PAP’s investigation clears former candidate Ivan Lim from bribery case allegations, Netizens now ask if he’ll contest again

One year and eight months after the July 2020 General Election, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has spoken up regarding Ivan Lim, who had been fielded as a candidate, for its Jurong GRC slate.

Mr Lim, a General Manager for Specialised Vessels of Keppel Offshore & Marine, withdrew his name from contesting after allegations concerning his past conduct circulated online, especially from the time when he had been in National Service, as well as allegations of possible involvement in Keppel’s bribery case in Brazil.

He was introduced as a PAP candidate on June 24 by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and bowed out of the election on June 27.

A spokesperson for the PAP told The Straits Times in a statement on Tuesday (Apr 2) that a fact-finding exercise had been carried out to investigate the allegations against Mr Lim and found that the former candidate’s assertion on June 27, 2020, that the allegation that he had been involved in a bribery case in Brazil was “completely baseless and untrue.”

As for Mr Lim’s behaviour during his NS days, the spokesperson for PAP said, ”Perceptions on such matters are varied and subjective. But what is clear is that there is no question about Mr Lim’s integrity and honesty, and his sincerity in wanting to serve the community.”

After Mr Lim withdrew his candidacy, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, “After the elections, the party will investigate the veracity of the allegations against Ivan and we will come to a view on the matter.”

Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who heads PAP’s team in Jurong GRC, also said, “We’ll come back to the issues concerning Ivan Lim after the elections because we don’t want to leave them unresolved. But we really have to move on now and focus on the issues.”

Many netizens were unhappy, however, that Mr Lim took part in a livestream the Jurong GRC team organised to thank their supporters after the victory.

And now, after Mr Lim’s name has been cleared, netizens commenting on Reddit are wondering if he will be fielded as a candidate by the ruling party again.

One commenter wondered if he’ll contest at Aljunied GRC or Sengkang GRC, which are both held by the Workers’ Party.

On Facebook, many residents had the same response.

/TISG

Despite Tharman’s explanation, some netizens unhappy Ivan Lim was included in PAP’s FB live session Jurong