In Memoriam: J B Jeyaretnam will be held at Speakers Corner from 6.30pm to 10pm. Bring flowers and candles. No speeches. Bring something to sit on too. A silent mark of gratitude and respect. Please wear black if you can.
Condolences: JB Jeyaretnam's family, associates and friends.
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Funeral Arrangement Update:This Saturday 4.Oct.2008
Hearse will leave Mount Vernon Parlor 1 at 1300hr (1pm) to St Andrew Cathedral
Church Service scheduled at St Andrew Cathedral at 1400hr (2PM)
Departure to Mandai Crematorium at 1500hr (3PM) -
In Memoriam: JBJ event at Speakers Corner, 4 Oct, Sat, 6.30pm
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Condolence?
Not here.
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Originally posted by whiskers:
How come the Chee soon juan letter thread got deleted?
anyway here it is....Originally posted by Evangel on 3rd october 4:48pm.
"Dear Mr Jeyaretnam,
I visited you one last time on Tuesday. I've never seen you so peaceful and contented.
This is such a change from all the years that we've been working together. I remember how bitter we felt sitting in your rented apartment at Orange Grove Road after the 1997 elections. The place has since been turned into swank, upscale serviced-apartments. We were drafting a letter to the United Nations to ask for the monitoring of future elections here.
It was a tedious job recounting everything that had happened: the hounding of Tang Liang Hong, the threats made against voters, and the gatecrashing of polling stations by ministers. The task was made lighter only with the delightful combination of the savoury Indian vadai and Earl Grey you served.
I remember also asking you about the copy of Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela sitting on your coffee table. You said that once in a long while, there comes a man who achieves greatness without having to cause the suffering of others.
On another occasion, my wife and I visited you at another rented house. From the outside, we could see a few of your shirts hanging by the window ledge on the upper floor. Mei said that she felt sorry that you had to do your own laundry at your age without anyone sharing those chores with you.
This reminds me of the time when we were driving along Serangoon Road and you wanted to stop by to pick up a bunch of flowers. I had asked you what the occasion was. You said it was your wedding anniversary and that your late wife, Margaret, would have liked the bouquet.
Then there was the time when we visited New York City. I was surprised when you mentioned that that was the first time you had set foot in the US. We had checked into this small hotel and struggled with our luggage along the narrow and dingy corridor. And as I fumbled for the key to open the door, I heard you mutter to yourself: "Oh Ben, what have you gotten yourself into?"
My heart sank when I heard you say that. I was feeling a little depressed myself and I was hoping to get some cheer from you. Seeing you so despondent made my own morale wobble.
But I knew that you were feeling depressed and anxious because of yet another lawsuit. As we put our weary heads on the emaciated pillows, you said that they didn't just want to win politically but were determined to also crush us personally.
We made a pact that night that while we may not yet be able to beat them politically, we would not allow them to defeat us on the personal front. They may take away all our possessions, but they will never take away our will to speak up. And then you said that we needed to rest as “tomorrow's another day that we have to fight.”
The next morning I came out from the shower and saw you reading the Bible. We talked a little about the Book of Ecclesiastes. Then you knelt down by the bed to say a prayer and I joined you. We prayed for strength and sustenance.
Rejuvenated, we went down to what New Yorkers call a “deli” for breakfast. I remember you asking me what a bagel was and I said that it was the American version of the vadai. You chortled and we mouthed down a couple of Ham and Cheeses. Actually, I did. You found the bagels a little too hard.
During breakfast we talked about setting up an NGO to advocate transparency and democracy in Singapore. When we came back, we had a bit of a laugh seeing how the gentleman at the Registry of Companies squirmed as he tried to handle our application for the "Open Singapore Foundation".
After rejecting the term "Foundation", "Institute" and a couple of others, the ROC finally allowed the use of "Centre". Thus was born the first human rights NGO in Singapore.
