Lim Seng Min and Chua Keng Fang
Unopened Doors
Lim Seng Min:
Lim grew up in Muar, Johore. As a young boy, Lim was always fascinated by uniformed personnel in their smart turnout, especially those in the military and police services. Most of all, he looked up to the naval officers in their sleek white uniform and peak caps. His passion for uniforms prompted him to join the sea scout group during his secondary school days.
Being in the sea scouts group gave Lim opportunities to pursue new survivor skills, knowledge and courage to confront and resolve challenges often encountered in later parts of life. He learnt how to tie the first reef knot as a young Tenderfoot scout, achieved the various badges, such as Camp Warden, Venturer, and eventually rose to be a First-Class boy scout. The countless drill sessions in marching required discipline and teamwork. He was excited to venture into the uncharted ground in nature; pitch tents to prepare for outdoor camping; build lookout posts and towers with wooden poles around the campsites and enjoyed the merry-making campfire nights.
Driven by his childhood heroes of the sea, he came to Singapore in hope of landing himself a place in the Singapore Maritime Command. However, life certainly did not go as planned. Instead, he was offered a position as a trainee constable in the Singapore Police Force. An unexpected journey thus began.
His most vivid memory was his first posting after graduating from the Police Academy. He was posted to the Police Radio Division, being the first responding officer to any major incidents or crimes. He recalled when illicit drugs such as MX pills, Ganja, Heroine and other forms of methamphetamine were easily available on the streets. Drug pushers and peddlers, camouflaged as street hawker stalls, were a common sight around every corner of Singapore during that time. There were large numbers of illegal immigrants roaming around Singapore, many of them were involved in criminal activities which added to the rising number of crimes.
One of the most unforgettable incidents happened at the one-year mark of his deployment to the Police Radio Division which made him realise that this job will be his calling. Lim was deployed one evening to patrol the streets to look out for any suspicious personnel. While chatting with his colleague, he caught a scrawny-looking man from the corner of his eyes, speaking to a big-built man. Lim was suspicious and signalled to his colleague to inch closer to the two men. Taking a closer look, he realised it was the two most wanted men that the police were searching for. His heart pounded as he gripped his gun tightly. Suddenly, the two men looked over and their eyes met. Their jaws clenched and their eyes narrowed. Lim and his colleagues braced themselves, getting ready to give chase.
Chua Keng Fang:
The two men looked at each other and yelled loudly in Hokkien: “Police is here! Run!” They started running towards the crowd while Lim and his colleague gave chase. "Please deploy help to Shenton Way, we are chasing after two wanted men!" The two men ran into the crowd. It was the weekend and many families were out to enjoy local hawker food and spending time with each other. The two officers split up and Lim was chasing after the scrawny suspect. As Lim closed the distance, the scrawny suspect panicked and grabbed a young girl. The girl screamed in fear as the man pushed a dagger into the skin of her throat.
"Let her go!" Lim said as he pointed the rifle at the man. "If you hurt her, you will only face a heavier punishment!" The suspect turned red with anger and shouted for Lim to put down his gun, "Let me go or I will kill her, you stupid police!" Lim was scared and worried as he has never had a direct face off with an armed suspect. His eyes darted between the hysterical suspect and the fearful hostage. He knew he had to make a decision between saving the hostage and letting the wanted man go.
"When we face challenges, we must always think on our feet. We must have courage to confront any challenges we encounter. When we are met with a difficult situation, we need to be willing to make necessary sacrifices to protect the greater good," the words of his Sea Scout officers rang in his head. Lim sighed internally and made the decision to let the suspect go to protect the young girl. Just then, he noticed that his colleagues were cornering the suspect from the. "Okay, I will put down my gun, but you need to let the girl go." Lim said as he gradually placed the gun on the floor. At this point of time, the suspect had let his guard down as he slowly lowered the dagger and backed away, getting ready to run. "Come to me!" Lim shouted to the hostage as his colleagues attempted to pounce onto the suspect.
Noticing that he was being cornered, the suspect attempted to grab the hostage again. Lim took his gun and fired a shot at the suspect's arm. The suspect fell onto the floor and whimpered in pain as Lim's colleagues handcuffed him. "Thank you! Thank you!" the mother of the young girl said profusely as she grabbed onto Lim's hands. Looking at the eyes of admiration from the young girl and the public and the gratitude that the mother had shown, Lim knew that this would be his life-long calling, to protect the citizens, making Singapore a safe place for everyone to live in.
35 years later, Lim retired as the Head, Criminal Records and Fingerprint in CID. Who knew that the bright-eyed boy who looked at the officers clad in smart and crisp uniform would one day be the person that others look to. Even though he did not manage to get into Singapore Maritime Command, the unexpected opportunity took him far in life, giving him the opportunity to serve the nation and contribute to building Singapore. So, always remember, whenever one door closes, another door will definitely open for you. Just be open-minded, have courage, and you will definitely achieve your dreams!
