Lim Tean starts petition to abolish CECA; to be submitted to Parliament

Singapore – Opposition People’s Voice (PV) leader Lim Tean started a petition calling for the abolishment of the CECA (Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement), urging the government to return the ‘S$2,400-jobs’ to Singaporeans first.

Mr Lim has described CECA, the free trade agreement between Singapore and India, as a “one-way street.” Many consider it as a significant component in the increasing number of foreign PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) in Singapore.

During one of his previous Facebook livestreams entitled “After Work,” Mr Lim touched on CECA, noting it allows for hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals to come into Singapore without a corresponding flow of Singaporean workers employed in India. He emphasised the PV’s stance against CECA, adding they wish to abolish it altogether.

On Wednesday (August 26), Mr Lim took to Facebook to announce their petition calling for the end of CECA. “We will deliver the petition to Parliament in four weeks. Will you join us?” reads the caption. Mr Lim added he would be publishing a video on Sunday evening on the CECA issue. He will also be conducting events related to the initiative, on top of gathering signatures across Singapore.

The PV is calling for contributors and volunteers for the campaign, regardless of political affiliation. “The #AbolishCECA campaign is a non-partisan project,” he noted.

One could sign the petition by typing their names in the comments section of the post. To date, there are approximately 670 comments to the post, most of which include online signatures. Facebook user Glenn Ng noted he was signing the petition with nothing against Indian nationals but wished to make a stand “against discriminatory agreements like CECA.” Others noted it should be the priority of the government to take care of Singaporeans first “and not other nationals first at a Singaporean’s expense.”

In a different post, Mr Lim also commented on President Halimah Yacob’s address regarding job competition during the opening of the 14th Parliament on Monday (August 24). Mdm Halimah highlighted the existing competition for employment due to foreign talents which could become a divisive issue if not addressed accordingly.

“Want to address Singaporean concerns about competition from foreign workers? Then abolish CECA and stop population growth through immigration,” said Mr Lim. He went into detail explaining his rationale on the matter and provided a few solutions, one being “abolishing unfair trade treaties such as CECA.”

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