We left New York and you headed south to Florida to visit your son. When you returned, you bought my daughter a little pink teddy bear. It squeaks when you press its tummy. When she was a little older, we told her who bought it for her. She named it “JB Bear" because she couldn't quite pronounce your name.
My wife said that it was funny to think of this cute little pink bear and picture you at the same time, a big elderly man with bushy hair and your trademark "mutton chops". You always made her jump a little whenever your voice boomed through the phone: "Is that you, Mei?"
Several months later, your worst nightmare came true. You were found guilty of defamation again and you now had to vacate your seat in Parliament for the second time. I remember talking to you on the phone after your appeal was rejected. You sounded so crestfallen.
I had asked you if you wanted to talk, but you said that you just wanted to be "alone for a while." The next day we met for lunch near your office at North Bridge Road. We got into a heated argument. I had asked you not to continue paying the money and playing into the hands of Lee and his people.
I knew you were angry at me for saying so, but I also knew that you wanted me to be honest with you. Through the years, we have had our clashes and disagreements. But we always knew that we were locked in spirit and that we would always remain true to each other and to what we believed in. No matter how serious our disagreements, we always stood on the same side.
As you lay down to rest, democracy is not yet at hand. But don't you ever believe those who say that your fight on earth was irrelevant and personal. Nothing could be further from the truth. You have inspired an entire generation of Singaporeans and we will keep the fight going.
We will keep on reaching for that star in the black sky, that shimmering distant star of liberty. If we are closer to touching it, it is because we stand on your shoulders.
Your legacy and walk on earth will not only remain but it will grow. You have left a void that cannot be filled.
I think of that night in New York when we pledged not to let them defeat our persons. You've kept your end of the pact. They may still have the power but, boy, you sure showed them what a fighter for truth is. You leave us with honour and dignity, no one could buy you over and no one did. And even though you did not possess millions in your bank account, the treasure which you have stored is with you today and forever.
Goodbye, Ben, I will miss you.
But even as I mourn your death, I celebrate your life because it has touched mine. You have fought the good fight and now you have been called home to rest. They cannot hurt you anymore. Until we meet again, dear friend, I will always remain
Yours in Justice and Freedom,
Soon JuanAfter reading this very sincere letter, my vision blurred...
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Thanks whiskers for reposting it on my behalf. This should be the appropriate thread here, no wonder my post got deleted haha...
In fact CSJ is not what the state papers said he is. I find that he is much more humane than many of us. Can you imagine how much frustrations they went through? Because of the very reason that they disagree with the policies of the government. For who? But we, as Singaporeans.
Readers can fully understand how CSJ felt when he wrote this letter. Heart wrenching, the lost of a buddy fighting together, but yet happy that JBJ died peacefully. The memories they shared which is priceless. At the same time, feeling more burden on his shoulders to carry on the foundation that has been set. They know that their chances of winning are slim, but they still fight and struggle. Hoping for the day to see light at the end of the tunnel. And even if they pass away, they know that more will follow their footsteps, to stand up for themselves.
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I'm not able to bid Mr Jeyaretnam good bye latter today due to work commitment.
I sincerely send my condolences to Mr Jeyaretnam's family and may Mr Jeyaretnam be well and happy wherever he is going.
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no doubt abt it bt he needs to tone dwn his acts in public.
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Maybe I will turn up for the church service.
If old man Lee or xiao lian Lee dies, you can be certain I won't turn up.
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Originally posted by Evangel:
Thanks whiskers for reposting it on my behalf. This should be the appropriate thread here, no wonder my post got deleted haha...
In fact CSJ is not what the state papers said he is. I find that he is much more humane than many of us. Can you imagine how much frustrations they went through? Because of the very reason that they disagree with the policies of the government. For who? But we, as Singaporeans.
