TODAY wants to know SDP’s response to Chiam’s criticisms

February 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under: SDP 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The TODAY newspaper has attempted to seek an interview with Dr Chee Soon Juan regarding Chiam See Tong’s stand that the Singapore Democrats had engaged in “conspiratorial and destructive politics.” According to TODAY, Chiam had made this stand during an interview on Wednesday.

Attached is the Singapore Democrats response to TODAY newspaper reporter Loh Chee Keong, as well as the background material culled from SDP’s website describing what really happened in tussle between Chiam and Chee that erupted in the 1990′s .

By the Singapore Democrats
26 Feb 2009

Original Link

The Today newspaper wrote to Dr Chee Soon Juan asking for his response to Mr Chiam See Tong’s criticisms about the SDP. Its Senior Reporter, Mr Loh Chee Kong, said that he had interviewed Mr Chiam on Wednesday in which Mr Chiam said that the Singapore Democrats had engaged in “conspiratorial and destructive politics.”

Mr Loh wanted Dr Chee’s “take on what had happened within the SDP then” and what is Dr Chee’s present relationship with Mr Chiam. He added that Mr Chiam was sore that he was “forced out” of the party he founded. Mr Loh said that the story is slated to be published in this Saturday’s edition of the newspaper.  Read Dr Chee’s reply to Mr Loh:

As apparent during the interview, Mr Chiam was still upset over the way he felt he was “forced out”– in his words — of the party he had founded. He was visibly sore that there were people in the party then who failed to understand his vision of a “two-party system” and were more interested in engaging in what he called “conspiratorial and destructive politics”.  Mr Chiam added that he is not on speaking terms with you because of what had happened.
–  Loh Chee Kong
Senior Reporter, TODAY

Dear Mr Loh,

First, let me say that I have no desire to let myself and my party be dragged by you into a mud-slinging match with another opposition party.

Readers will ask themselves: Why this and why now? The break up with Mr Chiam See Tong in the SDP happened nearly two decades ago. This was extensively covered and utilised by the PAP and its media to criticise the Singapore Democrats.

Yet, your newspaper decides to resurrect the issue today. One need not be a genius to see what motivates this present exercise. You are obviously trying to remind Singaporeans of the episode in the hope that you can turn opinion against the SDP again.

Why now? This is not hard to figure out given two recent developments: One, is that the general elections are expected to be called in the not-too-distant future and the PAP needs to run down the Singapore Democrats.

Two, the SDP has been calling for the opposition to work closer together. The PAP needs to halt this process as a united opposition is not in its interest. The PAP has always depended on the divide-and-conquer tactic to trump the opposition.

Mr Chiam’s views of the SDP are not news. If you are truly interested in political fallouts, a story about the “stepping down” of Ms Ho Ching as Temasek’s chief and what was really happening behind the scenes would thrill your readers no end, and assuredly send your newspaper’s sales to record highs.

Despite such real information that the newspaper should be telling your readers, you choose to write on something that happened in 1993 and which has already been milked dry by your colleagues.

Now that the Singapore Democrats are moving ahead and gaining momentum in attracting support especially on the Internet, the media knows that it needs to do something, however blatant and despicable, to halt our progress.

Thanks but no thanks, we prefer to concentrate our attention on the PAP.

Chee Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party

What really happened between Chiam and Chee in the 1990s

(information taken from SDP’s website, with my own personal remarks added in using purple colour)

In 1984, Mr Chiam See Tong was elected in Potong Pasir, a seat he has held till today. That same year, the Singapore Democratic Party (which Chiam was a member of at that time) launched its newsletter Demokrat.

In 1986, a few of the Party’s leaders, including Mr Soon Kia Seng (Assistant Secretary-General) and Mr Peter Lim Ah Yong (Treasurer), resigned their posts with Mr Soon accusing some of his colleagues as not sincerely believing in democracy: “This is not a party I once knew. I am willing to serve a cause but I don’t want to serve individuals.”

Subsequently, the SDP contested the Marine Parade by-elections in December 1992 called for by then-prime minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, in his own GRC. Dr Chee Soon Juan joined the SDP as part of the contesting team with Mr Low Yong Nguan, Mr Ashleigh Seow (Mr Francis Seow’s son) and Mr Mohd Shariff.

Following the election in 1993, Dr Chee was sacked by the National University of Singapore where he was a Lecturer. Dr Chee went on a hunger strike as a mark of protest. He was subsequently sued by his department head, Dr S Vasoo, faculty dean, Dr Ernest Chew, and secretary, Ms Janice Chen, when he disputed his sacking.

Mr Chiam first supported Dr Chee’s action but later changed his mind and called for the Party to censure his the assistant secretary-general (Dr Chee was elected to the post in February 1993).

None of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) members supported Mr Chiam’s motion whereupon the Party leader tended his resignation, citing that he had lost the confidence of his colleagues.

This is in stark contrast to the repeated lies and falsehoods perpetrated by the mainstream press that it was Dr Chee who forced Chiam out of the SDP.

A few of the CEC members, including Dr Chee, tried to persuade Mr Chiam to remain as secretary-general. However, Mr Chiam stated that he would do so only if he could be granted the power to appoint and dismiss the Party’s cadre members. He also wanted the removal of Mr Wong Hong Toy as vice-chairman.

Under the Party’s constitution, a simple majority of the CEC was needed to appoint cadre members, not any one individual leader. The CEC did not have the constitutional power to accede to Mr Chiam’s demands.

A few weeks later, Mr Chiam gave a speech at the Singapore Press Club attacking the Party’s leadership in a vicious manner. Ironically, it was he who previously forbade leaders from criticising the party after they left it by making them sign oaths.

