JBJ, 81, says:
I'm not worried about my age
Opposition veteran JBJeyaretnam and former Malaysian DPM Anwar Ibrahim have returned to politics after years out of the spotlight. WOON WUI TEK asks: Can they connect with young voters?
June 12, 2007
HE is the grand-daddy of Singapore opposition politics, and was the first opposition MP to enter Parliament since 1963 after he won the 1981 Anson by-election.
-- Picture: GAVIN FOO
But Mr JB Jeyaretnam's political career since then has been a rocky one.
Another election victory in 1984 ended in his disqualification after he was found guilty of misstating party accounts.
In 1997, he re-entered Parliament as a Non-Constituency MP; he had led a Workers' Party slate in the Cheng San GRC race, and got in under the 'best loser' rule.
But in 2001, he was made bankrupt after losing a series of libel suits to PAP leaders.
Mr Jeyaretnam, 81, has just settled his debts and been discharged as a bankrupt, which makes him eligible to run again. As part of his return to politics, he intends to start a new party - the Reform Party.
But six years away from active politics means he is less well-known than he was before.
In our survey, about one in three did not know who you were, or anything about you. Does this surprise you?
Well, I'm glad that two-thirds know me. But I'm not surprised. I'm quite happy with those figures, honestly.
It's not so much that they should know my personal details, but they should know what I am standing for.
I'm very much encouraged by some of the school children. I've had even children in Sec 3, Sec 4, buying my book. And, of course, students in junior college and polytechnics and universities.
Our survey also showed that most young voters, when given a range of age bands, preferred opposition MPs to be aged between 30 and 50. Does that concern you?
I don't think you can sort of compartmentalise age. You are as old as you are young, or as you feel young. (My doctors tell me,) 'You're remarkable for your age'.
So should I stop, you know, wanting to make my contribution just because I am over 70? You stop doing anything when you feel you are unable to do anything.
So will your age be an electoral issue among young voters?
Oh, of course the PAP will try to make it out (to be one). It's the voters who will have to make that judgement, and I'm not worried about it.
What do you think are the three most urgent concerns of young voters?
I think it depends on (the) class of society... across the board, I think one of their concerns would be the complete lack of freedom in their lives.
(Then,) the concern to be accepted equally as members of society, politically. You see, to me, political rights and political freedom comes before all else. Before economic rights and economic freedom. Only if you have political rights and political freedom that you, on your own, will be able to secure your economic rights.
Tied into this, a desire to be able to better their lives economically. One of the concerns (of poorer youth) will be to have the things that they like, you know. Even in terms of food, or clothing or anything else.
But I've something to say about that. I feel the PAP has turned society into a consumer society, motivated by greed and desire for money and wealth.
In our survey of young voters (see report on facing page), the top three concerns were the cost of living, the state of the economy and a widening income gap.
Well, you see, those concerns come within the wider concerns I have (mentioned)... their desire to be able to have the basic healthy food that they want and some basic decent clothing, housing, transport... (that's) about the cost of living. And, of course, when I said, the equal members of society, that embraces this widening gap.
What's your view on the cost of living?
The cost of living, largely, has come about as a result of the Government's pricing. The HDB rents charged. Even the cost of the properties. Then the rates charged for utilities services, transport. And for services. Everything you have to pay for now. Justice, which should be available to everyone. I find myself paying $100, $150, $170, just to electronically file some documents in the Court of Appeal. So, justice has been priced out for a great number of people.
Some costs are up but hasn't the economy gone up too?
It couldn't be better, according to figures. But if you ask the man who's struggling to make ends meet, he will say, 'What do you mean the economy is good? I don't see any benefit of it formyself'.
So the young people are concerned about the state of the economy, you can't blame them. This is the great disparity between the rich and the poor.
What is your view on the gay debate?
I think you have to recognise that gays are also human beings just like anyone else. It's just some biological - I don't know whether it's biological or psychological - disturbances in their system or body makeup. So, they have their rights.
And those rights should be recognised like the rights of anyone else. But of course, you know, I don't approve of (as has happened abroad) registering a union between a man and a man as a marriage, which I think is nonsense.
If you like, you can register them as 'companions'. But then, there's the question of children, whether they'll be allowed to bring up children, you know.
Why are you back in the fray?
A: I said in 1981 after I was elected to Parliament that the system in Singapore had to go. If you like, it's a job far from finished. I strongly believe that the system has reduced our people, the citizens, into being less than human beings, denied the dignity of human beings.
What of people who accuse you of 'just rehashing tired issues'?
Well, there's no harm in repeating something if it is still relevant. And applicable. If it's still needed. You have to keep repeating it until you get it.
What are 'old issues'? You see, there's something wrong if an issue has been raised earlier and it's been rejected completely by the people. Then I can see something wrong about it. But the Singapore people haven't been given a chance yet to decide on the system in Singapore.