February 29, 08:53 AM 
514 Chai Chee Lane 03-16, Singapore 469029 Actress Rebecca Lim had apologised to Singaporeans and her fans on Feb 25., after 12 days of silence on her social media platforms.
Her silence on social media was probably the result of the "Rebecca Lim retiring" brouhaha that was unnecessarily created by Lim and NTUC Income on Feb.13 to market retirement plans for young Singaporeans.
The 29-year old posted her apology on Facebook and Instagram, which have collectively garnered more than 10,000 likes on both the platforms:
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Posted by Rebecca Lim 林慧玲 on Thursday, February 25, 2016
She did not mention the insensitive marketing gimmick but apologised to all who were upset with her actions.
Lim made all the right moves — she thanked her fans, sounded contrite and sought the patience of Singaporeans.
And well, hey, Lim didn't have a good past two weeks.
From the looks of things, it was a difficult time for Lim even before her radio silence from Feb 16.
Between Feb 12 - Feb 16, Lim edited her Facebook clarification six times.
She left her post blank on Feb 12, decided to clarify, then left her post blank again on Feb 14.
In the end, Lim left her post blank. Perhaps she felt that her clarifications did not cut any ice with netizens.
Source: Rebecca Lim Facebook
Source: Rebecca Lim Facebook
Lim's colleague, Elvin Ng, who was interviewed by The New Paper, said that Lim "didn't expect the backlash, but she's an intelligent girl" and he knew "she'd grow stronger after this".
Lim's absence
When NTUC Income held a press conference on Feb 15, Lim was a conspicuous absentee.
During the press conference, Income’s chief marketing officer Marcus Chew said that Income "did not set out to mislead anyone".
NTUC Income’s chief marketing officer Marcus Chew (centre) and head of strategic communications Shannen Fong (Source: Channel 8 website)
Lim was also absent at the media launch of The Celebrity Sports Day on Feb 22.
According to Channel 8 news, Lim did not attend any events ("没有出席任何活动") since the Feb 13 saga.
With the exception of Channel 8 news, none of the Mediacorp English platforms — Channel NewsAsia, TODAY — have chosen to carry the news.
Many Singaporeans have moved on and had forgiven Lim after her apology.
A check on Lim's Facebook and Instagram accounts indicated that more than 90 per cent of the comments were positive, with many accepting her apology and forgiving her.
Official Fan Club of Rebecca Lim (Source: Rebecca Lim Facebook)
This is despite The Straits Times trying to stir anger generate discussions with its own FB post.
Source: Straits Times Facebook
Fortunately, the readers saw through what ST was trying to do:
Source: Straits Times Facebook
One last thing...
Lim's apology is better late than never.
She sounded contrite and many of her fans have forgiven the stunt. Other Singaporeans have better things to worry about and have long since moved on.
Like many Singaporeans, NTUC Income has also moved on.
For their retirement campaign, they have opted to showcase a different photogenic lady instead.
Source: NTUC Income Facebook
Related articles:
NTUC Income’s explanation for Rebecca Lim ‘retiring’ is a problematic non-apology
Rebecca Lim trolls Singapore with her ‘retiring’; people are not amused
Top photo from Rebecca Lim's Facebook page.
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