Readers can fully understand how CSJ felt when he wrote this letter. Heart wrenching, the lost of a buddy fighting together, but yet happy that JBJ died peacefully. The memories they shared which is priceless. At the same time, feeling more burden on his shoulders to carry on the foundation that has been set. They know that their chances of winning are slim, but they still fight and struggle. Hoping for the day to see light at the end of the tunnel. And even if they pass away, they know that more will follow their footsteps, to stand up for themselves.
NO worries!
CSJ has his own ways of working. In ways that we Singaporeans might not be used to . But at the end of the day, he is still a father, a father of 3.
What trouble CSJ and JBJ gets themselves into behind the scene we may never know. The least we could do is at least appreciate their sacrifices. -
Originally posted by maurizio13:
Maybe I will turn up for the church service.
If old man Lee or xiao lian Lee dies, you can be certain I won't turn up.
why turn up for old man one, i thot u will be enjoying your 3 days mourning holidays at Malaysia -
I old man dies, i will pop champange celebrate
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In memory of JBJ here are some articles on him by various foreign media:
JBJ's last media interview: Armed for a fresh battle
At 82, Singapore’s veteran opposition politician J.B. Jeyaretnam has overcome the odds and a bankruptcy suit to continue his battle. Armed with a new party, his political convictions are as strong as ever.
VETERAN Singapore opposition figure J.B. Jeyaretnam created history in 1981 when he became the first opposition MP in the island republic. The former magistrate, regarded now as Singapore’s old political warrior, has paid a high price for his political convictions: he has had to sell off his properties and peddle his books along five-foot ways to help raise over S$1.5mil (RM3.45mil) to pay for at least a dozen defamation law suits against him during his 30-year political career.
The 82-year-old has now formed a new party, the Reform Party, and he hopes to continue with what he is doing as long as he is strong and healthy.
You were prohibited from active politics between 2001 and last year due to a defamation suit against you. How was it for you during this period?
I was angry, I suppose. The reason was obvious, as the reason for commencing bankruptcy procedures against me was to take me out of Parliament. I tried to resist but I did not succeed. As a bankrupt I was not allowed to leave the country without getting permission from the official assignee. Even to come to Johor Baru over the weekends, I had to make an application. So there was a complete restriction on my travel. Apart from that, there were all the other little things, like you cannot have a bank account when you are a bankrupt. I was not even allowed to assist other candidates in the elections. They said I was not to go anywhere near an election rally. I was not allowed to go and speak. I was not to go and even assist any candidate because they said that was election activity and as a bankrupt I cannot do that.
How did you raise the final amount to settle your defamation suit?
In the end my two sons bailed me out. The lion’s share came from them. There were some small sums from others. This is because Singaporeans, for some reason or other, are frightened to give any money. Because of the climate of fear, Singaporeans did not give me much money although many sympathised with me. Most of the sales of my two books went towards my living expenses. My first book titled Make it right for Singapore is a compilation of all my speeches in parliament. The other, The Hatchet Man of Singapore, was after the 1997 elections. These books kept my body and soul together; they gave me something to do as besides writing them, I also sold them by the five-foot way in several areas three times a week together with a friend who has been with me since my time in the Workers Party.
Many Singaporeans were hoping you would contest in the 2006 elections. How much were you short of settling your bankruptcy amount?
That was my desperate hope. If the courts had agreed to fix the amount, I could have raised it. This is why I was disappointed with the courts. If the courts had fixed the amount and I knew what I had to raise, then I might have raised it through my sons. I do not know for sure whether it was a delaying tactic.
Have you started practising since the bankruptcy order was lifted?
I am doing one or two civil cases at the moment. I am operating on my own from my office off South Bridge Road. The person who was selling books is working with me now. I am here (Singapore) during weekdays.
The first thing you did after paying up your bankruptcy amount was to register a new party, the Reform Party. What was the main aim behind the formation of the party?
The main thing is to restructure the way we are governed in Singapore. Call it a “system” if you like. At the moment, the way we are governed is we have the executive (the ruling People’s Action Party) at the top. And it’s a law unto itself. The executive makes decisions and policies without any consultation with the people. And what is worrying is that there’s no check on the executive, partly because Parliament is in the control of the PAP.
