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DemocracyAlertsFrom time to time, the World Movement for Democracy issues alerts concerning participants and other colleagues who are, or may be, facing personal danger due to their work on behalf of democracy and for whom a vigorous response from around the world may be critical. To see previous alerts go to www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/democracyAlerts.html. World Movement Steering Committee Issues Statement on Charges Leveled against Dr. Chee Soon Juan of Singapore On October 17, the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy issued a statement condemning charges recently filed against Singaporean democracy activist Dr. Chee Soon Juan. On October 9, Dr. Chee, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party, was charged with attempting to leave Singapore in April 2006 to attend the World Movement's Fourth Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey (please see the message Dr. Chee sent to the Assembly below). The Steering Committee has issued the following statement, which it is distributing widely and will share with the Government of Singapore: *********************************************************************** Statement of Steering Committee,
World Movement for Democracy, On Charges Leveled against Chee Soon Juan of Singapore October 17, 2006 The Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy, a global network of democracy activists, practitioners, scholars, and policy makers engaged in the promotion of democracy worldwide, condemns the recent actions taken against World Movement participant Dr. Chee Soon Juan by the Government of Singapore for attempting to leave the country without official permission. The Committee takes particular note of the fact that the alleged "offense" relates to Dr. Chee's efforts to attend the World Movement's Fourth Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey, in April 2006. A nonviolent but outspoken critic of Singapore's Government and Secretary-General of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, Dr. Chee was forced to forfeit his passport as he was boarding a plane to attend the Istanbul Assembly. If convicted of the charge, he faces a possible two years in jail and a fine of up to US$6,300. The Singapore Government also recently charged Dr. Chee with speaking in public without a permit during a pro-democracy demonstration he attended with other activists in Singapore during the meetings there of the World Bank and IMF. A trial date on that charge has been set for October 25. These actions and charges give the appearance of orchestrated efforts to restrain Dr. Chee in his efforts to advance democracy in Singapore. In the circumstances, the Steering Committee calls upon the Singapore Government to drop all charges against him, to return his confiscated passport, to restore his right to travel freely abroad, and to permit him to exercise his democratic rights both within and outside the country of Singapore. *********************************************************************** The following is the statement Dr. Chee sent to the Fourth Assembly in Istanbul after Singaporean officials stopped him from leaving the country to attend: Statement of Dr. Chee Soon Juan to Fourth Assembly, World Movement for Democracy
April 2, 2006 Dear colleagues and fellow defenders of democracy, I wish I could be there at the Fourth World Movement for Democracy Assembly to join you to continue the important work of expanding democracy and human rights in the world. This exciting event has been, and will continue to be, an occasion when we all come to re-charge our batteries and take home with us new ideas and alliances with which to continue our common struggle for democracy. Unfortunately, I was prevented from leaving Singapore when I arrived at the airport to fly to Istanbul. Immigration officials seized my passport, effectively placing me under city arrest. The only way that I can get back my passport and be allowed to travel again is to agree to pay Singapore's two former prime ministers, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, US$300,000 that was awarded to them by the corrupt judiciary in a defamation suit. I was just imprisoned for eight days the week before for criticizing the judiciary for not being independent of the executive. Because I am unable to pay Lee and Goh the money, I have been declared bankrupt. In 1993, I already paid US$300,000 in another defamation suit. At that time I was sued for saying that my sacking from the university where I was then teaching was politically motivated. I had joined the opposition just three months before my dismissal. My wife and I had to sell our house, car and other possessions to make good the payment. In the present circumstances, I have indicated to the authorities that I have nothing left to pay to the two former prime ministers, who are, by the way, multi-millionaires from the lavish salaries they pay themselves as cabinet ministers. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew's son, is paid more than the U.S. president, British prime minister, German chancellor, French president, and the Italian prime minister combined! The little income that I make from selling my books goes towards supporting my family. It doesn't make sense for me to deprive my children of their needs in order to pay Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong money that they obviously do not need. The authorities are using my inability to pay Lee and Goh as an excuse to ban me from traveling and attending conferences like this one. This is a violation of my human rights. In addition, as long as I am bankrupt I am disqualified from standing for elections or helping my party colleagues in election campaigning. Under the law my bankruptcy could last indefinitely. We are expecting a general election in Singapore sometime over the next two months. Already the vote-buying and intimidation is underway. The ruling party is giving out as much as US$1,000 of public money to voters in the guise of bonuses. It is also intimidating voters by saying that if its candidates are not elected, their housing estates will not receive public funds for the upgrading and building of public amenities. These are the corrupt and undemocratic ways the Singapore government adopts to ensure its hold on power. It is my hope that the world community of democratic forces assembled in Istanbul will pay more attention to the dismal state of political affairs and violation of human rights in Singapore. But despite all the difficulties that we face, I remain hopeful that freedom and democracy will come to our shores just as they have for many of yours. This is because as democrats, our spirit will never allow us to go on bended knees before despots. Our consciences ache when we see injustice meted out to our peoples, and we cannot, and will not, look the other way when our human rights are torn apart. To those of you who are also struggling to bring freedom to your countries, I stand in solidarity, comforted by the knowledge that our unity will bring us even greater strength to endure the blood, sweat and tears we shed for democracy. To this end, I remain Yours abidingly, Chee Soon Juan Secretary-General Singapore Democratic Party and Chairman Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia ********************************************************************** To learn more about this story, go to: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/10/asia/AS_GEN_Singapore_Opposition.php To see past alerts on this case from the World Movement for Democracy, go to: http://www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/mar1506.html |
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