Dr Chee, be careful please. Don't be their fall guy..

You waited so long and you know you will win wherever you stand for and so blessed whichever the constituency you standing for.

Yet, it is precisely because of that, don't end up so near yet so far.

Just fill the form properly, rally properly and speak properly and make sure your other candidates and supporters don't end up becoming the fall guys by doing stupid things.




All the best!

I fully support Dr Chee and SDP!

Chee choong fun has been the fall guy for a very very long time,it should be a role he is very used to by now,let me play him the world's saddest song on the world's smallest violin.

[video=youtube;1s3aVLf0MBw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s3aVLf0MBw[/video]

Dr Chee is a specialist in failure. We can all learn how NOT to be like him

Has anyone else noticed that the PAPzis haven't yet called CSJ a 'cheat and liar'? I think they've taken their eyes off the SDP ball.

Just read this:

www.cheesoonjuan.com

Dr Chee is the Best!

Sinkie said:

Just read this:

www.cheesoonjuan.com

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I learned despite my education 24/8/2015

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Later, I attended the Anglo-Chinese School – I didn't excel in the classroom but neither did I struggle. I went on to junior college which I, admittedly, slept walk through the two years. It was more cramming of facts, figures and formulae, something which I was discovering I had little talent for. I did well enough to pass my A-levels but did so dismally that the NUS would not allow me to read anything there.

I was resigned to the fact that I was not university material. Every step of the way, the system kept telling me I was not good enough. I nearly signed on as an Inspector after I completed my National Service with the police force. But something in me told me not to settle.

After working as a private tutor for a year and with the little that I had saved (and some help from my elder sister), I decided to – on a wing and a prayer – go to the United States to pursue my tertiary education. I had enough funds for one year.

In 1983, I arrived at Mansfield University, a small university in the state of Pennsylvania. After I settled in, I decided to major in psychology. There I found myself. I blossomed academically – getting on the President's List (reserved for students with straight As) every semester and graduating summa cum laude with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

I traveled with my professors to attend conferences in the region; took Honors classes across the spectrum of disciplines including music, photography and French; and got involved in the town's community work. It was truly a renaissance in my own little universe.

I was learning. After more than 20 years in school, I was finally learning again. I found myself reminiscing about that little kindergarten at Balestier Road.

---

I was awarded a scholarship in my sophomore year. That took care of my tuition. I was also appointed Resident Assistant where I was put in charge of my dormitory, performing administrative and student-leader duties. That paid my room and board.

Outside the classroom, I was elected president of the international students' organisation and “pumped iron” at the gym in between classes. I even found time to train for a sprint triathlon.

During the summer breaks, I worked as an odd-jobs maintenance guy with the University, doing everything from hauling furniture to digging holes for football posts to mowing the lawn. I was paid the minimum wage of $3.25 an hour then (Americans are now fighting for $15 an hour).

It was hard work, my hands were calloused, my feet blistered and bones dog-tired from the day's work. But I never felt more alive and I never felt prouder because it was money I earned through my own good, honest sweat. With a daily staple of Kraft's Mac n Cheese, Ramen noodles, and Wonder bread, one could save quite a bit too.

---

But tough as it was, I never felt that the work was tedious because I was passionate about what I was doing. The laboratory work was no different even though it swallowed up all my waking hours. During the winter, I would just sleep on my table in the lab because it was too cold to ride home at night on my motor-bike (which I had purchased for $50 from someone who lived in a shack down the road. It ran well except for one small problem, the ignition key didn't work. No matter, I could kick-start the thing with a push and a short run.)

This was about the time I met a lady who stopped me in my tracks. I summoned up enough courage to talk to her even though she was from Taiwan and I could speak Mandarin as well as I could speak Swahili. But after many uhms and ahs, I managed to ask her out on a date – I borrowed a second helmet and cautiously asked her if she minded riding pillion. She said she didn't. We ended up watching Good Morning Vietnam starring (the late) Robin Williams. We went for pizza after the movie. She paid for dinner based, I think, on two considerations: One, she was on a scholarship and, two, she saw me struggling with my wallet.

---

After several more dates – and years in between – Mei finally said yes when I proposed.

