A collection of Desmonds.
If you’ve been paying attention to Singapore’s political scene, you might have noticed one thing – the name “Desmond” is quite a common name, sprinkled all over the place!
By common, I am not talking about one, not two, but FOUR prominent Desmonds sia. They are like the 4D in the Singapore political scene.
If you don’t know who is who, here’s a quick guide to the 4D for you.
Desmond 1 – Desmond Lim (林睦荃)
Number of years in politics: 29 years
Desmond Lim is 58 years old this year.
He was formerly the chairperson of the Singapore Justice Party (SJP), a political party in Singapore. He left SJP to join the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) in 1996, where he became the assistant secretary-general of SPP.
Over the years, this Desmond has contested several elections, but his most memorable attempt was during the 2013 Punggol East SMC by-election as a Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) candidate. For people who don’t know, SDA is a political coalition consisting of different political parties.
Trying something different, he uploaded a series of videos of his speeches, branding them as an “online rally.” In these videos, he addressed hot-button issues like the high cost of living and skyrocketing property prices in Singapore. However, his awkward diction and less-than-fluent command of English unintentionally turned the speeches into comedic material, making them go viral for all the wrong reasons. You can watch the viral video here.
(Not-So) Fun Fact: According to Wikipedia, Desmond Lim was once regarded as a protégé of Opposition legend Chiam See Tong. However, their relationship soured in 2011, resulting in a fallout that saw Chiam and the SPP parting ways with the SDA.
In the upcoming General Election, Desmond Lim will lead a team comprising Abu Mohamed, Harminder Pal Singh, and newcomer Chia Yun Kai — best known as the founder of the Most Valuable Party — to contest in the newly formed Pasir Ris–Changi GRC. They will go up against a PAP team led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, joined by Senior Minister of State Desmond Tan, Sharael Taha, and new face Valerie Lee.
It’s a showdown between two of the four Desmonds!
Desmond 2 – Desmond Choo (朱倍庆)
Number of years in politics: 14 years
Desmond number two is Desmond Choo. Born on 13 February 1978, Desmond Choo is two years younger than Desmond Lee. Desmond Choo is a former police officer who has been serving as the Mayor of North East District since 2017 and Assistant Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) since 2015.
Desmond Choo is a member of PAP, and he has been the MP for the Tampines Changkat division of Tampines GRC since 2015.
As a Labour MP, Desmond Choo has been a strong advocate for workers’ welfare, especially in areas of skills upgrading, fair employment practices, and improving workplace safety. He has pushed for enhancing employability through initiatives under NTUC and ensuring workers are well-prepared for economic transformation.
Fun Fact: Desmond Choo attended Ai Tong School in his Primary School days, and many years later, both of his sweet daughters are also schooling at Ai Tong School. Cute!
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For this Desmond, he will be going against the Workers’ Party’s Kenneth Foo in the newly created Tampines Changkat SMC in the upcoming polls.
Desmond 3 – Desmond Lee (李智陞)
Number of years in politics: 14 years
Born on 15 July 1976, Desmond Lee is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who has been serving as Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration since 2020.
He is also a member of the governing People’s Action Party (PAP) and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Boon Lay division of West Coast GRC since 2020.
Prior to being appointed as the Minister of State for National Development on 1 September 2013, he had served as a member of the Government Parliamentary Committees for Culture, Community and Youth, Home Affairs, Law, and Social and Family Development.
Fun Fact: Desmond Lee served as Justices’ Law Clerk at the Supreme Court before serving as a deputy public prosecutor in the Criminal Justice Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC). His brain must be very BIG!
One of the most anticipated battles this GE: the redrawn West Coast–Jurong West GRC.
The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) is set to face off against the PAP team led by Desmond Lee. Joining him are former West Coast MP Ang Wei Neng, former Jurong GRC MP Shawn Huang, and two new faces — orthopaedic surgeon Hamid Razak and lawyer Cassandra Lee.
On the PSP side, it’s a heavyweight lineup featuring party chairman Tan Cheng Bock, secretary-general Leong Mun Wai, first vice-chairperson Hazel Poa, and newcomers Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah.
Nine more days to the polling day, excited max!!!
Desmond 4 – Desmond Tan (陈国明)
Number of years in politics: 5 years
Desmond Tan began his career in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), dedicating 28 years to the military and eventually rising to the rank of Brigadier-General. After retiring from the SAF in 2017, he transitioned to a leadership role as the Chief Executive Director of the People’s Association (PA).
In June 2020, Desmond Tan stepped down from his position at PA to run in the 2020 General Election under the PAP banner. His efforts paid off as he was elected as the MP representing the Pasir Ris Central ward of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC. That same year, he was appointed Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment.
By 2022, Desmond Tan took on a new role as Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and was also appointed as Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC. Within NTUC, he oversees the Transformation and Training Group as its Group Director. One of his key responsibilities involves spearheading the Company Training Committee (CTC) initiative – launched in 2019 to support companies and workers in upgrading their skills, embracing new technology, and transforming jobs. In other words, CTCs are basically his baby.
And his baby has grown fast. NTUC has since helped over 3,000 companies establish CTCs, benefiting more than 7,000 workers who received an average of 5% wage increment on top of their annual increments.
In 2024, he was promoted to Senior Minister of State.
Fun Fact: Desmond Tan graduated from Queenstown Secondary School, whose motto translates to “Committed to Serve.” Looks like he was groomed to serve the community right from his school days! And true enough, as a Labour MP, he’s now serving workers and Singaporeans with the same dedication.
Fun Fun Fact: This Desmond Tan is Lao Niang’s favourite Desmond of all. In GE2020, Lao Niang already set my beautiful eyes on him liao. Lao Niang thinks he is a 潜力股 (a diamond in the rough), quite cute, got heart, 很可以 (very can).
As mentioned earlier, this Desmond, former MP for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC, will be going head-to-head with Desmond Lim in the upcoming battle for the newly formed Pasir Ris–Changi GRC.
In GE2020, out of the 4 Desmonds, 3 managed to get voted into the Parliament – that’s a pretty high hit rate ah! Maybe the name ‘Desmond’ has some special power in their birth charts and destiny, like confirm got politician fate one.
But in the upcoming polls, which Desmond will win the ticket to Parliament leh?
Let’s all keep our eyes peeled 👀
