CSJ - You better dun badmouth us
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You are trying to destroy the court!
And better dun talk nonsense everytime -
The SDP: Destination unknown?
Three years after a poor showing in the 2001 polls, the Singapore Democratic Party is back in the news after secretary-general Chee Soon Juan
stayed away from a court hearing on a defamation suit sparked by his comments during the campaigning. AZRIN ASMANI and SUE-ANN CHIA look at the party's fortunes
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MR ERNEST Chee, a relatively new face at the Singapore Democratic Party, likens the opposition party to a faulty Ferrari.
The youth wing member thinks the 'prancing horse' logo of the Italian marque represents aptly the unbridled energy of SDP secretary-general Chee Soon Juan.
But Mr Ernest Chee, no relation to the SDP leader, also believes the 24-year-old party is sputtering and in need of a major overhaul.
'The engine oil has to change, the tyres, the brakes...all need changing,' the 27-year-old insurance agent tells Insight.
More importantly, the party needs a driver who spends more of his time here than overseas, he says.
Witness Dr Chee's absence at a High Court hearing on Sept 6 to assess the damages he has to pay Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for defaming them during the election campaign in 2001.
One day after the hearing, Dr Chee issued a statement to say he was in Taiwan to attend a conference held by the Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia, a regional outfit he chairs. This was after a fellowship stint in the United States.
His version of the events is that he tried but could not get the courts to postpone the hearing. But lawyers for Mr Lee and Mr Goh said that the hearing had already been delayed to suit his schedule.
At the party level, what was intriguing was how party members contacted claimed they had no idea where he was after he released his first statement before the hearing. He said he 'was on his way back from the US' without revealing where he was exactly.
The party sources also said he had told them only that he was leaving the US, nothing more. One source added then that only his sister, Ms Chee Siok Chin, knew of his whereabouts. She contested the last GE with him in Jurong GRC.
Such comments prompt questions about the leadership and state of the SDP, once considered a growing force in the opposition.
Dr Chee declined to answer any questions for this article, inviting readers to visit the SDP's website instead.
However, other sources inside and close to the party shared their views and concerns.
For Mr Ernest Chee, for example, his reason for joining the SDP is about believing in the need for an opposition. He wants to see a 'check-and-balance mechanism' to the ruling People's Action Party and simply thought that the SDP was the answer because of its legacy.
'Among the opposition parties, the SDP is a well-recognised brand,' says the member who joined in January and was the only one willing to be named for this report. -
RISE AND FALL OF THE PARTY
IN THE 1991 General Election, three SDP candidates were swept into Parliament in what was a major victory for the opposition.
It was the first time in post-independent Singapore that any opposition party had won more than a single seat.
The last party to do so was the opposition Barisan Sosialis, formed by a breakaway faction of the PAP, which won 13 out of 51 seats in 1963. But it boycotted Parliament in 1966 and refused to take part in the 1968 General Election, a move that contributed eventually to its demise.
In the 1991 polls, SDP founder and secretary-general Chiam See Tong kept his Potong Pasir ward for the third term after first capturing it in 1984.
SDP chairman Ling How Doong won in Bukit Gombak, former vice-chairman Cheo Chai Chen captured Nee Soon Central and over at the Workers' Party, Mr Low Thia Khiang won a seat in Hougang.
With three prized seats, the SDP was hailed as the most promising opposition party and Mr Chiam became the unofficial leader of the opposition.
But behind the scenes, the seeds of division grew as internal politicking created rifts, with party members aligning themselves with one of the three SDP MPs.
From the clash of personalities to differences of views over town council management, the split within SDP grew even wider.
It culminated in a fight over a hunger strike by Dr Chee in 1993 to protest his dismissal from the National University of Singapore as a neuropsychology lecturer for misusing research funds.
Mr Chiam lost in the ensuing battle and eventually resigned from his party post in 1993.
A year and a half after Mr Chiam stepped down, Dr Chee became the party boss. Many within the party then saw him as a promising star, given his academic credentials, and preferred his 'confrontational style' to Mr Chiam's more cautious stance. -
MAN IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
DR CHEE took the party into unchartered territory.
He led party leaders on overseas missions to places such as Australia, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Malaysia to build ties with human rights groups. Dr Chee also went on at least three fellowship stints abroad.
Back home, initially, he tried to take on the Government on cost of living issues, including appearing on a Select Committee on health-care costs.
But Dr Chee and his party were exposed for being shoddy with the facts and found guilty of contempt of Parliament.
