Whither Chee Soon Juan?

[kakowi]

Well, Chee Soon Juan had been sued by the PAP leaders once again.

Wonder when will it end?

The question now is where will Chee Soon Juan go from here?

That question is best answered by himself. Nonetheless these are some considerations he might like to see if there are any relevance:

As a human being, as a politician, as a family man, Chee Soon Juan has responsibilities:

(1) To his ownself, his wife, his children

All of us crave a happy life. We want our lives to be fulfilling. Thus whilst we had seen MM LKY in his younger days fighting for his cause, we had also seen photos of him and his family - rich, contented, happy. Is it not therefore an ideal condition of a politician to be alive for his ideals and at the same time to be rewarded for it.

Consider and contrast Low Thia Kiang and JB Jeyaretnam. An MP income is around $200,000 per annum (? - heard it ranges from $15K to $20K per month - please correct if wrong) in income. This means that for each term of successful election, LTK gets $1M. JBJ, on the other hand, insisted on his ideals, and end up with losing his assets, losing his earning capacity as a lawyer and in the end, unfulfilled dreams.

CSJ is a family man. He has a growing daughter. He will want to provide for his daughter, to give his daughter the capacity of an overseas education, good food and luxuries. How can he do that as a bankrupt? Moreover is it right to submit his family for a cause that is born out of his ideals?

Even worse, such ideals are not shared by the majority of voters. To say that it will be vindicated is to live in the future. And as JBJ’s case shows, the future is not always what is wanted. It is far better to live as LTK does now, in the present.

To conclude this first point, his bankruptcy, his antagonism of the PAP leaders carry burdens that he alone carry, burdens that impact his family, burdens that the people of singapore could not care less about.

Is it not time to think this through?

(2) To his party

A leader always care about his people.

Those who follow him must be happy.

A leader leads his people to fulfillment.

By advocating civil disobedience and provocative speech, will this not lead to problems for those who trusted and followed him?

A picture of CSJ was shown after the judge’s ruling. In the picture, CSJ looked distraught and very tense. Who will not be, in his shoes?

The question here is ‘is it neccessary to do things this way?’

Let us consider if there is another way.

(a) Take a position that is the same as that of the PAP, making SDP indistinguishable from the PAP. The only difference is that the SDP is a true blue opposition and under the law, is able to make a difference in the lives of singaporeans by making the PAP accountable for detailed explanations on their policies

(b) SDP work within the legal framework and thus, with CSJ’s charisma attract the moderate voters with his intellectual capabilities as a previous NUS lecturer, a doctorate holder

(c) In the meantime, hold visibility in the public’s mind by going to speaker’s corner and talk about where to find the best food in singapore. This week talk about the best rojak store. Next week the best mee siam. The week thereafter the best roti prata. In this way, it will be very safe for CSJ and SDP

(d) Explain to the public that you have to be very cautious with your words. However if they were to tell you their concerns, you will listen intently and do your best to do something for them.

(e) hold a public donation drive to ask the public to donate to pay off the legal suits. Tell the public that you will no longer do this this way, so contentiously. Now you will work on a consultative manner with the public, understand their needs and represent their needs to the government. It may not bear fruit now but it is certainly better than no opposition at all. It is the voters’ choice if they want viable opposition. Either way, the voters will get the future of their choice. Or non-choice.

(3) To the voters

Voters want a good life.

There is a cost to voting in an opposition candidate.

The question is why should a particular voter wants his constituency to pay the cost so that voters from other constituencies will benefit?

You need to make it easy for the voters to make such a choice.

And you can only do so if the voters feel you can be trusted.

Without the voters, you cannot even gain entry into Parliament and will always be marginalized.


So, which road will Chee Soon Juan travel?

Voters need viable choices.

It is hope that he will travel the high road.

To his benefit and the voters’ benefit.

 

[cleareyes]

you have said alot here, but would people listen, or just dismiss u as someone trying to make the oppsotion look bad?

 

[kakowi]

I hope it can be taken in the spirit in which it was given.

Consider what will happen if CSJ find that the post is meaningful. He will embark on a journey that affirms his family life, his political ideals, the loyalty of his supporters. And in time to come, his creditability with the voters.

And what do i gain? As I think about it, nothing really.

Oh, I just realize i did not answer directly to your question. Well if people want to dismiss me or my post as something that discredits the opposition, they are welcome to do so. I will not try to change their mind.

