The leader of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Dr Chee Soon Juan said on Thursday he decided to settle so that he could contest the next general election, in a move which he described as “advancing our pieces” in “a chess game”.
In July, Dr Chee offered to pay $30,000 to former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to settle owed damages and annul his bankruptcy. The SDP said this week that they had agreed.
Dr Chee, the party’s secretary-general, was declared a bankrupt in 2006 for failing to pay $500,000 in damages to Mr Goh and Mr Lee for defaming them during the 2001 General Election campaign.
Dr Chee’s offer to pay part of the damages marks a change in his position. Last year, he wrote an open letter to Mr Lee and Mr Goh asking them to discharge him from bankruptcy, with no mention of settlement. He has also criticised Singapore’s political leaders as using defamation suits to deal with their opponents.
Asked how he would address those who feel that his settlement marked a drastic change in position, Dr Chee said that what was important was he becomes eligible to run in the next general elections. “I think what people want, our supporters, think that is important, looking forward to the next GE,” he said.
He added: “When we talk about in terms of strategy, principles are always there.”
He pointed to the fact that when Speakers’ Corner was first created in Hong Lim Park in 2001, the SDP had criticised it for being a “political zoo”. But the SDP used the venue anyway, he said.
“You push, you fight, and then when they make a concession there, you gain a foothold and then you move on. I think the same thing applies here,” he said.
“So look, this fight, it's a chess game if you will. There are many moves in there but the ultimate goal is to advance our pieces and in as many ways and means as possible.... contesting is just one of the ways.”
“Even if I did not clear this - (they) could have come back with a very different answer... it wouldn't have made any difference to me personally. I would have just continued doing what I was doing, and we'd reach the end point and destination at some stage,” he said.
He added that he did not have any expectations when he made the settlement offer.
Dr Chee plans to raise the $30,000 through donations and the sales of his latest book, Democratically Speaking. He said on Thursday that he has sold more than 100 copies, the proceeds of which only cover printing costs, and that he would update the public on a regular basis on his donation drive. He also will be holding more public book sale events.
He was speaking to reporters after an adjourned hearing at the Supreme Court. Dr Chee is separately appealing against a conviction for illegal assembly in 2008.
The hearing was adjourned to give his lawyer, Mr Louis Joseph, more time to make submissions
In July, Dr Chee offered to pay $30,000 to former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to settle owed damages and annul his bankruptcy. The SDP said this week that they had agreed.
Dr Chee, the party’s secretary-general, was declared a bankrupt in 2006 for failing to pay $500,000 in damages to Mr Goh and Mr Lee for defaming them during the 2001 General Election campaign.
Dr Chee’s offer to pay part of the damages marks a change in his position. Last year, he wrote an open letter to Mr Lee and Mr Goh asking them to discharge him from bankruptcy, with no mention of settlement. He has also criticised Singapore’s political leaders as using defamation suits to deal with their opponents.
Asked how he would address those who feel that his settlement marked a drastic change in position, Dr Chee said that what was important was he becomes eligible to run in the next general elections. “I think what people want, our supporters, think that is important, looking forward to the next GE,” he said.
He added: “When we talk about in terms of strategy, principles are always there.”
He pointed to the fact that when Speakers’ Corner was first created in Hong Lim Park in 2001, the SDP had criticised it for being a “political zoo”. But the SDP used the venue anyway, he said.
“You push, you fight, and then when they make a concession there, you gain a foothold and then you move on. I think the same thing applies here,” he said.
“So look, this fight, it's a chess game if you will. There are many moves in there but the ultimate goal is to advance our pieces and in as many ways and means as possible.... contesting is just one of the ways.”
“Even if I did not clear this - (they) could have come back with a very different answer... it wouldn't have made any difference to me personally. I would have just continued doing what I was doing, and we'd reach the end point and destination at some stage,” he said.
He added that he did not have any expectations when he made the settlement offer.
Dr Chee plans to raise the $30,000 through donations and the sales of his latest book, Democratically Speaking. He said on Thursday that he has sold more than 100 copies, the proceeds of which only cover printing costs, and that he would update the public on a regular basis on his donation drive. He also will be holding more public book sale events.
He was speaking to reporters after an adjourned hearing at the Supreme Court. Dr Chee is separately appealing against a conviction for illegal assembly in 2008.
The hearing was adjourned to give his lawyer, Mr Louis Joseph, more time to make submissions
