Tag: Chee Soon Juan

Damanhuri Abas: Be Those Who Champion For The Weak And Oppressed

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.

Neo-Khawarij… an Islamic historical reality undead and simmering. A chronic parasite unleashed by the invasion of Iraq. Less we forget, an invasion that opened the pandora box and killed thousands of Iraqi citizens on a lie to stop Sadam’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction.

In truth the invasion and the war on terror are crafty invocation of a perpetual threat designed to allow for a methodical and systematic destruction of the Islamic middle east for the black gold it has.

A massive energy grab now fully underway with a full checklist after Iraq; Libya, Yemen, Syria, and eventually the Gulf States, Iran and Saudi Arabia. All scripted by the new great game for the middle east that began in the modern era.

Collateral damages are small prices to pay in Iraqi, Palestinian, Libyan, Yemeni, Syrian, Iranian, Saudi, and the occasional western blood to sustained the self-serving blood-lust imagery. The compliant media will continue spewing the scripted deception and exhaust the Islamic blame-game. Focusing on symptoms but never the cure for the disease.

Isis or more accurately known as Daesh is good currency for now, the latest priceless premium brand that encapsulate the ultimate fear invoking terror bogeyman, ever-ready to brutally kill under self-proclaimed divine order texted and received from their social media savvy gods on Instagram, Facebook and Tweeter to the tune of their pay-master.

The Afghan Mujahideen, the Taliban, Sadam, Daesh aka Isis and their lookalikes or wannabes world over are mere black pieces, while the Bushes, the Blairs and their present heirs are the white pieces in the grand chessboard of the neo-colonial project for full economic control of world resources that began in the modern era.

The endgame has only begun for full spectrum dominance and control of energy and world economy by the powerfully rich, the same group that brought millions of death upon death in the 2 world wars not too long ago. The same preachers with blood still dripping from their hands and now owners of nuclear weapons that can destroy the world many times over, are preaching their lies and fooling mankind again.

Humanity is now ever polarized and poised to pit themselves against each other to their total and ultimate destruction. An ordained everlasting cycle of battles between the good that wishes to care, partake and share equally from God’s earth, loosing to an evil wanting to wrest and hoard the temporary riches from the Maker of the world only for themselves and Satan, their vindictive Master. A narrative scripted since times of old found in all books of ancient wisdom, sadly much lost in contemporary translation by the mainstream media through misleading labels and superficial journalism.

Patient is a virtue in this time of spell-binding deception. Institutionalized religion has all but abandoned the Prophetic driven project of action for mankind and sadly outsourced their relevance to melodious rhythms for self delectable pleasure sold for mere pittance. A leader to exit mankind from their impending doom must be at hand. The Word of God will return to fulfill and complete his Divinely disrupted mission. A missing earthly piece to be Divinely returned seeking justice and championing the oppressed on earth.

The Messiah will unite mankind in a new peace to reign again on earth albeit for a moment before another cycle repeats itself and will end with the final destruction. The book mentioned of our beautiful earth to one day mirror the parched desolation of Mars. A testimony of abandoned past Divine theaters with the show long ago ended. The scripts were Divinely written and the inks are all exhausted. The actors and audiences are judged and resides forever justly in their deserved eternal abode. A lesson for mankind today that seemed long forgotten.

God is the Greatest. I am a mortal witness. Let me be among those who will walk in life in the ranks of the champions for the weak, the powerless, the oppressed and the down-trodden. May God have mercy on us all.

End Ramadan Self-Reflection
30 Ramadan 1437H

Source: Damanhuri Bin Abas

July 5, 2016
Chee Soon Juan – The Chiam Issue: Why This, Why Now?
Below are some frequently asked questions about Mr Chiam See Tong’s departure from the SDP and why we are raising the issue now. I answer them here:

Why rehash the past over the split with Chiam See Tong? Aren’t there more important issues to discuss?

Many of you are sick of this matter and you don’t want to hear any more of it. I agree. There is nothing that I would love more than to leave this episode behind and get on with the issues that really matter to our nation. This is exactly what we did during the general elections (GE) in 2015 and again at the by-election (BE) in Bukit Batok – campaigning on the issues that voters care about.

It is the PAP that keeps dredging up the issue to attack me and the SDP. Take a look at the following:
- Mr Chan Chun Sing: “Dr Chee then proceeded to betray Mr Chiam, isolate him and force him out of the SDP.” (January 2015)
- Vivian Balakrishnan: “I have just one message to send to the SDP: In the PAP, we do not have a tradition of backstabbing our mentors.” (GE 2015)
- Sim Ann: “Singaporeans of a certain age will know…how he ousted his mentor Mr Chiam See Tong from the party Mr Chiam had built.” (GE 2015)
- The Straits Times: “[Grace Fu] added that it would ‘be very interesting’ to see if there would b referral letter from Mr Chiam See Tong, who had recruited Dr Chee into SDP years ago. Last week, Mrs Lina Chiam had said in a Facebook post that her husband had not given his endorsement to any candidate in the by-election.” (BE 2016)
- Mr Heng Swee Keat: “This means a person can lie, cheat or betray someone with impunity…How are voters to believe what such politicians say or hold them accountable for their actions if they were running a town council?” (BE 2016)
Any fair-minded person will conclude that it is not SDP who is rehashing the saga. The PAP will not let the matter rest because it is to its advantage if it can continue to use this falsehood to attack me.

