PN Balji: Jamus Lim smelling like roses after GE2020 live debate

It was a smart but risky move by the Workers' Party (WP) to send the youthful and smiley-faced Jamus Lim into the lion's den against a seasoned and smiling assassin like Vivian Balakrishnan.

It could have gone disastrously wrong. And the poor chap might just have been badly maimed, never being able to recover.

That didn't happen.

Instead, Lim came out smelling like roses with a performance that must have impressed Balakrishnan to want to hug the newbie politician and whisper into his ears: Why didn't you join the People's Action Party (PAP)?

Lim was not just some pretty face with nothing up there.

He started the TV political debate a little unsure but as he warmed up one could actually see his brain working.

When Balakrishnan tried to put the 44-year-old associate professor — gently of course — on the spot with a question on how his party was going to pay for the giveaways proposed in its manifesto, he retained his unflappable demeanour.

We have done the mathematics behind the ideas and "everything is within our budget, it actually is budget neutral", he replied.

Where the two parties fundamentally differ is "where we think those trade-offs actually should occur".

Lim said the PAP would go for capital.

"We think that for every dollar of national income Singaporeans already receive an insufficient amount — 42 cents compared with 55 cents in Japan and much higher in other high-income countries."

[[nid:494124]]

The performance not only made him a darling of many observers but also put him in the national limelight.

It also made him a pretty good candidate for Sengkang GRC, where NTUC chief Ng Chee Meng is standing.

Ng has a fight on his hands.

It also tied in with the thinking in some circles that the WP has got its sight on the next GE, not really on this one.

With rock-star politician Low Thia Khiang and his close comrade-in-arms, Png Eng Huat, staying out, the WP looks like a party in transition.

I have to say that looking at some of its candidates, WP boss Pritam Singh must have made that big decision to blood his young talent for the next fight. This is just a training ground.

One more thing — the absence of a WP candidate during the Chinese debate is becoming a topic of coffee shop talk, especially when Low and Png are out of the political scene.

Singh's explanation that a live debate needed a candidate of a higher order just didn't cut it. It was a strategic error. Period.

Chee Soon Juan

I was surprised that Singapore Democratic Party's Chee Soon Juan is still so angst-ridden.

Even before Balakrishnan and Chee went head-to-head on issues like the 10 million population figure, the Opposition leader asked the government to "stop this foolishness" of importing foreign workers.

Foolishness? My, my Chee; there are more classy words to use.

It must have come as one big disappointment to those who felt that he is a reformed man. I include my name in the list.

The way Balakrishnan went for Chee showed that Chee will be the target of many more attacks during the campaign.

It was no surprise Balakrishnan was chosen to be the front man for the PAP. He has become the international face of Singapore in the last couple of months. He has been interviewed by CNA, CNBC and other international media outlets.

[[nid:493951]]

The journalist at one such outlet said at the end of the interview: This is a master class.

Balakrishnan was seen smiling from ear to ear.

Having said that, the absence of a 4G leader, instead of a 3G man like Balakrishnan, has raised the question about how prepared the new leaders are to face difficult situations.

When asked, PAP first assistant secretary-general Heng Swee Keat wished away the question by saying there is no need to get bogged down with this 3G/4G issue.

There is a need to, because GE2020 has been touted as a kind of a test of the leaders who are set to take over the running of the country.

The biggest disappointment for me was that there was nothing in the TV debate that was new. The issues brought up by the four participants were old hat. There were no fresh insights about governance, out-of-box solutions and a clear vision about the way forward.

PN Balji is a veteran Singaporean journalist who was formerly chief editor of Today and The New Paper. He is the author of the book Reluctant Editor and is currently a media consultant. The views expressed are his own.

editor@asiaone.com