By the time the 1997 election rolled around, the SDP's share of the votes declined to 33.1 per cent, down 15.5 percentage points from 1991. Mr Ling and Mr Cheo lost their seats. Dr Chee scored only 34.9 per cent of the votes in MacPherson.
By then, Mr Chiam had left to join another party - the Singapore People's Party - and was re-elected in Potong Pasir.
Perceptibly after 1997, Dr Chee took more pains to cultivate regional and international alliances rather than tend to the home turf.
In the late 1990s, he campaigned for free speech, by speaking in public without licence. He earned a jail sentence for not paying the fines.
The SDP also fared poorly in the 2001 General Election, with Dr Chee's team in Jurong GRC scoring 20.2 per cent of the votes. His heckling of a popular prime minister, Mr Goh, did not go down well with voters, who made their disapproval plain both at the ballot box and in letters to the press.
During the run-up to the polls, Dr Chee heckled Mr Goh about an alleged $17 billion loan to former Indonesian president Suharto. The remarks were defamatory and the court hearing was over the damages Dr Chee had to pay.
In 2001, former SDP candidate Vincent Yeo blamed Dr Chee for the party's losses.
Several sources close to the party say Dr Chee's style has not endeared the party to the people and it is facing a dwindling support base.
A party source tells Insight that membership has been pared down to no more than 40 members now, compared with around 200 during the party's heyday.
Meetings are still conducted, once a month or every fortnight, at the party's headquarters at Serangoon Road.
But it is usually attended by the 'same faces' of not more than a dozen people, including Ms Chee.
'At times, it can get very depressing,' says Mr Ernest Chee, who has attended all except one meeting since January.
Issues discussed revolve around party administrative matters, human rights and freedom of speech.
'We seldom discuss local bread-and-butter issues such as the high medical costs or utilities bills,' adds Mr Ernest Chee.
Political watcher and former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin says: 'Their concentration doesn't seem to be on the ground, where the battle is supposed to be.
'It is more issues-oriented and they choose rather controversial topics but whether it really connects with the crowd here, is not clear.'
Political science lecturer Hussin Mutalib adds: 'If its international focus is not balanced with greater involvement with local or domestic issues, it may be counter-productive, resulting in less support from both SDP members and the electorate at large.'
Dr Chee's supporters, however, say he has had no choice but to seek the international limelight and alliances with other human rights groups to make a name for the party and himself. He has to make a living, adds Mr Ernest Chee.
The party, as its website says, is also focused on restoring human, civil and political rights to Singaporeans, fostering a vibrant and dynamic society, cultivating a transparent and accountable political system, and cooperating with democratic parties and organisations in Asia to achieve peace and sustainable development in the region.
But grassroots activities here to further these aims appear to be barely existent. Party sources say there is no strategy to 'work the ground' and win over new supporters or attract professional talent, apart from selling its newsletter, The New Democrat, to the public.
But SDP meetings have focused on ways to attract potential supporters lately. Ideas suggested included door-to-door visits, distributing pamphlets and also telemarketing and networking events.
'So far, nothing is finalised,' Mr Ernest Chee says, adding that he hopes things will move faster now that Dr Chee is back in Singapore. -
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
WHAT is next for the SDP?
A reorganisation of the party is unlikely, say sources, for as long as Dr Chee receives no contest for the top post.
Mr Ling How Doong, the party chairman, maintains a studiously low profile. When Insight paid a visit to his law office at Chin Swee Road, he declined to be interviewed, saying that he was in semi-retirement.
Former MP Cheo Chai Chen could not be contacted.
Other old-timers such as Mr Wong Hong Toy, a former Workers' Party member who defected to the SDP in 1987, have dropped out of the radar screen.
But sources say these 'old warhorses' may resurface near a General Election, as is typical for opposition veterans.
Sources also add that Mr Wong is said to be on friendly terms with the Chiams, whom he abandoned when he backed Dr Chee in the SDP power struggle of the 1990s.
Whether he will again switch sides and rejoin Mr Chiam's camp remains to be seen.
There is also talk that some current SDP members are thinking of putting their acrimonious past with Mr Chiam behind them and regrouping with him, at the Singapore People's Party.
However, the opposition party to watch may be the Workers' Party, under the steady hand of MP Low Thia Kiang and rising star Sylvia Lim. The WP may attract new blood that would have flowed into the SDP in its more glorious years.
The overall assessment from party sources and observers appears to be that the SDP has become a party led by and for one man, Dr Chee.
But there are those who are still optimistic, like Mr Ernest Chee.
He believes that the party can still turn its fortunes around. But first, it needs to be more in tune with the kind of opposition Singaporeans want, he says.