And even now, with just two opposition members in parliament, Parliament passes laws and abrogates the powers of the court. The courts cannot enquire into the merits of anyone detained without trial. A number of decisions made by ministers are kept outside the courts’ jurisdiction, especially decisions affecting peoples’ lives. So the courts are not protecting the rights of the citizens.
There is this question of freedom of speech in assembly. The constitution grants it, but government says no. Elections in Singapore are not free and clear, as there is no election commission in Singapore. Parliament is no longer a body that is separate, independent and able to control the executive. This is what I think is the urgent priority for Singapore.
Many people retire by the age of 82 but you seem to be eager to get back in parliament this year. Why?
I do expect to get back in parliament. But it’s not for personal power but because I genuinely feel sorry for the people in Singapore. I am talking about the dispossessed, the underprivileged people, which make up a huge number. I am not talking about our bankers and wealthy people who are perhaps not interested in human rights. There is quite a bit of poverty in Singapore, even though the world does not seem to think so because of the propaganda machinery of the Government.
So you have no plans to retire soon?
It depends on my health, but I thank God for giving me health and strength. In that sense I owe it to Him to do something.
Are you not tired of being in politics since you started in 1971 with the Workers Party (WP)?
At times I feel tired and say to myself: “Don’t you think you should give up now?” But that is only momentary. It is followed by the thought that if I have started on a job and as long as I have the health and strength, I will have to go on with it. And there are people who look to you especially when you walk the streets of Singapore. It is just my conviction that when things are wrong, and if there is anything I can do to put them right, then I should do that. I think every citizen should feel like that. It is a citizen’s duty.
Being in the opposition in Singapore all these years has cost you dearly and you even had to sell off your properties. Any regrets?
I did not have many properties but I had to sell a bungalow in a very fashionable area in Singapore to pay the judgement obtained by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. Having sold that, three years later I bought a small apartment, and then I had to sell that too. All in, I had easily about 12 to 13 suits to pay off. Some people say I was a fool. All I can say is I do not regret it because, to me, life is not all about making money and acquiring wealth. Life is doing something for the people around you.
What do you think about the recent political tsunami in Malaysia?
It is good that there is a strong opposition in Parliament. This is what I am standing up for in Singapore. I want that for Singapore too.
Do you think such a political tsunami is possible in Singapore?
You never know, especially if Singaporeans take to heart what has happened in Malaysia. It is good to have a strong opposition.
As you can see, former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is widely regarded as the person who united the opposition. Are you planning to play the same role?
This talk about uniting the opposition parties in Singapore is not new. It has been talked about for many years. When I was in the WP, we managed to unite the Barisan Sosialis and another political party into one party. But before you can unite into a group, you must have similarities in ideals, objectives and values. And as I have said, even the WP now does not share my objective. Neither do the other opposition parties. So I do not see how we can really talk about coming together as one party.
In the Malaysian elections, blogs, SMS, and the Internet played an important role in getting the message across to the voters. What do you think?
It goes without saying. We cannot ignore the value and importance of the Internet in Singapore. If you access the blogs in Singapore, you will see the debate that is being carried out. So, of course, it will be foolish of us if we do not resort to the Internet to convey our messages to the people.
Many Singaporeans feel that the PAP has developed the country and, as such, there is no need for an opposition. What do you think about this?
Those who say this have swallowed the PAP’s propaganda. No government, anywhere in the world, can be so good that there is no need for an opposition. It is only in dictatorships where one man rules the country without an opposition. And I differ (from the view) that PAP has done a lot for Singapore.
When you come to measure a country, you do not just look at the roads, the buildings, and the services provided. What you will be looking at is the quality of the peoples’ lives, whether they are allowed to live as human beings with dignity.
