor diction in the videos of his speeches he had posted online. [2]

Background

Lim holds a Master of Engineering Management from the University of Wollongong, and had been a principal engineer at the teleco company M1. [1]

Political career

2001 general election

Lim was formerly an assistant secretary-general of the opposition Singapore People's Party (SPP) and president of another opposition party, the Singapore Justice Party (SJP). [1] In 2001, the SJP and SPP joined forces with two other opposition parties, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (PKMS), to form the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA). Lim made his electoral debut during the 2011 general election when he joined a five-member SDA team to contest in Jalan Besar GRC against a five-member team from the governing People's Action Party (PAP). The SDA team lost with 25.51% of the vote against the PAP team's 74.49%. [3]

2006 general election

Lim joined a six-member SDA team contesting in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC during the 2006 general election against a PAP team led by Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean. At the time, Lim was assistant secretary-general of the SDA. [1] The SDA team lost to the PAP team with 31.3% of the vote against the PAP team's 68.7%. [4]

2011 general election

Lim became president of the SDA in 2011. [2] Before the general election that year, the NSP and SPP had withdrawn from the SDA. Lim contested as a solo SDA candidate for the first time in that general election in a three-cornered fight in Punggol East SMC. He ultimately lost to the PAP candidate Michael Palmer, who had 54.54% of the vote. Lim's share of the vote, at 4.45%, was significantly lower than that of the other opposition candidate, Lee Li Lian of the Workers' Party, who had 41.01% of the vote. [4] Due to having garnered lower than 12.5% of the vote, Lim forfeited his S$16,000 election deposit under Singapore's electoral rules. [10] [11]

2013 by-election

In 2013, after PAP Member of Parliament Michael Palmer resigned from the PAP and gave up his parliamentary seat in Punggol East SMC, a by-election was scheduled to be held on 26 January 2013. Lim announced his decision to contest as a SDA candidate in the by-election, which turned out to be a four-cornered fight pitting Lim against three other candidates: Koh Poh Koon of the PAP; Lee Li Lian of the Workers' Party; and Kenneth Jeyaretnam of the Reform Party.

On 21 January 2013, Lim started uploading a series of videos of his speeches, calling it an "online rally" and talking about issues such as the high costs of living and high property prices in Singapore. [12] Although he was derided for his poor diction, he said he was not disheartened and felt that he should not be judged on his command of English, but on how he could serve the people. [2] [13] It was also reported that some residents admired his "underdog indefatigability". [14]

Lim ultimately lost the by-election, having garnered just 0.57% of the vote, the lowest among the four candidates: Lee won with 54.5% of the vote, while Koh and Jeyaratnam had 43.73% and 1.2% respectively. [8] As he had lower than 12.5% of the vote, Lim forfeited his S$14,500 election deposit, becoming the second candidate in Singaporean electoral history after Harbans Singh to forfeit his election deposit twice. [15] His electoral result of 0.57% was also the lowest any candidate or party got in an election since Singapore gained independence in 1965, beating Teo Kim Hoe's result of 0.81% in 1984. [16] [17] [18]

2015 general election

Lim joined a six-member SDA team contesting in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC again during the 2015 general election against the PAP team led by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. The SDA team lost to the PAP team with 27.11% of the vote against the PAP team's 72.89%. [6]

2020 general election

In 2020, Lim announced that he would be stepping down from his position as SDA chairman after the general election that year. [2] He joined a five-member SDA team to contest in a three-cornered fight in Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC against the PAP team led by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and another team from the opposition Peoples Voice led by Lim Tean. The SDA team lost with 23.67% against the PAP team's 64.16%, but did better than the Peoples Voice team's 12.17%. [7]

Personal life

Lim is married and has a son.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Democratic Alliance</span> Alliance of political parties in Singapore

The Singapore Democratic Alliance is an opposition political coalition between Singapore Justice Party (SJP), Singapore Malay National Organization (PKMS), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Singapore People's Party (SPP) in 2001. As of 2023, only SJP and PKMS are in the alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teo Chee Hean</span> Singaporean politician

Teo Chee Hean is a Singaporean politician and former two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Senior Minister of Singapore since 2019 and Coordinating Minister for National Security since 2015. A member of the governing People's Action Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Pasir Ris West division of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC since 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore People's Party</span> Political party in Singapore

The Singapore People's Party is an opposition political party in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiam See Tong</span> Singaporean politician

Chiam See Tong is a Singaporean retired politician, lawyer, secretary-General of SDP between 1980 and 1993, secretary-General of SPP between 2011 and 2019 and the chairman of SDA between 2001 and 2011 and de facto Leader of the Opposition between 1986 and 1993 and between 1997 and 2006. A former member of Singapore People's Party (SPP), Chiam was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency (SMC) and served between 1984 and 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pasir Ris–Punggol Group Representation Constituency</span> Electoral division in Singapore

The Pasir Ris–Punggol Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern region of Singapore. The constituency currently consists of Pasir Ris and parts of the Punggol town area. The GRC comprises 5 constituencies: Pasir Ris Central, Pasir Ris East, Pasir Ris West, Punggol Shore as well as Punggol Coast managed by Pasir Ris—Punggol Town Council. The current MPs are Sharael Taha, Desmond Tan, Teo Chee Hean, Yeo Wan Ling and Janil Puthucheary from the People's Action Party (PAP).

