PAP - THE WEAKEST LINK

IDENTIFY PAP'S WEAKEST LINK IN EAST COAST GRC - VOTE NOW!

The PAP is reeling from the retirement of two respected political veterans Prof S Jayakumar and Abdullah Tarmugi, who had firmly helmed the team at East Coast GRC. Filling their shoes are Minister without Portfolio and NTUC Secretary General Lim Swee Say 
and Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, who have been transferred into the battlefield from the former safe havens of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Sembawang GRC respectively. 

They join surviving members of the existing Transport Minister Raymond Lim, Minister of State for Trade and Manpower Lee Yi Shyan and Jessica Tan. With the PAP choosing extra caution to place three ministers in the same GRC, you can't help but sense that an Opposition kill (figurative) could be in the making. 

You decide, Who is The Weakest Link?

Candidate 1: Lim Swee Say

Chief of the labour union. Wants a "cheaper, better, faster" workforce in Singapore, our workers to become “better, betterer, betterest”, but is staunchly against minimum wages. Confesses to be “deaf to all criticisms”. You wonder why Singaporeans ever elected someone who keeps saying the darnest things? Well, we never did. Lim entered the parliament under the covering of the GRC system without contest, three times.

Highest Education Qualifications

Master's Degree in Management, Stanford Sloan Programme, Stanford University

Career

1986	General Manager, National Computer Board
1991	Deputy Managing Director (New York), Economic Development Board (EDB)
1994-1996	Managing Director, EDB
1994- 1998	Chairman, National Computer Board
1997-1999	Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC
Aug 2004	Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC
Jan 2007-Present	Secretary-General, NTUC

Government Office

Jun 1999	Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology; Minister of State for Trade and Industry
Oct 2000	Acting Minister for the Environment
Nov 2001	Minister for the Environment
Aug 2004-Oct 2005	Second Minister for National Development.
Aug 2004-Present	Minister in the Prime Minister's Office

Candidate 2: Raymond Lim Siang Keat

Brother of former ISD chief Benny Lim. Master-mind behind the rapid decline of Singapore’s world class transport system since he became transport minister in 2006. Remember all our troubles with EZ-Link, SBS, MRT, LRT, COE, CTE, ECP, AYE… and ERP… Don’t forget more new gantries have been set up, waiting to be turned on!

Highest Education Qualifications

Master’s Degree In Public International Law, Cambridge University

Career

Past	Law lecturer, National University of Singapore
	Journalist, Straits Times
	Research Director
	Chief Economist for Asia
	CEO, DBS Securities
	Managing Director for Strategic Overview of Business, Temasek Holdings.

Government Office

2001	Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Minister of State for Trade & Industry
2003	Minister of State in charge of entrepreneurship
2005	Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office; Second Minister for Finance
2005-Present	Second Minister for Foreign Affairs
2006-Present	Minister for Transport

Other Key Appointments

Board Member, Singapore Broadcasting Authority

Board Member, Public Utilities Board

Board Member, Energy Market Authority.

Candidate 3: Lee Yi Shyan

Tipped as a rising stars after the 2006 GE but has not made it into the reckoning.  Still only a Minister of State. The transfer of Lim Swee Say to East Coast GRC confirms question marks over Lee’s makings as a senior leader. Presided the Suzhou Industrial Park investment debacle as EDB’s chief representative and Deputy CEO of the China-Singapore Suzhou Development. In March 2010 Lee had the misfortune of being “reminded” by a 52 year-old relief cabby of the burning of his PAP colleague Seng Han Thong. The constituent involved was arrested on the following day, and later charged in court and fined $2,000 for “criminal intimidation.”

Highest Education Qualifications

B. Eng (National University of Singapore)

Career

1987	Systems Engineer, Systems & Organization (SCO), MINDEF
1991	Chemical Group, Industry Development Division, Economic Development Board (EDB)
1993	Regional Representative, Washington DC and Chicago (USA), EDB
End 1997	EDB Chief Representative in Suzhou; Deputy CEO (Marketing) of the China Singapore Suzhou Development (CSSD)
Jan 1999	Director China; Director Human Resources; and Second Director, Services Development Division, EDB
2000	Deputy CEO, PSB (SPRING Singapore)
2001-2006	CEO, Trade Development Board (International Enterprise Singapore)

Government Office

May 2006-Present	Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry
Apr 2009-Present	Minister of State, Ministry of Manpower

Candidate 4: Jessica Tan Soon Neo

Microsoft.  Uncertain if she can stand the heat now without Jayakumar as the pillar in East Coast.

Highest Education Qualifications

Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours 2nd Upper)(National University of Singapore)

Career

1989	Marketing Representative, IBM Public Sector (Singapore)
1992	Associate Account Manager, IBM Telecommunications / Media Industry (Singapore)
1993	Client Relationship Manager, IBM Telecommunications / Media Industry  Solution Unit (Singapore)
1996	Project Manager, Special Projects, IBM
1997	General Manager, Opus IT Services (IBM Singapore & Sunway)
1999	Sector Services Executive Distribution , IBM ASEAN/South Asia
2000	Sector Sales Executive, Distribution, IBM ASEAN/South Asia
2001	Director, Integrated Technology, IBM Global Services, ASEAN/South Asia
2002	Director, Networking Services, IBM Global Services, Asia Pacific Region
2003	General Manager, Enterprise & Partner Group, Microsoft, Asia Pacific Region
Jul 2008-Present	Managing Director, Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd

Candidate 5: Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman

Academia turned long-term Parliamentary Secretary. Not making much headway despite having a Ph.D. Has he hit a career ceiling?

Highest Education Qualifications

Ph. D (University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign USA

Career

1992	Teaching Assistant, NUS
1992-1998	Senior Tutor, NUS
1995-1998	Teaching Assistant, University of Illinois
1998-2004	Assistant Professor, NUS

Government Office

Aug 2004-Sep 2006	Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
Dec 2004-Sep 2005	Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Health
Oct 2005	Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Development
Nov 2010-Present	Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Development

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