Singapore Democrats

Singapore Democrat Wong U-wen, who is deaf, delivers SDP's message calling for a more equal and caring Singapore towards the disabled and deaf communities.

Earlier this year a group of disabled Singaporeans held a protest at Speakers' Corner urging greater transport subsidies (see here). Read more...

Singapore Democrats

The SDP's youth wing, the Young Democrats (YD), met last week to elect a new set of leaders to bring the group forward to meet the exciting challenges lying ahead.

Under the YD Charter, the Council comprising of the President, Vice-President and Honorary Secretary are elected once every two years. The officers will lead the youth wing to further the aims and objectives of the Singapore Democrats.

Mr Priveen Suraj, currently serving his remaining few months in the National Service as a commando, was elected President. Mr Priveen will pursue a law degree after he finishes his army stint. He joined the SDP when he was still a junior college student.

"I am proud to serve as president of the Young Democrats," he said. "We are a motivated group of Singaporeans who will be actively reaching out to our fellow youths to get them interested in politics and involved with the SDP."

Mr Jufri Salim will deputise as Vice-President. A young father of three, Mr Jufri has shown exceptional courage and political maturity when he took part in the Tak Boleh Tahan protest outside Parliament House. He pleaded guilty to the offence because of work commitment but insisted on going to prison instead of paying the fine.

The Honorary Secretary's post was taken up by Mr Jarrod Luo, a biomedical science and microbiology graduate from Australia's University of Queensland. Mr Luo became active with the Singapore Democrats last year and has shown tremendous drive in helping to organise the YD.

The YD was formed in 2000 with just four members. The number has grown steadily through the years and is now an active component of the Singapore Democrats. Its members and associates provide the skills and know-how in the party's online work.

The YD is a member of the Young Liberals and Democrats in Asia (YLDA) as well as the International Federation for Liberal Youths (IFLRY). YD member Ms Surayah Akbar recently participated in a workshop for women in Hong Kong organised by YLDA.

There are already high expectations of the three leaders, all in their 20s. They are tasked with expanding the YD's membership and to promote the mother party's message of reform and political change in Singapore.

At the meeting, members expressed that it was important for the YD to conduct community service and extend a hand to those who have been left behind under the system. They also indicated that they would reach out to younger Singaporeans through social events.

Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan congratulated the leaders and called on them to demonstrate effective leadership by working with all YD members to bring about an organisation that will be the pride of not just the SDP but also the whole of Singapore. Read more...

Singapore Democrats

The unmanageable surge in job losses in Singapore has brought into sharp focus the contrast between words and deeds of the PAP government.

In the second quarter of this year, close to 19,000 jobs have disappeared despite PAP’s much hyped Jobs Credit Scheme (JCS) to stem the tide of unemployment and retrenchments.

It was with much fanfare that the JCS was introduced in Budget 2009 as a means to “encourage businesses to preserve jobs in the downturn.” Under the scheme, a $4.5 billion cash grant was promised to employers “to provide a significant incentive for businesses to retain existing workers, and where their business warrants, to employ new ones.”

But from the latest figures on job losses released by the Ministry of Manpower, words and empty slogans seem to be the feature of the PAP government.

So far more than 100,000 employers have benefited from the scheme since its implementation in March but the rise in retrenchments and unemployment is staggering.

The hardest hit is the sector that depended on the US and European markets, mainly exporting consumer goods on contract manufacturing, employing cheap labour. Singapore’s manufacturing sector, overwhelmingly dominated by foreign multi-national corporations (MNCs) is in the doldrums.

The weak demand for their low-value added goods has resulted in layoffs, while others are moving out of Singapore to a cheaper location. The latest manifestation of this trend is Seagate Technology which will move its hard disk drive manufacturing operations from Singapore to other countries by end-2010, laying off 2,000 employees in the process.

How is the Jobs Credit Scheme helping? Are we assured that the money doled out by the Government is making its way to workers instead of their employers?

This continued gloom that is surrounding the economy of Singapore for the past ten months without any solution in sight raises serious questions about the Government's strategy.

Mr Lim Swee Say, minister-without-portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Office, warns repeatedly “of further layoffs” towards the end of the year. And for his part, his cabinet colleague, Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said: “The most important message is to remind all of us that the worst is not yet over.”

