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Tag: Chee Soon Juan

  • Chee Soon Juan – Behind The Man

    Chee Soon Juan – Behind The Man

    We wonder why Dr Chee is so desperate for Singaporeans to forget his past. What does the man have to hide? This is the strange journey of Chee Soon Juan’s rise to the top of SDP.

    March 1993
    “Varsity sacks SDP’s Dr Chee from his teaching position”
    – Straits Times 31 March 1993
    Fired by NUS for misappropriation of funds and misconduct
    “The university accused Chee of using Singapore $226 (US$137) from its research grant to send his wife’s academic papers by courier service to a U.S. university.”
    –  Reuters News, 31 March 1993Maintained no wrong-doing and was fully justified in the use of funds
    “He maintained yesterday that he had done no wrong. “I do not accept and will counter whatever reason the university may have for my termination,” he said.
    –  Business Times, 31 March 1993 
    April 1993
    “SDP voices support for sacked lecturer Dr Chee”
    – Straits Times, 2 April 1993 “Chee Soon Juan to go on hunger strike to protest sacking”
    – Straits Times, 2 April 1993

    “Sacked Singapore lecturer sued for defamation.”
    – Reuters News, 24 April 1993
    SDP party Secretary-General Chiam See Tong signed off on a statement defending Chee“Calling for Dr Chee’s reinstatement, the SDP said it had complete confidence in his integrity and rejected allegations that his conduct was less than honest or that there was any deception on his part.”
    – South China Morning Post, 3 April 1993

     Chee caught taping conversation and denying it
    “The NUS Head of Department of Social Work and Psychology disclosed that during a meeting on Dec 7 last year, the sacked neuropsychology lecturer secretly recorded their conversation.

    And he had lied when he denied doing so after Dr Vasoo noticed the tape-recorder and confronted him about it.”
    – Straits Times, 3 April 1993

     Chee admits to taping conversation

    “When contacted last night, Dr Chee admitted that he had tried taping the Dec 7 conversation. He did it to protect himself against possible future action to throw him out of his job, he said.”
    – Straits Times, 3 April 1993

    Staged a hunger strike to protest situation

    “Chee Soon Juan last night said he was going on a hunger strike from 6am today to protest against his dismissal from the National University of Singapore.”
     – Straits Times, 5 April 1993

     Call by public for Chee to take legal action against NUS

    “There is a big question mark over why Dr Chee refuses to challenge the university’s action in court. Does he not have faith in the system in which he wants to be a player?”
    – Straits Times, 7 April 1993

    “If he feels so strongly that he was wrongfully dismissed, why can’t he take legal action against his employer? He should show the public some facts.”
    – Straits Times, 8 April 1993

    Chee will not take legal action against NUS

    “”I will not go to the courts and that is as far as I can say.”
    – Straits Times, 5 April 1993

     Chiam See Tong called for Chee to stop hunger strike
    “SDP secretary general Chiam See Tong said on Monday night that the party fully supported Chee in what had been a personal decision, but believed his point had been made.”
    – Reuters News, 6 April 1993

     Chee drinks glucose water while on hunger strike
    “He had said he would take only plain water when he began his protest on Monday. He began taking water with glucose yesterday, but denied emphatically that it meant that he was taking a source of food with his drinks.”
    – Straits Times, 7 April 1993

     Chee faces defamation lawsuits

    “Chee Soon Juan, 30, assistant secretary general of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), said he had received a letter from lawyers for S Vasoo, his former department head at the National University of Singapore (NUS), claiming defamation and seeking a public apology and damages.”
    – Reuters News, 24 April 1993
    May 1993
    Chiam to represent Chee in suit“LAWYER and Singapore Democratic Party leader Chiam See Tong will represent his party colleague, Dr Chee Soon Juan, in a defamation suit.”
    – Straits Times, 2 May 1993
    June 1993
    “Chiam quit after CEC vetoed censure move”
    – Straits Times, 19 June 1993
    Chee took over Chiam to become Secretary-General of SDP“The statement came a day after Mr Chiam had revealed that the CEC had blocked him on many issues and that the differences had remained unresolved for some time now.

