Fang Shihan and Fiona Lim
The commemoration of JB Jeyaretnam’s birthday was a quiet affair. Held in the historic Hong Lim Park, the speakers took their turns on the mound of soil functioning as a soap box while surrounded by soccer players and tai-chi enthusiasts.
Amidst the flurry of familiar activities, one could almost say that the 30-40 strong politically related, non-partisan event operated on the fringe and was hardly noticeable. It was like how JB Jeyaretnam (JBJ) was remembered; a lone figure, an anomaly, standing firm to his beliefs while the world passed him by.
Everyone had a JBJ story to tell. Some met him when he was selling his books outside Raffles City to pay off his debts, incurred through countless battles with the establishment. Others encountered the JBJ symbol through the press. As Justin Ong, Head of the Reform Party Youth Wing observed: “[JBJ] was the conscience of Singapore.”
One by one, starting with Dr. James Gomez formerly with the Worker’s Party, speakers were invited to share their personal experiences with the late JBJ, and even how he affected the political climate of Singapore. Rushing down from the courthouse, Dr. Chee Soon Juan gave word to remember JBJ’s tenacity as he never backed down to tyranny.
By this time, the sun had set. All was dark but for a single glow from a torch, borrowed from the audience to light up the letter Mr. Leong Sze Hian had written a year ago, addressing the condescending tone of PM Lee’s condolence letter to JBJ’s family, after he had passed on. It was titled “How not to write a condolence letter”.
As Mr. Kenneth Jeyaratnam recalled, it was an appalling letter. The government had assassinated JBJ by portraying him as a man out to destroy the establishment. JBJ, until today, is still used as a bogeyman. He also mentioned that a scholarship chair in his name was denied.
And then the youth took over. Artist and activist, Seelan Palay recounted an instance when he had been overwhelmed by the sheer presence of JBJ and could not muster the courage to speak to the man. He was 16 then. Jarrod Luo and Muhd Khalis of the Young Democrats urged the youth to carry on the legacy that JBJ left behind. “Let us, the younger generation, bring to fruition what you’ve started many years ago,” said Jarrod.
Recalling the historic Anson by-elections, which saw JBJ breaking the 14 year PAP monopoly within the political system, Mr. Goh Meng Seng remembered that the opposition then had to operate within a climate of fear. There was a common saying then which to some extent, still exists now: “Don’t talk bad about the government or the mata [police] will come”.
Villified by the establishment and ignored by mainstream society, JBJ has left a legacy of operating with persistence, even in the most inhospitable of conditions. Some speakers lauded JBJ as a symbol of democracy while others, like Justin, maintained that politics should be about “policies, not personalities”.
As the nightfall set in and the soccer players packed up, two women approached the stage out of curiosity after their tai-chi class.
“Wah. Opposition,” said one of them, before wiping her face with a towel, then walking away. The other stood just for a minute more.
For a moment, the politics of Singapore fit in well with everyday life with the spheres of the mundane and opposition politics co-existing, but hardly interacting.
The audience, consisting of the usual activists, party members, party supporters, New Paper reporters and surprisingly some secondary school students, was offered a candle each, to end the commemoration.
Selected JBJ Birthday Memorial speeches:
- Kenneth Jeyaretnam: Stop re-writing history!
- Justin Ong: JBJ is my inspiration
- James Gomez: JBJ is Singapore’s democratic ideal
It is a pity that the gathering is so poorly attended. It went to show how politically-apathetic Singaporeans are. We all rushed to/from work placing little attention on the real stuff that will eventually affect our livelihood and family.
We may not have another political figure like JB Jeyaretnam.
Fiercely strong-willed and determined, he had single-handedly took on the ruling party during his time in politics.
I remembered when he won Anson, it was like he had won it for Singapore. Low and Chiam are still political novices starting out on their political career then.
I used to bump into him in Raffles Place selling his books alone. He cut a lonely figure and sometimes some supporters would speak to him urging him on. I wished that I have did the same.
JB has indeed left an indelible legacy for many of us to follow. If we have ten percent of his determination and guts to be different, Singapore will be a better place for all.
