Reprinted from Robert Amsterdam's latest in the Huffington Post:
The effusive praise President Barack Obama has for former Singaporean Prime Minister and now Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is another gesture that has led many to wonder where the present administration sits on human rights issues. The forthcoming APEC summit in Singapore presents an opportunity for the president to set the record straight.
Asia is vital for the Obama Administration for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the imperative that even perceptions of democracy must be judged against not just American values, but universal values. Amnesty International recently released an open letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling attention to this very topic. In it, the organisation urges him to uphold Canada's reputation as a human rights supporter while attending the APEC summit by addressing ongoing human rights concerns in the island nation. Among these concerns is the case of Dr. Chee Soon Juan, one which President Obama would be well-advised to consider.
Dr. Chee, the oft-jailed leader of the Singapore Democratic Party, has extended an invitation to meet with President Obama and/or his entourage to leaven the president's praise of Singapore's autocracy with an acknowledgement that destroying political opposition should not be acceptable in any culture. Dr. Chee has been incarcerated seven times for attempting to exercise the basic human right to freedom of expression, which includes free speech and assembly, and recently recounted the conditions under which he has been held:
I have been jailed seven times in the past. In jail I spend 23 hours in a cell with a metallic door - no bars. The cell measures 15 feet by 6 feet and is shared with three cellmates (I was in solitary confinement during my first two terms). We have 45 minutes of 'yard time' and another 15 minutes for a shower. If it rains, we have no yard time. Sometimes it rained during yard time a few days in a row and so we spent 24 hours a day in the cell for a few days straight.
In one corner is a latrine, the squatting kind. There is no sink, nor is there a wash area. We brush our teeth over the toilet bowl. Meals are adequate except that on one occasion, I felt ill after taking the food and realised that my food tray was marked. I refused to eat after that and insisted on seeing my wife. They didn't allow me and so I went without food for more than a week. They then transferred me to the hospital when I got too weak and after seeing my wife and getting assurances from them that my tray will not be marked, I resumed eating. That was quite an ordeal.
I spend much of my time running the party and getting projects done: maintaining the website, publishing and selling the party newspaper to raise funds, organising activities, etc. Over the last couple of years, I have spent much time in court for several trials all proceeding simultaneously. At the moment, one has just ended and another one is being immediately brought on by the attorney general. There are five trials running simultaneously and the hearings overlap one another.
If you collapse all the hearing dates, I've spent in total about 7-8 months in court over the last year or so battling these cases. I represent myself in all of them because no lawyer in Singapore dares to represent me
I have three children, aged 5, 7, and 10. They need attention and I make sure that I don't neglect them and their needs.
Apart from this I sell my books to earn income for my family.
A crucial point of these Kafkaesque circumstances is that part of the punishment is being made to sit through endless legal proceedings. With all due respect to the judicial officers, these proceedings concern nothing more than attempting to exercise basic rights allegedly guaranteed under Singapore's constitution.
Dr Chee has also filed for bankruptcy as a result of a series of defamation suits brought against him by government leaders. He was ordered to pay more than a million dollars in total and has lost all his possessions trying to pay this sum. As a result of his being made bankrupt, he is barred from standing elections and banned from traveling out of Singapore. He has been subject to the aforementioned conditions for the following charges:
* Speaking without a permit (3 counts)
* Contempt of court (2 counts)
* Attempting to speak and trespass (of presidential residence)
* Speaking on a religious topic
* Attempting to leave the country without a permit
* Selling books without a licence
No American president should be anything but horrified by the conditions under which Dr. Chee and other loyal opponents of the regime have been harassed.
What mention the president makes, if any, of this critical failing of the Singaporean model should give a very good idea of how much priority the Obama Administration really gives to human rights.
It is an opportunity that should not be wasted.