 

[myjohnson]

(a) Take a position that is the same as that of the PAP, making SDP indistinguishable from the PAP. The only difference is that the SDP is a true blue opposition and under the law, is able to make a difference in the lives of singaporeans by making the PAP accountable for detailed explanations on their policies

(b) SDP work within the legal framework and thus, with CSJ’s charisma attract the moderate voters with his intellectual capabilities as a previous NUS lecturer, a doctorate holder

(c) In the meantime, hold visibility in the public’s mind by going to speaker’s corner and talk about where to find the best food in singapore. This week talk about the best rojak store. Next week the best mee siam. The week thereafter the best roti prata. In this way, it will be very safe for CSJ and SDP

(d) Explain to the public that you have to be very cautious with your words. However if they were to tell you their concerns, you will listen intently and do your best to do something for them.

(e) hold a public donation drive to ask the public to donate to pay off the legal suits. Tell the public that you will no longer do this this way, so contentiously. Now you will work on a consultative manner with the public, understand their needs and represent their needs to the government. It may not bear fruit now but it is certainly better than no opposition at all. It is the voters’ choice if they want viable opposition. Either way, the voters will get the future of their choice

Dr.Chee had long crossed the Rubicon. You believe in the possibility of turning back and starting all over again? It wasn't yesterday that his public persona had so been imprinted in the people's minds. I'm not dismissing your ideas. But who can guarantee that a makeover will work? And if it don't?

And I can't help but to say that if you had been the political adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King, African Americans would still be giving up seats to whites on buses and not being allowed to eat in all 'Whites Only' restaurants.

 

[kakowi]

(1) I believe it takes greater courage to make a U-turn

(2) I do not position myself as a political adviser. If I do have such capabilities in the first place, the PAP would have recognize that already. Instead they have kept me waiting :p

 

[friskygambit]

Dr Chee has been saying for a long time that he does not believe in the electoral system, and that he does not think it is possible the opposition to achieve true democracy under this heavily imbalanced electoral system. Instead, civil disobedience is the only way to achieve true reform.

He does have a point. Already certain concessions have been made by the PAP. Singaporeans are now allowed to demonstrate at Hong Lim Park. With more pressure from the opposition activists, the PAP will have no choice but to make concessions. The PAP will not admit that they are making concessions because of the SDP / Opposition but the fact is they are doing so. If they do not do so, they will lose votes, because the SDP's campaign is making inroads into the heartlands (e.g. Tak Boleh Tahan).

Therefore it does not matter do them whether they are bankrupt or not, whether they are allowed to stand for elections or not, etc. It does not even matter if the SDP is wound up eventually, because the purpose of having a party as a vehicle is to stand for elections. If their intention is not to stand for elections, then they do not need a party as a vehicle, they can simply be an informal group of activists. This could be the reason why Chia Ti Lik, M Ravi, Uncle Yap etc chose not to join the SDP officially.

My only concern is that the SDP has achieved brand recognition over the years. If the SDP were to be wound up, would they be able to create a new vehicle or group (that isn't a political party) capable of achieving the same brand awareness as the SDP?

 

[leetahbar]

Dr Chee has been saying for a long time that he does not believe in the electoral system, and that he does not think it is possible the opposition to achieve true democracy under this heavily imbalanced electoral system. Instead, civil disobedience is the only way to achieve true reform.

He does have a point. Already certain concessions have been made by the PAP. Singaporeans are now allowed to demonstrate at Hong Lim Park. With more pressure from the opposition activists, the PAP will have no choice but to make concessions. The PAP will not admit that they are making concessions because of the SDP / Opposition but the fact is they are doing so. If they do not do so, they will lose votes, because the SDP's campaign is making inroads into the heartlands (e.g. Tak Boleh Tahan).

Therefore it does not matter do them whether they are bankrupt or not, whether they are allowed to stand for elections or not, etc. It does not even matter if the SDP is wound up eventually, because the purpose of having a party as a vehicle is to stand for elections. If their intention is not to stand for elections, then they do not need a party as a vehicle, they can simply be an informal group of activists. This could be the reason why Chia Ti Lik, M Ravi, Uncle Yap etc chose not to join the SDP officially.

My only concern is that the SDP has achieved brand recognition over the years. If the SDP were to be wound up, would they be able to create a new vehicle or group (that isn't a political party) capable of achieving the same brand awareness as the SDP?

why in the first place did chee want to usurp SDP from chiam if winding up the party is his eventual motive?

has he all along abused his authority as the leader of sdp for his own personal vendetta and misled many followers?

 

[friskygambit]

Obviously he did not have the motive of deliberately wanting to winding up the party.

Initially he tried to take part in elections and basically participate in the PAP's system of politics but later on he realised that the PAP simply kept changing the rules of the game to suit themselves. As long as the PAP has the power to change the rules of the game as they please, there is no way to win the game, and hence no point in playing it.

It's like taking part in a soccer match against a team that has the power to change the rules at any time. At the start of the match, you are just slightly disadvantaged, having to play with wider goalposts. Then later, you are not allowed to wear boots. Later yet, your opponents are allowed to perform studs-up, bone-breaking tackles, and are also allowed to tug at your shirts. However, if you so much as try to tackle an opponent, you will immediately get a red card even if the tackle is fair. And that's not all.. they are still able to change even more rules in future if they want to do so.