Don’t worry about the poor attendence. Most people are tied to personal commitments, it’s not easy to find time to attend such events. My family, friends and myself are true supporters of the alternative but we don’t comment on political blogs and websites or attend such events. Come election, we will vote for freedom and truth. I sure there are many people like us who are “behind the scene”. WE CARE!
Let us Singaporeans cooperate and give oppositions a chance, by showing to pap our frustrations under their rule. Instead of achieving Swiss Std, what we achieve now? You oppositions should query the con man Goh CT
JBJ truly cared for the downtrodden citizens.
for standing up for his coutrymen,he was even made a bankrupt.
look at all the MIW,for screwing up singaporeans and handing out to foreigners
their livelihood like jobs and flats and ‘free english lessons’ when parents here
have to pay heftily for their childrens’ tuition,they pay themselves millions?
some things here are not right!
Perhaps in future an obituary can be placed to commemorate him, his ideas and past achievements and to give notice to invite more Singaporeans who are interested to attend his memorial event.
Thanks to Fang Shihan and Fiona Lim for covering the story.
“1) Gilbert Goh on January 6th, 2010 6.47 am
It is a pity that the gathering is so poorly attended. It went to show how politically-apathetic Singaporeans are. ”
Unfortunately and i regret to say so but TKL was wrong about singaporeans being not apathetic.
Its a sad truth but we have to admit it.
The People failed democracy. Its really the people more so than the ‘executives’.
I think attendance should not be a measure of apathy. Advance notice should be given to the public as even Dr. Chee said he had to rush home after speaking or risk the wrath of his wife. It showed the reality that Singaporeans face juggling many commitments. This has become a country focused on utility.
Perhaps the organizers tried but I failed to notice it on mainstream media. Is there a story behind this?
Singaporeans have not changed much. Nothing to big to be noticeable.
But to be honest, I was informed and wanted to go down. I was bogged down with work that had to be done. Instead of rushing down, i decided to read from TOC’s coverage on the event later. In my heart, i am one of you. I am JBJ’s fan. Although i did not turn up, my Decision is long finalised a decade ago. It will not change.
I attended numerous such events. Each time, i told myself, singaporeans are not apathetic, they will show up. The issues are of Public Interest. Each time, i was proven wrong. Countless times. So, you can see why i sometimes did not turn up.
Singaporeans do not give me hope. They do not give me hope for a better democracy. 50 years ago, people are apathetic. Now, its the same. The city is so small and has been modernised , not suprisingly. But the mentality has not been replaced.
Don’t fall into the trap like i did in the last 2 elections. Each time, i thought, wow so many issues telling us the need for more opposition, the need for more transparency (eg. how is hdb deficit determined and how do you know how much subsidy received). Each time, the turnout for WP can only be described as AWEsome. Each time, the Votes Counted shows a Different story.
After living in disappointment for so many decades, finally we can see a ray of hope for change. But do not be mistaken, its not change by the people. It change a result of Final Retirement where no one in this world can dictate how long you want to avoid your Final Retirement. Absolutely no one can escape.
Its that SAD a situation.
To disguise an attack in a condolence letter is the lowest a man can stoop. An act of a coward.
Hey guys
I won’t tell u if I was there or not. No point.
All I wanna say is “Rest in Peace JBJ (The Lion of S’pore)”…
Peace
1) Gilbert Goh on January 6th, 2010 6.47 am
I was at the JBJ birthday memorial myself. The attendance is actually not bad. My estimation suggests there were 40-45 participants last night.
Will it be possible to publish the contents of the condolence letter?
#1
Gilbert Goh
I hope you bot a book. Or you one of those who only praise him after his death? But ignored when he was alive.
FYI — I regularly criticise him online because annoyed that history is being rewritten to make him a great man: KJ, PAP not only one rewriting history
But I bot a book, shook his hand and thanked him for what he did.
I think it was tough for there to be a large crowd yesterday evening purely for practical reasons. I could not make it because I was still stuck in the office ~ I think that probably resonates with many others who wanted to attend the memorial.
