Useless rantings of a few disgruntled S'poreans...: A EMAIL FROM AN SDP SUPPORTER

Monday, May 29, 2006

A EMAIL FROM AN SDP SUPPORTER

Recently, there has been a flurry of comments with regards to the influential power of the internet on the recent GE, so much so that certain MPs have made some comments about it.

While none have even remotely suggested banning freedom of expression on the net, there has been considerable furore over what should, and should not be written or broadcasted.

One thing is for sure: With the help of internet technology, it is always a PC away from soliciting aid from the internet community, although how much can be possibly garnered, remains to be seen.

Coming back home after a tiring day's work, I have received this unsolicited mail from an individual, whom I deem to be an SDP supporter.

If this email is authentic, then it would seem that this particular person must have read my posts on Disgruntledsporean, and reckon that I would lend my proverbial pen for the opposition cause.

Since the originator of this email has given me permission to post this, I will post his appeal here. His email and yahoo identity will remain anonymous, since I have not been given permission to divulge his details:

Support legal defence fund for Chee Siok Chin
26 May 06

Dear friends and fellow Singaporeans,

The PAP has been the ruling party in Singapore for more than 40 years and has won more than a dozen elections, always in landslide victories.

Singaporeans must begin to question why this is so. The PAP will have you believe that opposition candidates lack credibility and integrity. Mr Lee Kuan Yew has gone as far as calling his political opponents "scum", "liar", "cheat", "hooligans" and other derogatory names.

This is, however, not the reason why the PAP continues to dominate parliament with more than 95 percent of the seats in the House. The real reason lies in the way the elections system is designed, and the way the PAP fights the elections.

This is why I have taken out an Originating Summons to examine the way the elections were conducted and to seek a declaration from the Supreme Court that the 2006 General Elections were unconstitutionally run, and therefore, null and void.

In my Affadavit I had stated that the outcome of votes tied to upgrading, the distribution of the Progress Package and New Singapore Shares during the 2006 and 2001 GE periods respectively as well as the banning of podcasting and blogging in GE 2006 amount to intimidation, vote-buying, and censorship which contravenes the Parliamentary Elections Act.

The government has misused its power and this must be addressed. It must answer and be accountable to us, the citizens of Singapore, because all of us have a stake in this country.

The lawsuit brought on by the Lees against Dr Chee and I will also be an expensive and long-drawn out one. We have chosen to stand firm. There is nothing in this for us except to seek justice and democracy for our nation.

The legal process, however, is very expensive. Each time I go to court to file documents, the process itself costs hundreds of dollars. It is estimated that we will spend at least $10,000 on filing fees alone.

This fight should be the fight of all Singaporeans who are concerned with transparency and democratic accountability. As such I ask you to do your part and contribute to the legal defence fund that I have set up to fight these two cases. If you feel that these are matters important enough, please give so that we can mount an effective legal campaign against the Lees and the PAP.

Mr M Ravi has dedicated himself to these cases and has, as with previous cases, worked tirelessly and pro bono. He needs all the assistance he can get.

I hope that this will be the start of citizen action against the bullying of the PAP Government. Let this be a people's fight against those who oppress us.

Sincerely yours,
Chee Siok Chin

Account name: Chee Siok Chin

Bank: POSBank

Account no: 033-50592-2

If you are overseas, the Swiftcode is DBSSSGSG

(Please pass this message on to your friends. Thank you)

For those of you who wish to support Dr Chee and his cohorts, I would strongly advise you to check up on the person, or persons, who may be involved on the receiving end of your cheque. I shall not be held liable for any crimes that may have resonated from this post, since I am not its original author.