Desmond Lim
Desmond Lim is the former Assistant Secretary General of the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) and the Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA). He was recently re-elected into the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the SPP, but his SPP office appointment is yet to be confirmed until the next CEC meeting.
Desmond Lim (Left), Mr & Mrs Chiam (Right), exiting Hotel Royal at the end of the fateful SPP party conference
There have been several media reports on the SPP’s Ordinary Party Conference (OPC) that took place on 25 Jul 2010. I would like to address some of the key issues that have arisen so that we can have some form of clarity and hopefully closure. The party can then collectively move on to meet the important challenges ahead of us.
Differences & Regret
I agree with media reports the unpleasantness that arose from the SPP OPC was attributed to the RP-SDA merger proposal. It was primarily due to differences in perspective on the future direction for SDA. It was unfortunate that these differences allowed themselves to manifest at the SPP OPC in the form of groups trying to garner as much local support as possible to buttress their respective viewpoints and position.
All organisations have disagreement among its members. SPP is not excluded. Disagreements are in fact healthy because it represents a diversity of views.
The issue is how we manage these differences and personally, I concede that proceedings of the recent OPC could have been better tempered with discretion and goodwill. I apologise that I had a part in contributing to the acrimonious atmosphere.
I joined the SPP about a month before the 1997 General Elections. Since then, I have been working diligently with Mr Chiam as a party colleague and personal friend in the SPP. Even though we have differences in views, let me affirm that my respect for Mr Chiam has not wavered.
I will henceforth endeavour to play my part in future to enhance cohesion and teamwork within the party. As such, I would also want to clearly affirm that I have no intentions of leaving the SPP. I have dedicated 14 years to the party and through thick and thin, have grown a great affection for it.
My personal aspiration vis-a-vis Potong Pasir
Let me also give some clarity on my personal political aspirations.
I have been consistently clear that I intend to contest in the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. This will not change for the coming GE. As for Potong Pasir, I will leave it to CEC to collectively make a decision on who will take Mr Chiam’s place in the coming GE, should he decides to contest elsewhere.
Since the Potong Pasir constituency is central to the party, I will personally provide my support to whichever member the CEC decides upon to contest it.
The Potong Pasir residents’, the party’s and Oppostion’s interests are above all else. If the party so decides that Mrs Chiam will represent SPP in Potong Pasir, I will also give my wholehearted support to her too.
Merger with RP
However, let me now go back to one other important and unresolved issue. I continue to hold firmly to the view that the conditions attached to the “merger” with the Reform Party (RP) would have been detrimental to the political future of SDA. The lop-sided conditions do not form an equitable, healthy and fair basis for a relationship between the two political entities. However, I am in principle not against the idea of an alliance with RP.
I agree with Mr and Mrs Chiam that there would be benefits for SDA to co-operate closely with RP not just for the coming election, but even on a longer term basis. It can come in the form of RP formally joining the Alliance, or both can work towards a “looser” form of collaboration. It would then allow us to tap on the strengths of both sides and work towards a common goal of offering an effective and credible alternative voice in Parliament.
Towards that, I suggest that both sides immediately form a joint working committee comprising members from both RP and SDA to discuss and propose some viable options. The recommendations will be then presented to the respective SEC/CECs for their approval. Otherwise we can have some further iterations until we come to a mutual consensus.
Both sides must be willing to compromise. The target is to achieve a win-win arrangement for all parties. From the SDA, I will make sure that all the component parties are well represented in these deliberations so that their interests are also safeguarded. By doing so, we are adhering to the underpinning principles of the Alliance, and should RP join us eventually, it should respect this as well.
If we are able bring forth the entry of RP into the SDA through a proper process of discussions, consultations and the exercise of some level of flexibility and accommodation, then this model can be used to further expand the SDA and form an adequate basis for a United Opposition.
