Sylvia Lim, chairman of the Workers' Party (WP), penned a touching tribute to her father on the anniversary of his passing.

On Aug. 17, she shared a photo of her father on Facebook, with the identification of a Counting Agent for the 2006 General Election.

Lim shared that her father once served as a Counting Agent "14 years and four General Elections (GE) ago" in Aljunied GRC.

During the 2006 GE, Lim was part of the Workers' Party team that contested Aljunied.

It was her first general election contest, and the WP team lost to a team headed by then-Foreign Minister George Yeo. Lim wrote that her father was "hugely disappointed."

But their vote share of 43.91 per cent was the highest among losing opposition candidates, and the party chose Lim to represent them as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament.

RIP Dad - we won

Lim and her fellow WP candidates made history by winning the first-ever GRC for the opposition, Aljunied, in 2011.

Unfortunately, her father had since been "incapacitated by two strokes". Lim added:

"It was never clear to me all these years whether he understood that WP had eventually won."

Lim said it had been three years since her father passed away, and added, "R.I.P. Dad -- we won!"

You can see the post below:

Lim's father, Lim Choon Mong, was a big influence in her life.

As a member of the Pioneer Generation and part of the first batch of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers, he used to give briefings to then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

In a 2014 Parliament speech, she said:

"I had the privilege of witnessing some of these events personally, through the lens of my father, who was seconded from the police to the army to become the first batch of SAF officers in the 1960s...

The early political leaders, too, were very hands-on and kept abreast of many details. I have seen old black-and-white photographs of my father giving briefings to then Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who used to visit army camps with his family dressed in shorts; these photographs told perhaps of a different working culture then, with little time for pomp and ceremony."

In an interview with the Straits Times in 2013, Lim recalled her father presiding over meals at the dinner table, which served as her introduction to politics.

"Her political education began as a child at the dinner table, presided over by her dad, Mr Lim Choon Mong, who was given to "critical" soliloquies about then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his policies.

Her nurse mother, younger sister, now working in a bank in New Zealand, and younger brother, in health-care corporate development, were uninterested in engaging him, so it fell to her."

Lim the lawyer

A tribute in the Law Gazette recounted the senior Lim's work in the police force during the 1960s, including a memorable incident where he helped to subdue an armed robber and kidnapper.

Lim also worked as a lawyer, and built up a successful practice.

"Upon admission to the Singapore Bar, LCM was engaged mainly in criminal practice. He defended hundreds of clients, facing charges from road traffic violations to capital cases. He trained countless pupils and lawyers, who enjoyed his dramatic personality and colourful language."

It added:

"LCM enjoyed life, and enjoyed himself as much as he could. From bantering with strangers over drinks, to singing to any audience who would listen, there was never a dull moment with him."

Top image from Sylvia Lim's Facebook page and WP's website.