I worked part-time as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. Juggling between trying to master the concepts of Chi-Square and F distributions in my statistics class during the day while taking orders for Kung Pao Chicken and Chow Mein at night proved to be quite a challenge. I was so tired one night when a customer asked for his glass of Coke to be topped up, I grabbed a pitcher of the beverage and proceeded to fill the glass up. It turned out to be a jar of soya sauce.

But the tips were good and they allowed me to pay rent, buy groceries and put a little away for a car – I was tired of slipping and sliding on my bike during the winter months when the roads sometimes iced up.

---

Eventually I saved up enough to buy one. Actually, I didn't buy the car as much as I paid for the scrap certificate and lugged the vehicle back with me. I was told it was the ugliest make in the US. I guess that's why they call it the Gremlin. But it worked (most of the time, anyway) and that was the most important thing.

Again during my second year, I was awarded a teaching assistantship which paid me a stipend. I hadn't exactly hit the jackpot but I did a celebratory jig nonetheless when I heard the news. It was the first time in my adult life that I was going to be able to afford to buy something beyond food.

I bought a real car this time, a used Chevy Impala, from another Singaporean student there. That year, Mei and I drove to Atlanta for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Along the way, we stopped at a Chinese restaurant for dim sum. I remember feeling the strange feeling of being able to pay for the tips instead of working for one.

I returned to Singapore in 1990 and joined the Department of Social Science and Psychology at the NUS as a teaching fellow. I was not accepted as full-fledged Lecturer until one year later because – here we go again – the university felt that my A-level results were not good enough.

And then I joined the SDP.

By relating my little but eventful journey of my educational experience, I hope some of you find a little something in it to help you along – especially those of you who are still finding your way. If you're tired, take a little rest. Then get up and get on with your quest. If you're having doubts about yourself, here's my advice: Don't. You cannot soar on the wings of doubt.

Don't let our education system tell you you're not good enough.

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[h=2]Will Lee Hsien Loong be the leader that Singapore needs?[/h]15/8/2015


Observers will undoubtedly note that Mr Lee Hsien Loong's decision to call for a general election two years ahead of time is a clever one. How can it not be? The celebration of our 50th National Day, itself a significant milestone, allows the Government to hand out goodwill packages in various guises that will usher in the feel good factor for the PAP.

Add to this a system awash with anti-democratic practices – the continued use of the print and broadcast media to constantly churn out welcome news for his administration, the redrawing of electoral boundaries behind closed doors, the introduction of the GRC system in the 1980s to hobble opposition efforts, the crackdown on the online media, the employment of HDB upgrading as punishment or reward, the dishing out of financial packages just before elections, the use of state-funded organisations for political purposes, the imposition of impossibly short campaign periods – and it is not difficult to see how the next polls will again end up in overall victory for the PAP.

It is a system that does not, indeed cannot, admit of democratic progress.

As I said, it may be politically clever to craft such a system. But cleverness is not what Singapore needs right now – especially at this stage of our country's development. There is not any doubt that Mr Lee's continued adoption of such tactics will help his party secure another five years in power, as it has done so for the last 50. But he should be reminded that, in the fullness of time, such an approach has not been looked kindly upon.

The PAP may insist, as it is wont to do, that its mandate to govern is derived from the majority of voters in regularly held elections. But it is also aware, I am certain, of the difference between elections held in undemocratic systems and genuinely free and fair elections held in democratic ones.

Strongman-type systems led by autocrats like Suharto and Ferdinand Marcos held regular elections to legitimise their rule and, for a time, few questioned their right to govern. Whether their legacies endured the stringent test of time is another matter.

In undemocratic states, it is not the majority's opinion at the polls that rulers should be worried about. It is the minority, rather, the one which watches – and gets increasingly agitated at – how the system is being manipulated to buttress the status quo at which rulers should cast their nervous glance. For is there ever any doubt that it is this segment of the population that brings about change? History is replete with instances where a significant minority calls for, works towards and, ultimately, brings about political reform. These movements are especially potent when frustration and resentment with the ruling clique's intransigence crosses the threshold.

