GE2020: Some opposition parties say Ivan Lim’s withdrawal casts doubts on rigour of PAP’s candidate selection process

• Some opposition parties question the candidate selection process of the ruling People’s Action Party 
• They also said that parties need to look at candidates holistically and not just based on paper credentials 
• But WP chief Pritam Singh said it’s an ‘internal matter for the PAP’ and asked S’poreans to ‘leave (Mr Lim) alone’

SINGAPORE — Several opposition parties have questioned the rigour of the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) candidate selection process, after the PAP’s Mr Ivan Lim pulled out of the General Election (GE) following online criticism of his past conduct. 

Speaking to reporters during their respective walkabouts on Sunday (June 28), the opposition parties nevertheless urged voters to stop online attacks against Mr Lim, as they stressed the need for all political parties to screen prospective candidates properly. 

Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan said: “I don't know him personally and I don't want to get into this mob thing where we kind of... crucify him”. 

Dr Chee, who was conducting outreach at Bukit Batok Central, added: “In a vetting process, we need to go beyond just looking at their CV (curriculum vitae)... Sometimes it's important to look at the person holistically.”

Speaking to TODAY before a walkabout at Tampines Round Market and Food Centre, National Solidarity Party (NSP) president Reno Fong said the episode has cast doubts on the PAP’s process of selecting candidates. 

“While he has all the credentials and potential, (as a party) you want to project a leader who is humble and willing to work for the people. It is very important that (a leader) is not seen as someone who is arrogant,” said Mr Fong. 

NSP secretary-general Spencer Ng, who was on a separate walkabout near Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre, was reluctant to give his take on the episode. He would only say that first and foremost, his party would evaluate a potential candidate’s attitude.

"If the attitude is right, he or she will really want to serve the people and champion issues that matter to the people," he said.

Progress Singapore Party (PSP) assistant secretary-general Leong Mun Wai believes that potential GE candidates fielded by any political party should go through a three-month screening process. 

“They should be subject to a thorough background check,” said Mr Leong, who will be contesting in West Coast GRC.

Mr Leong was at Boon Lay Market, together with party chief Tan Cheng Bock and fellow PSP members Lee Hsien Yang and Michael Chua.

Mr Lee, who is the brother of Prime Minister and PAP secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong, had said on Saturday that Mr Lim’s candidacy raised questions about PAP’s candidate selection process. 

On Sunday, he said the episode also revealed flaws in the Group Representation Constituency system, given that voters are disturbed by how a “weak” candidate who might have serious deficiencies could ride on the coattails of a popular minister under the system. 

Mr Lee said: “There’s no way then for people to exercise their judgment on the quality of each individual candidate and it’s a flaw in the GRC system”. 

Dr Tan did not comment specifically on Mr Lim, as he did not want to be involved in “gutter politics”. Nevertheless, he spoke about how the PSP went about selecting its candidates. 

Said Dr Tan: “I give them an interview first, everyone sees me first, then I will see the kind of person. He may be very qualified, in terms of academic performance, but I look at his character to see if he has that character to serve the people first.”

He added:“If I see the way he talks to me and I'm not too comfortable, I will send him to another group of people to assess him… After that, they go through a small group of people, with different backgrounds, (who will) assess him again.”

Dr Tan said his party had “rejected many people who are super qualified” in terms of academic credentials or success at the workplace. “So even those chaps who have failed, I also will take them. Because I know (a person like that) will impart his (experience) in the House… give comfort to those people who have failed — so these are things I look for, not just on academic performance,” he said. 

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Red Dot United chairman Michelle Lee said that the episode shows that “people want sincerity and authenticity in the candidates that are put forward by the parties”. 

“They really want to see people step forward with the right heart to serve them,” she told TODAY over the phone. 

WP chief Pritam Singh said at his party’s online press conference that this was “an internal matter for the PAP and it is for them to decide how they want to manage it”. 

He added: “The man is not on the PAP slate anymore. So my request to fellow Singaporeans is let’s leave him alone, and let’s move on and focus on the issues in this election.”

PSP’s Mr Leong also urged voters to respect Mr Lim’s privacy, since he is no longer a candidate. “If not then, in the future, nobody (would) dare to come out into the public,” said Mr Leong.

Additional reporting by Justin Ong, Kenneth Cheng and Navene Elangovan