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Aljunied GRC MPs Outreach...
- Thread starter sengkang
- Start date
from TR Emeritius
clash-of-the-grossly-overcharged-means-alvin-yeo-must-resign/
Wolaiye2:
October 8, 2014 at 9:32 am (Quote)
Why is the PAP so quiet now? Do they accept a rogue in their midst, and by their silence acquiesce that it is ok for a member of their fraternity to cheat without regard for professional ethic? If it were an opposition member, you can be sure that minister after minister will come forth to demand action to remove him. And where is our good PM? Seems to confirm that we have a “fair weather” PM who hides whenever the chips are down and only comes out with bravado and speeches when everything has settled down.
What about the Workers Party? Is the co-driver also sleeping? One would expect them to raise this immediately in the last Parliamentary session. Or maybe WP is really a pap shadow party as many have started to believe?
clash-of-the-grossly-overcharged-means-alvin-yeo-must-resign/
Wolaiye2:
October 8, 2014 at 9:32 am (Quote)
Why is the PAP so quiet now? Do they accept a rogue in their midst, and by their silence acquiesce that it is ok for a member of their fraternity to cheat without regard for professional ethic? If it were an opposition member, you can be sure that minister after minister will come forth to demand action to remove him. And where is our good PM? Seems to confirm that we have a “fair weather” PM who hides whenever the chips are down and only comes out with bravado and speeches when everything has settled down.
What about the Workers Party? Is the co-driver also sleeping? One would expect them to raise this immediately in the last Parliamentary session. Or maybe WP is really a pap shadow party as many have started to believe?
from TR Emeritius
clash-of-the-grossly-overcharged-means-alvin-yeo-must-resign/
Letter to Remove Alvin Yeo:
October 8, 2014 at 10:43 pm (Quote)
Guys, Kenneth Jeyaretnam from the Reform Party is currently in talks with Tan Jee Say to write a joint letter to the Speaker of Parliament asking for the removal of Senior Cousel Alvin Yeo’s MP status.
He posted a facebook status, asking if anyone else wants to sign the letter calling for the removal of Alvin Yeo’s MP status. For more details, go here: https://www.facebook.com/kjeyaretnamRP
Please join this petition to remove Alvin Yeo as a MP. We need honest and upright Members of Parliament.
Choa Chu Kang GRC must have a by-election as residents have lost confidence in their Member of Parliament and the PAP leadership for doing nothing at all to address their concerns.
clash-of-the-grossly-overcharged-means-alvin-yeo-must-resign/
Letter to Remove Alvin Yeo:
October 8, 2014 at 10:43 pm (Quote)
Guys, Kenneth Jeyaretnam from the Reform Party is currently in talks with Tan Jee Say to write a joint letter to the Speaker of Parliament asking for the removal of Senior Cousel Alvin Yeo’s MP status.
He posted a facebook status, asking if anyone else wants to sign the letter calling for the removal of Alvin Yeo’s MP status. For more details, go here: https://www.facebook.com/kjeyaretnamRP
Please join this petition to remove Alvin Yeo as a MP. We need honest and upright Members of Parliament.
Choa Chu Kang GRC must have a by-election as residents have lost confidence in their Member of Parliament and the PAP leadership for doing nothing at all to address their concerns.
from TR Emeritius
the-pap-is-no-longer-an-accountable-party/
The People’s Action Party no longer seems to be a transparent and accountable party. In the recent weeks, two PAP MPs were in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, and the PAP leadership did not even bother to provide an explanation to Singaporeans.
Dr Intan Azura Mohktar, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC was blamed for incompetence when she wrote a MP letter to recommend PRC conman Yang Yin for permanent residency, without first asking for documentary proof or even inquiring why ICA had originally rejected Yang Yin’s application. She took the word of an old widow with a history of mental illness and completely believed that Yang Yin was her grandson. Dr Intan ignored netizens’ enquiries about the matter and went into internet hiding for weeks before giving a short reply and then not answering further enquiries about the matter. Basically, her reply was to put the blame entirely on the widow and say she had done it on Mdm Chung’s ‘behest’.