Agreed with 2) Seventh Son, it is quite sad that we had to lead such hectic lives, wakeup send children to childcare, to rush to work, and then rush back to fetch children..
Not much time left to smell the roses, so to speak…
My respects to JBJ..
Hi citizen #13,
TOC published the condolence letter in October 2008.
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/10/vivian-balakrishnan-attends-jbjs-wake/
It was a daft idea in the first place.
Would like to extend my utmost respect to the late JBJ…
“10) Winston Cheng on January 6th, 2010 12.01 pm To disguise an attack in a condolence letter is the lowest a man can stoop. An act of a coward. ”
there will be many more condolence letters.
In my view it was quite well attended for a weeknight . This year I made the decision to stand back from the proceeedings, so that this would not beseen as an RP event per se, and so we did not adevrtise in the usual manner. Despite this the event was significant for two reasons. Firstly, for the large number of youth who attended. And secondly, because of the level of unity shown by all the different opposition party members.There were speakers from SDP, RP and NSP and the WP youth were in the audience. This level of unity amongst the opposition is not a common sight and so the event should be lauded for the quality and not the quantity. I do hope that by next year a unified team will come forward to organise a JBJ day on his birthday as we in RP can celebrate his achievements on the Party anniversaries and the family will mark his passing privately.
I lost his 2 books (yes i bought 2 titles from him when he was peddling his books at jurong west 5/6 yrs ago)while house moving is there anybookshop that carries his titles? My only wish is for the opp to get their act together so the ostracized poor elderly destiute singaporeans to have a voice.
This is a poor attendant, Singaporean don’t has such a curlture, where nepotism are in practise. “This is my Father Party”
I would like to say to the late JBJ up there, thanks for helping singaporeans despite the circumstances. You’re a Gem, always.
I was there and I thought that the turnout was pretty impressive for a weekday night – certainly a lot more than the last ministerial forum I attended (minus the organisers of course!)
What was impressive about the crowd was its youth – unlike the older people who filled the Arthur Lim auditorium for the Fajar Generation book launch last month, this was mainly young people – looking for inspiration from a previous generation – to make a difference in the lives of Singaporeans
Ask not what your country (or its people) can do for you but ask what you can do for your country (or people) . That is what JBJ did even though the people, myself included, dared not step up to him to show their support for him or say thanks.
JBJ was the one who forced the PAP government to response. The introduction of GRC, NCMP and NMP were responses to the awakening of Singapore by JBJ’s Anson victory and his re-election into the parliament in 1984. This is an important legacy for Singapore. The number attended is significant if those who attended and believe strongly that JBJ legacy for our nation should be continued then they can spread the message to their network of friends. With today’s communication options we have, the number can be multiply very quickly. PAP is unable to monopolise the new media today. Just two level of 50 people you would have the message reaching more than 6 millions people. Change is very possible. And when the time for people to show their concern and support, people would show up. Remember the crowd that WP pulled in the last election – contrary to what the PAP wanted us to believe that the crowd was because they wanted to see show, i believe the people were genuninely looking for the opposition to be their voice. We have our voice cord injured for so long, it may tke a little time for us to learn how to shout again. As long as we can shout as one people then we can force a change through challenging the power of the day.
you guys should have invited tkl to speak and attract few hundreds to attend.
#28, how u know they din?
i mean, this is a technical question only.
i think the turnout could be similar, technically speaking.
With no due disrespect, I believe future organizer(s) should re-think and revamp the current way of organising its’ activities should it expect to have a larger crowd.
I know resource is a limiting factor; however, I always find that the notice period to most activities a little too short for me. Most of the time, I saw the announcement in the middle of the week to attend of a weekend; whereby I have routines such as house chores to do (I do them on weekends) or I already have plans for the families and kids, e.g. going to zoo, library, etc; especially during the festive seasons. Not to mention the knee jerk reaction of attending one.
In addition, my wife and I have great concerns whether if our children can compete with the whole world; and hence, spent a lot of time to prepare them for what’s to come as this is our top priority at the moment. Whether this are valid reasons or not are inconsequential as different people have different priorities.