Their appetite is for less rancour, he believes, and the party will need to recognise this.
'The car needs a major overhaul before it can move forward,' he says.
Perhaps the Ferrari may roar back to life. But where it will head remains unclear. -
You will NEVER GET MY VOTE, YOU FOOL!Originally posted by sbst275:You are trying to destroy the court!
And better dun talk nonsense everytime -
hey kid...if dunno anything shut up laOriginally posted by sbst275:You are trying to destroy the court!
And better dun talk nonsense everytime -
He is a troublemaker in the 1st place... Read the ST report... He only bothers abt senitive issue... Somemore, use foreigners to overthrow the courtOriginally posted by superspecies:hey kid...if dunno anything shut up la
He is a traditor! -
dunno know hw to spell correctlyOriginally posted by sbst275:He is a troublemaker in the 1st place... Read the ST report... He only bothers abt senitive issue... Somemore, use foreigners to overthrow the court
He is a traditor!
dun tok la -
chee soon juan look like a sex pervert in cowboy boots.
even his name sounds retard -
Whatever it is, no one respects him because of his weird behaviourOriginally posted by MoonIce:dunno know hw to spell correctly
dun tok la -
You all better stop insulting Chairman Chee or I will go on hunger strike.
I will have to take glucose water three times a day, of course. -
i am not PAP supporter but i dont like this guy too. he is bringing down the whole party. he should have concentrated his effort on voters roots to win the hearts and mind of the voters. there are many voters who will switch the votes to opposition party should a good one like hougang and potong pasir MP come along. dispite the poor showing in the last election by opposition party there are still more than 2 opposition supporters in every 10 singaporean. the nos could be more if CSJ know how to shut his mouth and talk wisely. the party dont need overhaul. in fact forget about overhaul the old car and time to discard the old car and buy a new car. the party need a new leader. i would rather those young SDP party members join WP or Mr. Chiam party to make it harder fight for next election. sorry SDP, im afraid this engine is long gone.
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The problem is not the engine... it is still there (as evidenced by the many idiots I mean SDP people on the forum)...
The problem is that they have a drunk driver at the wheel... -
Originally posted by Typhoon:The problem is not the engine... it is still there (as evidenced by the many idiots I mean SDP people on the forum)...
The problem is that they have a drunk driver at the wheel... 
agee with you, especially the way you put it. -
you shut-up first !Originally posted by superspecies:hey kid...if dunno anything shut up la
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y r u so piss cock eyed kid?? i wasn't even referring to u b@stardOriginally posted by paperchicken:you shut-up first ! -
shut-up lah.Originally posted by superspecies:y r u so piss cock eyed kid?? i wasn't even referring to u b@stard -
infidel like u will never achieve nirvana....ppl like u will reincarnate as pig n get yourself slaughter n eaten by your fellow chinamenOriginally posted by paperchicken:shut-up lah. -
shut up lah !Originally posted by superspecies:infidel like u will never achieve nirvana....ppl like u will reincarnate as pig n get yourself slaughter n eaten by your fellow chinamen -
i'm totally amazed by the lack of manners that allowed you to type this out and post itOriginally posted by superspecies:infidel like u will never achieve nirvana....ppl like u will reincarnate as pig n get yourself slaughter n eaten by your fellow chinamen
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Being pro-quo, ST reports are not as factually reliable as you think, if you wish to obtain an objective picture of the situation. And anyway, reporting emotionally-charged comments - speculations, in fact- by ruling partisans is hardly very intelligent. The "ovethrow the court" comment is an emotionally-charged one, as emotionally charged as the liens in the government's rebuttal to Amnesty International earlier this year. ANyway, it is mere speculation and a violent accusation from people we trust to be civilized. In fact, this statement rankles alot like MoonIce's...very badly.Originally posted by sbst275:He is a troublemaker in the 1st place... Read the ST report... He only bothers abt senitive issue... Somemore, use foreigners to overthrow the court
He is a traditor!
and calling anyone a trouble-maker is juz as bad as MoonIce bad-mouthing you- read the report by TNP on verbal bullying?
the objective pikamaster -
You expect NMPs to make objective comments, especially when they might be controlled by the Party through invisible strings?Originally posted by paperchicken:MAN IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
DR CHEE took the party into unchartered territory.
He led party leaders on overseas missions to places such as Australia, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Malaysia to build ties with human rights groups. Dr Chee also went on at least three fellowship stints abroad.
Back home, initially, he tried to take on the Government on cost of living issues, including appearing on a Select Committee on health-care costs.