This was disappointing but not as bad as what happened just a week ago. PAP MP Alvin Yeo from Choa Chu Kang GRC, was found guilty of grossly overcharging his client by over a million dollars. As overcharging is a serious offence and lawyers have been even disbarred for committing it, it came as a shock that MP Alvin Yeo, a Senior Counsel, could walk away scot-free without facing any disciplinary proceedings. The Law Society did not take any action either.
Does being a PAP MP automatically grant exemption from taking responsibility? Is the law even applicable to PAP MPs?
As his professional misconduct has created serious doubts about his integrity, it is appropriate that Mr Alvin Yeo should resign as the Member of Parliament for Choa Chu Kang GRC to preserve the trust in our parliamentarians and the legitimacy of the government of Singapore.
The relationship between the residents and the MP is now mired in doubts. How can one approach a MP who is known for his dishonesty? PAP, I implore you to look at the matter from this angle. From the online comments on this issue, some residents have already felt discouraged about seeking MP Alvin Yeo for help. What if they had a genuine problem that requires the MP’s help? Why let their voices be unheard just because it is in the party’s interest to retain the MP?
In 1999, MP Choo Wee Khiang resigned from his MP seat when he was charged with cheating. In December 2012, MP Michael Palmer resigned from the Punggol East seat after an extramarital affair.
Has the PAP leadership really asked MPs to step down in the past when accused with proof? It now seems hard to believe. Perhaps the credit should fully go to the MPs for taking the initiative themselves.
I don’t understand why MP Alvin Yeo and the PAP leadership have not responded to the allegations. Recently Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at a NUSS forum where he defended the MDA classification for the film “To Singapore With Love”. If he had time for that, how could he not have time to even say a word about Alvin Yeo being found guilty of overcharging?
This is not an unfounded allegation- there was a lot of information in the mainstream media itself. The news has been widely shared online and a lot of concerns have been raised about the lack of accountability. Even Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam has weighed in on the issue with a well-reasoned piece on why MP Alvin Yeo has to go (LINK).
Yet the Prime Minister did not see fit to give this important matter even a few minutes of his time at the forum. He himself had said last year that good politics is all about integrity and that he will investigate if any of his PAP colleagues is accused. Were these righteous words just empty rhetoric? The time has come for action.
I am very disappointed. What is happening to the PAP? What is there to lose in providing an answer? Even a response like “We are looking into the matter” would have reassured Singaporeans. Yet today’s PAP could not even do this.
Marcus
the-pap-is-no-longer-an-accountable-party/
The People’s Action Party no longer seems to be a transparent and accountable party. In the recent weeks, two PAP MPs were in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, and the PAP leadership did not even bother to provide an explanation to Singaporeans.
Dr Intan Azura Mohktar, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC was blamed for incompetence when she wrote a MP letter to recommend PRC conman Yang Yin for permanent residency, without first asking for documentary proof or even inquiring why ICA had originally rejected Yang Yin’s application. She took the word of an old widow with a history of mental illness and completely believed that Yang Yin was her grandson. Dr Intan ignored netizens’ enquiries about the matter and went into internet hiding for weeks before giving a short reply and then not answering further enquiries about the matter. Basically, her reply was to put the blame entirely on the widow and say she had done it on Mdm Chung’s ‘behest’.
This was disappointing but not as bad as what happened just a week ago. PAP MP Alvin Yeo from Choa Chu Kang GRC, was found guilty of grossly overcharging his client by over a million dollars. As overcharging is a serious offence and lawyers have been even disbarred for committing it, it came as a shock that MP Alvin Yeo, a Senior Counsel, could walk away scot-free without facing any disciplinary proceedings. The Law Society did not take any action either.
Does being a PAP MP automatically grant exemption from taking responsibility? Is the law even applicable to PAP MPs?
As his professional misconduct has created serious doubts about his integrity, it is appropriate that Mr Alvin Yeo should resign as the Member of Parliament for Choa Chu Kang GRC to preserve the trust in our parliamentarians and the legitimacy of the government of Singapore.
The relationship between the residents and the MP is now mired in doubts. How can one approach a MP who is known for his dishonesty? PAP, I implore you to look at the matter from this angle. From the online comments on this issue, some residents have already felt discouraged about seeking MP Alvin Yeo for help. What if they had a genuine problem that requires the MP’s help? Why let their voices be unheard just because it is in the party’s interest to retain the MP?
