Latest news with #JamusLim
Independent Singapore
6 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Jamus Lim criticises Trump administration's move to bar Harvard from enrolling international students
SINGAPORE: Workers' Party MP Associate Professor Jamus Lim has criticised the Trump administration's recent decision to revoke Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, calling the move 'utterly wrongheaded and counterproductive.' In a Facebook post on Friday morning, Lim weighed in on the unfolding controversy between the U.S. government and the Ivy League institution. The decision comes after Harvard reportedly resisted demands to furnish information on certain foreign students. U.S. authorities responded by framing international enrollment as a 'privilege, not a right,' and accused the university of fostering a hostile and racially biased environment. Lim, an economics professor by training and long-time advocate of balancing foreign and local student intake in Singapore, expressed concern over what such coercive policy signals for education systems globally. While reiterating his support for prioritising Singaporean enrolment in local universities, especially in high-demand sectors like technology, he warned against 'extreme, self-defeating policies' that isolate institutions from the international academic community. 'Shutting out top global talent will ultimately undermine competitiveness, deprive students of diverse perspectives, and break the cycles of mutual knowledge exchange,' he wrote. 'For any institution whose objective is to advance the frontiers of human understanding, this is not only detrimental; it is destructive.' Lim emphasised the importance of maintaining a 'reasonable balance' between foreign and local presence in schools and workplaces, cautioning against adopting exclusionary measures driven by political expediency. He cited ongoing legal developments in the U.S., including a temporary injunction granted by a court, as reasons to continue monitoring the situation. 'There is always more to learn from the ideas of those that are different from us, and we shut those out at our peril,' Lim added.
Independent Singapore
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
'Lost opportunity' — Jamus Lim weighs in on books from Yale-NUS College bagged for disposal
SINGAPORE: Workers' Party (WP) Member of Parliament Jamus Lim commented on an issue concerning books from the library of Yale-NUS College, hundreds of which were allegedly marked for recycling or disposal on May 20 (Tuesday). The college is closing this year, with its final commencement having taken place last week. However, the outcry from students and alumni over the disposal of the books has resulted in an apology from the university. The WP MP, an academic, weighing in through a social media post, said that he had learned at an early age from his mother to treat books with respect. 'As a child, my mother routinely warned me never to sit on books. The logic, according to her, was that books were an embodiment of knowledge. To sit on them would be to disrespect knowledge itself, an affront to the value and wisdom they carried. Till today, I still won't sit on a book, or even to treat it carelessly,' he wrote. As both Assoc Prof Lim and his wife, a writer, are 'stout-hearted bibliophiles,' he added that it had been distressing for them to hear about the Yale-NUS Library books being 'unceremoniously discarded on a sidewalk, before they would then be shredded by a recycling service.' He called it 'at the very least, like a lost opportunity,' citing reports that said when students who saw the books wanted to take them home, they were not allowed to do so. He also cited Steve Levitt and Stephen Dubner's book Freakonomics, which describes how 'the mere presence of books is associated with a child's success at school,' which other studies have corroborated. 'More generally, the whole sorry episode strikes me as yet another instance of how top-down decisions, made without widespread consultation with diverse stakeholders, can lead to undesirable outcomes. That's why advanced societies do best when they embrace the messiness and uncertainty of democratic processes, because the result, while still unlikely to satisfy everybody, may at least avert the most egregious missteps,' Assoc Prof Lim added. See also PSP expels member for offensive post against religion He linked a petition from Yale-NUS College alumni regarding the books that calls for clarity on the issue. On Wednesday (May 21), Associate Professor Natalie Pang, University Librarian of NUS, was quoted in CNA as saying that excess books are either brought to other libraries or given away. Those that are not taken are recycled, a common practice with libraries. The excess books from the Yale-NUS College Library were only offered to faculty and not to students. 'We understand later that many students were interested in having these books, and we would have usually acceded to their requests. We did not do so on this occasion and we apologise for the operational lapse,' she said, adding that a campus giveaway for the books is now being organised. /TISG Read also: Unhappiness still being expressed over closure of Yale-NUS, despite assurances from Chan Chun Sing, MOE
