JBJ – The Embattled Warrior
As a law student in the 1980’s, I was imbued with idealism and a pretty strong sense of justice and how governments should behave in a liberal democracy. I lapped up what my lecturers taught. But before I could even complete my law degree, I discovered that Singapore was not made in the image and likeness of Western democracies.
In 1986, the government decided that it was not happy with the way the Law Society had conducted itself i.e. having Francis Seow as its President, and actively campaigning against restrictions on the foreign press. So it decided to amend the Legal Profession Act to place conditions on who could run for office in the Society. Select Committee proceedings were held and televised. One by one, the lawyers in the Law Society Council were grilled on national television about how they were not fit to hold office. One was even quizzed about her connections with the Workers’ Party. Detentions under the Internal Security Act of alleged Marxist conspirators followed soon after. Exactly what did the rule of law mean in Singapore? As a young law student, I was perplexed, and in need of answers.
At about the same time, Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, or JBJ as we know him, was fighting huge personal battles. He was the incumbent MP in Anson constituency, having won the by-election in 1981 and been re-elected in 1984. News broke about him being convicted of an offence involving a donor’s cheque to him; he was seen clutching his Bible as he entered Queenstown Remand Prison to serve a prison sentence. Consequently, JBJ was also disqualified from law practice. He appealed against his disqualification to the Privy Council in London, our highest appeal court then. In the course of their judgment, the Law Lords in London observed that JBJ’s conviction was wrong and that he had suffered a “grievous injustice”. This was basically brushed aside by the authorities. JBJ’s disqualification from law practice and from standing for elections for 5 years remained. Within a few months, the government abolished legal appeals to London in disciplinary cases involving lawyers, specifically citing JBJ’s appeal!
Nearly 10 years later, campaigning began for the General Elections held in Jan 1997. Tang Liang Hong had teamed up with JBJ to contest Cheng San GRC. The atmosphere was meteoric, with the ruling party marshalling its full arsenal to label Tang a Chinese chauvinist. As I think back now, Tang’s shouts of “Merdeka” at a lunch time rally at UOB Plaza still ring in my ears to this day. So high, it seems, were the stakes at GE 1997. On New Year’s Day 1997, on the eve of Polling Day, JBJ stood at the WP rally stage at Yio Chu Kang stadium and said that he had with him Tang’s police reports against “Goh Chok Tong and his people”. For that statement, 8 legal suits were commenced in the High Court against JBJ. Deeply troubled and upset, I wrote to JBJ enclosing a donation. Thus we became friends.
Occasionally, I visited him in his law office. As he was representing Tang in legal suits as well, JBJ’s office was full of piles and piles of legal documents and affidavits filed. It is not an exaggeration to say that one had to tip toe through the piles in order to move around. JBJ would be busy drafting replies with the help of his lone secretary, Mrs Chiu. It gave the David and Goliath story new meaning.
As the months passed, JBJ had to pay all sorts of damages, or face bankruptcy. In early 1999, I remember receiving a work bonus. With all my heart, I gave it to him, hoping it would somehow forestall what was to befall him. I know of many others who made contributions. Indeed, JBJ seemed to be regularly saddled with big amounts to pay, at one point about half a million. What were our contributions in the deep pit of defamation damages?
Around that time, 3 polytechnic lecturers decided to make a short film on JBJ, to be aired at a local film festival. JBJ invited me to lunch with him and then to go to the launch of the film. When we arrived at the launch venue, we discovered to our surprise that the film had been delisted from the programme, because it had not been passed by the Board of Film Censors. The lecturers were not at the launch, and JBJ told me he could not contact them for many days. Later, there were reports that they were being investigated for an offence under an obscure section of the Films Act. That section continues to haunt Singaporeans today, but probably not for much longer, as the People’s Action Party has indicated that they have already made political films videos about themselves which they will be showing once the law is amended!
Around the year 2000, I invited JBJ to a small birthday party at my family home. Several friends and my family were there. As with most of my family occasions, alcohol was always available for merry-making. Though JBJ was a whiskey man, he whispered to me that as it was Holy Week (in the Christian calendar, the days preceding Good Friday), he did not “mean to be sanctimonious” but would not want to drink. As I recall, a clergyman among my friends assured him that his salvation would not hinge on that evening alone…and thus was he persuaded.
After he became a bankrupt in 2001, he resigned from the Workers’ Party. I joined the Party in Nov 2001 when Mr Low Thia Khiang was Secretary-General. Because of this, I believe JBJ was not happy with me and we thus became somewhat estranged. In the last few years, our dealings were minimal and formal. But when he started the Reform Party, the Workers’ Party leadership turned up in force at the Reform Party’s inaugural dinner in July 2008. Despite whatever differences, we could not forget his contributions to the continuity of the Party and his leadership through various crises.