Yes, we know that. Those are words that are easily uttered especially when you are sitting in the comfort of your office and drawing your multi-million dollar “salaries” regardless of the number of thousands of people losing their jobs.

The Jobs Credit scheme obviously cannot help those who are retrenched. For these people how do they survive without income?

This is where the SDP's proposal for retrenchment benefits can help. The Government should provide temporary income at a reduced rate for the retrenched while they seek alternative employment. Such a provision will also enable these affected individuals to continue spending which will in turn help the economy.

As mentioned the money dished out to the employers under the Jobs Credit Scheme may be hoarded by the bosses and not circulated back into the economy. This, however, is unlikely to be the case with retrenched workers as they will have to spend the money they receive on essentials.

The PAP Government needs to do more than talk.

Gandhi Ambalam is the chairman of the Singapore Democrats. Read more...

Singapore Democrats

Last year Mr Wong Kan Seng's facade adorned the landscape of his constituency of Bishan-Toa Payon GRC. It was a time of unbridled celebration of the “Singapore Spirit” as he and his fellow MPs erected larger-than-life billboards to promote their own images. (See here)

This year, however, the hoopla is more subdued. In fact, Mr Wong's picture can hardly be seen around the estate.

Absent is the beaming smile greeting motorists and pedestrians as they go about their daily business.

So is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs' feeling a little guilty and, dare we say it, vulnerable?

Given all that has happened in the last year with and to Mr Wong, perhaps it is not entirely surprising that the Minister seems to be adopting a lower profile.

Remember, Mr Mas Selamat incredibly escaped from the highest security facility under his watch. Not only that, the suspected terrorist limped – without his pants – across the island and then swam across a short stretch of water to Malaysia on a “simple floating device”.

A Commission of Inquiry (COI), of which one of the members was Mr Wong's subordinate, was then established to look into the debacle. Its findings was, of course, met with skepticism and even outright derision by the public. The climbing through an unsecured window, the toilet rolls, the simultaneously non-functioning security cameras all made for unbelievable reading.












(Photos: Left - A happy Mr Wong on a billboard in Toa Payoh in 2008. Right - Same spot this year.)

And when Mr Mas Selamat was finally found in Johor, Mr Wong did what came naturally – he tried to claim credit by saying that it was the close cooperation between his people and the Malaysians that led to the fugitive's re-capture.

This was embarrassingly slapped down by the Malaysian authorities who said that the tracing and capture of the suspect was “carried out fully by the Malaysian police.”

The episode remains unresolved because now the Malaysia Government refuses to hand the captive back to Singapore, adding to Mr Wong's discomfiture. Is Mr Mas being used as a bargaining chip for negotiations over contentious issues? If he is, Mr Wong's boss(es) may be none too pleased with his bungle.

If that was not bad enough just months after the great escape, a Singaporean traveller flew all the way to Vietnam on his son's passport before the Vietnamese customs spotted the problem. The man had mistakenly taken the wrong document but made it past the Singapore airport checkpoint anyway.

During that same period an elderly Singaporean woman, 73 years old to be precise, was reported lost while on a trip to Malaysia. A week later, she was inexplicably found back in Singapore – without her passport and her memory (she couldn't remember anything about events that week she was gone).

But the wonder is that despite all these hugely damaging lapses to our nation's security, Mr Wong is able to muster more than 15 police officers just to stop a group of Singapore Democrats distributing flyers announcing a protest.

Better still, he's found new energy to introduce a brand new law that stipulates that even a one-person protest can be considered an illegal assembly.

All in all, its been an eventful year for the Minister. Perhaps it's just as well that he keeps under the radar and not show his face too much. He might just lose more of it. Read more...

Singapore Democrats

A police officer testified that he and his teammates were performing foot-patrol when they spotted SDP leaders distributing flyers at the Raffles City Shopping Centre outside the City Hall MRT Station, and proceeded to stop the act.

But his teammate said that they did no such thing. They were assigned directly to the area to "keep observation" and did not do any foot-patrol. This clash of testimony happened in the trial involving Mr Gandhi Ambalam, Ms Chee Siok Chin and Dr Chee Soon Juan who are charged with illegal assembly.

The three SDP leaders were distributing flyers on 10 Sep 06 announcing the WB-IMF rally and march the following week.