Do you see the point in playing in such a game?

 

[guavatree]

why in the first place did chee want to usurp SDP from chiam if winding up the party is his eventual motive?has he all along abused his authority as the leader of sdp for his own personal vendetta and misled many followers?

PAP running dog diabetic ugly fat slob chao ah kwa with kidney disease here for the defense of your PAP masters ..... LOL

how much your PAP dogs pay you for each post?

LOL

 

[leetahbar]

Obviously he did not have the motive of deliberately wanting to winding up the party.

Initially he tried to take part in elections and basically participate in the PAP's system of politics but later on he realised that the PAP simply kept changing the rules of the game to suit themselves. As long as the PAP has the power to change the rules of the game as they please, there is no way to win the game, and hence no point in playing it.

It's like taking part in a soccer match against a team that has the power to change the rules at any time. At the start of the match, you are just slightly disadvantaged, having to play with wider goalposts. Then later, you are not allowed to wear boots. Later yet, your opponents are allowed to perform studs-up, bone-breaking tackles, and are also allowed to tug at your shirts. However, if you so much as try to tackle an opponent, you will immediately get a red card even if the tackle is fair. And that's not all.. they are still able to change even more rules in future if they want to do so.

Do you see the point in playing in such a game?

if it's a HONEST sporting game, everything would be just fine. if it's not, then the players should make accomodation to adapt to their rules of game.

there are many ways to skin a wily fox, a snake or whatever.

 

[leetahbar]

when the condition is not right or to our disadvantage, then ADAPT and change our own mindset.

if blaming others or whatever could improve our chance of winning, then continue whinning and lamenting over it. :p

 

[jw5]

I hope it can be taken in the spirit in which it was given.

Consider what will happen if CSJ find that the post is meaningful. He will embark on a journey that affirms his family life, his political ideals, the loyalty of his supporters. And in time to come, his creditability with the voters.

And what do i gain? As I think about it, nothing really.

Oh, I just realize i did not answer directly to your question. Well if people want to dismiss me or my post as something that discredits the opposition, they are welcome to do so. I will not try to change their mind.

He has a role to play in the development of SG.
Perhaps it's not the role that he originally envisioned, but he can continue to be the dissident activist.
It's up to others to play the opposition parliamentarian role. But do these people exist?

 

[jw5]

Obviously he did not have the motive of deliberately wanting to winding up the party.

Initially he tried to take part in elections and basically participate in the PAP's system of politics but later on he realised that the PAP simply kept changing the rules of the game to suit themselves. As long as the PAP has the power to change the rules of the game as they please, there is no way to win the game, and hence no point in playing it.

It's like taking part in a soccer match against a team that has the power to change the rules at any time. At the start of the match, you are just slightly disadvantaged, having to play with wider goalposts. Then later, you are not allowed to wear boots. Later yet, your opponents are allowed to perform studs-up, bone-breaking tackles, and are also allowed to tug at your shirts. However, if you so much as try to tackle an opponent, you will immediately get a red card even if the tackle is fair. And that's not all.. they are still able to change even more rules in future if they want to do so.

Do you see the point in playing in such a game?

It's damn bloody difficult to play, but it doesn't mean that we stop playing.
Perhaps we love the game, perhaps it's the only game going on, perhaps it's the only field available, perhaps we are just too stubborn to stop.
There will be some who continue to play and get all bloodied and feel it's damn unfair.
Another way is to scour around for the best and most skilful players and get them to play for you. But do such players exist?

 

[methink]

Do you see the point in playing in such a game?

Why take part in a game when you can't win? The PAP has fixed the game for the opposition, good and proper.

The alternative is to expose the game by civil disobedience. Show the world what a crooked system we have in Sg. Shame the PAP.

 

[kakowi]

A point was made that there is room for people who wish to play the game outside of the system.

My point is not that you should not play in such manner.

My point is have you considered the cost of playing in such manner?

Bankruptcy means living hand to mouth. It means not being able to buy a kidney when needed.

There are other ways of playing the game. As Leetabar said, there are many ways to skin a wily fox. I would put it as it takes a fox to outwit another fox. Will a fox play in such a manner?
​

A point was raised by Friskygambit that the elections are unfair and thus the game cannot be won by playing to the rules because the PAP changes the rules to suit them.

(1) If one considers the consequences (not the rationale for) of the GRC, one can argue that it creates a barrier to winning for the opposition, as opposed to say single ward seats.


(2) But the point here is that it is not the PAP but the voters who decide who gets into Parliament.

Voters have their own self-interest. Limited knowledge of the election process. General apathy to anything beyond their wallet.

