People’s Voice Party chief Lim Tean has appointed blogger Leong Sze Hian as his Shadow Minister of Finance, days after his Shadow Minister for National Development left the party.
The People’s Voice Party is a new party that was founded by Lim, who said that the party will not have a secretary-general or a central executive committee like other political parties in Singapore.
Lim has instead announced party members as “Shadow Ministers” for various ministries and leads what he calls a “Shadow Cabinet”.
One member from Lim’s “Shadow Cabinet” who was named Shadow Minister for National Development, Brad Bowyer, abruptly left the party on Sunday (24 Mar), days after his appointment was announced on 17 Mar.
It is curious to note that the post above announcing Bowyer’s appointment in the party appears to have been taken down from Facebook.
Bowyer, a former PAP grassroots member, confirmed on Facebook today: “Since Sunday 24th March, I no longer have any direct association with Peoples Voice.”
Even as he lost his Shadow Minister for National Development, Lim has appointed his Shadow Minister for Finance. Statistician Leong Sze Hian – who is embroiled in a defamation lawsuit initiated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – has joined the party, marking his entry into party politics.
Lim announced on Facebook: “Leong Sze Hian, a veteran of the Finance and Insurance industries is Peoples Voice’s Shadow Finance Minister! We are delighted with Sze Hian’s entry into politics and believe that he will make significant contributions to Singapore in the years to come.”
Interestingly, Lim Tean boasted that his party “is the fastest growing political party in Singapore and we are attracting so many outstanding MP candidates from all walks of life” even though he just lost a party member who was so important that he was given the Shadow Minister of National Development title.
Both noted socio-political commentators and netizens alike slammed the founding of Lim’s party a few months ago, when he announced that the Registry of Societies approved his application to set up the party.
Announcing the new party, Lim made bold claims and said that his party is here to “be in government” and not just act as a check and balance to the ruling party. Lim further claimed that about 600 people have expressed interest to join his party.
Several socio-political commentators responded critically to the formation of Lim’s party. Daniel Yap, the co-founder of the now-defunct website The Middle Ground, wrote on Facebook: “I’m not sure if this is progress.”
Sharing Yap’s views, prominent economics commentator and ex-international banker Chris Kuan asserted on social media: “Waste of time, waste of space. Every opposition big f!@# wants to be leader.”
Speaking to TODAY Online, political analyst Dr Felix Tan noted, “We need to examine whether, firstly, Singaporeans are ready for a new party with little or no experience or success in political ambit to come into the fore,” as he added that the new party needs to concentrate on attracting members who are “cogent in their thoughts and not just with an axe to grind.”
Several netizens appeared to agree with the SIM Global Education associate lecturer, asking why Lim is setting up a new party instead of working more closely with the existing parties:
https://theindependent.sg.sg/waste-of-time-waste-of-space-socio-political-commentators-slam-new-opposition-party-by-ex-nsp-sec-gen/