In 1999, MP Choo Wee Khiang resigned from his MP seat when he was charged with cheating. In December 2012, MP Michael Palmer resigned from the Punggol East seat after an extramarital affair.
Has the PAP leadership really asked MPs to step down in the past when accused with proof? It now seems hard to believe. Perhaps the credit should fully go to the MPs for taking the initiative themselves.
I don’t understand why MP Alvin Yeo and the PAP leadership have not responded to the allegations. Recently Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at a NUSS forum where he defended the MDA classification for the film “To Singapore With Love”. If he had time for that, how could he not have time to even say a word about Alvin Yeo being found guilty of overcharging?
This is not an unfounded allegation- there was a lot of information in the mainstream media itself. The news has been widely shared online and a lot of concerns have been raised about the lack of accountability. Even Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam has weighed in on the issue with a well-reasoned piece on why MP Alvin Yeo has to go (LINK).
Yet the Prime Minister did not see fit to give this important matter even a few minutes of his time at the forum. He himself had said last year that good politics is all about integrity and that he will investigate if any of his PAP colleagues is accused. Were these righteous words just empty rhetoric? The time has come for action.
I am very disappointed. What is happening to the PAP? What is there to lose in providing an answer? Even a response like “We are looking into the matter” would have reassured Singaporeans. Yet today’s PAP could not even do this.
Marcus
from TR Emeritius
Realist:
October 9, 2014 at 10:14 am (Quote)
With the $15,000 monthly paycheck I would also gladly keep silent. Good money who don’t want.
Like I said, WP is the classic PAP B team
================================================== ==========
handi:
October 9, 2014 at 10:37 am (Quote)
This senior citizen have a dammaged brain who blindly worship his WP without sense.
While you are talking about accoutable in the capacity of politicians, what integrity have your WP when they publicly condemned Roy, HHH and protesters at hLP and many negative support like PAP’s return our CPF on 65,
LTK and SL as secretary and chairman of WP have failed as politicians to provide essential constructive policies to improve lives of citizens but remain silent, siting pretty comfort with their 16K MP allowances.
But Roy was sued while voicing out every citizen’s concern and rights on the return of their CPF at 55. Don’t WP feel ashamed as politicians?
================================================== ============
TrustNoPig:
October 9, 2014 at 11:34 am (Quote)
What LTK and WP promise, they better blardy hell deliver.
Otherwise, they are no different from PAP.
So don’t spout nonsense about WP strategy. WP did promise to slap the DRIVER hard if they are caught sleeping.
We want politicians with higher level of integrity and deliver what they promise. Otherwise, why campaign in the first place 挂羊头卖狗肉?
Can’t WP deliver something as simple as their commitment?
So WP supporters, please consider and choose other oppositions (sad to say, my family votes help send WP Aljunied team into parliament). Send clear message to WP and all other opposition parties that if they do not perform and deliver as per their campaign, we will pull them now without qualms.
This is the only way we civilians can do to put politicians on their toes, including PAP (look at LHL wearing HIGH HEELS now that he lost Aljunied).
================================================== ===========
PAP B Team:
October 9, 2014 at 12:54 pm (Quote)
I agree with the writer. in 2016 vote in more WP MPs into parliament so that they can remain quiet for the next 5 years. if opposition MPs make a lot noises in parliament, LHL will have to spend all his time to fix them, by keeping quiet allows PM Lee to concentrate on state matters. Opposition MPs should emulate theWP MPS, be the PAP Team B, allow all policies to pass unopposed and do not criticize the ruling party , support the 7million PWP, join the PAP MPs to criticize the behaviours of 3H and Roy on the HLP/ YMCA saga!
================================================== ==========
Easter:
October 9, 2014 at 3:13 pm (Quote)
While it is always good to bide one’s time, the Opposition Does need to respond to issues, to raise questions, like the overcharging by Alvin Yeo’s law firm which has seen no response from the Spore Law Soc; like the ease with which a foreign man who is totally unrelated to a very elderly Sporean not only got Lasting Power of Attorney but also got PR through the appeal of a PAP MP.
================================================================
LIONS:
October 9, 2014 at 8:18 pm (Quote)
SENIOR CITIZEN,you must be sleeping.
maybe you do not know that our activists DO NOT MAKE HOLLOW STATEMENTs except to SHOW us all HOW ‘hollow’ our CPF etc have been made to be by you know who?