21-05-2025
- Politics
Jamus Lim criticises Yale-NUS book disposal as failure of top-down decisions without consultation
Associate Professor Jamus Lim, Workers' Party Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC, has weighed in on the National University of Singapore's (NUS) attempted disposal of Yale-NUS College library books, describing it as emblematic of the problems with top-down decision-making carried out without meaningful consultation. Lim made the remarks in a Facebook post on 21 May 2025, a day after public criticism erupted over reports that hundreds of books from the Yale-NUS library were being discarded. NUS issued a apology on 21 May, acknowledging the misstep. In comments reported by CNA, University Librarian Associate Professor Natalie Pang called the incident an 'operational lapse'. Lim calls book disposal symbolic of top-down decisions and missed educational opportunities Reflecting on his personal reverence for books, Lim wrote, 'As a child, my mother routinely warned me never to sit on books… they were an embodiment of knowledge.' He noted that both he and his wife, as academics and bibliophiles, have long respected the value of printed knowledge. 'It was somewhat distressing… to hear about how a large number of books—previously housed at the Yale-NUS Library—had been unceremoniously discarded on a sidewalk, before they would then be shredded,' Lim wrote. He commented that this event symbolised the 'clinical manner' in which Yale-NUS College itself was shut down. Lim criticised the missed opportunity, stating that many of the books were in excellent condition and could have been redistributed with 'some advanced planning and consultation'. Lim noted reports that students passing by were prevented from taking any of the books due to concerns over RFID tags still embedded in them. He dismissed this explanation as a technicality, suggesting that such issues were easily surmountable. He cited research on the long-term benefits of book ownership, referencing studies like Freakonomics and a 2018 social science study which indicated that even the presence of books in a home is associated with improved academic outcomes in children. 'The whole sorry episode strikes me as yet another instance of how top-down decisions, made without widespread consultation with diverse stakeholders, can lead to undesirable outcomes,' he stated. Lim emphasised that while democratic processes can be messy, they help avoid 'the most egregious missteps'. Books already destroyed by time NUS intervened, says recycling company On 21 May, Assoc Prof Pang said that although excess books are usually rehomed within the NUS library system or offered to both faculty and students, this time, students were not given that opportunity. 'We understand later that many students were interested in having these books, and we would have usually acceded to their requests,' she said. 'We did not do so on this occasion, and we apologise.' To address the situation, NUS announced it would organise a book giveaway and review its processes to ensure broader access to surplus materials in future. Most of the Yale-NUS library collection had been redistributed to other NUS libraries. However, remaining volumes were offered only to faculty. Books that were not taken were sent for recycling, which Pang said was consistent with standard library practices. The issue escalated when it was revealed that the books had already been destroyed before NUS attempted to intervene. According to an employee from Green Orange Enviro, the recycling company involved, NUS contacted them at about 3pm on 20 May to stop the recycling. By then, the materials had already been processed at Asia Recycling Resources. Students at the scene reported seeing books loaded onto recycling trucks and attempted to intervene. CNA reported that two NUS staff and two employees from the recycling firm stopped them, stating the books were 'slated for disposal' and could not be kept. An NUS librarian told students the disposal had to proceed due to a short clearance timeline set by the NUS Law Faculty and campus infrastructure team. The Straits Times cited a former senior Yale-NUS librarian who estimated the library held 40,000 to 45,000 volumes. Around 8,500 remain available for giveaway. A student-led petition titled Save the Yale-NUS Library Books has called for transparency and accountability. It claimed around 2,000 volumes, valued at over S$100,000, were destroyed, and questioned the decision's alignment with NUS's Sustainability Plan. As of 11.51am on 21 May, the petition had garnered 667 signatures. Yale-NUS College is set to close this year, with its final cohort graduating in May 2025. The NUS Law Faculty, currently based at the Bukit Timah campus, is scheduled to relocate to the Yale-NUS premises later in the year, prompting the need to clear existing facilities.