    He resigned as the party’s leader during a CEC meeting on May 17, when he was out-voted on a motion by him to censure Dr Chee for going on a hunger strike.”
    – Straits Times, 28 June 1993

     Chiam seeks to be discharged from being Chee’s lawyer

    MR CHIAM See Tong no longer wants to represent fellow party member Dr Chee Soon Juan in the two defamation suits filed against the sacked university lecturer.”
    – Straits Times, 30 June 1993
    July 1993
    “Chiam criticises Dr Chee for use of research funds for wife’s thesis”– Straits Times, 17 July 1993
    Chiam criticises Chee“MR CHIAM See Tong has accused Dr Chee Soon Juan of usurping his post in the party and challenged him to resign if he really had not sought to lead it.”
    – Straits Times, 3 July 1993

     Chiam cricitises Chee for decisions on research funds and hunger strike

    “MR CHIAM See Tong, in a reversal of his earlier position, yesterday criticised his former party deputy, Dr Chee Soon Juan, for using his university research funds to send his wife’s PhD thesis to an American university.

    He said that if he were Dr Chee, he would have checked with the university first before using the money.”
    – Straits Times, 17 July 1993

    “Mr Chiam slammed the hunger strike as something that should not have been carried out, as hunger strikes had little place in modern Singapore. Many members of the public had approached him to criticise Dr Chee’s move as “stupid” and “childish”, he added.”
    – Straits Times, 17 July 1993

     Chee no longer assistant to Chiam
    “DR CHEE Soon Juan is no longer serving Mr Chiam See Tong as his parliamentary legislative assistant (LA).

    A Parliament spokesman yesterday confirmed that this took effect on July 1.

    It is not known whether the Potong Pasir MP, Mr Chiam, terminated Dr Chee’s services or whether Dr Chee tendered his resignation.” – Straits Times, 23 July 1993
    August 1993
    “SDP wants Chiam stripped of ‘unofficial leader’ title” – Straits Times, 3 August 1993
    Chee leads SDP to take disciplinary action against Chiam
    “THE Singapore Democratic Party’s collective leadership has asked Parliament to consider stripping its former chief Chiam See Tong of the title “unofficial leader of the opposition”.”
    – Straits Times, 3 August 1993“The CEC is also planning to take disciplinary action against Mr Chiam, acting secretary-general Chee Soon Juan confirmed yesterday.”
    – Straits Times, 3 August 1993

     

    SDP holds disciplinary inquiry
    “Following the disciplinary action, the CEC can either decide to demote, suspend or sack Mr Chiam.

    Under the party’s constitution, if Mr Chiam is sacked from the party, he loses his parliamentary seat of Potong Pasir.”
    – Straits Times, 7 August 1993

     

    SDP sacks Chiam
    “Singapore’s longest-serving opposition member of parliament, Chiam See Tong, has been expelled from the party he founded for breaching discipline and refusing to accept collective leadership, party officials said on Saturday.

    Officials of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) said its Central Executive Council (CEC) had expelled Chiam, the party’s former secretary-general, on Friday.”
    – Reuters News, 21 August 1993

     

    Chiam does not accept sacking decision
    “”The CEC has no legal authority to sack me from the party while the authority of the leadership is being questioned by the cadres,” said Mr Chiam, who resigned as party chief in May after a squabble with CEC members, and has since criticised the leaders in public.”
    – Business Times, 21 August 1993

     

    Chiam wins court order to keep seat in parliament for now
    “CHIAM SEE TONG yesterday successfully obtained a court order against the Singapore Democratic Party’s central executive committee (CEC), in effect freezing the party sacking he received last Friday and thereby keeping his seat in Parliament.”
    – Business Times, 26 August 1993

     

    27 cadre members elect Chiam as head of new ‘CEC’

    “TWENTY-SEVEN cadre members of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) members voted last night at a special meeting to dissolve the party’s “collective leadership” and to elect a new CEC with Mr Chiam See Tong as its chairman.