LTK needs to be more of an ‘ACTIVIST’,he is simply acting TOO NICE to the PAPigs who have been so NASTY to us recently?
if a good oppo POLITICIAN do not possess some ‘ACTIVIST’ blood in his vein,thne,i AM NOT TOO SURE he is a true POLITICIAN that can be a POLITICAL LEADER for us???
Realist:
October 9, 2014 at 10:14 am (Quote)
With the $15,000 monthly paycheck I would also gladly keep silent. Good money who don’t want.
Like I said, WP is the classic PAP B team
================================================== ==========
handi:
October 9, 2014 at 10:37 am (Quote)
This senior citizen have a dammaged brain who blindly worship his WP without sense.
While you are talking about accoutable in the capacity of politicians, what integrity have your WP when they publicly condemned Roy, HHH and protesters at hLP and many negative support like PAP’s return our CPF on 65,
LTK and SL as secretary and chairman of WP have failed as politicians to provide essential constructive policies to improve lives of citizens but remain silent, siting pretty comfort with their 16K MP allowances.
But Roy was sued while voicing out every citizen’s concern and rights on the return of their CPF at 55. Don’t WP feel ashamed as politicians?
================================================== ============
TrustNoPig:
October 9, 2014 at 11:34 am (Quote)
What LTK and WP promise, they better blardy hell deliver.
Otherwise, they are no different from PAP.
So don’t spout nonsense about WP strategy. WP did promise to slap the DRIVER hard if they are caught sleeping.
We want politicians with higher level of integrity and deliver what they promise. Otherwise, why campaign in the first place 挂羊头卖狗肉?
Can’t WP deliver something as simple as their commitment?
So WP supporters, please consider and choose other oppositions (sad to say, my family votes help send WP Aljunied team into parliament). Send clear message to WP and all other opposition parties that if they do not perform and deliver as per their campaign, we will pull them now without qualms.
This is the only way we civilians can do to put politicians on their toes, including PAP (look at LHL wearing HIGH HEELS now that he lost Aljunied).
================================================== ===========
PAP B Team:
October 9, 2014 at 12:54 pm (Quote)
I agree with the writer. in 2016 vote in more WP MPs into parliament so that they can remain quiet for the next 5 years. if opposition MPs make a lot noises in parliament, LHL will have to spend all his time to fix them, by keeping quiet allows PM Lee to concentrate on state matters. Opposition MPs should emulate theWP MPS, be the PAP Team B, allow all policies to pass unopposed and do not criticize the ruling party , support the 7million PWP, join the PAP MPs to criticize the behaviours of 3H and Roy on the HLP/ YMCA saga!
================================================== ==========
Easter:
October 9, 2014 at 3:13 pm (Quote)
While it is always good to bide one’s time, the Opposition Does need to respond to issues, to raise questions, like the overcharging by Alvin Yeo’s law firm which has seen no response from the Spore Law Soc; like the ease with which a foreign man who is totally unrelated to a very elderly Sporean not only got Lasting Power of Attorney but also got PR through the appeal of a PAP MP.
================================================================
LIONS:
October 9, 2014 at 8:18 pm (Quote)
SENIOR CITIZEN,you must be sleeping.
maybe you do not know that our activists DO NOT MAKE HOLLOW STATEMENTs except to SHOW us all HOW ‘hollow’ our CPF etc have been made to be by you know who?
LTK needs to be more of an ‘ACTIVIST’,he is simply acting TOO NICE to the PAPigs who have been so NASTY to us recently?
if a good oppo POLITICIAN do not possess some ‘ACTIVIST’ blood in his vein,thne,i AM NOT TOO SURE he is a true POLITICIAN that can be a POLITICAL LEADER for us???
from TR Emeritius
PM, are you going to say something about alvin yeo ???
For over a week, the People’s Action Party has remained silent about the dishonest conduct of its Member of Parliament for Choa Chu Kang GRC, Mr Alvin Yeo Khirn Hai. Ironically, the PAP has always prided itself for being a transparent and accountable party that Singaporeans can trust.