Singapore ranked at the bottom in a survey carried out to rank peoples’ happiness. The quality of life is poor. It is no good boasting about your efficiency, boasting about your airport, or boasting about anything else when the people are not happy.
Many say you are in constant loggerheads with the PAP and especially with the Lee family maybe because you have a personal grudge against Lee Kuan Yew.
This is a load of nonsense. I am opposed to the PAP policies not because I have something against Lee personally. But he happens to be the head of the PAP, so people try and equate my dissatisfaction with the PAP with some personal animosity against Lee Kuan Yew. I am clearly opposed to all that the PAP stands for. I am against the system, not the person.
Are your sons into politics?
No. They are not joining me and they have not joined any political party. But that does not mean they are not interested in political affairs and at the moment, I do not hope for them to succeed me.
Source: The Star -
By Seth Mydans
Published: September 30, 2008
OBITUARY
Joshua B. Jeyaretnam, the opposition politician whose outspokenness and persistence made him Singapore's leading dissident, died Tuesday of a heart attack, family members said.
At the age of 82, recently freed from bankruptcy, Jeyaretnam was preparing another run for Parliament, where he had broken the governing party's monopoly by winning the first opposition seat in 1981.
"We were trying to surmount the last hurdle," said a close friend and political partner, Ng Teck Siong, speaking of Jeyaretnam's attempt to enter Parliament once more. "But we were not able to do that. He had to leave us."
Jeyaretnam's career was defined by his persistent attempts to win a seat in Parliament and his ongoing criticisms of the political establishment.
Since that first win in a special election, Jeyaretnam had lost his seat twice as the result of legal actions. He had been sued for defamation more times than he said he could count, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, mostly to members of the governing People's Action Party.
He fell into bankruptcy in 2001 when he was unable to pay a damage award, and was barred from politics until he cleared the debt early this year.
During that time of political exile he sold self-published books from a cardboard box on a sidewalk, shouting out their titles in the booming voice he had used to challenge the government in Parliament.
Though his photograph rarely appeared in the government-friendly press, the man known by his initials, JBJ, was easy to recognize with his long, somber face, exaggerated features and white fringe of whiskers.
"It would be terribly funny if it weren't tragic for me," he said in an interview at the time. "A lot of people tell me: 'Why do you carry on? It's hopeless in this place. Why do you sacrifice yourself, suffering all this pain?' Not that I suffer that much."
"Funnily enough, I enjoy the fight," he said. "It's true. And if I had to give it up, I wouldn't know what to do."
In his doggedness and refusal to compromise, Jeyaretnam was an irritant to the country's leaders, particularly to Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, who called him "a poseur, always seeking publicity, good or bad."
Although he never won a libel case and lost more political battles than he won, Jeyaretnam's lone challenge made him a hero to some people.
"First, you see, I respect his courage," said a 46-year-old machine-parts salesman who bought one of his books by the side of the road. "This is a culture where if you can sleep well and eat well, nobody wants to find trouble. There's no right and wrong sometimes, in my opinion. For me, I just want to hear another voice."
In May, freed from bankruptcy, Jeyaretnam announced the formation of a new political party, the Reform Party, whose objective he said was "a complete and thorough change in the way this country is run - no tinkering."
"We are not allowed to exercise the fundamental rights given to us in the Constitution," he said at a news conference announcing the registration of the party.
"These are not abstract rights, airy-fairy rights, but rights that are most essential to our well-being: the right to speak up freely, the right to tell the government that the way things are going is wrong," he said.
With his new party duly registered, Jeyaretnam was in the process of preparing one more challenge for an open seat in Parliament - the last hurdle mentioned by Ng.
Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam was born in 1926 and grew up mostly in what was then Malaya, where his father worked as a clerk in the public works department.
A devout Anglican Christian of Sri Lankan descent, he often said he was motivated by a religious mission to do good for other people.