If you have put across these views in your OPC, you would have avoided PAP’s mouthpiece (ST) giving the party bad publicity!
ever thought about what are the 11 conditions?
are they really as lop-sided and unequal as Desmond said?
until today nobody knows what are the 11 conditions and i suppose we have to take Desmond’s words that these are unfair?
with Desmond Lim around, the Alliance with RP will never materialize. its also funny why Desmond did not clarify his stance on several issues when this message is meant to be a “clarification”
Please truly clarify on the following:
1) Crowd of 40 plus new faces brought in by Desmond
2) Unknown identity of 5 new cadre members brought in by Desmond
3) Infringement of constitution rules of 2 SPP members brought in by Desmond on the 1 year membership clause.
4) Barging in of OPC meeting refusing registration in disorderly manner
Should SPP come to contest in my GRC, rest assured that I will NOT be voting for them after reading this article.
(This is the first time I am reading from a blog by a SPP member by the way. So consider this my first and final impression).
“…work towards a common goal of offering an effective and credible alternative voice in Parliament”.
By virtue of the fact that you have relegated yourself as an alternative voice shows the 2nd-fiddle mentality you have already assigned to yourself. I do not need another lame-duck figure like Low Thia Kiang, Sylvia Lim or even Chiam See Tong in parliament as token opposition seat-warmers designed to shore up PAP’s claim that we are a democracy.
I am a voter who is looking for someone who has the fire and daring to want to effect change in a positive manner. One who promises to speak up and refuse to take PR one-liners or vague statements as final answers or “accountability” like what the PAP dishes out now.
Looks like I have to vote in another 5 years of unadulterated PAP rule. Again.
Nicholas, so you voted for the PAP the last time. This time you will do so again, claiming your misgivings about the state of the Opposition. All I can say is you fully deserve the PAP and being screwed for another 5 yrs.
Why oh why desmond??????????????????
Using the hammer to whack your own feet for what?
Why stop the merger and come up with so much shit when it can only be good for the whole opposition as a whole??
A total goondu imo
The Reform Party’s Statement / Response
I see the statement as more of a reflection of Mr Lim’s position within his own party rather than as a comment on any proposed alliance. But it is welcome, as any movement is positive.
However , for the record let me state that there is no…, was never and will never, be any talk of a merger from the Reform Party. In my opinion the term merger was a fiction put about in the in the interests of scaremongering. Quote marks are used around ‘merger’ in this release no doubt because neither side has ever discussed the concept.
I have made clear in writing, on several occasions, our policies on the subject of unity and coalition and alliances and how they differ in every fundamental to mergers. Our position is crystal clear.
Furthermore for the record, RP has never expressed any interest whatsoever, in using SDA resources. Indeed we do not quite see how we would be able to have access to them? Again this was scaremongering put about in the interest of discrediting RP and its motivation for wanting greater unity .
Finally, I am unaware of any set of ‘conditions’ or ‘demands’. I am aware of a document purportedly written by our CEC and allegedly leaked to the press- but so far no member of the journalistic profession, neither main stream SPH employee nor new- media has taken the step of showing me that document and verifying its contents and authorship. Until that step is taken it cannot be viewed as a genuine document.
During a negotiation, proposals are made and in the normal course of events counter proposals are presented. Proposals and counter proposals are than usually evaluated in terms of agreeable, completely unacceptable and needing further discussion. I am happy to say that prior to Mr Lim’s Desmond’s most recent release I was already in possession of a recent letter from Mr Chiam outlining suggested counter proposals to our most recent proposals. None of these suggested counter proposals seem, at first reading, to be unreasonable or unworkable. in fact several are very encouraging.
At our last Members meeting I gained my membership’s permission to continue negotiating with the SDA and that is what I have been doing and will continue to do on behalf of the party.
Let’s not run around in different directions like ants. Let’s all work together towards forming an alternative government in waiting. Together we can make it right for Singapore!
Kenneth Jeyaretnam
well well, everyone knows that the cec mtg of the spore peoples party is going to be held next week at a secret place.as secret as mrs lina chiam wld luv it to be. all i can say is it is gonna be doomsday for the spore peoples part and the sda. the day mrs lina chiam was named as the next candidate for potong psdir, thats the end of oppositoon politics for the spp. and mr chiam see tong can forget abt winning in bishan-toa payoh grc. so spp and sda gone with the wind!!