WP's Jamus Lim slams Lim Tean’s criticism of non-Singaporean National Day banner as misguided
Workers' Party MP Assoc Prof Jamus Lim weighed in on the controversy surrounding Lim Tean's Facebook remarks about a non-Singaporean girl on a National Day banner. He argued that criticizing a child for wanting to be part of the nation is misguided. At the same time, Lim acknowledges local concerns about displacement and competition, advocating for levelling the playing field to address these issues.
SINGAPORE: Associate Professor Jamus Lim, Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC from the Workers' Party, has commented on the recent controversy involving opposition leader Lim Tean's remarks about a non-Singaporean girl being featured on a National Day banner for Tanjong Pagar.
Assoc Prof Lim argued that it is misguided to criticize a child for wanting to be part of the nation’s fabric.
While he acknowledged that some locals feel marginalized—whether due to displacement by foreigners or local businesses struggling against large multinationals—he advocated for a more comprehensive approach. He proposed levelling the playing field to address these concerns effectively.
Lim Tean questions National Day banner featuring non-Singaporean girl
On 26 July, Lim Tean, the leader of the Peoples Voice (PV) shared a Facebook post of a girl with a picture of herself smiling and standing below the banner with the caption “Happy 59th Birthday Singapore”.
Lim Tean then commented, "The Girl In Your Roadside Poster Is Not A Singaporean. "
While he welcomed the girl to Singapore and hoped she had a lovely time, he questioned why a non-Singaporean was featured in a National Day banner.
"Is it so difficult to find a Singaporean poster girl? My friends, we have to be very careful and not allow our Singaporean identity to be lost."
"PV and I will never step away from fighting to preserve our Identity as Singaporeans."
The girl has since deleted her post, allegedly following xenophobic remarks from some netizens.
Alvin Tan criticizes Lim Tean's remark
Mr Lim's post drew criticism from Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Alvin Tan, who responded in a LinkedIn post, describing the episode as “sad and discouraging.”
Mr Tan emphasized that such attitudes do not represent the true spirit of Singaporeans.
“We are a vibrant, cosmopolitan nation that welcomes friends from all over the world. They too make up our Singapore history, tapestry and precious social fabric,” said Mr Tan, who is also the Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), and for Trade and Industry.
Of the 20 banners put up by the GRC's town council, 18 featured Singaporeans and one featured a permanent resident. The final banner highlighted the girl singled out by Lim Tean.
Mr Tan noted that this is not the first time National Day banners from Tanjong Pagar GRC have been subjected to derogatory posts.
In 2021, a banner showing national athlete Thiruben Thana Rajan, then 20, and his family faced racist and xenophobic remarks from netizens.
When Mr Thiruben came forward and identified himself, a group of 41 residents from Tiong Bahru’s Seng Poh estate sent him and his family a letter, expressing their solidarity against racism, race-baiting, xenophobia, and ignorance.
Mr Tan said in his post: “How we rallied in support of Thiruben and his family in 2021 showed who we are as Singaporeans.”
He added that his team has been in contact with the girl and her family, who expressed their gratitude for the support and care they received, making them feel welcomed in Singapore.
Assoc Prof Lim advocating for fairness without discrimination
On Monday (5 August), Assoc Prof Lim addressed the controversy in a Facebook post, acknowledging the sentiment that a local child might have been featured in the National Day campaign instead of a foreigner.
However, he argued that this concern is misplaced.
He emphasized that there is nothing wrong with anyone, including foreigners, wishing Singapore a happy birthday.
"Indeed, one could even make the point that the citizens of our unlikely nation was born out of mostly immigrants, only one or two generations separated from their motherlands, and our National Day is a celebration of how we’ve managed to come together as one united people."
Assoc Prof Lim recognized the challenges faced by Singaporeans, such as feeling marginalized and being pushed into gig jobs due to displacement by foreigners.
He also highlighted the struggles of local businesses competing with large multinationals that benefit from favourable tax treatment.
He advocated for levelling the playing field in a way that does not discriminate against foreign talent or firms.
"One possibility is to consider ways of diminishing the disparity in take-home wages for those on employment passes versus locals."
"Another is to align the effective tax rates on MNCs with their statutory ones, since there’s no inherent reason to provide special treatment to foreign firms, given all the advantages of size, reach, and connectivity that they already enjoy."
Assoc Prof Lim stressed the importance of integrating immigrants into Singaporean society by making them feel welcome and helping them embrace Singaporean culture. He believed this approach would help them become "even more Singaporean."
"And in that spirit, slamming a kid for wanting to be a part of our nation’s fabric strikes me as fundamentally misguided. Our tent is wide enough."
