Jamus Lim, the Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Sengkang GRC, took to social media calling out the current system whereby grassroots advisors – and not the MPs – give out grants or bursaries.
The grassroots advisers belong to the People’s Action Party (PAP), which lost the election in the newly created Sengkang GRC to the Workers’ Party.
Dr Lam Pin Min, who was first elected to Parliament as part of PM Lee’s team for Ang Mo Kio GRC in 2006, was part of the PAP team for the Sengkang GRC in the 2020 general election. His running mates included the then Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng and the then grassroots MP Amrin Amin.
But though they lost the election, Dr Lam, Mr Ng and Mr Amrin remain the PAP’s branch chairmen in the ward. They are also active in the grassroots organisations at Sengkang, which are under the People’s Association – a government statutory board.
In a Facebook post on Monday (Feb 15), Mr Lim wrote that when a resident asked why he was not present at her daughter’s Edusave Award ceremony, he had to explain that “MPs from opposition wards are not simultaneously the grassroots advisers for their constituencies (who are the ones that actually give out these awards)”.
Mr Lim continued: “So I had to explain that my absence was not for lack of interest or desire”.
Last month, a similar issue arose after a group of people voiced their concern online after Dr Lam Pin Min posted photos of him giving out bursaries at Sengkang West GRC.
In a Facebook post on Jan 26, Dr Lam, the former MP for Sengkang West Single Member Constituency (SMC), wrote that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were unable to organise a proper Edusave award ceremony this year.
His post was quickly shared on a popular Facebook group called “United Singaporean”, where a netizen asked: “shldnt the MP of that GRC be given the priority to attend? Why ordinary citizen can be present at this ceremony?”
Others who commented on the post also questioned the capacity in which Dr Lam gave out the bursaries. They added that he was not an MP.
Similar comments once again resurfaced under Mr Lim’s post.
Sengkang GRC is currently represented nby a Workers’ Party team consisting of He Ting Ru (Buangkok), Jamus Lim (Anchorvale), Raeesah Khan (Compassvale) and Louis Chua (Rivervale).
/TISG