Former National Solidarity Party (NSP) leader Lim Tean is setting up a new political party called People's Voice Party (PVP).

The application has been made to get the party off the ground and Lim was even invited as the leader of PVP to the recent meeting between opposition parties to discuss a potential coalition.

Getting trolled

On Aug. 8, a new Facebook page with the handle @peoplesvoicepartysg began sharing its first posts and photos.

Its display picture is a colourful red, white and blue logo that reads "People's Voice Party".

However, this new page appears to be the work of trolls and is not connected with Lim at all.

In a Facebook post on Aug. 8, Lim said of the new page:

"!! Beware !!

There is a FB page set up by some imposters posing as Peoples Voice Party. See the link below. Please note that this does not belong to the Party I am forming. It is obviously a desperate ploy by those who wish to sow confusion amongst the public and also to disrupt the Alliance. It speaks volumes about the moral quality of our opponents when they have to descend to such despicable and underhanded measures!

If you would kindly report this page as an imposter, we would greatly appreciate it. This sooner we can have it removed, the less time they will have to spread misinformation."

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PVP Manifesto

In just one day, the fake page has shared several posts, like this optimistic poll:

A photo album displaying the party's purported manifesto pledges:

And even a list of party members, who supposedly came together to form a coalition with Lim Tean as the leader and Prime Minister-in-waiting.

There were even spots for members of other political parties like Desmond Lim, member of the Singapore Democratic Alliance.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam, member of the Reform Party:

And other famous faces like Han Hui Hui:

The posts were quickly shared online, including social media marketer SMRT Feedback by The Vigilanteh:

Sounds familiar

Although Lim has clarified that this page is fake, it does share some similarities with political statements he has made in the past.

For example, one section of the satirical manifesto claims that the People's Voice Party will "return CPF to retirees" at the age of 55.

This resembles Lim's statement in 2015 that Singaporeans should have "more freedom" to do what they wanted with their CPF savings.

Another section of the manifesto claimed that the People's Voice will cut Ministers' salaries, which it described as "obscene".

This echoes Lim's post on Aug. 4, when he said that he was "disgusted" by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's comment that ministers are "not paid enough".

The costliest mistake, though, is Lim's premature announcement of a party that is not operational yet.

Such a move exposes him to trolls as one measure of Lim's preparedness is whether the relevant social media properties and handles have already been reserved and utilised by him and the party.

Turns out, they haven't.

Top image adapted from @peoplesvoicepartysg Facebook page