From The Straits Times
Chee Soon Juan gets 12 days, sister 10 days.
By Jeremy Au Yong and Zakir Hussain
OPPOSITION leader Chee Soon Juan, 46, of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) was sentenced to 12 days jail on Monday for contempt of court, while his sister Siok Chin was given 10 days for a similar offence.
This is the stiffest sentence ever meted out for such an offence.
Dr Chee’s sentence came shortly on Monday noon after he had discharged his newly-appointed lawyer J.B. Jeyaretnam.
Instead he stood up himself and told the court that he had at no point intended to scandalise the three-day court proceedings last week to assess damages in a defamation suit brought against the Chee siblings and the SDP by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Earlier in the morning, Ms Chee, 42, was sentenced to 10 days jail after being found guilty of contempt of court.
In passing sentence at the High Court, Justice Belinda Ang noted that Ms Chee had disobeyed the court’s orders and scandalised the court proceedings last week.
Justice Ang said that such misbehaviour, if unpunished, would diminish the dignity of the court and would not be in the public interest.
Ms Chee, who was represented by lawyer M. Ravi, is appealing against the sentence.
Both Chees have been given a stay of execution pending the appeal.
Should they fail in their appeal, they would have to turn themselves in next Thursday morning.
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Why am I not surprised?
“Instead he stood up himself and told the court that he had at no point intended to scandalise the three-day court proceedings”.
Break the law, accept the consequences.
“break the law” …. law stand for ? u know i know
“The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws”
‘Atlas Shrugged’ – Ayn Rand
Why can’t Chee just accept responsibility for what he did??!! 15 counts of contempt of court, and he still dares say he didn’t intend it? Bloody disgusting coward rat piece of crap. Why did he discharge JB despite his offer of help? Jealous after he was contrasted with him isit?
Rot in jail Chee.
I’m going to write every foreign media organization I know and tell them what a fraud and self publicist this lunatic is.
If only it was goodbye and good riddance. The sad truth is this psycopath is going to plague and divide our political system for a long time to come, and going to continue to try to hog the headlines with his desperate antics.
There is an upshot to this sorry dogshow though: as his antics get more desperate, he will get more entertaining.
Further, to do a super judo PR move on Chee, PAP should order Mediacorp to do a reality TV show of the Chees.
Benefits:
1) To show no media bias in Singapore. Even PAP don’t have that much airtime
2) To reveal Chee for the nutcase that he is
3) Good ratings. Confirm got alot of people tune in to watch Chee Siow Nang
hi better be careful of cutting and pasting ST news reports as u might get sued for copyright, especially since u are now putting google ads on your blog
no intention to scandalise the court proceedings?? gosh..chee is lying through his teeth..
hmm..”smart move” by JBJ, for not representing Chee..
I was pretty amazed that MM Lee could stop lunch hour because he had some personal matters to attend to. Really do make me wonder how he manages that.
It’s not surprising that Justice Ang is on Lee Kwan Yew’s side… If she went against him, she’ll suffer a fate worse than both the Chees put together, but then again why go against him? She’s sitting in her office, earning few hundred thousands per month, driving big car, living big house, would she really understand? She’s intimidated by the fact that it’s LKY… This is not the U.S, the gahmen only accepts compliment, not critism. Indirectly they’re telling to keep it to yourself if you have nothing nice to say. Regardless of the degree.
Which country never heard of Lee Kwan Yew? He was even listed in the magazine as one of the most powerful man in the world! But if you even ask neighbouring country about CSJ, their question would be, who’s CSJ? Anyway, I don’t even need to guess the outcome, I already know the outcome. This is one battle LKY cannot afford to lose. If he lose, it’ll be a big disgrace to PAP. Why so surprise that LKY can stop lunch hour? He is LKY!!! The leader of PAP! He can pretty much do what he want! The so-call ‘smart move’ by JBJ, he do what he does because he doesn’t want to go down with CSJ. I think no lawyers in Singapore will even want to represent CSJ after this. Especially against the father of Singapore.
Chees. Add another e becomes Cheese.
You stretched their pictures.
contempt? if the transcripts is really what it is, it’s a comedy really.
Can some caring fellowman working in the legal help to clarify what is “Quantum Damage” and on what basis the court hearing proceeding is based on? I have read as much the published exchanges in other blog such as one posted by Martin See pertaining to this subject matter. It is hard for any layman to understand which of the expressed views and questions are considered irrelevant to the court proceedings?
Without this fundamental understanding, I do not believe comments posted are genuinely impartial in thought and no more than out of sympathy and pre-conceived believers for those who supported CSJ and those who are supporters of the plaintiffs.
