Who is Jamus Lim? What did he mean by “blank cheque” in the debate?

After the first Singapore General Elections 2020 (GE2020) live debate on CNA, the name Jamus Lim surfaced as one of the most popular candidates in the running. If you weren’t able to watch the recent debate that featured one candidate from each party, then you probably missed it when Lim said that he did not want the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) to have a “blank cheque” for their coronavirus response and full dominance of parliament — he wanted them to be accountable.

But who is Jamus Lim? What does he bring to the table? Alvinology takes a look at this Worker’s Party candidate.

Who is Jamus Lim?

According to his online CV and his page on the WP webpage, he is currently an Associate Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School.

He holds several post-graduate degrees, being a Master of Science, Economics from the London School of Economics, a Master of Liberal Arts, History from Harvard University, another Master of Arts, Politics, from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Doctor of Philosophy, International Economics, from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The page said he is 44 years and and is married with one child.

What did Jamus Lim do before he became a professor in Singapore?

According to his CV that is available online here, his first jobs was still teaching Singaporeans. He started as a substitute English and Math teacher at Greenridge Primary school in Singapore. He then became an analyst for JP Morgan and a researcher for the Institute of Asian Studies.

In 2002, he moved to the United States to be a professor in various California colleges for fourteen years. He was also an economist for The World Bank during his years in the US.

He then worked as the lead economist for the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority from 2014-2017. He was also the chosen Chief Economist for the ThirdRock Group.

Jamus Lim’s field of expertise include international economics, developmental economics, and political economics. He also has specializations in Applied Ecoometrics, positive political theory, and world history.

He has published and co-authored a myriad of economic research papers, articles, and books. One of his “unloved” papers that may have been written but not received positively include “Deterring the DPRK in a Post-Cold War Context”, a paper presented at the Public Policy and
Nuclear Threats Winter Seminar in WAshington DC in 2007.

He received the Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy Commendation Prize for the Future of Singapore Economy Essay Competition in 2016. He received a $250,000 US grant from The World Bank and another Research Support Budget Grant worth $68,475.

What is Jamus Lim’s military service?

According to his CV, he was a service medic and a reserve rifleman in the Singapore Armed Forces in the 90’s.

What langauges can Jamus Lim speak?

The same document said that he can speak English as his native language, and fluently in Mandarin Chinese.

He was a certified mixologist in 2017 care of Harvard Student Agencies, and an ordained minister for the Universal Life Church in Washington in 2011.

His CV also seems to show he is into Taekwando in his youth, as well as Rugby and playng the drums.

This is his first run in the General Election, and via the Worker’s Party website, he said he recently returned to Singapore with a desire to serve his country.