Singabloodypore

Good for Diane Francis in bringing attention to the case of Dr. Chee Soon Juan and his ordeal in trying to bring real democracy to Singapore. The relentless harassment of Dr. Chee by the Singapore government, aided by an accommodating judiciary, is a repeat of what they did to J. B. Jeyaretnam, the former head of the Workers' Party there. Until his recent death, Mr. Jeyaretnam fought to reform Singapore's politics and force the government to let genuine democracy prevail. For the last 25 years of his life the Singapore government took him to court many times, and in the end, forced him into bankruptcy, as they have done to Dr. Chee.

Singapore may have become an economic success, but its political system is, in practice, authoritarian and no doubt will remain so as long as the former prime minster, Lee Kuan Yew, continues to be the eminence grise, especially since his son is now the prime minister.

Singapore has produced some very fine people who work in the public and private sectors, but even today they are virtually all cowed into silence about the need for the country to become a true democracy.

Michael Berry ( former Canadian High Commissioner to Singapore), Qualicum Beach, B. C.

Dear Editor,

Diane Francis's concern for Singapore's most prominent opposition government critic, Dr Chee Soon Juan, is shared by Amnesty International. She is right to condemn the persecution to which Dr Chee is subjected by the Singapore government. This is a courageous man who has been fired from his academic post, imprisoned several times, bankrupted, barred from seeking a parliamentary seat, and confined to Singapore -- unless given permission to leave..

His crime? He presses, through non-violent action, for human rights and democracy. His public actions are directed at the ruling Peoples' Action Party, which has held almost every parliamentary seat for half a century, during which period it has been responsible for lengthy detentions without trial of its critics. Ill-treatment, at times amounting to torture, has been meted out to political and criminal prisoners. And Singapore is believed to have one of the highest per capita rates of execution of any country worldwide, with executions often following trials that fall short of international standards for fairness. In recent years, it has increasingly used the law to penalise the opposition, thus giving the appearance of an acceptable legal process. It has been strongly condemned by prominent law associations such as the International Bar Association and Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Singapore government to stop using defamation suits and restrictive laws to muzzle critics and opposition party members such as Dr Chee and to silence peaceful government critics. The result is a climate of political intimidation and self-censorship within the country. It is a climate that stifles freedom of expression, deters the expression of views other than those of the People's Action Party and dissuades many Singaporeans from exercising their right to take part in public affairs.


Yours sincerely,

Margaret John

Coordinator for Singapore and Malaysia