https://www.facebook.com/kixes/posts/503923034243
There seems to be a widespread belief in Singapore that if you support (or even just prefer) a particular political party you have to endorse everything they say and do wholeheartedly.
People expect me to support Chee Soon Juan. In fact there are people out there who assume, and even insist, that I am a member/affiliate of SDP, and therefore some sort of representative of their positions, when I have never been (and don't intend to be) a member of any political party, and don't represent any of them.
I have a lot of respect for Dr Chee. We have had good conversations. He has a lovely family who came out to support our campaign for Yong Vui Kong in 2010, when I was just starting out in anti-death penalty activism. In my personal interaction with Dr Chee and his wife they have always been patient, compassionate and committed to their cause. And yes, when it comes to a choice between a PAP candidate and Dr Chee, I would say that a vote for Dr Chee would have more impact on Parliament and our desperate need for more robust debate.
But that doesn't mean that I have to agree with or support everything Dr Chee or the SDP says or does. I did not agree with their fielding of conservative candidates who did not support LGBT equality in GE2015; it was a slap in the face to SDP's position on human rights and also to all the LGBT Singaporeans who have supported them for years because of an understanding that the party would stand by them. I do not agree with some of their positions on immigration. And I certainly do not agree with how Dr Chee characterised the April detentions of Bangladeshi migrant workers as an immigration issue rather than about the ISA, even though that piece of opaque, unchecked legislation was precisely what was used against the workers (and a number of SDP members and supporters too).
Yes, the playing field is horrendously skewed. Yes, opposition politicians fight a long, uphill battle. And yes, I am willing to cut them *some* slack for that.
But if they want to be our elected representatives, then what they say and what policies they propose need to be held to a high standard. We shouldn't be handing out free passes, or assuming that all their supporters should slavishly agree with everything they say and do. Disagreement, even with someone you might generally agree with, is part of the democratic process.
I believe Dr Chee understands that. It's important that all Singaporeans do too.