A waste of time to meet CSJ.
to Lenox.......on the contrary, Obama's meeting up with Dr CSJ is akin to the President meeting with Aung San Su Kii...Both are democratic leaders feared/hated by the autocratic dictators of their respective country.
the only difference between aung san suu kyi and CSJ is that aung san suu syi has won an election while CSJ has won absolutely nuts. and if i was obama i'd much rather meet aung san suu kyi then waste my time meeting a wackjob like CSJ
i plead to all who gives hoot to this debacle to scrutinise the undeniable actions this Chee has done... google it, bing it, baidu一下, he and his wife and his closest few friends are on an unhealthy agenda which fatally excludes the big Singapore picture... Obama has other better things to do, im sure, like saving good American jobs and his worthy healthcare reform.
mike Chan | November 12, 2009 5:39 AM
Think u better do your homework, what are u talking about "both are democratic leaders". How dare u equate Burmese heroine with a clown who had colluded with "angmo' (westerner) to run down a small-city state like Singapore without natural resources. In real repressive country, the clown would have long charge with treason. SHAME ON U.
i'm from singapore.
it's true there is much political repression of freedom. the pap government is really paranoid over protests in any form.
A comical illustration: the government sent in five riot buses with fully geared special police force all because of a small group of "geeks" mounting a "protest" with figurines literally. these geeks were merely "protesting" against unfair trade practises of a monopolistic firm.
Another example, of the true horrific type. A handful of patriots are regularly prosecuted in courts simply because they distribute flyers, walk together (from point A to point B), or speak in public in an effort to reach out to the masses on political issues.
Granted, Singapore has not degenerated to the level of some countries e.g. Myanmar. But we do need to highlight the current situation to the international community lest things get worse here.
Forget about this stupid guy. Don't waste President Obama's precious time. Chee's SDP won four parliamentary seats when Chiam See Tong was the leader. Chee kicked out Chiam. Since then, he has never won a seat. Singaporeans are sick of him.
WARNING TO OUTSIDERS. Don't meddle with Singapore's domestic politics. All Singapore will opposed him if President Obama ever bring up Chee's case. You will lose a very important ally in Asia.
Robert Amsterdam: Please visit Singapore and talk to average Singaporeans in the streets. And you will know what kind of political clown this guys is. If you want to fight, fight for something more worthy. We have very strict laws, for a good reason. You must understand that. Your meddling in our domestic politics is unwelcomed. We resolutely oppose you. We are prepared to ignore any pressure from the US, and we have done that before. Don't think you can bully us into submission.
WE RESOLUTELY OPPOSED OBAMA'S MEDDLING IN OUR DOMESTIC POLITICS. WE OPPOSED SECRETARY REMARKS ABOUT USE OF DEFAMATION LAWS. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT DEFAMATION LAW IS ALSO USED IN TAIWAN, TODAY. TODAY. NOW. NOW.
Chee!!! Bye!!!
Well I'm an average Singapore and I support Dr Chee Soon Juan 100%.
Dr Chee has even taken a photograph with Aung San Syu Kyii - how many politicians in Singapore have that to show their standing in the world?
I have taken a photograph with President Obama and Mao Zedong. We have a marriage of the East and West. We are in the East and we love the West. But if the West chooses to demonise ObaMao, then we will divorce Obama and go back to Mao.
Good work Robert. My two thumbs up for you.
Let the world that Singapore is a modern manifestation of slavery. There is this Chinese saying which says,"Not fully fed but not dying of hunger."
Jobs are plenty but the wages are suppressed by foreign competition from 3rd world countries. Drop in service & quality are ignored because the managers & supervisors are there to pick up the shit caused by the unskilled, untrained but cheap imported labor.
The government promises us & their responsibilities are to create jobs only. Protests to unscrupulous labor laws & low wages are turned to deaf ears. The subject of minimum pay is always brushed aside. The government do not believe in minimum pay but a free labor market where employees go for the lowest offer without consideration of qualities.
Singapore is a virtual wasteland, a fly by night company where the shareholders are waiting to abscond with the money when the time is right.
Robert Amsterdam: Sorry...You must be very disappointed! While human rights are important, the human rights of your Singapore idol Chee Soon Chuan are not important enough for President Obama's precious and limited time. He is inviting the Prime Minister of Singapore to the Global Nuclear Summit 2010 in Washington. You are a clown trying to fight for another clown.