I could not say that I knew JBJ well. But from what I knew, he was a God-fearing man who stuck to his guns and moved many by the deep sacrifices he made for the sake of his beliefs. Did he pay too high a price? If he were alive, I believe his answer would have been an emphatic: “No!”
“It was 15 minutes to 8am on 30 September 2008 when I received an SMS from a fellow WP member. “JBJ had just passed away” was the message.
I stood rooted to the ground staring at the SMS. It was like yesterday that I shook his hands at the inauguration dinner of ‘The Reform Party’. After about a minute or so, I composed myself and tried to verify the news. I hurriedly rushed towards the radio and tuned into the news at 8am. True enough, Mr JB Jeyaretnam had passed away because of a heart failure that morning.
He was the first opposition party candidate to be elected a Member of Parliament in Singapore, 16 years after the country gained independence. He was the leader of the Workers’ Party from 1972 to 2000. Being a political party that has been around for 50 years, we have members who joined the party from as early as 1959 and are still in the party today.” – Lilian Lee, CEC Member, age 30
“Growing up in Anson, I owe my political awakening to the Late Mr Jeyaretnam. It still is hard to accept my ex MP’s passing. Many in Anson will remember him as an MP who listened and cared, an MP who got the overhead bridge overlooking the old Zhangde Primary School built. While Anson under him may not have the best facilities, it was a place filled with hope. The affection and support Anson residents had for him is evidenced by the spontaneity of the hundreds of residents, e.g. those from Blocks 136, 137, 138, 141, and 142 who volunteered their services to his reelection campaign in 1984. While Mr JBJ did not live to see his vision of a more caring, progressive, egalitarian, inclusive, tolerant, transparent and accountable Singapore where the rule of good law reigns supreme – he was one who was ahead of his time – being realised, his efforts have not been in vain. We will do our best to realise this vision. While we recognise that this will be a struggle fraught with difficult challenges I know with a politically more aware people and their support, we will one day succeed.” – Shaun Lee, Member, age 36
“I joined the party in 1982 but only became more active in 1989 after I got to know more members from the party. We participated actively in the sale of our newsletter.
In 1993, JBJ approached me to help sell his book titled ‘Make it Right for Singapore’. Without hesitation, I agreed and from then we never failed to make an appearance around town areas such as Raffles Place, Arcade and City Hall. Our sales hours were from 10.30am to 1.00pm and 5.00pm-8.00pm, Monday to Thursday.
My most memorable sale was in Tekka, where we garnered a lot of support from the Indians. It was a common sight to see people paying us $50 or $100 for a book that costs $15.
JBJ will handle the English and Tamil speaking public while I communicated with the Chinese, dialect and Malay speaking supporters.” – Steven Teo, Member, age 50.
“As a little boy, I remember Mr Jeyaretnam as one of the prominent opposition leaders in the 70’s and 80’s, along with Dr Lee Siew Chow, Seow Khee Leng, and even Harbans Singh. Long after all the others had “disappeared” from the scene, however, JBJ was still fighting for his cause. When results for Anson were announced on TV in 1981, I remember hearing shouts and clapping around my neighbourhood. I had wondered why, but I knew it must have been something happy and momentous.” – Hougang Boy
“When Mr J. B. Jeyaretnam passed away, he had dreams he desired and waited to be fulfilled. At 82, he had just been discharged from bankruptcy and had his legal practice reinstated. After being barred from contesting elections for more than ten years, he readied himself for what was possibly his last election only about three years away. But no matter what, he has already accomplished a lot more than what he had set out to do and what he had yet to complete.” – Melvin Tan, Member, age 34
“JBJ赢得Anson时，因为我的眼睛受了伤所以无法到现场感受当时的气氛，是我最大的遗憾。虽然有些时候我不认同他的作风，他的精神可是令我非常的敬佩。尤其是那份，为国为民从来不要求回报的真诚。” – Lim Ee Ping, Member, age 72
“The most memorable experience that I had with him was the celebration after the win in Anson. People from all walks of life came to congratulate him. I will never forget a particular supporter, a journalist from London. Mr JBJ had come across to me as a man who was very hardworking and persistent.” – Marsh Edmund Richard, Member, age 66
“I was so happy when Mr JBJ won the seat in Anson. It was all over The Straits Times. I was happy not just for him but for the whole constituency as well as the party. The public, residents from Anson and of course members from the party were helping out during the elections. It was not just JBJ’s win; it was everyone’s win!” – Sakthivel, j, Member, age 59
