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PAP Finally Gave Some Updates About the Ivan Lim Saga

2022-04-13 , 10:00 am

Remember Ivan Lim?

Given the many things that happened since the 2020 General Elections, it wouldn’t be surprising if everyone forgot about him.

Here’s a recap of what happened, and what the PAP said in a new update about him.

Fresh Face in 2020 GE Dropped Out Due To Public Outrage

When PAP unveiled its first slate of fresh faces for the 2020 GE, Ivan Lim was one of them.

Nobody thought much about the 42-year-old high-flyer in Keppel, till allegations of Lim’s supposedly elitist attitude during his NS days started appearing online.

Apparently, he was never well-liked by his soldiers due to his arrogance and lack of care for those under his command.

After the NS stories started making their rounds on the internet, more allegations popped up. This time, the allegations were pertaining to his role as general manager at Keppel Offshore and Marine.

Lim supposedly treated workers very poorly, even forbidding them from eating breakfast or resting in the yard in the morning before work. This led to many workers allegedly sleeping along the streets outside the shipyard every morning.

And to round off the many allegations, his neighbours complained that Lim never smiles at his neighbours in the lifts. He apparently prefers to wear a “stuck up look”.

After so much public outrage, Lim withdrew his candidacy, saying that his candidacy is overshadowing the main point of the elections, which is to secure Singapore’s future.

Additionally, the controversy had caused intense “pain and stress” for his family, and he did not wish to put his family through such times.

Thought his withdrawal ended this saga? Think again.

Accused of Bribery

Lim was then accused of being a part of the international corruption scandal that Keppel O&M was involved in from 2001 to 2014, reported Mothership.

What happened was that the company paid high-ranking people in Brazil in order to win contracts for business.

S$73 million was involved over 14 years—between 2001 and 2014, and Keppel reportedly made S$467.6 million.

Netizens even dug up an old interview from 2018 which showed that Lim was the project manager for a Brazilian project, after Lim denied these allegations.

Sounds like a wild ride for a single PAP candidate, doesn’t it? And after almost two years, PAP finally has some new things to say about this saga.

Was Not Involved in Bribery

A party spokesman told The Straits Times on 12 April that Lim was not involved in any of Keppel’s controversial Brazilian projects.

Lim’s public statements denying his involvement in bribery were found to be truthful and factual, according to PAP investigations.

Yes, there were reports that he had worked on a Brazilian project. However, investigations found that the project he handled was delivered to SBM Offshore, a company based in the Netherlands.

Additionally, his role was to oversee the execution of projects in the shipyard. He was never involved in negotiating any commercial deals, so he couldn’t have been involved in bribery.

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Varying Perceptions on Lim’s Personality

Now that we know Lim was never involved in illegal activity, it still leaves a huge part of the controversy unanswered: does he really have such a bad personality? After all, nobody wants an inconsiderate and arrogant person to serve their constituency.

The spokesman said that the party had received both positive and negative feedback about Lim’s behaviour. They added that perceptions on things like personality “are varied and subjective”.

However, what the PAP is certain about is Lim’s integrity, and his sincerity in wanting to serve. This can be seen in how Lim has continued to serve as a volunteer for lower-income families in Jurong GRC.

The party acknowledges how their candidates interact with people daily does affect their suitability to become election candidates, especially given the intense public scrutiny they’re under.

This is why they have a “systemic and rigorous” process for candidate selection. PAP will continue to do its best to find candidates with “good character, competence and passion to serve Singapore and Singaporeans”.

Basically, they didn’t answer whether he has a bad personality or not, even though personality is important lah. Or maybe he treats some poorly, but others well?

Although this isn’t really a satisfactory answer, it seems like this statement marks the end of the Ivan Lim saga… unless he runs for the next elections.