In an earlier tranche of the trial, Station Inspector Kelvin Bong (far right in photo) had testified that he was in-charge of a team of three other officers who were assigned to perform anti-crime rounds that morning in the vicinity of Raffles City. As a result, he led his men on foot-patrol inside the shopping centre from a little after 10 am.

A couple of hours later at around 12:30 pm, he received a call from the police Command Post instructing him to proceed to the entrance of the mall at the City Hall MRT Station because of an illegal assembly.

The team, who was inside the building at that time, then walked to the location and it was there that they saw Dr Chee and the others distributing flyers.

One of SI Bong's teammates was Sgt Bokhari (red shirt in photo) who has since quit the police force and joined SingTel. When he took the stand the week before, Mr Bokhari said there were no instructions to do any foot-patrol.

Instead, the instructions from the top was to go directly to the area at the entrance of the MRT station to “keep observation”. As a result, the team proceeded to the area and took up positions there. No one, the sergeant said, did any foot-patrols that morning.

Sgt Bokhari also testified that at about noon, SI Bong gave instructions for the men to take a lunch break whereupon Mr Bokhari then found a seat outside Starbucks Coffee. Several minutes later at around 12:40 pm, he saw the SDP leaders appearing at the location.

Why were the testimonies of the two officers so contradictory? Only one can be telling the truth.

In addition, Mr Bokhari said that there were a total of 6-7 police officers under Mr Bong's charge. Mr Bong, however, repeatedly told the court that there were only three other officers in his team.

In addition Mr Bokhari said that after engaging Dr Chee and the rest, he and his fellow officers met with two other senior officers at the “exterior of the building” for a few minutes. Mr Bong, however, said that the group immediately went back into Raffles City to resume their foot patrol after engaging the group.

Why are these discrepancies important?

The defendants are alleging that there was a concerted effort by the police to target the group. After all, how many Singaporeans are charged with assembly without a permit for merely distributing flyers? In fact, every officer who came on the stand admitted that distributing flyers is a normal and common activity that many groups of Singaporeans carry out.

It seems obvious that the only reason why the police took action against Dr Chee and colleagues is because they were from the SDP and because of the content of the flyer. Indeed, investigating officer DSP William Goh admitted that it was the content of the flyer that led him to proceed with the charge.

He also revealed that there were at least three teams of more than 15 officers that day at the location to stop the group from distributing flyers.

Under the Constitution such discrimination is illegal as all are equal under the law and have to be treated accordingly. The group cannot be singled for prosecution just because they are Singapore Democrats or because of the content of the flyer.

The defence applied for Mr Bong to be recalled to the stand as new (and contradictory) evidence was revealed. District Judge however dismissed the application.

The hearing will continue in October.

Read the whole series of contradictory evidence given by police witnesses here. Read more...

Singapore Democrats

Dr Chee Soon Juan recently addressed cadres at the party's biennial conference where he laid out the vision, values and mission of the Singapore Democrats (watch excerpts of the speech here). Below is the full text of the speech:

Dear friends, colleagues, fellow CEC members, Mr Chairman,

I am happy to report that since we last met at this conference in 2007, we have grown. But that's not really earth-shattering news. After all, many political parties can similarly report an expansion within their ranks.

Our situation is a little different, however. First this is Singapore we are talking about and second it is the Singapore Democratic Party we are talking about. We have grown not because of the freedom that we enjoy or the media coverage that we get. We have grown despite the persecution and harassment of our party.

This party has been sued, its leaders and members repeatedly prosecuted, and our beliefs and activities viciously vilified. Yet despite all this we have seen a more than healthy jump in the number of Singaporeans coming forward to serve the party and its cause. Why is this so? Looking around and talking to our new members, I can identify two things: Vision and values.

Vision and values

Firstly, we have articulated our vision clearly and, more important, shown determination to work towards it:

A vision where social, economic and political justice thrive.

A vision where our elderly can live dignified and meaningful lives in their retirement years rather than having to wash urinals or sell tissue paper or clean tables at hawker centres just so that they can eke out a living.

A vision where our youths are free to realise their potential and aspire to great things rather than be mere digits for economic production.

A vision where our economy works for all the people, not just the elite and the rich, where we have economic growth that makes sense, growth that is authentic, sustainable and shared by all – not growth at all cost.