But as long as the PAP continues to resurrect the matter, the SDP will rebut the lies. We hope opposition supporters will help us disseminate this information and, in so doing, make it counter-productive for the PAP to rehash the issue.

But didn’t the episode take place nearly 25 years ago? Is it still relevant to voters?

A few residents in Bukit Batok raised the subject with me and my party colleagues during our recent campaign. A couple of them indicated that they would not have voted for me had I not personally explained the situation to them. How many more voters are out there who still don’t know the truth?

As much as some people think that the SDP-Chiam episode is no longer an issue, there are many who – with the help of the PAP and the media – still think it is.

As a political party fighting for every vote, clearing up the issue to ensure that we don’t allow our opponent to capitalise on a falsehood to sabotage our effort is the smart and right thing to do.

But why now?

As I mentioned, we did not counter the PAP when it raised the Chiam issue in GE 2015 and BE 2016 because we did not want the PAP to distract the voters from the real issues. But not doing so may have hurt our campaigns because there are voters who still believe that I had betrayed Mr Chiam and, because of this, would not vote for the SDP.

This must change. We cannot wait until elections to counter the lies, we must start now. To prevent these untruths from being reinforced and spread further in future elections, the SDP will counter them whenever they are raised.

Why not just bury the hatchet with Mr Chaim?

We tried – repeatedly. The SDP has invited Mr Chiam on numerous occasions to our functions in the hopes that we can bury the past and move on (see here).

A recent example was our invitation to him to attend our 35th anniversary dinner in August last year. We even approached him to be our guest at our rally during the BE in Bukit Batok. The Chiams turned down our invitations.

We also published an article in our party newspaper written by Dr Wong Wee Nam about how Mr Chiam and the SDP nearly came together in 2015. But Mrs Lina Chiam interpreted that as the SDP trying to use the piece as an endorsement by Mr Chiam of me. We had no such intention, we only wanted to bury the proverbial hatchet and to move on.

For the record, Dr Wong’s article was published in The New Democrat in June 2015. An online version of the piece was published on 2 April 2015 (see here). Why did Mrs Chiam raise it only nine months later during the BE – and on two occasions, one of which was published in the Straits Times during the cooling-off period?

Are you attacking Mr Chiam?

No, not at all. In fact, it has been quite the reverse. Mr Chiam declared in 1993: “He has not been thrust into my position. He has usurped my position!” More recently, the Straits Times reported that “Mrs Lina Chiam accused Dr Chee of ousting her husband from the party he founded in 1980.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. When Mr Chiam resigned as the party’s secretary-general, I, together with other CEC members, tried to persuade him to remain. Even when he went to the Singapore Press Club to criticise us and left us little choice but to expel him, we still tried – right up till the very end – to see if we could effect some form of reconciliation.

But rather than go on a he-said-she-said type of argument, it is best to cite what High Court Judge Warren Khoo wrote in his decision when he presided over the lawsuit which Mr Chiam took against the SDP:

“There were allegations in the pleadings of bad faith and of the defendants (SDP) acting maliciously in order to injure the plaintiff (Chiam See Tong). There were suggestions in plaintiff’s counsel’s questions put to the witnesses for the defendants that the object of the disciplinary proceedings was to make the plaintiff lose his seat in Parliament, that being the consequence of the plaintiff being expelled from the party. I do not think there is very much in these suggestions, having regard to the fact that the CEC even when they had decided to expel him were making efforts to seek a reconciliation with him.”

The truth is that I have always tried to effect a reconciliation with Mr Chiam. I tried it more than 20 years ago and I have tried it in recent times.

The falsehood that I ousted Mr Chiam and usurped his position in the SDP has gone on for too long. It must stop. Remember, a lie, if repeated often enough, becomes truth.

Source: www.cheesoonjuan.com
May 23, 2016
Police Report Made Against PAP Member, Rahayu Mahzam, For Alleged Racist Remarks

A member of the public, Mr Abdul Salim Harun has filed a police report on Ms Rahayu Mahzam, a Member of Parliament from the People’s Action Party for alleged racist remarks made on 5 May during the last PAP rally for the Bukit Batok By-Election.

Mr Salim claims that Ms Rahayu’s remarks to have the potential to cause subversion among the minority community here.