He earned a law degree at University College in London in 1951, where he met his future wife, Margaret. She died in 1980 and it was a point of regret to him that she was not there to share his victory when he won his seat in Parliament.
Back from London with his law degree, Jeyaretnam rose quickly in the legal establishment, serving as a magistrate, a district judge, a prosecuting counsel, a registrar of the Supreme Court and chief of the Subordinate Judiciary, a position of status and influence.
He resigned in 1963 at the age of 37 and went into private practice because, he said, "I was disillusioned, completely," and in 1971 he made the first of his many unsuccessful runs for a seat in Parliament.
He is survived by his two sons - Philip, a prominent lawyer who is president of the Law Society of Singapore, and Kenneth, an economist, at whose home he died.
As word of Jeyaretnam's death spread in Singapore, tributes multiplied on the Internet, where dissatisfied Singaporeans are finding a voice.
"JBJ, father of Singapore democracy," said one.
"Singapore has lost a true opposition leader, devoted to fight till the very end for what he believes in," said another.
Jeyaretnam had heard these anonymous voices before.
"A remark you often hear is, there's nothing we can do, you can't do anything in this place," he said. "I tell them that's nonsense."
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/30/asia/obits.php?pass=true -
Singapore opposition icon J.B. Jeyaretnam dies fightingSINGAPORE (AFP) ¡ª Veteran Singapore opposition leader J.B. Jeyaretnam, who died Tuesday, waged a long and lonely campaign for greater political freedom in the tightly governed city-state.
He was attempting a fresh political comeback when he succumbed to heart failure.
The 82-year-old British-trained lawyer and former MP was the nemesis of Singapore's iron-fisted founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, 85, whose People's Action Party (PAP) will celebrate 50 uninterrupted years in power in 2009.
"I haven't got very many more years," Jeyaretnam said in July at the launch of the new Reform Party, which was to be his vehicle for a comeback after years in the political wilderness.
Jeyaretnam, remembered by many Singaporeans for his old-school lambchop sideburns and a gravelly voice that thrilled audiences in court, parliament and street rallies, said he feared "no one except God".
Born Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam in 1926 during a family visit to what is now Sri Lanka, he was often a solitary voice in largely ethnic Chinese Singapore, a prosperous financial centre where protests are restricted and government critics complain of limited access to the media.
Despite being driven to financial ruin by costly defamation suits mounted by PAP leaders, and sidelined by younger opposition figures, Jeyaretnam was still plotting a return to parliament when he died.
Elections are not due until 2011 after the PAP won a fresh five-year mandate in 2006 by sweeping all but two of the 84 elected seats.
"He's such a man who never gives up... fighting all the way," long-time political ally Ng Teck Siong said on radio station 938Live after news of Jeyaretnam's death was carried by the city-state's pro-government media.
Singapore leaders maintain that the Western-style democracy Jeyaretnam championed could ruin a tiny republic with no natural resources and surrounded by far bigger neighbours, an argument Jeyaretnam never bought.
He made political history in 1981 when he broke the monopoly of the PAP in parliament. Reelected in 1984, he lost his seat two years later after being found guilty of misstating the accounts of the Workers' Party, which he led at the time.
During his career, Jeyaretnam spent more than 900,000 US dollars paying off damages awarded to PAP leaders and had to sell off his house in Singapore, settling in his later years in the neighbouring Malaysian city of Johor Bahru.
PAP leaders have often been criticised for suing political opponents and media organisations for defamation, but they maintain that they must protect their reputations against unfounded attacks.
Lee, who ruled for three decades and still serves in the cabinet of his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, never concealed his deep hatred of Jeyaretnam, calling him a "thoroughly destructive force" who was "all sound and fury."
Even during his darkest days, Jeyaretnam soldiered on.
He helped support his cause by selling books on the sidewalks of Singapore, and managed to clear his debts to pave the way for a fresh stab at public office.