Last year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong earnestly promised:
“If any of my PAP colleagues is accused of lying, I will investigate and get to the bottom of the matter. If he has lied, there is only one option – he has to go. If he is innocent, I will insist that he clear his name publicly. The matter has to be resolved one way or other. It cannot be left as an “I say, you say” matter of opinion, which leaves a permanent question mark hanging over his reputation, and the reputation of my government.”
Today, Singaporeans are still waiting for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to say a word about MP Alvin Yeo. It has been a week now and he has not fulfilled his promise.
Last week, MP Alvin Yeo was found guilty by the court for grossly overcharging his client by a million dollars. Following the court’s decision, scores of netizens demanded that MP Alvin Yeo should step down as a MP should basically be a person of integrity.
Some netizens were from the constituency of Choa Chu Kang GRC which MP Alvin Yeo is in charge of. They voiced strong disapproval to his conduct and doubted if he could still be a good MP.
MP Alvin Yeo can always claim that his firm, Wong Partnership, prepared the bills and not him. But as a MP and a Senior Counsel, he should have been able to see that the legal fees he was charging were ridiculously high.
In one of their bills, they had charged some $77,102 for each day they were in court. In another bill, it was
$46,729 for each day in court. And the third bill claimed that the lawyers’ charges amounted to $100,000 per hour of hearing.
One netizen had commented “$100,000 per hour to talk? Is his mouth made of gold?”
Alvin Yeo’s unethical overcharging is a serious offence and lawyers like Andre Arul have been punished for overcharging. It makes a mockery of the legal system that MP Alvin Yeo can walk away scot-free when he has blatantly overcharged his client.
Alvin Yeo should have realized that as a MP, he is a public figure and people expect him to be a model leader of our society.
Letting Alvin Yeo remain as a MP while remaining silent is not an option for the PAP. MP Alvin Yeo’s professional misconduct raises doubt about the integrity of our MPs and the reputation of the PAP government. Several residents in Choa Chu Kang GRC are now hesitant about approaching MP Alvin Yeo for help.
When MP Choo Wee Khiang was accused of cheating, he resigned as a MP as an interim measure while the court case went on.
When MP Michael Palmer graciously resigned following an extramarital affair, in December 2012, PM Lee urged all PAP MPs to uphold the highest standards of personal conduct.
The PAP has nothing to fear about sacking MP Alvin Yeo because Choa Chu Kang is a GRC. Yet it has not done so.
It seems strange that MP Alvin Yeo, a mere PAP cadre, is too powerful for the PAP’s Central Executive Committee to take disciplinary action against him. Is PAP CEC even able to control its cadres? What is the point of having a CEC if the PAP sees individual cadres as indispensable despite their failings? Have they thought about what message this sends to the PAP members who are working hard on the ground in every ward? Why do ordinary members have to maintain personal conduct when parachuted MP candidates can become entrenched regardless of their conduct? Has the PAP become the party of the rich and mighty? Aren’t all comrades equal like we are made to believe?
More importantly, is PM Lee really still in charge of the PAP?
An Activist
PM, are you going to say something about alvin yeo ???
For over a week, the People’s Action Party has remained silent about the dishonest conduct of its Member of Parliament for Choa Chu Kang GRC, Mr Alvin Yeo Khirn Hai. Ironically, the PAP has always prided itself for being a transparent and accountable party that Singaporeans can trust.
Last year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong earnestly promised:
“If any of my PAP colleagues is accused of lying, I will investigate and get to the bottom of the matter. If he has lied, there is only one option – he has to go. If he is innocent, I will insist that he clear his name publicly. The matter has to be resolved one way or other. It cannot be left as an “I say, you say” matter of opinion, which leaves a permanent question mark hanging over his reputation, and the reputation of my government.”
Today, Singaporeans are still waiting for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to say a word about MP Alvin Yeo. It has been a week now and he has not fulfilled his promise.
Last week, MP Alvin Yeo was found guilty by the court for grossly overcharging his client by a million dollars. Following the court’s decision, scores of netizens demanded that MP Alvin Yeo should step down as a MP should basically be a person of integrity.
Some netizens were from the constituency of Choa Chu Kang GRC which MP Alvin Yeo is in charge of. They voiced strong disapproval to his conduct and doubted if he could still be a good MP.
MP Alvin Yeo can always claim that his firm, Wong Partnership, prepared the bills and not him. But as a MP and a Senior Counsel, he should have been able to see that the legal fees he was charging were ridiculously high.