Independent Singapore
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
Jamus Lim says Sengkang MPs will work harder than ever
SINGAPORE: In the speech he delivered after it was clear that the Workers' Party (WP) slate at Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) would go on to serve another term in Parliament, Jamus Lim said that the team would not rest on its laurels, and he promised that they would work harder than ever. 'We will work on introducing more innovations and improvements to the town, and further enhance the way we provide help and support to our residents, especially with uncertain times ahead. Just as you have had our back, we will have yours,' he said on polling night as the Sengkang Four—incumbents He Ting Ru, Louis Chua, himself, and new Member of Parliament (MP)-elect Abdul Muhaimin—took the stage to thank supporters. This year, the WP team won 56.31% of the votes, an improvement over its results in GE2020, when the team of then-newbies received 52.12% of the votes against a heavily stacked People's Action Party (PAP) team that included former Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min. Dr Lam is the only PAP candidate who returned to contest again at Sengkang. However, his former teammate, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, contested at Jalan Kayu SMC this year and won against the WP's Andre Low by the slimmest of margins, 51.47% to 48.53%. Nevertheless, the team's win at the then newly created GRC had been a historic one, marking the first time the WP had won two GRCs and substantially expanding the party's presence in Parliament. This year's gain of vote shares meant the WP solidified its foothold at Sengkang. Assoc Prof Lim mentioned Dr Lam in his speech, saying, 'One of the earliest interactions I had in Sengkang GRC after we won the GRC in 2020 was with a resident at the 350 Anchorvale coffeeshop. He was almost in tears when he shared how important Dr Lam had been to the community. 'I knew, then, that we had massive shoes to fill. Over the course of the past five years, Team Sengkang has been tirelessly working to fill those shoes and to reward the brave voters of this constituency for their faith in us. 'During that time, we must have walked just about every corner of the estate, cracked open hundreds of rubbish chutes, burned many nights and often days drafting letters and appeals for our residents, and worked on hundreds of speeches over many weekends. We did so because, for us, Sengkang is home, and Sengkang is family.' He thanked his wife and daughter, as well as the myriad WP volunteers and supporters. Addressing voters, he added, 'Thank you for keeping the flickering flame of an alternative voice alive in Singapore.' /TISG Read also: GE2025: WP keeps Sengkang, winning 56% votes
Independent Singapore
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
GE2025: WP keeps Sengkang, winning 56% votes
SINGAPORE: The Workers' Party (WP) slate at Sengkang GRC, composed of incumbent MPs He Ting Ru, 41; Louis Chua, 37; and Jamus Lim, 49; together with new candidate Abdul Muhaimin, 36, has won with 56.31 per cent of the votes. Ms He, a lawyer, has headed the Sengkang Town Council, which received top marks under the WP. Mr Chua is a research analyst, and Assoc Prof Lim teaches at ESSEC Business School. MP-elect Mr Muhaimin is a senior property manager for the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council. Prior to his stint at AHTC, he was a platoon commander with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The team defeated candidates from the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) led by physician Lam Pin Min, 55, food and beverage company director Bernadette Giam, 38, venture capital firm co-founder Theodora Lai, 39, and Elmie Nekmat, 43, an Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore. In the General Election of 2020, the then newly created constituency of Sengkang was narrowly won by the slate from WP, which received 52.12 per cent of the votes, which means the party has gained over 4 percentage points this time around. The victory in 2020 gave the opposition party its second group representation constituency (GRC) and came as a shock to many, as the newbie WP slate won against a heavily stacked People's Action Party (PAP) team, which had National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin. The WP's win also meant that there would be 10 elected opposition Members of Parliament (MPs), and WP chief Pritam Singh was formally designated as Leader of the Opposition after the party's historic win. Since then, however, the WP suffered a blow with the resignation of former Sengkang MP Raeesah Khan amid a scandal, although the remaining WP MPs, He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim, and Louis Chua, have been popular on the ground and are perceived to be doing good work . Read related: WP's master plan for Sengkang plan 'sets the stage for the next lap' Among the PAP candidates, only Dr Lam, who has been active on the ground in Sengkang over the past few years, returned to contest in the area. Mr Ng, however, is contesting at Jalan Kayu SMC against the WP's Andre Low. Although the PAP will continue to remain in power in the coming five years, this year's General Election has largely been perceived to be a test of how much ground the opposition will gain. It has also been seen as a test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who was sworn into office on May 15, 2024. The increased cost of living in one of the most expensive cities in the world was widely reported to be the issue that was foremost in voters' minds in the run-up to this year's polls, and support for the opposition appeared to be on the rise, at least among commenters online. /TISG Read also: Residents tell WP's Jamus Lim that 'the electric atmosphere at rallies gets them excited about voting'