In the report, Mr Salim wrote,

“On the 5th May 2016, during a Bukit Gombak stadium PAP rally, Ms Rahayu Mahzam insinuated in her Malay speech mischievously, that the opposition candidate Dr Chee Soon Juan is not only xenophobic, but all foreign Muslims who come into our shores needs to be screened vigorously and background checks judiciously. I feel that such comments especially from elected MPs can constitute subversion among the populace if left unchallenged and does not go well with societal norms and fabric. The 8 min 20 sec speech also constitute defamation as Dr Chee had not said any of such at all and its reach is alarming.

I am lodging this report for record purpose and will be seeking legal advise on the matter. “

He said that these remarks were “placed into” the mouth of Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) when he never said any of such things.

During the campaign of the Bukit Batok By-Election, Dr Chee responded to media queries on his views on the arrest of 8 radicalised Bangladeshi workers under the Internal Security Act. In the interview, he said, “we need to pay more attention to the people who come into our shores.”

According to Mr Salim, the offending comments said by Ms Rahayu are as follow and can be seen in the video below;

1) Jangan membenarkan kemasukan Pekerja asing – Not allowing the entry of foreign workers

2) Setiap orang Islam yang masuk ke Negara ini perlu dipantau/disaring – Muslims who entered this country needs to be scrutinised

3) Mengambil peluang ini untuk menjadikan isu Politik – Taking this opportunity to politicise the issue.

Mr Salim said that as a Malay who enjoys minority rights, he distances himself from such unwarranted attacks on a Chinese and furthermore, feel ashamed from the remarks.

He further added that similar racist remarks were made against him on Fabrication about the PAP (FAP) Fanpage by a “Shawn Loo” last year which was condoned by the authorities and Judiciary.

Mr Salim had volunteered his service with the SDP as a volunteer during the Bukit Batok By-election.

TOC has written to Ms Rahayu for her comments and will include her response when she replies.

Source: The Online Citizen

May 16, 2016
Dr Tan Cheng Bock: By-Election Result Is Victory For Multiculturalism

A victory for Multiracialism.

The results of the Bukit Batok by-election clearly show that a minority candidate can win an election on his own.

This win by Murali is significant because he won his seat as a member of a minority race in a predominantly (75%) Chinese constituency. And the win is even more telling because it was won in a by-election. Recent past by-election results have not been in favour of the ruling party eg Ponggol East by-election.

Apart from the many other factors that contributed to his win, an important observation was that, race did not affect his performance of 62%. It is a victory for multiracialism and a sign that voters are more discerning and colour blind.

The fear that a minority candidate cannot win on his own, resulted in the creation of Group Representation Constituency (GRC) after GE1988. The setting up of this GRC was to address this early concern that minority races may not be represented in Parliament if Singaporeans vote along racial lines.

This victory by Murali has put paid to this fear and should pave the way for the removal of any race-based politics in future.

Source: Dr Tan Cheng Bock

May 13, 2016
Almakhazin: Chee Soon Juan As An Intellectual Statesman

There are very few politicians that I believe have impeccable integrity.

Faisal Abdul Manap is one.

Chee Soon Juan is another. Chee Soon Juan’s integrity I believe, come from his deep commitment to his Christian beliefs.

It is this commitment and integrity that I am sure, helped him to weather the challenges of opposition politics in Singapura.

Soon Juan has done a lot for Singapura’s political space. He has sacrificed and suffered. He gave all that he had to the cause.

Like JBJ, he has fought the good fight.

But fighters do not necessarily become leaders. And while the system remain, they may not necessarily be fully appreciated.

Singapurans may not generally recognise his sacrifices. The system and instruments of the state have been successful in painting him as a rabble-rouser who may not be able to manage the state or a town council.

And while there is optimism that Singapurans may be better informed and more receptive of his message, we should recognise that accepting his ideas do not necessarily mean they are willing to have him as their representative.

The Bukit Batok By-Election

The election was a watershed moment. After the optimism from opposition gains in 2011, there was a strong sense that the PAP may lose a few more wards in 2016. SG50 and Lee Kuan Yew’s deification clearly swung support to the PAP.

While there is evidence of some remnants of the SG50/ Lee Kuan Yew effect, the by-election provided a strong yardstick, not only of where the PAP is with regard to the public, but whether Soon Juan is able to dismiss the public perception that has been created.

There are indications that he has changed some minds. However, once again, the perception change relates to his ideals and person. Not necessarily as a statesman or political administrator.

Soon Juan has helped to elevate how Singapurans view the political process. He has helped to expand political understanding.

His ideas are making its way among Singapurans not because he was elected into office but because he transmits it outside of the defined political arenas.

Redefine role

He did not need to be in parliament to transmit his ideas and ideals.

He has done a lot without needing political office.

I truly hope that Soon Juan will consider a shift. And we can help him to achieve that shift.

Not as a politician.

Not as a future MP.

But as a moral and public intellectual.

The fighter in him will want to keep fighting for parliamentary access.

But rather than focus on winning a seat, I hope he will redefine his role.

Help civil society develop.

And be an intellectual statesman.

Source: Almakhazin SG

May 10, 2016