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The People's Action Party (PAP) have been investigating allegations regarding its former 2020 General Election candidate Ivan Lim Shaw Chuan.
In a statement released on Tuesday (Apr. 12) to The Straits Times (ST), a spokesperson for the PAP said the party had conducted a thorough fact-finding exercise, looking into two aspects of the allegations about Lim:
- Allegations that Lim was involved in controversial Brazilian commercial deals of Keppel Offshore and Marine (O&M) that were investigated by the United States Department of Justice
- Allegations relating to Lim's behaviour in interacting with others
On controversial Brazilian projects
Lim, who was initially introduced as a general manager at Keppel O&M, had responded to comments about him on social media, including an allegation that he was involved in a bribery case in Brazil.
Lim said, in a statement on June 27, 2020, that such a claim was "completely baseless and untrue".
The PAP's investigations into this allegation revealed that Lim's statements were true, said the party's spokesperson.
In a 2018 Keppel Group Newsletter, Lim said he was the project manager for the Espirito Santo Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) project.
However, the project Lim oversaw was not one of the projects that became controversial, as it was delivered to SBM Offshore, a company headquartered in the Netherlands, the PAP's investigations revealed.
Furthermore, Lim was not involved in negotiating commercial deals as his role was overseeing the execution of projects, said the spokesperson.
On Lim's behaviour
Regarding allegations about how Lim behaved when interacting with others, the PAP's spokesperson said it had received "feedback" about his behaviour, both positive and negative.
"Perceptions on such matters are varied and subjective. But what is clear is that there is no question about Mr Lim's integrity and honesty, and his sincerity in wanting to serve the community," said the spokesman.
The statement also highlighted that Lim has continued to serve as a volunteer in support programmes for lower-income families in Jurong, even though he did not stand in the 2020 General Election.
Lim's last political appearance occured in Jurong GRC's Facebook Live video after GE 2020 results were announced.
Interaction with others relevant to assessing candidates' suitability
The PAP's statement acknowledged that how candidates interact with others is something that is relevant in the process of assessing their suitability.
It pointed to its "systematic and rigorous process for selecting candidates".
"This process will continue to evolve and be improved, especially given the intense public scrutiny that candidates are put under," said the PAP's spokesperson.
The spokesman said PAP will ensure that its candidates are considered and evaluated fairly, so that it can put forward good and committed candidates from a range of backgrounds, representing the different aspirations and concerns of Singaporeans.
"The PAP will continue to do our best to find, select and field candidates with good character, competence and passion to serve Singapore and Singaporeans," the spokesperson said.
Background
Lim was fielded as one of the PAP's new candidates on Jun. 24, 2020.
He was likely to be fielded as a candidate in Jurong GRC.
Within days, social media posts about Lim began to be circulated.
These posts, purportedly written by people who knew him in school, in the army, and at work, made various accusations about Lim's behaviour, including claims that was "arrogant" and "elitist".
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, the PAP's 1st Assistant Secretary-General, and PAP vice-chairman, Masagos Zulkifli weighed in on the matter.
Masagos said it was important for candidates accused of poor form to prove themselves, and that the election was an opportunity for redemption.
Then, on Jun. 27, 2020, Lim issued a statement through the PAP, addressing some of the accusations and saying he would "stay the course", and serve if elected.
Later that day, Lim announced that he would be withdrawing as a candidate, saying that while he had a clear conscience, he chose to withdraw so that the retaliation from netizens would not affect the party's progress.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is PAP Secretary-General, Lim said the controversy around his candidacy has eclipsed the core issues of what the election should be about.
Lee accepted Lim's withdrawal, calling the controversy surrounding him "unfortunate".
Lee also said that "fair and deliberate consideration of these allegations" would have been ideal, but there was no time for a thorough investigation given the "nature of the campaign".
On Jun. 28, 2020, a day after Lim's withdrawal, Heng called the episode "regrettable", but urged Singaporeans to focus on the key issues of the election and said the PAP would "deal with those issues" after the election.
Top image screenshot via video by PAP on Facebook
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