” title=”Mohd Hamim (top) & Desmond Lim (bottom)” width=”200″ height=”401″ />[/caption]

In order to facilitate the entry of the Reform Party (RP) into the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), Mr Chiam See Tong, Secretary-General of the Singapore People’s Party (SPP), decided recently that Mr Desmond Lim should be replaced as the Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Alliance. However, this decision is subjected to approval by the Supreme Executive Council of the Singapore Democratic Alliance.

According to sources, during a Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting held last Sunday (3 Oct 2010), Mr Chiam motioned for the removal of Desmond Lim as the Secretary General of SDA, on grounds that Mr Lim not only objected the Reform Party’s (RP) entry into the SDA, but also Mr Chiam can no longer get along with Mr Lim. Madam Luo Wenli (Mrs Chiam) then proposed that Mr Mohammad Hamim Aliyas to succeed Mr Lim as the Secretary-General of the SDA. Both proposals were subsequently approved by the CEC.

This is the second SPP CEC meeting since the SPP Ordinary Party Conference (OPC) that took place in July 2010. The latest developments within the SPP reflects the continued leadership tussle after the political drama that took place at the OPC. At the OPC, Mr Lim fell out with the Chiams openly. In a bid to strengthen themselves, each camp not only brought their respective supporters at the OPC, each camp also attempted to elevate the status of some supporters to cadres, so that their supporters can vote at the OPC.

CEC appointments were decided at the first CEC meeting after the OPC. The first SPP CEC took place a month after the OPC. As expected, Mr Lim lost his position as the Assistant Secretary-General of the SPP. However, Madam Luo was appointed as the 2nd Vice-Chairperson of the SPP. The steps taken by Mr & Mrs Chiam to reduce Mr Lim’s influence were already within anticipation of members of the Singapore Democratic Alliance.

However, even if the other component parties of SDA agree to the replacement of Mr Lim by Mr Hamim, it does not necessarily means they will agree to RP joining the alliance. It is expected that RP’s entry will lead to more leadership change within the SDA. It would be impossible for the SPP to continue to hold the 2 most important appointments in the SDA – Chairperson and Secretary-General.

The SPP is currently the biggest member party of the SDA while Mr Chiam is the Chairman of the SDA. National Solidarity Party (NSP) originally held the Secretary-General post in SDA. However, since its departure in 2007, Mr Lim took over the post. Mr Hamim, who has been following Mr Chiam for past 23 years, is also one of SPP’s founding members.

Prior to joining the SPP, Mr Hamim was a member of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). When Mr Chiam and the then Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan were struggling for the leadership of the SDP, he, Mr Sin Kek Tong and about 10 members quit SDP to found SPP. Mr Chiam was a SDP Member of Parliament at that time. They formed the SPP to wait for the expiry of Mr Chiam’s parliamentary membership under the SDP banner.

Hamim supports the inclusion of the Reform Party

During General Election 2006, Mr Hamim contested together with Mr Lim under the SDA banner at Pasir-Ris-Punggol GRC. He expressed his support for RP’s inclusion into the SDA.

“I often tell Mr Chiam that the opposition must be united. The more opposition parties to join the SDA, the better it is. The Reform Party’s ‘points of agreement’ deserve evaluation. However, we should agree in principle that the RP should join the SDA,” said Mr Hamim in a press interview.

The Reform Party is led by Kenneth Jeyaretnam, the eldest son of the late Opposition stelwart Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam.

However, Mr Lim said: “It is very shallow thinking to conclude that my removal from the SDA Supreme Executive Council would facilitate RP’s quick entry into the SDA. This is because the SDA is not just the SPP.”

Mr Lim also pointed out during a SDA Supreme Executive Council meeting in May 2010, the votes were 8:3, in favour of the rejection of the RP. He abstained then, so as not to vote against his party’s position. The Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS) and the Singapore Justice Party (SJP) voted against the inclusion of the RP while the 3 supporting votes for the inclusion of RP came from SPP’s ranks. In another words, opposition to RP’s entry still remains inside the SDA, with or without Mr Lim as SDA’s Secretary-General.

Mr Mohd Nazem Suki, Secretary-General of PKMS, said that the PKMS is still awaiting for Mr Chiam to convene the next meeting of the SDA Supreme Executive Council. In August 2010, the PKMS held held an election for renewal of its CEC, whereby new PKMS representatives to the SDA were selected. The new representatives are awaiting approval by the SDA Supreme Executive Council.

