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Jeyaretnam: Sorry I misquoted PM, it was an honest mistake
By Francis Chan
REFORM party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam apologised last night for misquoting Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong while speaking at a rally on Saturday.
At the time, he told the crowd that Mr Lee had indicated in a letter of condolence that his father, the late J. B. Jeyaretnam, 'had to be destroyed' because he was against the system of government created by the People's Action Party (PAP).
But he told The Straits Times yesterday after his party's rally at West Coast Park that it was an 'honest mistake', he had misquoted Mr Lee, and he apologised.
The elder son of the late opposition leader joined the Reform Party in 2009. His father was well-known for crossing swords with then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in Parliament during the 1980s.
The veteran opposition leader had broken the PAP's stronghold in Parliament by winning the Anson seat in 1981.
But he was subsequently imprisoned, declared a bankrupt and disqualified from contesting in elections.
He founded the Reform Party after he was discharged from bankruptcy in 2007. It has fielded 11 candidates who are contesting in Ang Mo Kio GRC and West Coast GRC this year.
The fledgling party would have been the late Mr Jeyaretnam's ticket in making a comeback to politics, but he would not live to see the party contest in a General Election. He died of heart failure in September 2008, which was when Mr Lee sent the condolence letter to Mr Jeyaretnam and his younger brother, Philip.
On Saturday, Mr Jeyaretnam was recounting to the rally audience at Clementi Stadium how Mr Lee's letter had sparked his desire to enter politics when he committed the gaffe.
Refering to the letter, Mr Jeyaretnam said: 'He was sorry that my father had passed away, but he had tried to destroy the whole PAP system of government, and therefore he had to be destroyed.'
His remarks were rebutted by the Prime Minister yesterday during a media conference at the PAP headquarters to outline the ruling party's election strategy. 'It's totally untrue, he made it up,' said Mr Lee.
Reading from the letter, he said: 'Perhaps it was because (Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam) and the PAP never saw eye to eye on any major political issue and he sought by all means to demolish the PAP and our system of government.
'Unfortunately this helped neither to build a constructive opposition nor our parliamentary tradition.'
Mr Lee, however, did state in the letter that 'one had to respect Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam's dogged tenacity to be active in politics at his age'.
He said yesterday that he did not think his letter 'verifies what Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam said, so I can't understand why he said it'.
By Francis Chan
REFORM party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam apologised last night for misquoting Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong while speaking at a rally on Saturday.
At the time, he told the crowd that Mr Lee had indicated in a letter of condolence that his father, the late J. B. Jeyaretnam, 'had to be destroyed' because he was against the system of government created by the People's Action Party (PAP).
But he told The Straits Times yesterday after his party's rally at West Coast Park that it was an 'honest mistake', he had misquoted Mr Lee, and he apologised.
The elder son of the late opposition leader joined the Reform Party in 2009. His father was well-known for crossing swords with then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in Parliament during the 1980s.
The veteran opposition leader had broken the PAP's stronghold in Parliament by winning the Anson seat in 1981.
But he was subsequently imprisoned, declared a bankrupt and disqualified from contesting in elections.
He founded the Reform Party after he was discharged from bankruptcy in 2007. It has fielded 11 candidates who are contesting in Ang Mo Kio GRC and West Coast GRC this year.
The fledgling party would have been the late Mr Jeyaretnam's ticket in making a comeback to politics, but he would not live to see the party contest in a General Election. He died of heart failure in September 2008, which was when Mr Lee sent the condolence letter to Mr Jeyaretnam and his younger brother, Philip.
On Saturday, Mr Jeyaretnam was recounting to the rally audience at Clementi Stadium how Mr Lee's letter had sparked his desire to enter politics when he committed the gaffe.
Refering to the letter, Mr Jeyaretnam said: 'He was sorry that my father had passed away, but he had tried to destroy the whole PAP system of government, and therefore he had to be destroyed.'
His remarks were rebutted by the Prime Minister yesterday during a media conference at the PAP headquarters to outline the ruling party's election strategy. 'It's totally untrue, he made it up,' said Mr Lee.
Reading from the letter, he said: 'Perhaps it was because (Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam) and the PAP never saw eye to eye on any major political issue and he sought by all means to demolish the PAP and our system of government.
'Unfortunately this helped neither to build a constructive opposition nor our parliamentary tradition.'
Mr Lee, however, did state in the letter that 'one had to respect Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam's dogged tenacity to be active in politics at his age'.
He said yesterday that he did not think his letter 'verifies what Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam said, so I can't understand why he said it'.