At home, anger at the current political situation is palpable and some have resorted to action (see here). If the PAP is content to label this group of citizens as the 'noisy minority', then it should re-read the preceding paragraph. For these people, the prospect of being unable to bring about political change through the ballot box only makes the PAP's claim of legitimate power sound dangerously vacuous.

It will be undoubtedly (autocratic) politics-as-usual after the next election. The country will continue to hum along. But this is predicated on the assumption that circumstances in and around Singapore remain unmolested.

It is, however, a big assumption. Socio-economic developments within our shores point to a future fraught with difficulty and uncertainty: An expensive city with limited opportunity especially for the youth, an ageing population with retirees having little or no income, an economy with wide income disparity, a crowded city set to become even more congested, and a people increasingly feeling alienated from their country of birth.

Developments farther afield are not more encouraging. Economic uncertainty in Europe and China will not leave Singapore unscathed. The spat over claims on some islands in the South China Sea by China and her neighbours in the region is another flash point.

When a crisis envelops Singapore, as one will sooner or later, how will the people react? More important, will Singaporeans continue to accept placidly the PAP's undemocratic rule especially if they feel that the situation is caused, or at least exacerbated, by the party in the first place?

On the bright side, the problem is not intractable. The Prime Minister is in a unique position rarely accorded to people. He stands at a political crossroads: He can open up the system in Singapore and seal his legacy as an enlightened statesman, or he can continue the ugly spectacle of winning elections through undemocratic means.

I can think of two other persons who were in a similar position but who took their countries on very dissimilar paths: Taiwan's Chiang Ching Kuo and Syria's Bashir Al-Assad. Both became their countries' leaders following their fathers' rule: Chiang Kai-shek and Hafez Al-Assad. While the younger Chiang opened the door by instituting political reforms (albeit in a limited manner) for Taiwan to develop into a vibrant democracy that it is today, Bashir Al-Assad continued with his father's dictatorial rule which eventually met with sustained rebellion and reduced his country to rubble.

It is said that politicians think about the next elections, leaders think about the next generation. Will Mr Lee be the leader that Singapore needs?

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[h=2]My favourite poem[/h] 11/8/2015


This poem 'If' by Rudyard Kipling is my favourite, I think the reason is not hard to see. I hope you'll like it too :

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

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[h=2]May it bear fruit this election[/h] 4/8/2015














“He huffed and he puffed, and he blewwww the house down!” I remember reading to my kids the story of the Three Little Pigs when they were young, the same story we all heard when we were little.

But it seems that the fable was not just written for children. For me, at least, it carries a profound lesson that many adults seem to have forgotten: Investing time and effort to build a sound foundation for whatever endeavour we may pursue. In other words, delayed gratification is crucial for change and success.

I've tried to let this life lesson guide my work in the SDP. In 1994, I wrote my first political book, Dare To Change, in which I set out to envision an alternative socio-politico-economic system for Singapore, refining my ideas through the years in subsequent publications. The cornerstone of my thesis was that without political rights, it was difficult, if not altogether impossible, to speak of our economic rights. Looking back at developments in recent years, I think I have been largely right.

There was a time, however, when I was variously accused of being too academic in my approach to politics or of not being “in tune” with the masses by talking about human rights rather than kitchen-table issues.

Again in retrospect, I could hardly have done anything else. I have always believed – and I still do – that without a clear ideological framework around which a party erects its house, we are like the two little pigs who built their huts with sticks and straw.

Having clear ideals and ideas about who we are as a party and what we hope to achieve for our nation is, in my mind, fundamental. Without them, how are the citizens going to know why and what they are voting for? How are the constituents to know whether campaign promises are kept?

Without such a contract, elected officials can act in their own personal interests – and they often do. This is the fastest way to create disillusionment among the people and destroy the good name of democracy.

Track us

If the SDP is going to campaign on accountability in political governance, we can do no less than to be accountable ourselves. And the only way that we can be held accountable is to tell our fellow citizens before an election the issues we will pursue and alternatives we will champion when we are in Parliament.

In other words, we are inviting voters to track our Parliamentary performance, and if we're found wanting, they have good reason show us the exit at the next polls. This is the only way we can make our political system responsive to the wishes of the people.