It is demeaning to comment on something based on preconceived assumptions and not based on the actual intend of the subject matter (in this case) the court hearings to determine the “Quantum Damage” as it is stated to be. Looking at the limited transcript posted and comment in context just isn’t fair judgment on both ends.
I see one very common view of comments posted in most of the blogs that I had visited regarding this case and it amazes me that comments posted may not be of relevance to the subject matter but a sweeping statement on both ends; be it staunched supporters of both camp. Some even resolve into personal vendetta.
Clearly, this can be construed as the maturity of thinking or it can too be construe as blind passion.
We all based on hear se, publicly or privately obtained information whether distorted or truth nothing but the truth, speculations and so on and make our own assessment of the characteristics and personalities of both CSJ and LKY & LHL. so who’s right, who’s wrong, the arguments are here to stay. But does this sort of exchange constructive and do any good to the health of Singapore? This is just one case and I believe it happens to other cases as well. Most if not all, comments are based on assumptions and not factual (because the ultimate truth) may not be available because of the lack of transparency.
This is not just Singapore trait, it happens to some cases in the Democratic world as well. So, can I say, democracy is not all democratic? Freedom of Speech is not really Freedom of Speech? Freedom of Choice is not really Freedom of Choice? if these are meant to be as what it meant to be without any governing rules, what sort of democracy is this?
I would really hope that within the legal frame work of the Singapore law, this “Quantum Damage” proceedings full transcript and exchanges can be made public and a clarification made that can be understood by commoners what the case is is all about and its intend if public judgment is warranted to settle the unrest. This will do more than good to Singapore to ensure the general public that fair trial practice is in tact. Please don’t start to accuse me of making this becomes propaganda as I can foresee what will come next.
There will always be difference in POV in anything. What is important is for us all to maintain a sober mind and see thing in a perspective way without our tainted glasses or pre-conceived believes. It is easier said than done. After-all, we are human beings, in some ways we tend to be bias when we fall into the pre-conceive trap. How many of us can truly be impartial in our thinking process? But it is not impossible, if we really try each time. Blind faith cuts both ways.
A good example; the recent Sichuan Earthquake had actually open up the world’s view on how China Central Government (used to be labeled with all sort of name in media transparency) openness. I believe this has lasting effects and will do more good than harm.
Observer
Do not be too overly concerned with jargon and language technicalities which are abstract in nature with no measurable scienfic units – and are always subject to interpretation.
Sometimes, two professional persons (? lawyers in this context) may have different conflicting views (depending whether you are on a defending or prosecuting side) over a term especially when the term is not tested in law for precedent to be set. Again, earlier prescedent can be over-ruled by latest precedent.
Judges are all learned persons (and human too) with strong language power and knowledge and there are always tonnes of laws / past cases for them to cherry pick to support their decision couched in professional complex legalistic language / statement which is sometimes nothing but to impress the uninitiated.
That is why sometimes we scratch our heads over certain decisions made by judges. Even at the highest court of final appeal, different judges may take different sides giving their own point of view.
Like the most recent Pedra Blanca’s case, 16 judges of the ICJ voted 12 to four in Singapore’s favour. However, the rule says majority wins.
I stand to be corrected in my assumption.
The Chees are really wasting taxpayers’ money. Staging protest, crowning around at the court, damaging Singapore’s reputation overseas. The 12 days jail won’t stop them from doing all these over again … sigh.
Then we should not be wasting taxpayers’ money by playing into his hands. Let him say whatever he wants and let the people decide.
That is democracy and the more you let people speak, one fine day they will get so tired that they will stop repeating the same old line as by then, everyone will have known the line already.
Of course, they will be some people who will be convinced by this repeated line / statement (which may be wrong) but again this is democracy. Whoever can convince wins with words of mouth without any use of force (or one sided-system calibrated to favour one party over another). Sometimes it could be nonsence that people may want to choose to believe – but than it will be hard & costly lessons learned and after the fact they will treasure freedom of speech and choice more carefully and cautiously.
Human nature being as it is, people feel the joy of learning things themselves and hate to be told off (instead of being convinced). That is why the high-handed, arrogant and ‘I know best’ approach of the current system is so much abhored and despised with.
Singapore needs to let go some of the its past ‘more fatherly’ approach and let its citizens more room to move politically so that they will grow up to treasure what true & responsible democracy is all about.
Throw away the key.
First, Singapore is NOT a democracy.
Second, the oppression suffered by Chee (well-deserved though, I’d say) is peanuts when compared to Julian Assange; so in fact “Western liberal democracy” is no less than a pretense.