A vision where society is deeply engaged in matters of public interest and where intelligent, civilised debate is the norm; where our rulers are accountable and responsive to the needs of the people.

Secondly, our values – values such as courage, integrity and self-sacrifice – are also what attracts Singaporeans. The sense of loyalty to one another and the fact that when one falls the rest rally around him or her is an important quality that we must continue to nurture and cultivate.

We proudly claim that ours is not a convenient vehicle for members to get on so that they can achieve their own self-centred goals. It is a party where self-interests are subordinate to the collective work of making our dream of democracy a reality.

The shared purpose of fighting for justice and freedom has created a bond among the young and the veterans, the new and the experienced in the party. Our abiding love for what is fair and just is what keeps us together.

This sense of togetherness and belongingness will serve us well both in good times and bad. It is what will make more Singaporeans want to become a part of our growing family.

There are no prima donnas, no indispensable stars in this party, just a team of never-say-die defenders of democracy who happen to care deeply about our country and who will go to incredible lengths, walk extraordinary distances and make whatever sacrifices in order to achieve our vision.

The Internet age

With newcomers come new skills and with new skills, come new capabilities. One of these capabilities is the more efficient and productive use of the New Media.

We have a group of activists who are developing a programme for our Internet campaign. The face of politics and how we campaign has irrevocably changed. The Internet will figure prominently in the next election.

For this reason, we have been and will continue to use the Internet to break the hold that the PAP has on information flow in Singapore. Because the mass media will do their utmost to turn voters against us, we will have to turn to cyberspace to help us get our message across.

But let us not be under any illusion. The reach of the Internet is still very limited. But we have no better option, not when the PAP-controlled media are bent on seeing our destruction.

We will not yield, we will not break. We will fight back. It will not be an easy task and our success will not come overnight.

We must be patient as we are diligent and we must continue to build on our Internet capability to reach out to our fellow citizens. Every year more and more younger Singaporeans who are Internet savvy are coming into voting age. The Internet is a natural source of information for them. We need to focus our energy and resources on the new technologies that will better help us reach out to these people.

Whatever happens at the next elections we must run the best campaign ever in the history of our party, one that Singaporeans will talk about in the years to come.

For that we call on our Young Democrats to come to the fore and present yourselves boldly. We ask you to take the reins and do what that fire in your belly is calling you to do and that passion in your heart that is crying out for you to achieve.

You have to be leaders of the youth of Singapore – and leaders don't wait to be called, they step forth and do.

Where there is darkness, they burn just a little brighter; where there is no path, they make one; and where there is fear, they bring forth hope.

And when you have forged your characters in the crucible of the struggle, your reward will be a Singapore that is strong, open and just.

Destined to succeed

The next elections is not far away. Now is not the time for us to take a break. We must step up our efforts to get our message out.

We must step up our campaign for our Singaporeans First Policy where our citizens are not discriminated against in our own country and not sold out for cheap labor from overseas.

We must make louder our call for minimum wage so that the poorest of our poor can earn a living that will allow them to feel like human beings, rather than coolies.

We must push harder to rid our society of the greed epitomised by our ministers, the greed that brutalises society and pushes people to flee their own country and make home somewhere else.

We must confront the Government with these truths. We must confront it with reason, not aggression; with conviction, not destruction. But confront we must for we cannot stand up for democracy on bended knees.

For this we will get hit and we will get battered but I have never been more proud to stand with all of you as we overcome prejudice and hardship to win freedom, justice and democracy for this nation of ours.

We must assume our role as leaders not just as a political party but as a community leader to encourage civil society and individual citizens to get involved, to care about what's happening in society and to work to bring a new politics to Singapore.

So tonight, I ask all of you, members and friends, supporters and volunteers, to re-dedicate yourselves to the cause – a cause that is at once noble and enduring, a cause that we the Singapore Democrats have come to call our own. It is the cause of freeing our nation, one that is destined to succeed.

I say this not out of hubris but out of a firm knowledge of history which favours those who stand on the side of right. This doesn't mean that success will be automatic. Far from it will depend much on how hard we work and how smartly we do it.

We have laid the foundation and it is sound. We must continue to strengthen this foundation while simultaneously erect the pillars that will allow us to build a party based on our vision and our values, one that Singaporeans will come to respect and cherish.

Thank you and God Bless. Read more...