SINGAPORE: Assoc Prof Jamus Lim paid tribute to his late father in a Facebook post on Friday (Feb 23), which happened to be the silver anniversary of his passing.
“In 1999, the day that he left us was also 人日, celebrated by many Chinese as ‘everyone’s birthday’,” wrote the Workers’ Party Sengkang MP, adding, “It was a tragic loss for our family, but a reminder that the circle of life rolls on, regardless.”
Assoc Prof Lim has been open about his family and the experiences he went through growing up. He has posted in the past about his parents and sister, and even on occasion, his wife and young daughter.
Read also: Jamus Lim helped raise younger sister after their father’s death
His father, who had worked in the music industry, died at the young age of 49, which had been a difficult blow to their tight-knit family.
“It was a tragic loss for our family, but a reminder that the circle of life rolls on, regardless,” Assoc Prof Lim wrote, adding that they went through a box of his father’s things yesterday morning.
He posted one of the photos of his late father, one that was likely taken when the older Mr Lim was his son’s age today.
“As one of the region’s better sound engineers, he had recorded many an artiste during his time, including the singer Tracy Huang (who’s the glamorous-looking lady in the middle, beside my mom).”
He went on to say that like Ms Huang, his father had been offered work in Taiwan, which came after the local studio where he worked shut down. But Mr Lim turned it down, since he wanted his children to grow up speaking English, and felt that if they moved to Taiwan this would be more challenging.
“So our young family stayed put, and while he would go on to form one business enterprise after another, none of them ever became very distinguished (he wasn’t a great businessman—insufficiently calculating—a trait that I probably inherited),” he wrote, adding,” Twenty-five years is a long time, but nobody ever really gets used to losing their loved ones. As we remember his death, we can also celebrate his life, and the sacrifices that he—like so many parents—make for the sake of a better future for their children.”
And just as he did two years ago, Assoc Prof Lim penned lines to honour his father’s memory:
“Tired stone, thinning wool, and the tarnishing of silver
The wheels of time grind down
But fine wine and diamonds and smooth supple leather
Are polished by sands of many years past
Like our memories of you.” /TISG