Singapore—Dr Jamus Lim’s younger sister shared a touching post about her brother on National Sibling’s Day (Apr 10).
Because the Workers’ Party MP (Sengkang GRC) is still a relative newcomer to the political arena, little is known about his personal life and background.
Since his introduction as a potential WP MP candidate a few months before last year’s general election, Singaporeans have learned that he is an associate professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School, he’s married and has a young daughter, did his PhD studies in the United States, loves panettone and ayam buah keluak, and is equally assured using expressions such as “warms the cockles of my heart” as he is raising difficult topics in Parliament such as the minimum wage and expunging the records of non-violent offenders.
But many netizens learned something new over the weekend, because of a post from Ms Jerraine Lim, the MP’s sister, who is seven years younger than him.
On April 10, she posted a touching photo on Facebook of the two of them in their younger years, writing, “happy national siblings day to Jamus Lim ! thanks for always being my walking dictionary & the naggy fatherly figure in my life!”
FB screengrab: Jerraine Lim
Dr Lim shared her post, and gave the public a little peek into the nature of their relationship.
“My sister informs me that today is National Siblings Day. Seven years separate us, and as the elder, I’ve often indulged her while growing up.”
However, the younger Lim sibling “had to grow up quickly after Dad passed”.
It was this event that caused Dr Lim to “take on the role of a father figure”.
And today, the dynamic between the siblings has changed, and Dr Lim says he is “very proud of what my sister does today”.
He added, “She has developed into an amazing professional, and excels in an area—marketing and sales—that is completely beyond my own skill set. Indeed, these days, I’m far more likely to be listening to her advice, rather than the other way round.”
Last year, just before the elections, in a WP video, he talked about the lessons he learned from his father, and how his father’s funeral taught him to treat people equally.
Calling it one of the most significant lessons in his life, the WP MP said, “He always taught me the importance of treating everyone the same. So, during his funeral, it wasn’t just his friends and family that were there.
“But among the group was the janitor for the building. My dad did not make a distinction between the fact that he was the janitor or he was just one of his other friends.”
