Lim Biow Chuan

Lim Biow Chuan
林谋泉
Official portrait, 2021
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore
In office
25 January 2016 – 23 June 2020
Serving with Charles Chong
SpeakerHalimah Yacob
Tan Chuan-Jin
Preceded bySeah Kian Peng
Charles Chong
Succeeded byJessica Tan
Christopher de Souza
Member of Parliament
for Mountbatten SMC
In office
7 May 2011 – 15 April 2025
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byGho Sze Kee (PAP)
Majority
  • 2011: 3,524 (17.24%)
  • 2015: 9,327 (43.72%)
  • 2020: 10,479 (47.68%)
Member of Parliament
for Marine Parade GRC
In office
6 May 2006 – 7 May 2011
Preceded byPAP held
Succeeded byPAP held
MajorityN/A (walkover)
Personal details
Born (1963-05-22) 22 May 1963 (age 62)
Political partyPeople's Action Party
Alma materNational University of Singapore (LLB)

Lim Biow Chuan (Chinese: 林谋泉; pinyin: Lín Móuquán; born 22 May 1963)[1] is a Singaporean lawyer and former politician who served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 2016 and 2020. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mountbatten division of Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) between 2006 and 2011, and Mountbatten Single Member Constituency (SMC) between 2011 and 2025.

Education

[edit]

Lim studied at Victoria School and Temasek Junior College before entering the Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where he completed a Bachelor of Laws.[1] At NUS, he was a classmate of Sylvia Lim, future MP for the opposition Workers' Party (WP).[2]

Career

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Lim is a qualified lawyer. As of May 2016, he was a senior partner in Derrick Wong & Lim BC LLP and had been a Notary Public and Commissioner for Oaths.[3]

Lim served as the president of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) from 2012 to 2021. He was succeeded by Melvin Yong.[4]

In 2013, Lim was appointed to the Data Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC) of Singapore.[5]

Political career

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Lim entered politics during the 2006 general election as part of the PAP team for Marine Parade GRC. He served the Mountbatten division of the GRC after the team won unopposed.[6]

During the 2011 general election, Lim stood for reelection in Mountbatten SMC after his division in Marine Parade GRC was carved out. He defeated Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss from the National Solidarity Party (NSP) with 58.72% of the vote.[6][7]

During the 2015 general election, Lim defeated Chong-Aruldoss, who had since become a member of the Singapore People's Party (SPP), with an improved 71.86% of the vote.[6][7][8]

On 25 January 2016, Lim was elected Deputy Speaker for the 13th Parliament alongside Charles Chong.[9] He left the role after the 2020 general election.[10]

During the 2020 general election, Lim was reelected for the third time after defeating Sivakumaran Chellappa from Peoples Voice (PV) with an improved 73.82% of the vote. This was despite a national swing against the PAP.[6][8]

During the 2025 general election, it was announced that Lim would retire from politics. He was replaced as the PAP candidate for Mountbatten SMC by Gho Sze Kee, a political newcomer.[6]

Lim was the chairperson of Marine Parade Town Council from 2010 to April 2025.[6]

Extramarital affair controversy

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In 2010, the press reported that Lim showed support for film director Jack Neo over his controversial extramarital affair, saying, "Since he is remorseful over this incident, he should be forgiven. Actually, a man who has a good career development, like himself, would find such scenarios unavoidable". Lim later claimed to have been misquoted by the press.[11]

Personal life

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Lim is married and has two children. He is a Christian; as of May 2016, he was the chairperson of the executive committee of Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church.[1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Member's CV: Mr Lim Biow Chuan". Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  2. ^ Lim, Biow Chuan (28 July 2020). "Met Sylvia Lim at the Istana during the swearing in ceremony for Cabinet Ministers..." Facebook. Retrieved 30 July 2020. Met Sylvia Lim at the Istana during the swearing in ceremony for Cabinet Ministers. We have known each other since 1984 when we were law students in NUS. (36 years!!) In fact Sylvia and I were both student leaders in the Law Club. While we differ on some political matters, we are both good friends and will remain good friends.
  3. ^ a b "Mr Lim Biow Chuan, PBM" (PDF). Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  4. ^ "Melvin Yong takes over as Case president from Lim Biow Chuan". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  5. ^ "6 new members appointed to Data Protection Advisory Committee". AsiaOne. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Loi, Esther; Ng, Keng Gene (20 April 2025). "GE2025: PAP's Gho Sze Kee to contest Mountbatten; 4-term MP Lim Biow Chuan to step down". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 25 April 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  7. ^ a b "PAP wins Mountbatten SMC | Mothership.SG". mothership.sg. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  8. ^ a b "GE2025: All you need to know about your constituency". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 5 October 2025. Mountbatten was carved out as a single-member constituency from Marine Parade GRC in 2011, which PAP won uncontested in 2006. Incumbent MP Lim Biow Chuan secured one of the highest vote shares in GE2020 and was one of only two PAP candidates – along with Macpherson MP Tin Pei Ling – to increase their majorities in GE2020 compared with GE2015.
    ...
    Past results
    In GE2020, Mr Lim defeated Peoples Voice's Mr Sivakumaran Chellappa with 73.82 per cent of the vote.
    GE2015
    PAP 71.86%
    SPP 28.14%
    GE2020
    PAP 73.82%
    PV 26.18%
    ...
  9. ^ "Charles Chong, Lim Biow Chuan elected as Deputy Speakers". Today. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Parliament: Christopher de Souza and Jessica Tan elected as Deputy Speakers of Parliament". The Straits Times. 31 August 2020. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  11. ^ "Backseat frolics backfire". The Star. 13 March 2010. Archived from the original on 16 March 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
[edit]
Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by
Andy Gan
Goh Chok Tong
Mohamad Maidin bin Packer Mohd
Othman Haron Eusofe
R Ravindran
Lim Hwee Hua
Member of Parliament for
Marine Parade GRC

2006 – 2011
Served alongside: Fatimah Lateef, Goh Chok Tong, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Ong Seh Hong, Seah Kian Peng
Succeeded by
New constituency Member of Parliament for
Mountbatten SMC

2011 – 2025
Succeeded by