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Let’s talk about Ivan Lim Shaw Chuan, Part II
It won’t be a Singapore GE if we spend too much time on chinese mediocrity, but here we are.
Heng Swee Keat has asked Ivan Lim to explain himself, and so he did.
In a mis-dated press release, sent with the PAP letterhead, addressing some of the more relevant points.
1. There’s no need to bring your mother into this, unless what you’re saying is that your mother is shocked at your character.
2. Most arguments have centred around your arrogance, sadism, and elitism. This is deflection.
3. “Setting High Standards” is no excuse for abuse and pleasure at seeing those underneath you suffer.
4. He also never addressed several allegations (which I’ve helpfully compiled for him) like forcing the men to work under the risk of lightning strikes, or denying coming to camp drunk, making his entire company wait, and without indenting dinner for them.
5. His RSM has come out in a facebook post, willing to go on record and to substantiate his allegations to Ivan
6. He talks about the shipyard being a tough industry, which is irrelevant. What led to Linus breaking his bond was him being sick to the stomach at Ivan’s penchant for abuse.
A video has been recorded, this time offering a defence of Ivan Lim, and making the rounds of pro-PAP facebook groups. Leaving aside the obvious conflicts of interest (he is still working at Keppel), it is worth listening to.
Even their defence of him is less than full-throated, with one of his co-workers even backhandedly admitting that he is elitist but deserves it because he “came from a humble background.”
(And that is a defence for elitism… how?)
Since then, even more allegations of his behaviour have been put in full display. One co-worker recalled how he took to verbally abusing workers, so much so that she had to shut him out with headphones.
Another more serious allegation is that he disallowed shipyard workers to rest and eat breakfast in the yard, forcing them to do so outside, amongst heavy traffic.
If you commute to Tuas, you know how frequent accidents happen there, and how many heavy vehicles traverse the road. This is extremely unsafe conduct.
What can we summarise from this chain of events?
We see that Ivan is unrepentant and unwilling to address the disturbing, underlying patterns of abuse. We see that he is comfortable with using his authority to punish those beneath him.
We see that abusing and belittling people is even something he enjoys, and he takes great pleasure administering it.
It also shows that he is willing to risk the safety and lives of both his men and his workers around him.
And yet, the party still stands in the defence of fielding this tragically flawed character.
I do hope that Ivan Lim runs, and runs in an SMC, so that the constituents there can appraise him squarely and fully, and decide whether to give him a chance at redemption.
It would be a shame, and an abrogation of the democratic process, if he was fielded at a GRC, riding on the coattails of an Anchor Minister.
We deserve better.
(Addendum, turns out, surprise surprise, he was involved in at least one Brazilian project,)
Aaaaaand, he's out https://twitter.com/lim_jialiang/status/1276867227627601921?s=20