Lastly, I agree with 2) Seventh Son totally on the following:
“Don’t worry about the poor attendance. Most people are tied to personal commitments, it’s not easy to find time to attend such events”.
“My family, friends and myself are true supporters of the alternative but we don’t comment on political blogs and websites or attend such events. Come election, we will vote for freedom and truth. I sure there are many people like us who are “behind the scene”. WE CARE! “
I suggest going the Ustream, JustinTV, etc to relay all the messages live to all Internet users/viewers.
there’s an old man who said that if singapore is in trouble, he will raise up even if he is 6 ft under. i don’t believe . Can this old man go 6 ft under quickly and show me. Hahahaha . i’ll be there with fire torch to send this zombie back eternally. We can solve more problem without him. pui pui !!
Thanks for all the post sregarding my views on the poor attendance.
I have attended several of such political events at HL Park and even spoke on one and the crowd is mostly below a hundred people. For organisers, this could be a dampener. Those who attend are also regulars.
I agreed that more perhaps can be done to market such events better. Of course, the cameras there do not help the matter much. Singaporeans being rather kuasiu will want to avoid such events if possible. When I attended such events at HL Park, my wife even tried to talk me out of it!
TKL broke some records when his Minibind protests brought out several hundred people. However, these people came out becasue it affected their pocket and finances. I doubted that they will ever attend any of such political events if invited. They came because the issue affected their own well being.
To those who support such events at home, I hope that you will find time and sacrfice by turning up physically. When one supports such events in person, it not only sends the right signals to the organiser but also the government. We have to act out what we believe in. Voting happens only once every four years and sometimes people don’t have the chance to vote at all.
Frankly, the government now knows by now that the population cares about making a living and maybe adding a few more zeroes into their bank account. They got the general message that Singaporeans do not really want more political freedom. They just want more cash and maybe economic progress. They will give us just that without letting go any democratic rights to us.
We need to stand up for what we believed and like JB Jeyeratnam, sacrificed and be counted.
When JBJ won the Anson election in 1982, I was only in primary 2. I remember that when I stay in Anson then, how the people in Anson was so supportive of the Workers’ Party then and people will turn up for the rallies! I remember JBJ’s words that Singapore is a small country, and we do not need such a big army. I only remember these words of his becos he is the only opposition leader who dare and who has the vision to said so!
The reason why I agree with JBJ why Singapore do not need a big army is becos Singapore do not need to rely on a land forward defence strategy, as seen in the large amount of tanks, armour personnel carriers, etc. that the SAF bought, at the expense of the taxpayers. Being an island, Singapore can just rely on a strong air force and navy, a strong artillery and a small army for home defence, as deterrence agst any external threat. Being an island state that can only be accessed by sea and air, Singapore can destroy any hostile air force, navy, tanks and artillery that seek to attack Singapore by using our air and naval power and artillery. Without air, naval, tanks and artillery support, which country dare to send their troops to attack Singapore? Moreover, with a strong air force and navy, Singapore can defend itself should there be a war with its 2 neighbours at the same time!
As airforce, navy and artillery are less manpower intensive, the defence spending and period of NS can also be reduce if the financial and manpower resources are re-channelled to the airforce and navy, instead of being used to buy large number of tanks and armour personnel carriers and recruit SAF regulars! With only a small army, the pay of the SAF regulars can also be reduce since less regulars are needed to fill the posts in the army!Hence, we do not need to spend $11 billion for defence budget if the PAP know how to utilise the country’s resources! Hence, JBJ is right that becos Singapore is a small island, we do not need a big army!
With a reduction of defence spending and NS, the GST can also be cut and foreign workers can also be restricted in Singapore, since more manpower can be released into the economy with a reduction of NS!
Come, Kenneth and Reform Party! Carry on JBJ’s legacy! Fight for the rights of Singaporeans! Cut defence spending and cut GST and restrict foreign workers in Singapore for the justice of Singaporeans who served NS to defend their country, only to find that the foreigners are taking away their jobs and HDB flats!