On the contrary Matthew, i doubt "all singapore will opposed (sic) him"
it may be said he has done "undeniable actions" himself, but the list of charges against him are really telling and he is but one of many opposition members in similar circumstances.
If all these are allowed to go on, other countries may begin following, equating singapore's progress with oppression of her people, which, is truly not so.
Understand that all our prosperity can never be truly enjoyed without freedom.
I hope you read this Robert Amsterdam, thank you for bringing our situation to light and telling the world just how bad our political freedoms remain, economic powerhouse though we may be.
"one of many opposition members in similar circumstances."
You are exaggerating too much. Most of the cases that brought down the politicians were defamation cases, and those mostly happened in 1980s. The first case I knew of was in the 1970s when I was a schoolboy and I witnessed it myself because I was at the political rally. And since then, even as a boy, I knew what kind of public speeches would lead to one being charged for defamation. In our society, this kind of allegation is rampant and we still see it all over the internet. And whenever these people were called to answer in court, they could not provide any evidence to back their case. I want to remind you that our opposition leader Chiam See Tong himself in the 1980s threaten to sue two PAP ministers for defamation, and he successfully won out-of-court settlements and apologies. Defamation law is something that everyone in Singapore knows. Yet they are always people who like to take a chance. In the case of Chee Soon Juan, he knew the laws and he purposely violated many laws so as to establish a name for himself. We all knew that we have restrictive laws, and we consistently voted the PAP into power, because we collectively are willing to live with the laws. There are never absolute freedoms in any society. Every law of every nation serves the purpose restricting "freedoms" and "human rights". You don't even have the freedom to freely spend your money because you pay all kinds of taxes that take away some of your financial freedoms. We have always voted for PAP because we are willing to pay what I call "freedoms tax". This is the collective choice of our people, and this is democracy whereby the minority should submit to the will of the majority.
But Chee Soon Juan is promoting and glorying "civil disobedience" as a political tactic. Let me tell you, if SDP takes power, SDP will know WHAT IS REAL CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. Who is to say that PAP should not call for a BIG NATION-WIDE PROTEST, and PETITION THE SUPREME GENERAL LEE TO ORDER THE ARMED FORCES TO TAKE OVER SINGAPORE? When that day comes, I will be happy to voluteer my service to the army TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF SDP MEMBERS WHO WILL BE UNDER HOUSE ARREST FOR FOR LIFE.
This is something for you guys in SDP need to think hard and think deep about "civil disobedience".
THIS IS REAL CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.
And SDP is indirectly promoting and glorying it.
Chee Soon Juan:
I can see that this same news release has been sent to many news outlets. You are certainly asking for troubles again. I want to warn you that in our country the PAP has very strong following and among our people there are many who are strong political conservatives whose views are aligned to the PAP. If an article in the mainstream media is out-of-line, it is the people of Singapore who would demand that the PAP government do something about it. Your association with a hostile foreign organisation and your effort to smear the reputation of Singapore and the elected Government will cost you and your SDP Party dearly politically at the next Election. And it may even lead to calls upon the Government by the conservative wing to enact strong laws to prevent such things from ever happening again. You may be actually courting a strong backlash against the liberalism that you so earnestly hoped for. Singapore is liberalising, and has been liberalising continually and progressively over the decades, and you don't have the patience to wait. You may be courting a backlash like the backlash that happened recently to "gays rights" activism. You may cause society to fall backwards, like what happened to the democracy movement in China after the Tiananmen Incident of 1989. You have better start praying, and pray hard, that things won't move in the direction that you would regret.
SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO THE “WHITE PAPER ON THE REPRESSION OF POLITICAL FREEDOM IN SINGAPORE” BY CANANDIAN LAW FIRM
http://www.news.gov.sg/public/sgpc/en/media_releases/agencies/pmo/press_release/P-20091111-1
I think that you will find the main difference here, Matthew Tan and other PAP operatives who have been spamming the blog (yes, it's all from the same pool of ISP addresses), is that we are perfectly willing to publish the opinions of the other side. None of your attacks, however, have addressed the motivation, purpose, or legitimacy of the arbitrary and unfair treatment of Chee Soon Juan, regardless of what one may think of his politics.