    In a dramatic turn of events, they also passed a unanimous resolution to “retract” Mr Chiam’s expulsion from the party.”
    – Straits Times, 29 August 1993
    September 1993
    “COURT ORDER AGAINST CHIAM.”
    – Business Times, 1 September 1993    “Chiam’s SDP suit to be heard in November”
    – Straits Times, 9 September 1993
    Chee leads court order against Chiam“SINGAPORE Democratic Party Acting Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan said yesterday the party had obtained a temporary court order restraining Chiam See Tong, Sin Kek Tong and nine other persons from “pretending” to be the SDP chairman, secretary-general and central executive committee members.”
    –     Business Times, 1 September 1993

    Chiam challenges explusion from SDP
    “THE High Court has set aside five days, from Nov 15, to hear Mr Chiam See Tong’s legal suit challenging his expulsion from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).”
    – Straits Times, 9 September 1993
    December 1993
    “Singapore opposition MP’s expulsion illegal – court.”
    – Reuters News, 10 December 1993
    Chiam keeps parlimentary seat
    “SINGAPORE, Dec 10 (Reuters) – The High Court ruled on Friday that the                 expulsion of Singapore’s longest-serving opposition member of parliament, Chiam See Tong, from his own party in August was illegal and invalid.The ruling allows Chiam to keep his parliamentary seat.”
    – Reuters News, 10 December 1993
    January 1994
    “SDP told by landlord to quit premises”– Straits Times 20 January 1994
    Despite rental arrears, Chee Soon Juan claims eviction is a political matter“Asked if he knew of the rental arrears, Dr Chee said no, but added: “In the confusion of what has been happening in the party lately, the administration has been a bit confused.”

    He also said that the move to evict the party did not come as a surprise to him as the landlord had previously expressed reservations about renting the premises to an opposition party.
    –  Straits Times, 20 January 1994
    February 1994
    “SDP politicising eviction issue, says landlord”
    –  Straits Times, 3 February 1994 “Chee abandons his defence in defamation suit”
    –  Straits Times, 18 February 1994

    “SDP told to pay Chiam $33,948, or 1/3 of costs”
    –  Straits Times, 23 February 1994
    Landlord claims Chee is policising eviction issue“I do not agree with and dislike the SDP for ‘politicising’ the whole matter when the simple truth of the matter is that they had failed to pay rent for two months. I feel that SDP is using the matter and me to elicit whatever little political sympathy…”
    –  Straits Times, 3 February 1994

    Chee drops defence in defamation suit

    “OPPOSITION politician Chee Soon Juan has abandoned his defence in a                 defamation suit brought against him by his former boss and an MP for                 Tanjong Pagar GRC, Dr S. Vasoo.

    His decision to do so is, in effect, an admission that he has defamed Dr Vasoo.”
    –  Straits Times, 18 February 1994

    SDP to pay costs to Chiam
    “THE High Court yesterday fixed the costs in Mr Chiam See Tong’s recent   successful suit against the Singapore Democratic Party at $101,845,                 including disbursements.”
    –  Straits Times, 23 February 1994
    April 1994
    “Singapore opposition politician fined for libel.”– Reuters News, 15 April 1994
    Chee to pay fines for defamation “THE High Court yesterday awarded Dr S. Vasoo $210,000 in damages in                 his defamation suit against Dr Chee Soon Juan over remarks made by the latter after Parliament had debated his sacking by the National University of Singapore last year.”
    – Straits Times, 16 April 1994

     

    Do you trust him enough to empower him to be your voice in parliament?

     

    Source: https://thoughtsofrealsingaporeans.wordpress.com

     

  • Voter Gives Chee Soon Juan Vote Of Confidence, Heartfelt Note Of Hope And S$100 For Ice Cream

    Voter Gives Chee Soon Juan Vote Of Confidence, Heartfelt Note Of Hope And S$100 For Ice Cream

    Trending on Facebook: A voter has supposedly written a heartfelt note and pledged a $100 donation to the Singapore Democratic Party’s Chee Soon Juan.

    chee-soon-juan-sdp-donation

    The note is believed to have been written after Chee gave a rousing rally speech at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Thursday night, Sept. 3, his first in 15 years.

