KUALA LUMPUR – Muar-born Sam Lim, who was elected as an Australian MP in May, paid homage to his home country in his maiden parliamentary speech in Canberra today.
The former policeman and one-time dolphin trainer requested the House of Representatives to allow him to speak in the two languages he had first learnt – Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin – to thank those who had continuously backed his life journey.
“Words are not enough to express my gratitude but right now, they are all I have,” a visibly emotional Lim said.
Speaking in Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, the MP for the Tangney seat in south Perth then provided a translation of his message.
“To all my friends in Malaysia, Australia, and abroad, thank you for all your care and love.
“A special thanks also to those who reached out and supported me during the Australian general election,” he said.
A brief clip of his speech was shared on Twitter by fellow Australian MP and Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Tim Watts, who heaped praises on Lim for exemplifying the “thriving diversity of the modern Australian community”.
@SamLimMP’s first speech in Parliament today was extraordinary.
— Tim Watts MP (@TimWattsMP) September 6, 2022
Filled with love, he gave thanks in three languages - Malay, Mandarin and English.
I’m so proud the reality of the thriving diversity of the modern Australian community is now being reflected in our Parliament. pic.twitter.com/xhOiliULsy
Responding to the post, many Malaysians also conveyed their pride in Lim for remembering his roots despite having moved to Australia in 2002, with several Twitter users taking the opportunity to wish him well for his political career.
Lim was largely considered an underdog in the race for the Tangney seat in south Perth, but the Labour party candidate managed to unseat former prime minister Scott Morrison’s close friend and adviser Ben Morton, who previously held a margin of 9.5%.
He told reporters that even though he always dreamed of serving in the police force since childhood, the salary for the men in blue in Malaysia was so low that he began his career training dolphins at a safari park, describing it as his “best job ever”.
He also shared his tough childhood where he spent the first 15 years of his life struggling due to his family’s financially impoverished conditions.
In 2006, Lim finally realised his lifelong dream and joined the West Australian police force, and in 2020 was named officer of the year for his work with multicultural communities facing the Covid-19 pandemic. – The Vibes, September 7, 2022
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