These are the events concerning the 2006 Singaporean general election which occurred before the polling day on 6 May 2006.

Charles Chong You Fook is a Singaporean former politician who served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 2011 and 2020. He served as Acting Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore from 7 August to 11 September 2017, following the resignation of Halimah Yacob on 7 August 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teo Ser Luck</span> Singaporean politician

Teo Ser Luck is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister of State for Manpower between 2015 and 2017, Minister of State for Trade and Industry between 2011 and 2015 and Mayor of North East District between 2009 and 2017. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Punggol South ward of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC between 2006 and 2011 and the Punggol Central ward between 2011 and 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Singaporean general election</span>

General elections were held in Singapore on 7 May 2011. President S. R. Nathan dissolved parliament on 19 April 2011 on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Voting is mandatory in Singapore and is based on the first-past-the-post system. Elections are conducted by the Elections Department, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Office. Nomination day was held on 27 April 2011, and for the second election in a row, the PAP did not return to government on nomination day, but it did return to government on polling day. This election also marked the first and the only three-cornered fight since 2001 in Punggol East SMC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janil Puthucheary</span> Malaysian-Singaporean politician and paediatrician

Janil Arusha Puthucheary is a Singaporean politician and paediatrician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been serving as Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information since 2018 and Senior Minister of State for Health since 2020. He has also been serving as Party Whip of the People's Action Party since 2019. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Punggol Coast division of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC since 2015.

The by-election was held on 19 December 1992. The by-election was to replace as Goh decided to hold a by-election in a safe constituency with the best chances of winning for political self-renewal to get people of ministerial calibre to join the government under PAP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punggol East Single Member Constituency</span>

Punggol East Single Member Constituency was a single member constituency (SMC) located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. It was managed by Pasir Ris–Punggol Town Council in 2011, Aljuined–Hougang–Punggol East Town Council in 2013 and again by Pasir Ris–Punggol Town Council in 2015. Following the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review committee report for the 2020 general elections, Punggol East SMC was merged into Sengkang GRC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Palmer (politician)</span> Singaporean lawyer and politician

Michael Anthony Palmer is a Singaporean lawyer and former politician who served as Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 2011 and 2012. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Punggol East ward of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC between 2006 and 2011, and Punggol East SMC between 2011 and 2012.

The 2013 Punggol East by-election in Singapore was held on 26 January 2013 to fill a vacant seat after the incumbent MP, Michael Palmer resigned due to an extramarital affair. It was the 17th by-election. The nomination day was 16 January 2013, and the polling day was 26 January 2013.

Lee Li Lian is a Singaporean politician. A member of the opposition Workers' Party (WP), she was the Member of Parliament for Punggol East SMC between 2013 and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Singaporean general election</span>

General elections were held in Singapore on Friday, 10 July 2020 to elect 93 members to the Parliament of Singapore across 31 constituencies. Parliament was dissolved and the general election called by President Halimah Yacob on 23 June, on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It elected members of parliament to the 14th Parliament of Singapore since Singapore's independence in 1965, using the first-past-the-post electoral system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoples Voice (Singapore)</span> Political party in Singapore

Peoples Voice is an opposition political party in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sengkang Group Representation Constituency</span> Group Representation Constituency region

The Sengkang Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern region of Singapore. It consists of Punggol East SMC, Sengkang West SMC and what was previously the Sengkang Central ward of the Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC. Sengkang GRC consists of four divisions: Anchorvale, Rivervale, Buangkok, and Compassvale managed by Sengkang Town Council. The current Members of Parliament are He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim and Louis Chua from the Workers' Party (WP) after the resignation of Raeesah Khan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharael Taha</span> Singaporean politician

Mohamed Sharael bin Mohd Taha is a Singaporean politician and engineer. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Pasir Ris East division of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC since 2020.

Ahmad bin Mohamed Magad is a Singaporean former politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Pasir Ris–Loyang division of Pasir Ris GRC between 1997 and 2001 and the Pasir Ris East division of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC between 2001 and 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "General Election 2006 Candidate Profiles". AsiaOne. 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Aw, Cheng Wei (29 June 2020). "GE2020: SDA chairman Desmond Lim to step down from position, says he is leading GE team for the last time". The Straits Times. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 "2001 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "2006 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "2011 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  6. 1 2 "2015 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  7. 1 2 "2020 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  8. 1 2 "2013 PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTION RESULT". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  9. ↑ Loh, Dylan (16 January 2013). "SDA's Desmond Lim brands himself as dedicated & determined". CNA. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  10. ↑ Chow, Jermyn (15 January 2013). "SDA's Desmond Lim unveiled as candidate for Punggol East". Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  11. ↑ Toh, Yong Chuan (19 January 2013). "SDA will not hold rally in Punggol East". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  12. ↑ "Desmond Lim speaks at the SDA's online rally, Jan 23, 2013 (Part 7)". Today. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  13. ↑ "SDA's Desmond Lim not disheartened by negative online rally comments". xin msn. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  14. ↑ Wong, Tessa (23 January 2013). "SDA's Desmond Lim: Underdog with derring-do instincts". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  15. ↑ "Singapore Election Candidates > H-I". singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  16. ↑ "1984 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "Singapore Election Candidates > T". singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  18. ↑ Toh, Yong Chuan; Lim, Joyce (27 January 2013). "SDA scores worst result in post-independence history". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.