Have the opposition parties concertedly move in tandem to show the voters what they can do for them?

So unless and until the opposition parties as a whole, move in and show the voters:

(a) the value of their birthrights,

(b) the value of a 1/3 majority by a true blue opposition party in Parliament

you cannot say that the game is over;

the game is still in play.
​

(3) Conclusion:

If the SDP is dissolved and CSJ reduced to the ranks of the rabble-rouser, that leaves WP (as the other major player). Can the WP take on such a role with the passion that the SDP can?
​

(4) Implication:

As such, the pivotal point will be the 8 days of campaigning full of repressed sound and fury, followed by 4 years of complaints by voters of rising costs, etc, etc.

Pattern repeated ad infinitum.
​

(5) How about?

No one has yet to tell the voters - this is what you asked for, this is what you get. "Your choice, your consequence. Today it seems to be - you die, your problem, you got money, my problem. Do you want a different future?".

The voters thought this is the opposition parties' responsibility. "Oh we have lousy opposition!" "If only there is good opposition, I will be sure to vote for them"

No one has seen it fit to tell the voters that rising costs, losses in investments, low quality opposition are due to their votes. It is thus their responsibility.

Not the opposition, not the PAP, not their fate. But their exercise of their precious votes.

Now if the SDP through the articulate CSJ put this point across to the voters and give the voters hope that with a 1/3 majority in Parliament they may make a difference, will there be a better chance of entry into Parliament?
​

If there is, why not try it and make a difference for themselves and the lives of singaporeans.

If there isn't, no point to remain in opposition politics right?
​

 

[myjohnson]

Let's not for a moment deceive ourselves into thinking that the fury expressed by netizens is an accurate reflection of sentiments felt by the general public. Until when a point is reached whereby they need to skip a meal to make ends meet, I don't see the PAP losing any sleep. Not when they had just succeeded in delivering the final death blows to their most unrelenting enemy. And looking further, among the so called players in the opposition, you have one who proudly proclaimed his support for a member of the ruling party. And another who engages in petty exchanges on internet forums. The rest are of your typical five year bloom cycle opportunists. With WP sitting comfortably where they are, not showing any signs of bigger ambitions, CST not looking too good in the heath department, where are the signs of a new era that had been so enthusiastically prophesied by some? I'm not too hopeful. But the need to continue to express our opinions must not cease because if the government can implement unpopular policies despite the groundswell of opinions against them, think what they'll do if we were to be silent or silenced.

 

[kakowi]

The systematic decimation of Dr Chee and his party SDP will lead to a great loss for the voters. And based on current trends, a vacuum not replaceable by the other parties.

On the other hand, the continued path of Dr Chee will only lead to greater problems for himself and his party.

There has to be a better path for Dr Chee. A path where the nature of the contribution may differ but the value of the contribution remains the same.

Whatever the decision he takes, i wish him well.

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Kawoki

The present MP's allowance is 13,000 SGD a month plus an allowance for a legislative assistant. A certain percentage is taken away by the party as a tax to fund party political activities, this is across the board from the PAP to the DAP and is in the constitution of many opposition parties in Singapore. I believe that the allowance is not tax free so do note that the amount quoted is not net of personal; taxation. Mr Low does not stay in a Bungalow of the sort represented by Ministers and some PAP MPs. I have been to this place and would see it as a semi de.

I believe that the road of the SDP is clear. He has given up entirely on the parliamentary route and intends to embarass and harass the PAP domestically and internationally through non violent means and court actions till the PAP crumbles under both internal and external pressure. I have my doubts as to the viability of this road but it is the road that the SDP has chosen. His belief is that his actions have forced the PAP to relent and I believe there is some justification for this view. However whether this pressure leads to major change or some minor adjustments is still to be seen. I for one expect the next batch of Tak Boleh Tahan protestors to have the book and kitchen sink thrown at them because they now have a "legal but limited" means of protest.



Locke

 

[one2unite]

You need to make it easy for the voters to make such a choice.

And you can only do so if the voters feel you can be trusted.

Without the voters, you cannot even gain entry into Parliament and will always be marginalized.


So, which road will Chee Soon Juan travel?

Voters need viable choices.

It is hope that he will travel the high road.

To his benefit and the voters’ benefit.

I'm almost 50 and never voted in any general election. What's worse is in the last three elections, I've been moved to three different constituencies though I stay in the same flat.

This is uniquely PAP style of providing "voters" the needed "viable choices"!

 

[zack123]

I'm almost 50 and never voted in any general election. What's worse is in the last three elections, I've been moved to three different constituencies though I stay in the same flat.

This is uniquely PAP style of providing "voters" the needed "viable choices"!

Given the choice, would you in your dying years vote for the opposition party who are made of unknowns so that your children will have to suffer if they fail to deliver?