    The note referenced the buying of Häagen-Dazs ice cream — a topic brought up by Chee at his rally — where he gave an anecdote about how his penny-pinching ways to keep up with the standard of living in Singapore meant that he cannot buy ice cream for his children.

    This was what he said during his rally speech:

    “I know what it feels like to keep counting your dollars and trying to cut down on expenses. When you need to see a doctor, buy that extra packet of milk, choose a better quality cooking oil, you are always checking the price to see if you can afford it. I understand.

    Sometimes I go to Giant to buy groceries, and once in a while, I want to buy some ice cream for my children. So I go to the freezer and I take a look at the prices and immediately I discount Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen-Dazs. I look at Wall’s ice cream and I think of getting a tub. And my wife comes along and says, ‘Maybe it is better if you get it if it’s on sale.’ I know. I know what it is like to count your every dollar. At times like this, the worst thing to have are people who are out of touch with reality and make policies that affect you and how you live. [Applause]

    If they don’t understand, if they don’t understand the difficulties that you face, then how can they help you?”

    This is the video excerpt:

    Alternatively, you can check out the full video or the portion from 15min 48sec to 17min 11sec:

     

    Source: http://mothership.sg

  • SDP: Vivian Balakrishnan Should Examine PAP’s Own Policies

    SDP: Vivian Balakrishnan Should Examine PAP’s Own Policies

    Dr Chee Soon Juan transcript:

    Dr Vivian Balakrishnan characterised the SDP’s alternative policies as one of “tax and spend” and that they will lead the country to bankruptcy. He did not, however, cite any specific policy but merely said that the SDP had copied policies from “other parts of the world”.

    Dr Balakrishnan should be looking at his own party’s record on such practices.

    Experts cite the low interest rates of the CPF (even though the government claims its ROI is high) as an implicit tax. In addition, the slew of taxes, fees, and levies open up for the PAP government large streams of revenue.

    All this has resulted in our large reserves which are handled by the GIC and Temasek Holdings. In 2008, the two sovereign wealth funds admitted that thay had lost between $120 billion to $140 billion in failed investments in Western banks such as Merril Lynch, Citigroup and UBS.

    If it had not been for the intervention of the US government in the form of bailout out money under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), these banks would have collapsed, and our reserves would have been irretrievably lost.

    Given such a record, Dr Balakrishnan should be looking at his own party’s track record when he talks about policies of tax and spend.

    On a related noted, the criticism from Dr Balakrishnan is reminiscent of the one he made in the 2011 GE about the SDP’s proposal to raise taxes for top earners (those in the top 1 percent) closer to the 30-percent mark.

    He said then: “If you had to choose between the opposition parties who would be the most middle-class unfriendly of them, (the SDP) would certainly be in that shortlist.”

    In 2015, however, Finance Minister Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam said that the Government would raise taxes for the top 5 percent earners. It seems that Mr Tharman did exactly what Dr Balakrishnan attacked the SDP for.

    This is not the only instance that the PAP has at first criticised the SDP ideas only to adopt them later. Other examples are:

    Minimum wage
    SDP proposes: Minimum wage in 2001.
    PAP criticises: Minister Lim Swee Say criticises that Minimum Wage will erode Singapore’s competitiveness.
    PAP copies: Government introduces the Progressive Wage Model where some low-income workers are paid a minimum wage of $1,000.

    Universal healthcare
    SDP proposes: Individual healthcare risks are pooled.
    PAP criticises: Mr Lee Kuan Yew said: “…nobody derails the idea of having individual accounts for CPF and Medisave. Whatever you earn, it’s yours.”
    PAP copies: Medishield Life now says that “everyone shares in the national risk pool”.

    Singaporeans first policy
    SDP proposes: Employers must try to hire Singaporeans first before considering employing foreigners.
    PAP criticises: Senior Minister of State Amy Khor said that such a policy will not work.
    PAP copies: MOM introduced the Fair Compensation Framework which “require employers to consider Singaporeans fairly before hiring Employment Pass holders.”

