SINGAPORE: A recent social media post recounting the political journey of Workers’ Party (WP) chair Sylvia Lim has been met with approval among commenters, many of whom said they respect her for her courage and leadership.
On Sunday (June 21), local content creator Alvin Huang wrote about Ms Lim’s backstory, noting that it only took 10 days from the time she saw the results of GE2001 to when she joined the WP.
Ms Lim, then 36, had done a stint with the police and was a law lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic but was distressed by the election’s results in that there were so few opposition candidates.
Less than two years later, she became party chair, the first woman to hold the position.
Mr Huang noted that Ms Lim has remained WP chair “through five general elections, prolonged lawsuits, multiple internal crises, and one conviction of her own Secretary-General. Through a near-loss that came down to roughly 2,600 votes. Through a fundraising appeal that raised over a million dollars in three days. Through the kind of sustained institutional pressure that would have collapsed most organisations and most people.”
Ms Lim’s profile is antithetical to someone destined to be in the opposition, he added, as she had built a career on “institutions, structure, rules,” and then walked away from it.
Ms Lim served as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament from 2006 to 2011. Though her capacity was limited, she nevertheless used her voice to speak on issues that mattered, and with the slate headed by then-WP chief Low Thia Khiang at Aljunied, was elected into Parliament for the first time in GE2011. It was the first time an opposition party won a GRC.
In the years that followed, Aljunied nearly went to the PAP again in 2015, the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council faced million-dollar lawsuits, the Raeesah Khan scandal occurred, which gave rise to WP chief Pritam Singh being found guilty of lying to a Parliamentary committee, arguably the biggest challenge the party has faced.
Through it all, Ms Lim has never backed off, but has gone from strength to strength, marrying former national football player Quah Kim Song last year at the age of 60, and announcing recently that she is writing her memoir.
“22 years of opposition politics in Singapore, from the inside. It might be the most important political book this country produces in a generation,” wrote Mr Huang.
It appears that he is not the only person who admires the WP chief, based on the comments on his post.
“SYLVIA WENT INTO POLITICS NOT FOR PERSONAL GAINS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!!” wrote an enthusiastic commenter, adding that they admire and appreciate Ms Lim.
“SL is the great responsible opposition since LTK. What a legend,” wrote another.
A Facebook user called her “A courageous woman who puts Singaporeans first, not GDP.”
“A True, Brave, & Respected Politician!!!” a commenter wrote, while another added, “A true Singaporean who has a heart for the people and not themselves.”
“Extremely courageous lady, indeed! RESPECT!” a netizen chimed in. /TISG
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