But Dr Chee and his party were exposed for being shoddy with the facts and found guilty of contempt of Parliament.
By the time the 1997 election rolled around, the SDP's share of the votes declined to 33.1 per cent, down 15.5 percentage points from 1991. Mr Ling and Mr Cheo lost their seats. Dr Chee scored only 34.9 per cent of the votes in MacPherson.
By then, Mr Chiam had left to join another party - the Singapore People's Party - and was re-elected in Potong Pasir.
Perceptibly after 1997, Dr Chee took more pains to cultivate regional and international alliances rather than tend to the home turf.
In the late 1990s, he campaigned for free speech, by speaking in public without licence. He earned a jail sentence for not paying the fines.
The SDP also fared poorly in the 2001 General Election, with Dr Chee's team in Jurong GRC scoring 20.2 per cent of the votes. His heckling of a popular prime minister, Mr Goh, did not go down well with voters, who made their disapproval plain both at the ballot box and in letters to the press.
During the run-up to the polls, Dr Chee heckled Mr Goh about an alleged $17 billion loan to former Indonesian president Suharto. The remarks were defamatory and the court hearing was over the damages Dr Chee had to pay.
In 2001, former SDP candidate Vincent Yeo blamed Dr Chee for the party's losses.
Several sources close to the party say Dr Chee's style has not endeared the party to the people and it is facing a dwindling support base.
A party source tells Insight that membership has been pared down to no more than 40 members now, compared with around 200 during the party's heyday.
Meetings are still conducted, once a month or every fortnight, at the party's headquarters at Serangoon Road.
But it is usually attended by the 'same faces' of not more than a dozen people, including Ms Chee.
'At times, it can get very depressing,' says Mr Ernest Chee, who has attended all except one meeting since January.
Issues discussed revolve around party administrative matters, human rights and freedom of speech.
'We seldom discuss local bread-and-butter issues such as the high medical costs or utilities bills,' adds Mr Ernest Chee.
Political watcher and former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin says: 'Their concentration doesn't seem to be on the ground, where the battle is supposed to be.
'It is more issues-oriented and they choose rather controversial topics but whether it really connects with the crowd here, is not clear.'
Political science lecturer Hussin Mutalib adds: 'If its international focus is not balanced with greater involvement with local or domestic issues, it may be counter-productive, resulting in less support from both SDP members and the electorate at large.'
Dr Chee's supporters, however, say he has had no choice but to seek the international limelight and alliances with other human rights groups to make a name for the party and himself. He has to make a living, adds Mr Ernest Chee.
The party, as its website says, is also focused on restoring human, civil and political rights to Singaporeans, fostering a vibrant and dynamic society, cultivating a transparent and accountable political system, and cooperating with democratic parties and organisations in Asia to achieve peace and sustainable development in the region.
But grassroots activities here to further these aims appear to be barely existent. Party sources say there is no strategy to 'work the ground' and win over new supporters or attract professional talent, apart from selling its newsletter, The New Democrat, to the public.
But SDP meetings have focused on ways to attract potential supporters lately. Ideas suggested included door-to-door visits, distributing pamphlets and also telemarketing and networking events.
'So far, nothing is finalised,' Mr Ernest Chee says, adding that he hopes things will move faster now that Dr Chee is back in Singapore.
Don't you find it in th least weird that no supporter is quoted at all, that all the comments come from either Ernest Chee or "Party Sources" which are not even specified? How worthy are these anonymous sources, do you think? -
Are the strings real or imaginary ?Originally posted by pikamaster:You expect NMPs to make objective comments, especially when they might be controlled by the Party through invisible strings?
Don't you find it in th least weird that no supporter is quoted at all, that all the comments come from either Ernest Chee or "Party Sources" which are not even specified? How worthy are these anonymous sources, do you think?
The govt has a choice of who they want to choose to be NMPs but once they are in parliament, the NMPs have have a choice of what they want to say. They may have limited voting powers but they have the right to speak and be heard.
The NMPs represent the professional sector, business and industry, labour movement, tertiary institutions, social and community services and the media, arts and sports. They are not linked to political parties.
Walter Woon who table the Maintenace of parents bill is a govt critic. But he was select to be an NMP as well as the other representatives of other NGOs. They are members of our society who have participate and lead our grassroot organisation.
To say that the NMPs cannot make objective comments and are controlled through invisible strings is an unfair and unjust comment. -
you all say that we being controlled by the PAP or what have you not.
den u all are being controlled by Chee Soon Juan den.
it works both way mate.