"I get my strength from somewhere else, if you know what I mean," he said in an interview with AFP in 2006. "I refuse to conform to the world." -
A Singapore Hero
WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA
Singapore lost a man yesterday whose life reflected the best of the city-state. He suffered under the Japanese World War II occupation of the island; earned a place at the British bar; devoted himself to his work, family and faith; and forewent personal wealth to fight for democratic ideals in public office.
No, we're not talking about the country's founder and longtime Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, for whom much of the above is true. Yesterday Singapore lost its pre-eminent opposition leader, Joshua B. Jeyaretnam.
The ruling People's Action Party liked to paint Mr. Jeyaretnam as a communist, but he was more a moderate social democrat who spoke of his "calling as a Christian" and talked of "social justice." His economic ideas -- a welfare state and a minimum wage -- struck a chord among some voters, as did his message that an overcentralized government could be harmful.
"JBJ" entered politics in Singapore in 1971, when he joined the Workers' Party. At the time, he was a wealthy lawyer who vacationed in Europe and had a maid and driver. He contested the 1972 and 1976 elections and lost to the PAP, which held every seat in Parliament.
Mr. Jeyaretnam soon had his first legal run-in with the PAP. In 1976, he lost a defamation suit brought by Mr. Lee over a speech the opposition leader gave at a campaign rally. To pay the damages, Mr. Jeyaretnam sold his house and moved into a rented apartment.
Over the years he was repeatedly sued by PAP leaders, and repeatedly bankrupted as a result of the judgments against him. But the convictions didn't stop him from winning public office, which he did in 1981, becoming the sole opposition MP elected to Parliament, and again in 1984 and 1997. During a 1986 inquiry into whether he had violated parliamentary privilege by questioning the integrity of judges, Mr. Jeyaretnam asked Mr. Lee, "So, do you think I have to be destroyed?" "Politically, yes," Mr. Lee responded. In his autobiography, Mr. Lee called his old opponent "a poseur, always seeking publicity, good or bad."
Mr. Jeyaretnam lost his seat in 1986 and was disbarred after being convicted of mishandling party funds. In 1988, the Privy Council in London overturned Mr. Jeyaretnam's disbarment, concluding that through a series of "misjudgements" Mr. Jeyaretnam had suffered "grevious injustice." The Law Lords found that JBJ and a colleague "have been fined, imprisoned and publicly disgraced for offences of which they were not guilty." In 2001, JBJ lost another libel suit, became bankrupt, and was disqualified from running for re-election to Parliament.
Yet to the end, Mr. Jeyaretnam was never cowed by a fight. When he paid off his debts last year, he was readmitted to the bar and soon took on controversial cases, including the defense of another opposition leader, Chee Soon Juan, who, like JBJ, had lost a defamation suit brought by Mr. Lee. Mr. Jeyaretnam leaves behind a small group of opposition leaders, including two members of Parliament and a rowdy blogosphere of Singaporeans who agitate for more freedoms.
At the time of his death, Mr. Jeyaretnam, who was 82, was gearing up to contest for office again. At a press conference in April to announce the news, he said: "We are just beginning!" -
Ok, dust to dust, ashes to ashes, Amen.
Cover closed.
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I urged all rebels to drop their hypocrisy act, cos their hypocrisy will soon turn on themselves as a form called RETRIBUTION.
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Originally posted by parn:
So which part of the condolence letter is incorrect?
These rebels are not happy because the truth is out?
Hey fuker,if u have nothing better to say,then STFU!!!!Stop talking rubbish in here.
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Originally posted by angel7030:
The fight Got live telecast or not??No live telecast,its an old score waiting to be settled between LKY n JBJ.I believe JBJ will screw LKY butts until swollen.
P.S.If u wondering who i am,i am drawer=Mattan=Dave2000.OMFG,i get banned n yet escape n come back to rape this forum again.I must tell u guys,escape the banned in this forum is as easy as the Malay terrorist Mas Selamat escaped from Singapore prison lol.