In one of their bills, they had charged some $77,102 for each day they were in court. In another bill, it was
$46,729 for each day in court. And the third bill claimed that the lawyers’ charges amounted to $100,000 per hour of hearing.
One netizen had commented “$100,000 per hour to talk? Is his mouth made of gold?”
Alvin Yeo’s unethical overcharging is a serious offence and lawyers like Andre Arul have been punished for overcharging. It makes a mockery of the legal system that MP Alvin Yeo can walk away scot-free when he has blatantly overcharged his client.
Alvin Yeo should have realized that as a MP, he is a public figure and people expect him to be a model leader of our society.
Letting Alvin Yeo remain as a MP while remaining silent is not an option for the PAP. MP Alvin Yeo’s professional misconduct raises doubt about the integrity of our MPs and the reputation of the PAP government. Several residents in Choa Chu Kang GRC are now hesitant about approaching MP Alvin Yeo for help.
When MP Choo Wee Khiang was accused of cheating, he resigned as a MP as an interim measure while the court case went on.
When MP Michael Palmer graciously resigned following an extramarital affair, in December 2012, PM Lee urged all PAP MPs to uphold the highest standards of personal conduct.
The PAP has nothing to fear about sacking MP Alvin Yeo because Choa Chu Kang is a GRC. Yet it has not done so.
It seems strange that MP Alvin Yeo, a mere PAP cadre, is too powerful for the PAP’s Central Executive Committee to take disciplinary action against him. Is PAP CEC even able to control its cadres? What is the point of having a CEC if the PAP sees individual cadres as indispensable despite their failings? Have they thought about what message this sends to the PAP members who are working hard on the ground in every ward? Why do ordinary members have to maintain personal conduct when parachuted MP candidates can become entrenched regardless of their conduct? Has the PAP become the party of the rich and mighty? Aren’t all comrades equal like we are made to believe?
More importantly, is PM Lee really still in charge of the PAP?
An Activist
from TR Emeritius
JBJ – How it should have been
Mr Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
There he stood, Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam. Settled in a corner with his back toward the wall, a pile of his self written books neatly piled next to him.
He was a little hunched over, but I have never in the entirety of my life seen a man with a straighter backbone.
I remember the first time I ever saw Mr Jeyaretnam. It was in the bar room of the Supreme Court, as he sat there sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper. He was oblivious to the going-ons in the bar room, the conversations of the other lawyers.
I had never seen a man more at ease with himself. A quiet confidence cloaked him, as he slowly browsed the news.
He was very easy to look over, simply because he was so nondescript. But he firmly held my attention. I was thoroughly entranced by this gentleman, his presence so weighty to me.
I think he noticed me looking at him, as he turned and looked at me, a very slight smile on his face. It was slight, but it was extremely warm.
I was a law intern then.
He was and always has been to me, an amazing man.
And now, there he stood, an undischarged bankrupt, reduced to peddling his books by the corridors. Oh how it gnawed at my heart, that a man of his pedigree should be reduced to such.
Many people walked past, none paying him any attention. Some people’s eyes widened as they went out of their way to avoid him, knowing full well who he was.
The gnawing became worse. I felt sick to my stomach at these people’s actions. So what if we were a successful society. I saw humans, but I saw not a shred of humanity.
I walked over to him.
“Mr Jeyaretnam,” I said, as I put a hand on his shoulder.
“Will you allow me to stand next to you and sell these books with you?”
He stared at me intently. In his eyes I saw a soul that weathered the vicissitudes of life, but a fire that stubbornly burnt, refusing to ever be extinguished.
“Why would you like to do that?” He asked.
“Mr Jeyaretnam, you have dedicated the best days of your life to the country, to the cause you have believed in, and to me there is no greater sacrifice.
It is sad, the state of affairs we are in now, where if you are not for a cause, then you are by default, against it.
But you have never bowed your head. You have forged through hellfire and brimstone with your head up high and never once have you compromised on what you believed in despite the challenges that life has thrown at you.
