Guess what Labour Chief Lim Swee Say cannot leave home without.

This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. You can read Part 1 here.

In a recent live TV forum, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that his childhood ambition was to be a pilot. He wrote an essay in Primary 3 about being one and still peeks into the cockpit when he travels on the plane.

In this quickfire response interview, Mothership.sg got Labour Chief Lim Swee Say to also share with us his childhood dream and fill in the blanks to our queries.

Mothership.sg fired five questions for Minister Lim to handle, and make him attempt a 140 character tweet to describe NTUC.

1. We understand that you are extremely good at Mathematics? Tell us about that.

I used to be, now I don't know (laughs).

All my life since young, my dream was to be a Mathematics professor. To get a degree in Mathematics. get a scholarship and to do a PhD in Mathematics.

In those days, the place to get a PhD in Mathematics is Canada. This was in the early 70s. Hopefully, come back with a degree, to teach Mathematics. That was my dream. I wanted to be a university professor. But that didn't happen. No one will give me a scholarship to do Mathematics in those days. And many of us cannot afford to go for a university degree without a scholarship.

2. For our young readers, please describe NTUC in a 140-character tweet:

A job is the best welfare, employment is the best protection. Make every job a better job, every worker a better worker.

3. Singaporeans think NTUC is... A big supermarket, a part of government or unions that do not go on strike. Actually, the Labour Movement helps workers in all aspects of their lives.

Take FairPrice, for example, keeping the costs of living low is one of the ways we help workers. On protecting workers, we can help them achieve what they want without having to go on strike.

Such a union is more powerful than those who go on strike but cannot get for workers what they want.

4. When I google my name... I sense both positive and negative energies online.

Whilst we can have different opinions, we should all be pro-Singapore, and try to push for what’s best for the country as Singaporeans. Sometimes we agree to disagree, but whatever the case, imagine if we could harness the energy online, it would be a very powerful force for Singapore.

5. When I reach into my pocket, I... am so relieved that I did not leave home without my iPhone.

To me, it is more than a phone. It is what I use as a camera to capture the many wonderful moments of workers doing what they do best to keep Singapore going for everyone.

Photos by Jonathan Lim.

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