SINGAPORE: The rift between Potong Pasir Member of
Parliament Chiam See Tong and his former right-hand man Desmond Lim
looks set to deepen, after the latter engaged a lawyer to defend
him in disciplinary proceedings initiated against
him.
Colin Ng & Partners' Peter Low, a former Law
Society president, will be representing Mr Lim. MediaCorp
understands that a lawyer's letter was sent to Mr Chiam on
Wednesday.
On Dec 6, the Singapore People' Party (SPP) central
executive committee had sent Mr Lim a letter detailing nine charges
against him, including the allegation that Mr Lim had made
defamatory remarks about Mr Chiam in an October newspaper article
over the issue of the Reform Party (RP) joining the Singapore
Democratic Alliance (SDA).
The SPP, a component party of the SDA, was also
unhappy with Mr Lim for speaking in his capacity as SDA
secretary-general to the media.
Mr Lim, who had fended off an attempt by Mr Chiam to remove him
from the SDA, responded to the charges the next day, but is still
awaiting SPP's replies.
Mr Lim told MediaCorp that he had "no choice but to engage a lawyer
to formally ask them to respond to my letter".
Said Mr Lim: "I'm taking this matter very seriously ... It's not
that I want to get a lawyer to fight them. I also wish to find out
who are the cadres in the disciplinary committee."
MediaCorp understands that in his lawyer's letter, Mr Lim pointed
out that Mr Chiam should take him to court if he felt he was
defamed, instead of subjecting Mr Lim to disciplinary
proceedings.
Mr Chiam held a Christmas Party on Thursday, which was attended by
several opposition leaders including RP chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam
and the National Solidarity Party's Sebastian Teo. When approached,
Mr Chiam declined to comment on the lawyer's
letter.
- TODAY