It is a basic right of any human being to criticize the people they put in power. No government is immune to mistakes. No human, no matter how cerebral, should be spared from scrutiny. One should always be aware that a government is made of people, like you and I, who along with their intelligence and abilities, bring with them their own leanings, inclinations, prejudices and imperfections. They are not machines, they are not free from errors. A government’s duty is to its people, and if they should ever get so confortable that they forget that, then it is our job as citizens of this nation to remind them. And nobody should ever take this most fundamental right away from us. That is what I believe, Mr Jeyaretnam.
Mr Jeyaretnam, I am just a young boy. I can offer you nothing, although you have taught me so much about life, by the way you have always conducted yourself.
But I can stand next to you and try to help you sell your books. That is all I can offer, in my position now.”
A smile spread across his wrinkled face, this time a little bigger than in the bar room.
“Well then, come stand here next to me.”
I don’t know if I could ever change anything. But neither did this great man standing next to me. In fact, he dedicated his entire life to it.
So shame on me if I didn’t try.
Mark Farha Kon
JBJ – How it should have been
Mr Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
There he stood, Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam. Settled in a corner with his back toward the wall, a pile of his self written books neatly piled next to him.
He was a little hunched over, but I have never in the entirety of my life seen a man with a straighter backbone.
I remember the first time I ever saw Mr Jeyaretnam. It was in the bar room of the Supreme Court, as he sat there sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper. He was oblivious to the going-ons in the bar room, the conversations of the other lawyers.
I had never seen a man more at ease with himself. A quiet confidence cloaked him, as he slowly browsed the news.
He was very easy to look over, simply because he was so nondescript. But he firmly held my attention. I was thoroughly entranced by this gentleman, his presence so weighty to me.
I think he noticed me looking at him, as he turned and looked at me, a very slight smile on his face. It was slight, but it was extremely warm.
I was a law intern then.
He was and always has been to me, an amazing man.
And now, there he stood, an undischarged bankrupt, reduced to peddling his books by the corridors. Oh how it gnawed at my heart, that a man of his pedigree should be reduced to such.
Many people walked past, none paying him any attention. Some people’s eyes widened as they went out of their way to avoid him, knowing full well who he was.
The gnawing became worse. I felt sick to my stomach at these people’s actions. So what if we were a successful society. I saw humans, but I saw not a shred of humanity.
I walked over to him.
“Mr Jeyaretnam,” I said, as I put a hand on his shoulder.
“Will you allow me to stand next to you and sell these books with you?”
He stared at me intently. In his eyes I saw a soul that weathered the vicissitudes of life, but a fire that stubbornly burnt, refusing to ever be extinguished.
“Why would you like to do that?” He asked.
“Mr Jeyaretnam, you have dedicated the best days of your life to the country, to the cause you have believed in, and to me there is no greater sacrifice.
It is sad, the state of affairs we are in now, where if you are not for a cause, then you are by default, against it.
But you have never bowed your head. You have forged through hellfire and brimstone with your head up high and never once have you compromised on what you believed in despite the challenges that life has thrown at you.
It is a basic right of any human being to criticize the people they put in power. No government is immune to mistakes. No human, no matter how cerebral, should be spared from scrutiny. One should always be aware that a government is made of people, like you and I, who along with their intelligence and abilities, bring with them their own leanings, inclinations, prejudices and imperfections. They are not machines, they are not free from errors. A government’s duty is to its people, and if they should ever get so confortable that they forget that, then it is our job as citizens of this nation to remind them. And nobody should ever take this most fundamental right away from us. That is what I believe, Mr Jeyaretnam.
Mr Jeyaretnam, I am just a young boy. I can offer you nothing, although you have taught me so much about life, by the way you have always conducted yourself.
But I can stand next to you and try to help you sell your books. That is all I can offer, in my position now.”
A smile spread across his wrinkled face, this time a little bigger than in the bar room.
“Well then, come stand here next to me.”
I don’t know if I could ever change anything. But neither did this great man standing next to me. In fact, he dedicated his entire life to it.
So shame on me if I didn’t try.
Mark Farha Kon
from TR Emeritius
The ruling party has made it clear many times by telling the opposition parties that they are not there to help them get into Parliament. The opposition parties must work for it to win the votes of the people. Why should the PAP make it easy for them? This is politics. You expect the PAP or any ruling party to make things easy for the opposition? Grow up. And it is a fair statement and position to take for the ruling party or any ruling party.
