Singapore—Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) is arguably one of the most popular opposition figure these days, despite being a relative newbie in the political arena.
The MP, an associate professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School, was all but unknown two years ago until he emerged as a WP candidate in July 2020.
He more than held his own in the first TV debate of the campaign period against Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who has a nearly two-decade headstart on the professor in practical politics, having first been elected in the 2001 General Election.
Prof Lim hit the ground running, and his following has since grown considerably. On Facebook, for instance, he already has a following of more than 85,000, and on Instagram, better than 115,000.
On his Facebook page, Prof Lim’s topics run the gamut from the supranational e.g. wealth taxes, the coming GST hike and the economy, to the hyper-local, e.g. cleanliness in his ward, Anchorvale.
His posts also celebrate a range of down home subjects such as his “Tiger Mum” in the Year of the Tiger, playing the guitar to his toddler, and even the kind of food that he and his family enjoy.
On Tuesday, Feb 8, his topic was umbrellas – Workers’ Party umbrellas, to be precise – which are sold to raise funds, especially during times when public interest in politics begins to wane.
“To be quite honest, the #workersparty brolly isn’t the most subtle way to express your support for an alternative voice in Parliament,” he wrote.
“But proceeds from sales of items such as this are one of the few ways available for opposition parties like us to keep our finances healthy, especially in off-election years where interest surrounding politics tends to wane.”
He vouched for the umbrella’s quality, writing that not only does sporting it make “a statement,” but it’s “also a fine, handsome umbrella, which does a fantastic job of keeping the elements at bay, whether rain or shine.”
Prof Lim says he’s “pleased” to see Sengkang GRC residents “happily brandishing the umbrella” and advertises that anyone can buy a brolly and support the party through its merchandise page on the WP site. It offers two kinds – a compact fold-up model ($13) and a long-handled one ($16). Both bear the WP logo, a golden hammer against red background.
Many netizens have liked, shared, and commented on Prof Lim’s umbrella post.
One commenter said that he owns several WP umbrellas, adding cheekily: “They are very sturdy so worth buying even if you are a PAP supporter.”
Others teased the MP about being an umbrella model.
One netizen suggested that the WP make a larger umbrella, “so we can bring in more supporters under rain or sun”.
A netizen commented, “Pretty obvious umbrella is to protect against lighting…” in reference to the PAP logo.
Netizens who already own WP umbrellas told stories of their own.
Some even joked that they want a WP umbrella with Jamus’ autograph.
And yes, as to be expected, there were Rihanna references in the comments.
/TISG
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