Thank you for letting us all know that its the same PAP operatives using the same ISP addresses to spam this blog with negative comments to discredit Dr Chee Soon Juan and the SDP.
They want to create the false impression that locals do not support Dr Chee, but as a Singaporean whose whole family supports him and his cause, I will state that I'm proud that a man like him is still finds the strength to carry on in this place.
To my fellow Singaporeans reading this, please visit the SDP website to find out the truth for yourselves: http://www.yoursdp.org
How foolish! All postings from Singapore come from the same pool IP addresses, including those from SDP operatives. And these are all relevant to the topic under discussion. How dare you call these "spams". You need some internet education on spams.
Recommended book, first chapter on Singapore.
http://yoursdp.org/index.php/perspective/booksreviews/2996-freedom-for-sale-2009
http://www.transitioning.org/2009/12/11/not-for-sale-st-11-dec/
James:
"None of your attacks, however, have addressed the motivation, purpose, or legitimacy of the arbitrary and unfair treatment of Chee Soon Juan, regardless of what one may think of his politics."
I missed this part of yours.
Motivation = sorry. Who knows what is his real motivation? I am not God.
Purpose = I am not God.
Legitimacy = All authority comes from God, according to the Bible. Romans 13.
Arbitrary and Unfair = You think you are God?
None of the charges brought against Chee is "arbitrary". Our laws are very clear.
* Speaking without a permit (3 counts)
* Contempt of court (2 counts)
* Attempting to speak and trespass (of presidential residence)
* Speaking on a religious topic
* Attempting to leave the country without a permit
* Selling books without a licence
You are welcomed to fight for Chee in our courts of law - as lawyers - for any of the above cases.
But if you want to come over here as a politician and freedoms fighter, you are not welcomed.
Fair or unfair is not for layman like to judge.
You guys believe in "liberal democracy". We believe in democracy without liberalism. We believe liberal democracy is not for every nation, and every nation has the right to choose its own political system, and enacts its own laws including freedoms-restricting laws.
Read the book FREEDOM FOR SALE mentioned on YourSDP website.
http://yoursdp.org/index.php/perspective/booksreviews/2996-freedom-for-sale-2009
The first chapter is on Singapore. They call this the Singapore Model.
Freedom For Sale? Obviously everybody sells away their freedoms because everybody sells their daily time as workers. We value wealth and security and public order more than "freedoms".
You really think "freedoms" are priceless? We are not interested!
http://sgblogs.com/entry/sale/371607
You may want to read this BOOK REVIEW which was published in The Straits Times, our newspaper, yesterday. It will give you a flavour of what many of our intellectuals and elite think. It is about one full newspaper page long.
The following is from the first few paras:
[
Penning an entry for the Guardian’s website titled The New Authoritarianism, the political writer had asked: Why are a growing number of people, well-travelled and well-educated, willing to hand over their freedoms in return for prosperity and security?
The model for such a ‘pact’, he argued, is Singapore. Whether intentional or not, it is being exported to the world, he said.
Nascent global powers like China and Russia have been learning to replicate the model, he wrote, proving that ‘free markets do not require a free society in which to thrive’.
This is how he described the pact: Citizens do not agitate for public liberties like freedom of speech and a free press which are denied by the authorities. In return, the individual is allowed to create wealth and consume as conspicuously as he chooses.
Back came a salvo from the Singapore Government. ‘Some in the West like John Kampfner feel a calling to go forth and convert the heathen to Western liberal democracy.
‘But the true test is what works in the real world, with real societies,’ charged Singapore’s High Commissioner to Britain Michael Teo in a reply published on the Guardian’s website two weeks later.
]
When you come to Singapore to fight for Chee in our courts, please come as lawyers, or academic researchers if you wish. But if you come here to organise a political in our streets, speak on religions without a permit, I will report you to the police.