Similarly, it is not the job of the opposition parties to make it easy for the ruling party. Their job is to oppose any policy and expose their flaws. Of course no need to anyhow shoot when a policy is good lah. That would only make the opposition unreasonable. But can always keep quite or say that it was expected, good policies are expected. And after being paid obscenely still expects to be kissed and patted on the head? What if bad policies?
It is not the job of opposition parties to praise the ruling party. If they chose to, it is ok, but it is not their duty to do so. Just because the ruling party asked them to praise them does it mean that they must obey, and dutifully praise the ruling party? Are they that easy to train?
And it is not their duty to jump the gun to prove that they are reasonable, to attack anyone from the opposition or critics of the govt for any missteps or mistakes. Reasonable they must be but no need to be compliance. Why is it the duty of the opposition politicians to appease the ruling party to prove that they are good boys? And to jump to attack anyone that they think have crossed the line and must be whacked, and to whacked first to look reasonable, to justify themselves to be in the good books of the ruling party? Idiots.
There is no need to put yourself in the good books of the ruling party if you are on the other side of divide. Unless you want the ruling party to give you a pat and say ‘good boy’, or you want to cross over. In the eyes of any ruling party, the opposition parties are opposition parties, waiting to replace them, not friends in politics and the struggle for power, and could even be regarded as ‘enemies’ to some with very strong views. That is why they will be attacked and attacked ruthlessly when they crossed the line or make a mistake. Apologies not enough, must also explain.
In realpolitiks it is a competition of opposition camps for the right to rule. Though it is good to be on friendly terms on a personal basis, there is no need to score brownie points to be on the good side of the opposing parties. It would be silly to attack fellow opposition members or critics just to prove you are reasonable. You really think the ruling party will appreciate that? Or would they be laughing themselves silly at your stupidity, so quick to draw the sword to kill your comrades in arms for your enemies.
Do I make any sense? Should opposition politicians prove that they are whiter than white to be dictated by the whites, to please the whites?
Chua Chin Leng AKA RedBean
The ruling party has made it clear many times by telling the opposition parties that they are not there to help them get into Parliament. The opposition parties must work for it to win the votes of the people. Why should the PAP make it easy for them? This is politics. You expect the PAP or any ruling party to make things easy for the opposition? Grow up. And it is a fair statement and position to take for the ruling party or any ruling party.
Similarly, it is not the job of the opposition parties to make it easy for the ruling party. Their job is to oppose any policy and expose their flaws. Of course no need to anyhow shoot when a policy is good lah. That would only make the opposition unreasonable. But can always keep quite or say that it was expected, good policies are expected. And after being paid obscenely still expects to be kissed and patted on the head? What if bad policies?
It is not the job of opposition parties to praise the ruling party. If they chose to, it is ok, but it is not their duty to do so. Just because the ruling party asked them to praise them does it mean that they must obey, and dutifully praise the ruling party? Are they that easy to train?
And it is not their duty to jump the gun to prove that they are reasonable, to attack anyone from the opposition or critics of the govt for any missteps or mistakes. Reasonable they must be but no need to be compliance. Why is it the duty of the opposition politicians to appease the ruling party to prove that they are good boys? And to jump to attack anyone that they think have crossed the line and must be whacked, and to whacked first to look reasonable, to justify themselves to be in the good books of the ruling party? Idiots.
There is no need to put yourself in the good books of the ruling party if you are on the other side of divide. Unless you want the ruling party to give you a pat and say ‘good boy’, or you want to cross over. In the eyes of any ruling party, the opposition parties are opposition parties, waiting to replace them, not friends in politics and the struggle for power, and could even be regarded as ‘enemies’ to some with very strong views. That is why they will be attacked and attacked ruthlessly when they crossed the line or make a mistake. Apologies not enough, must also explain.
In realpolitiks it is a competition of opposition camps for the right to rule. Though it is good to be on friendly terms on a personal basis, there is no need to score brownie points to be on the good side of the opposing parties. It would be silly to attack fellow opposition members or critics just to prove you are reasonable. You really think the ruling party will appreciate that? Or would they be laughing themselves silly at your stupidity, so quick to draw the sword to kill your comrades in arms for your enemies.
Do I make any sense? Should opposition politicians prove that they are whiter than white to be dictated by the whites, to please the whites?
Chua Chin Leng AKA RedBean