It was only after his speech at the Singapore Press Club, which is always looking for an opportunity to run down the opposition, that the CEC voted to expel Mr Chiam.

The Press Club had extended a similar invitation to Dr Chee to counter Mr Chiam. Knowing that the PAP-controlled media had every intention to fan the flames, Dr Chee declined the invitation. But when he subsequently informed the organizers that he would speak but on the Party’s alternative policy ideas instead of the altercation with Mr Chiam, the Press Club withdrew the invitation.

Mr Chiam sued the CEC for wrongful dismissal and won. His actions dealt a severe financial blow to the SDP.

Despite all this, Dr Chee approached Mr Chiam a few months later to invite him to join an SDP delegation that was going to visit the Australian Parliament in Canberra. Mr Chiam declined.

The PAP has seized on this matter and deliberately portrayed the falsehood that Dr Chee ousted Mr Chiam from the SDP. In actual fact, it was Chiam who brought it upon himself by deliberately attacking his own party in public and playing directly into the hands of the PAP.

Mr Chiam remained with the Party until the 1997 general elections when he resigned to form another party.

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Comments

5 Comments on TODAY wants to know SDP’s response to Chiam’s criticisms

  1. Iklan Mudah Blog » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 27 Feb 2009 on Fri, 27th Feb 2009 12:05 pm

    2. [...] Lee vs Chee – Seelan Palay’s Blog: Why TBT protesters look forward to going back to court – Sgpolitics: TODAY wants to know SDP’s response to Chiam’s criticisms [...]

  2. A blatant LIE by TODAY to split the opposition and smear Dr Chee : The Wayang Party Club on Sat, 28th Feb 2009 10:31 am

    3. [...] Also read Mr Ng E Jay’s commentary on this matter here [...]

  3. Iklan Mudah Blog » Blog Archive » Weekly Roundup: Week 09 on Sat, 28th Feb 2009 11:32 am

    4. [...] Lee vs Chee – Seelan Palay’s Blog: Why TBT protesters look forward to going back to court – Sgpolitics: TODAY wants to know SDP’s response to Chiam’s criticisms [...]

  4. Oh Tham Eng on Sat, 28th Feb 2009 11:47 am

    5. PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE PEOPLE

    I am not qualified to comment on the above matter. But I do hope to write again a letter to Dr Chee Soon Juan. Those who care for him should join me to commit him and his family to God and to pray for God’s blessings and guidance for them.

    I do this daily for Dr Chee and his loved ones as I do for Dr Lee Wei Ling, MM Lee’s dear daughter. She had disclosed to us in the ST that she was very sick. From her outspokenness, her soft spot for the underdogs; for those struggling in life; and from the issues she involved herself in, and the letters she had written to the ST, we can see that she is a woman with a heart of gold.

    So please pray for her good health, happiness, long life and strength to be able to continue helping and encouraging the poor and suffering people who come under her tender care. I will be heartbroken if her life is cut short as she is still so young and able to help others make for us a more caring Singapore.

  5. Oh Tham Eng on Sat, 28th Feb 2009 11:47 pm

    6. YES, PRAY FOR THEM!

    As I am not qualified to comment on the matter above, it is better for me to pray for the parties involved. Tonight, I went to Lighthouse Evangelism’s Saturday Night Miracle Service. I got one Gospelighter to join me in proxy prayer for Mr Chiam See Tong, Dr Chee Soon Juan and Dr Lee Wei Ling—for Chiam ST’s good recovery from his stroke; for Dr Lee Wei Ling’s good health (and long life for both Chiam ST and Dr Lee); for God’s guidance and blessings for Dr Chee Soon Juan and his loved ones. May God give Dr Chee a submissive spirit to fulfill His will for his life and for Singapore, and not do things according to his own cleverness!

    Some months ago, I had written to District Judge Ng Peng Hong and the DPP who prosecuted Tang Wee Sung for his abortive kidney purchase. I wrote in support of Mr Tang’s lawyer’s appeal for compassion and leniency, Thank God I succeeded in what I had hoped for. I had also gone to Lighthouse Evangelism’s Saturday Night Miracle Service to pray in proxy for Mr Tang’s kidney problem.

    Thank God for answering this prayer too—a miracle indeed had happened to Mr Tang, which many of you had also read about it in the papers! Before death-row convict “one-eyed dragon” was executed, he donated his kidney to Mr Tang; otherwise Tang got less than 2 years to live if a kidney could not be found. Earlier, I had also written to Mr Tang to tell him that I would be praying for him. Praise God the donated kidney was a matching one, and the kidney transplant operation was a great success!

    I wish I could pray for everyone who needs a prayer. But it is physically impossible for me/one to pray for all. If you or your friend needs prayer support, I invite all of you to make your way to Pastor Rony Tan’s Lighthouse Miracle Service for prayers for deliverance/help—help from sickness, work or family problems, financial needs, etc. In such terrible times like this, Jesus says “men are to pray and not faint” Luke 18:1.

    Well, if you don’t like to go to Lighthouse Evangelism in Woodlands or Tampines, you can till pray in your home for all or one or two of the people I have mentioned. If you wish to go to Lighthouse Evangelism, you may want to visit their website first at http://www.lighthouse.org.sg to read about the amazing testimonies there.

    I am not a member there, but the many miracles of answered prayers are simply too many and very inspiring. Go and see for yourself how God is still active doing miracles for His loved ones—for people like you and me. That would be more profitable than to engage in never-ending debates on the past disputes between Chiam ST and Dr Chee.

    Good night!

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