Mr Suki and Mr Lim have already proposed to Mr Chiam a date for the next meeting of the SDA Supreme Executive Council. However, Mr Chiam has yet to decide on the date. On SPP’s decision to replace Mr Lim, Mr Suki and Mr Aminrudin (Secretary-General of SJP) said they will only comment after discussions with the SDA Supreme Executive Council.

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Original Mandarin Transcript from Lianhe Zaobao

为革新党顺利加入民联 詹时中委亲信任民联秘书长

(2010-10-11) 游润恬 报道

新加坡人民党秘书长詹时中为铲除革新党加入新加坡民主联盟的重要障碍，日前决定委任亲信取代林睦荃担任民联秘书长。

不过，人民党这项单方面决定还需获得民联中央执行委员会批准。

据党员透露，人民党中央执行委员会上星期天开会时，詹时中当时以林睦荃(42岁)反对革新党加盟，以及无法与林睦荃在民联相处为由，提议免去他的民联秘 书长职位。他的妻子罗文丽(61岁)随着提议让莫哈末哈敏(Mohamad Hamim Aliyas)接替林睦荃。这两项提议都获得中委会通过。

这是继人民党今年七月举行中委会改选时出现戏剧性发展之后，领导层拉锯战的后续发展。

林睦荃和詹时中夫妇在当时举行的干部大会上公开决裂，双方为壮大各自势力，甚至尝试在干部大会上争取让各自的支持者参加会议并以干部身份投票。

林睦荃在一个月后举行的中委会复选中一如所料，失去人民党助理秘书长职位。罗文丽则获选担任新设的第二副主席职位。

詹时中夫妇现在决定进一步透过人民党去消除林睦荃在民联中的势力，也早已在民联成员党预料之中。

不过，即使民联中委会同意人民党更换民联秘书长人选，其他成员党的代表却未必会顺理成章地同意让革新党加盟。加上日后一旦革新党加入，民联中委会可能还会有更多的领导层变动，不可能让人民党继续握有主席和秘书长两个主要职位。

人民党目前是民联最大成员党，主席是詹时中(75岁)。秘书长原由团结党代表担任，但随着团结党在上次大选后于2007年脱离，秘书长一职便转由人民党的林睦荃担任。

由詹时中夫妇推举为民联秘书长的莫哈末哈敏（47岁，进出口商）跟随詹时中23年，是人民党的创党党员之一。

他原是新加坡民主党的党员。当詹时中与当年一手提拔的民主党秘书长徐顺全博士在党争中决裂后，他随沈克栋等约十人在1996年离开民主党后创立人民党，等待詹时中在政府解散国会，举行大选时加入。

哈敏支持革新党加入民联

哈敏曾在2006年大选时与林睦荃搭档在白沙—榜鹅集选区参加竞选。他昨天受访时表示支持革新党加入民联。

“我经常对詹时中说反对党必须团结，越多反对党加入民联越好。革新党所提出的‘协议要点’，我们得慎重考虑，但至少我们应先在原则上同意让革新党加入。”

革新党是由已故反对党领袖惹耶勒南的长子肯尼思领导。

林睦荃说：“如果有谁认为把我排除掉，革新党就可以顺理成章地加入民联，那是很肤浅的想法。因为整个民联并非只有一个人民党。”

他指出，民联中委会今年五月曾以八票对三票反对革新党加盟。当时的三张支持票来自詹时中等三名人民党代表，他本身为了不违背党的立场，当时决定弃权。马 来民族机构和新加坡正义党这两个成员党的全体八名代表则全都投下反对票。这意味着即使他不在民联中委会，反对革新党加盟的势力还是存在。

马来民族机构秘书长莫哈默纳齐姆(Mohd Nazem Suki)指出，他的政党八月举行中委选举后，也委任了在民联的新代表人选，目前还在等待詹时中召开会议批准这些新人选。

据悉，他和林睦荃已向詹时中提议召开民联中委会议，但詹时中至今还未决定日期。

至于是否同意人民党撤换林睦荃的决定，纳齐姆和正义党秘书长阿敏努丁（Aminrudin）受访时都表示要在民联中委会议上商讨后，才能置评。