Anyone up for spare cash?

[YanDao]

This is like the China '50 cent' group saying what they are paid to say.

BREAKING: “SUPPORTER” SAYS HE’S BEING PAID TO HELP DESMOND LIM’S CAMPAIGN

The Online Citizen understands that Mr Desmond Lim may be paying at least some of his "volunteers" to help out in his campaign for the Punggol East by-election. These paid helpers undertake tasks like attendance at Nomination Day, handing out flyers to residents and conducting door-to-door house visits.

TOC has been following the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) on the campaign trail since the confirmation of Mr Lim’s candidacy on Nomination Day, Jan 16. Many had observed then that many of his supporters looked to be very young, and most of them did not look to be of voting age. When asked about his supporters, Mr Lim said that most of them were interested in his campaign and had volunteered to help.

A “supporter”, who declined to be named, has told TOC that he had actually responded to an advertisement on the VR-Zone forums calling for “company ambassadors” for an event. TOC understands that this was the ad:

The job will pay successful applicants at $7.50 per hour, and payment would only be made after the event period ended.

This “supporter”, who looked like he was in his 30s, revealed that he had attended a briefing on Jan 15, and only then did he realise that the job was to help out in a political campaign. He told TOC that he kept timesheets, but would only get paid on Jan 27. He has been told to collect his payment at an office at #04-26 People’s Park Centre. When asked if he was worried about not being paid, he said that Mr Lim is a Principal Engineer at M1, and so would probably keep his word and pay without risking his reputation.

TOC asked Mr Lim if it was true that his "volunteers" had actually replied to an ad. He said: "Let me pose a question back to you: How would you recruit volunteers if you do not make known your event. Clearly, we have to source in that way. There is no error as such." He also said that he got a lot of volunteers from "the social media, since youngsters are very into this medium."

When asked how much he paid his helpers, Mr Lim said: "It's not payment per say [sic], we gave them lunch. Bearing in mind many are not working adults but are keen to understand politics. So giving them food is a basic and decent thing to do. Very important point to note, there is a big difference between voters and volunteers. You cannot influence voters in any form. But then again my volunteers are not voters."

Finally, Mr Lim did not deny that his helpers had to keep timesheets. He said that "this is being misconstrued", claiming that the timesheets were to "help volunteers account for their time invested, so they can add tangible commitments to the project when they add it to CVs".

TOC had visited the office at #04-26 People’s Park Centre on Jan 18:

A male who looked to be in his early 20s, who has been observed at Mr Lim’s campaign, entered the office at about 5:30pm.
There are a number of businesses registered at this address, including a business called iCEO Apps Maker. Mr Lim has “liked” iCEO’s Facebook page at (https://www.facebook.com/IceoAppsMaker).

Records obtained from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority confirmed that iCEO Apps Maker is a sole-proprietor owned by one “Goh Siew Choo”. Mr Lim’s Facebook page names one “Gina Goh Siew Choo” as a friend. This “Gina Goh Siew Choo” is also friends with Mr Lim’s wife Jolene Goh.

Mr Lim has confirmed that Ms Goh Siew Choo is his sister-in-law. However, he said that she has no involvement in the by-election.

TOC estimates that around 10 to 14 supporters gather from 8am to at least 5pm to help out in Mr Lim’s campaign each day. If the information from the “supporter” who spoke to TOC is correct, and if all of these supporters are being paid, then the daily cost could range from $600 to over $900.

A Straits Times on Jan 17 quoted Mr Lim as saying that the volunteers were given money for their food and transport expenses; however, he had declined to disclose the amount. He said that it is a “small” sum and that he “will not break the law”.

On Jan 19, a TODAY report quoted four of Mr Lim’s volunteers as saying that they had responded to a SDA Facebook post calling for help, and were helping out the campaign to “have a hands-on experience of what local politics is like on the ground”. They said that they were provided with meals on some days, but on other days they would be reimbursed up to S$5 per meal for food. They can also make transport claims after the by-election.