Singapore – Former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng, known for his pro-Government views, took to social media to highlight he had lunch with Workers’ Party (WP) parliamentarian Jamus Lim. He also apologised to Dr Lim for being rude to him on the internet.
“Kumbaya with the Workers’ Party, Part 2,” wrote Mr Cheng in a Facebook post on Monday (Feb 8). “Thanks to my old friend and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, I finally met WP MP Dr Jamus Lim over lunch.”
First on Mr Cheng’s agenda was an apology to Dr Lim “for being rude to him on the internet, which he graciously accepted.”
He noted having common friends with Dr Lim, as they were only a year apart at school. Dr Lim went to Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College while Mr Cheng went to The Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Institution.
“I reiterated that if Singapore is to remain united, people can disagree politically, even vehemently, but we need to remain friends,” said Mr Cheng.
Unlike in some countries, where politics is so polarised that neither the leaders nor the supporters of rival political parties can even be in the same room, he added.
Mr Cheng also gave Dr Lim some advice, such as simplifying his communication, being less academic about his ideas, and using less technical jargon. “He took this feedback well,” Mr Cheng confirmed.
“Overall, I found Jamus to be moderate and likeable. If I am wrong, then he would be a contender for Best Actor in the Oscars,” he noted. “I don’t think I am wrong.”
Mr Cheng admitted looking forward to more debates with Dr Lim in the coming years.
He attached a photo of himself and Dr Lim, which, he noted, was taken by Mr Singh.
In response to the post, members from the online community commended the get-together, noting “this was the way to go for the civil society of Singapore”. “We may have differences politically, but we are one Singapore ultimately, a united and coherent country that can do so much together to defy the odds and to bring greater good for our nation and fellow Singaporeans,” said Facebook user Joo Sun Ong.
“That’s more like it. No matter what our ideologies are, we all have one goal in mind, and that is to make Singapore a better place to live in. Never thought I’ll see Calvin and Jamus in one picture. At the end of the day, we are all Singaporeans,” commented Facebook user David Firdaus. /TISG
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