This is also the reason why in the last few years, my colleagues and I invested much time and effort into drawing up alternative policy papers in key areas that affect our society: housing, health care, population, education, social security, productivity, income inequality, ministerial salaries, discrimination, etc. (please visit the SDP website yoursdp.org to read the papers).

In doing so, however, we have been asked some questions. The first is, how many people actually read such policy papers? To be absolutely honest, very few. But this does not mean that the papers are not important; they provide the substrate without which policy debates cannot take place.

Another question is: are we not afraid that our ideas might be pilfered by the PAP? If the alternatives that we propose are adopted by the PAP and become public policy, the beneficiaries are the people. That cannot be a bad thing, can it? And if the ruling party actually adopts the SDP's ideas – which they have on several occasions (see here) – wouldn't this encourage the people to support a constructive opposition party?

Are we also not opening ourselves to criticism by our opponents if we put our ideas on paper? Maybe. But if an idea is worth the attention of the people, it is worth defending. Of course, it is safer to remain silent because silence attracts no criticism. I am, however, reminded of what someone once said: A ship is safer in the harbour, but that's not what ships are made for.

A reason to vote for the SDP

I take it to be self-evident that Singapore needs a bigger opposition presence in Parliament. I also suspect that Singaporeans want to see a competent and constructive opposition, one that they can be proud of.

When I entered politics nearly 25 years ago, I stood against another new entrant, Mr Teo Chee Hean (who is now Deputy Prime Minister) in the 1992 by-election in the Marine Parade GRC. He said then that the opposition “only knew how to throw stones” and did not provide any constructive ideas.

I must admit that it hit a nerve in me. I said to myself then that however painstaking the process, we had to provide alternative solutions to the problems that we raised. In other words, we had to give Singaporeans a reason to vote for the SDP, not just against the PAP.

Putting in the effort to build a foundation for our party was the best thing we could have done. May it bear fruit this election.

(4 August 2015)

Dr Chee is someone who has struggled and continues to do so. Yet, he has stayed true to his course. That's the mark of a good man. Sure, he's made mistakes, but he's strived to make good.

Let's help Singaporeans look beyond the lies of the PAPzis and its PIMP.

HTOLAS said:

Dr Chee is someone who has struggled and continues to do so. Yet, he has stayed true to his course. That's the mark of a good man. Sure, he's made mistakes, but he's strived to make good.

Let's help Singaporeans look beyond the lies of the PAPzis and its PIMP.

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Agree. CSJ has made mistakes, acknowledged them, and tried very hard to rectify them. It is obvious to anyone who have eyes to see that he's moved the party away from the kind of civil activism that SDP was known for, not because he doesn't approve of civil activism but because in the S'porean context voters prefer political parties to focus on bread-and-butter issues.

Still, once in a while he does remind readers that without freedom and rights to speak up, there's no way we can fight for bread-and-butter issues.

LEGEND said:

Dr Chee is the Best!

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Dr. Chee, as long as you cannot be in total control of your emotion (thereof your mouth) you will always be good but never great. Your best is yet to be, Dr. Chee. Please.

yellowarse said:

Agree. CSJ has made mistakes, acknowledged them, and tried very hard to rectify them. It is obvious to anyone who have eyes to see that he's moved the party away from the kind of civil activism that SDP was known for, not because he doesn't approve of civil activism but because in the S'porean context voters prefer political parties to focus on bread-and-butter issues.

Still, once in a while he does remind readers that without freedom and rights to speak up, there's no way we can fight for bread-and-butter issues.

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I agree with the comment. I did not think much of Chee and SDP but now feel that it is good to have him in Parliament to keep the PAP MPs on their toes.

My good wishes to SDP and Chee in the wards that they are in.!

respect! dr chee's perseverance will see him succeed one day!! all the best dr chee, i will be there to support you at your rally.