     

    Dr Paul Ananth Tambyah transcript:
    Minister Vivian Balakrishnan made some rather perplexing statements yesterday

    http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/ge2015-sdp-policies-will-set-spore-on-the-road-to-greece-says-vivian-balakrishnan
    First of all, he alleged that the SDP had copied policy prescriptions that had failed elsewhere. He does not provide any evidence to support these assertions and in fact, his assertion contradicts the World Health Organization which ranked the French Healthcare system which is probably closest to the SDP’s National Healthcare Plan as the best performing healthcare system in the world (http://www.who.int/healthinfo/paper30.pdf). The SDP healthcare system is benchmarked against the best healthcare systems in the world unlike the Greek social support system which has ignored the advice of international experts.

    Second, according to the ST report, he selectively attacks parts of the SDP economic policy specifically raising taxes on the top earners and increasing social spending. Oddly enough, those are precisely the features of the 2015 budget proposed by Finance Minister Tharman (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-budget-2015-personal-income-tax-for-top-5-of-earners-to-be-raised-says-tharman). I do not think that Minister Balakrishnan seriously believes that Minister Tharman is setting Singapore on the road to Greece. The SDP economic policy goes further than Minister Tharman’s budget proposals which we welcome – we also advocate a minimum wage, retrenchment insurance, and increasing transparency and accountability in social services including housing and healthcare.

    Finally, it appears that the Minister has an incomplete understanding of the Greek crisis. The Greeks actually spend below the OECD average on healthcare (http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Briefing-Note-GREECE-2014.pdf) and have levels of social spending far below the Nordic countries or even Germany. The reason for the Greek crisis is thought to be primarily a profligate approach to spending. This is quite different from the SDP proposals which are well thought out and balanced. We do not believe in uncontrolled overspending. In order to implement our policies, we need to be elected to parliament so as to help make those policies a reality for the good of Singaporeans.

     

    Source: http://yoursdp.org

  • Chee Soon Juan: Waiting For Tonight

    Chee Soon Juan: Waiting For Tonight

    I’ve been waiting for tonight when I will finally get the chance to address my fellow Singaporeans again after 15 long years. I’ve been invited to speak all over the world but I would trade all those events for the opportunity to address my fellow citizens in a heartbeat. The biggest insult was when they got a foreigner (I was told he was from Israel on a special assignment to the SPF) to prevent me from just getting on stage to greet my own people in my own country.

    Come tonight to our Opening Rally at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium. It’s been a long journey but we’re not looking back. The next mile starts tonight. Bring your family, tell all your friends – tell them that I have something important I want to share with them.

     

    Source: Chee Soon Juan

  • Calvin Cheng: Remember Chiam See Tong, Do Not Vote For Backstabber Chee Soon Juan

    Calvin Cheng: Remember Chiam See Tong, Do Not Vote For Backstabber Chee Soon Juan

    Mr. Chiam See Tong has retired from electoral politics.

    Mr. Chiam is a man respected even by his political rivals. He is a gentleman politician, who not only was never sued by the PAP, but even successfully sued PAP’s ministers.

    Mr. Chiam had it very tough from Mr. Lee Kuan Yew but also won his respect; Mr. Lee said that Mr. Chiam was a good MP.

    The respect was mutual and Mr. Chiam was given a special place during Mr. Lee’s funeral, even though he was an opposition leader.

    In the end, it wasn’t the PAP who hurt Mr. Chiam the most.

    It was his former protege Chee Soon Juan who broke his heart and robbed Mr. Chiam of the party SDP that he founded.

    Mr. Chiam was the one who groomed Chee, helped him and supported him. Yet Chee back-stabbed him and destroyed his mentor and benefactor.

    Nothing is more despicable.

    Younger voters at Holland-Bukit Timah GRC must take note. They will not remember but should be aware.

    Do you want a despicable man like Chee Soon Juan to be your MP?

    Remember Mr. Chiam See Tong when you cast your vote.

     

    Source: Calvin Cheng