I thought that the PAP IB have been accusing him of being a PAP mole?

halo wah si mi lee eh fall guy si boh

As I have mentioned in another thread, Dr Chee Soon Juan stayed true to his convictions despite overwhelming difficulties. A lesser man would've packed up and leave. He and his family could be living a good life abroad, teaching at universities. But he stayed on. He is precious to our opposition cause, and I hope sinkies will learn to see that.

glockman said:

As I have mentioned in another thread, Dr Chee Soon Juan stayed true to his convictions despite overwhelming difficulties. A lesser man would've packed up and leave. He and his family could be living a good life abroad, teaching at universities. But he stayed on. He is precious to our opposition cause, and I hope sinkies will learn to see that.

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totally agree, seemingly, sinkies like to harp on the past issue that he tried to oust chiam out in his early years as politician. but he already paid his due by going thru a hardhsip shitty life man-made by pap.

glockman said:

As I have mentioned in another thread, Mr Chiam See Tong stayed true to his convictions despite overwhelming difficulties. A lesser man would've packed up and leave. He and his family could be living a good life abroad, practising law. But he stayed on. He is precious to our opposition cause, and I hope sinkies will learn to see that.

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halo ah ni gung eh gum boh

krafty said:

totally agree, seemingly, sinkies like to harp on the past issue that he tried to oust chiam out in his early years as politician. he, sdp and chiam all went thru a hardhsip shitty life man-made by pap.

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halo ah ni gung eh gum boh

the main reason why i will vote for opposition:

yes, i admit that pap has done well but the biggest beneficiaries are their first inner circle of cronies.

too many cronies and so called elites being selected to head government agencies. but look at the quality. take for instance, moley auntie at singtel, she wanted to charge her customers for using data on whatsapp. this is small issue and little money but speak volume of her mentality and the greed she possess for her and her own cronies. they pay themselves well and aiming for fatter butt at the expense of ripping the masses off. in the first place, why is she there? either she lack of brain to suggest such an idea or she is really desperate to make more. smrt another one, soldier taken to lead but after so many breakdowns then eventually decide to overhaul, they could have saved many from the various breakdown incidents. that is also telling that they are more concerned about their bottom-line rather than the well being of commuters.

pap may have a history of doing good for s'pore but that does not guarantee in future, all will be well. take for instance some of the departures of pap ministers. they are deemed to contribute and take care of s'poreans. but citing personal reasons, they opt to retreat to spend time with their own families after so many years of being taken care in their progress in life. i feel that they are not trustworthy, it's not as if they are posted to Afghan for mission and separated from their next of kin.

i have great respect for dr chee, he may have committed a silly mistake but smart man do make mistakes in life. moreover, he had already paid his due by going thru the hardships setup by the leeders. it's payback time for the leeders!

you all should see how pap cronies who are being taken care all their life, behave like a big fuck!!! i have first hand experience and i see them as very despicable dogs following their masters like in that story, animal farm. it may be a handful only but it's bad enough. for this, you have to believe me. dr chee is the hard core opposition that no others in s'pore can compare to.

i see my niece wearing spectacles at a young age, she was carrying books around with her even for family outings. she did well in school but i can sense her stress. kids nowadays have to compete hard in school. they learnt that by mugging books will grant them a good future. if you as a parent, do you want your kids to be happy and learning at their own pace or to mug and get stressed out over exams. students are humans not machines to be engineered and developed into so call elites to be recognised by pap only. besides, extra lessons in priavte are deemed a necessity for children nowadays, how many can afford? government want more off springs but these extra tuition and side activities in s'pore dun come cheap, as if our pay cheques are comparable to those in london and new york..

i will add-on whenever i can think about it. thanks to all and hope that you support dr chee and SDP.

brothers and sisters, please pardon my broken english and feel free to add-on.


P.S. i am not affiliated to SDP in any way but i hope sinkies will have more conscious in electing the better one like dr chee, not because of the little gains that they think they can get from voting for pap.

Dr Chee, I hope you get into Parliament this time, with a group of your GRC mates.

SDP will provide the fireworks in Parliament. When you get into Parliament, more academicians and professionals will join SDP.

I believe the fruit is ripe for the picking. I can feel positive energies congregating in opposition forces, especially in SDP. The star that used to hold the PAP galaxy has fallen and they are now in complete disarray.

You have a good brain and a strong heart. You will re-write Singapore history, no doubt.