Sunday, October 5, 2008
I was 11 when i first heard of this man. I knew nothing about politics except that "PAP IS THE BEST". The reason for me to believe such comes from the fact that i was from PAP kindergarten. Can we consider that early age brainwash? Well it did not take me long to start admiring JB Jeyaretnam or affectionately known as JBJ. My father had a long chat with me, telling me the ideas of JBJ and how he is different from other politicians. I was eleven then, I had no inkling what my father was saying or why he was sharing with me the intricacies of Singapore Politics. As i grew older and started reading the papers i slowly began to understand my conversation at eleven(1997-The year JBJ cleared his bankruptcy YET AGAIN and returned into politics).
Then came the day when i spotted a group of five huddled at the corner outside Centre-Point. I would not have noticed them, had it not been for the odd crowd movement. The walkway was relatively packed with human traffic but near the group of five the crowd seemed to form a buffer zone. This action of avoidance by the public caught my attention. Peering thru the human traffic, i caught a glimpse of an elderly indian man spotting HUGE sideburns and a weathered face. There i was standing infront of JBJ, he was looking straight into my eyes with conviction. Against my friend's pleading i walked up to the man and extended my hand as a form of respect. He grasped it and gave me a firm handshake, i felt like i was in the presence of A Giant of Experience and Valour. Buying his book "The Hatchet Man Of Singapore" was money well spent. Reading rejected political ideas, i began to understand him better.
He gave up what could have been a successful career on the bench to enter the rough-and-tumble of Singapore’s political life with zeal and energy.. Right to the end he remained a fighter, a great warrior for democracy and human rights. He embodied valour and virtue in fighting for a cause he believed in passionately.
He stood proudly and bravely with the ordinary men championing their cause and on many occasions representing their interest without payment. He was there for them – all the time.
A consummate politician who had to go through so many political hurdles during the many years when he waged a long and lonely battle against the PAP to secure the space for democracy and human rights. The mighty PAP gave him one hell of a struggle. They bankrupted him with many defamation suits which they won with hefty awards crippling him financially. JBJ lost his property, he lost his legal practice and he lost his wealth. But he never lost his sanity or his fighting spirit. That was the measure of this great man.
All he had was his unbending will and a determination to stand up for what he believed in. Any lesser man would have thrown in the towel – but not JBJ!
He peddled his party organ, The Hammer, and his books on street corners to raise funds to free himself from bankruptcy. Many, out of fear, avoided him on the streets. Even the bookshops dared not stock his books for sale. It was such a pity that he had to struggle against all odds and all alone.
The great man finally cleared himself from bankruptcy in July 2007 - in spite of strenuous opposition to block him - and died as an honourable man.
When he launched his new party, the Reform Party, in July 2008, he remarked, “I’m not being dramatic but I haven’t got many more years.” Little did he know that he barely had three months of his life left!
In his concluding remarks, he urged the gathering, “Come, walk with me, let us walk together… for peace, justice, truth… fearing no one except God,”
We may not be able to walk with him but we can certainly walk in his path and keep his spirit alive.
Farewell, JBJ. May your Great soul rest in peace.
Whirled Through 12:04 PM
7 Comments:
An unflinching campaigner for the rule of law and for the whole spectrum of human rights - regardless of the personal costs he paid. The man’s adage: 'No government, anywhere in the world, can be so good that there is no need for an opposition. It is only in dictatorships where one man rules the country without an opposition" RIP JBJ!
I remember the day my dad taught me about JBJ. And there was this one thing he said that always stuck with me. "Always voice out your opinions. No great man got to where he was by keeping quiet and shuffling along with the crowd." JBJ was definitely was a great man. And in my opinion, he will always be one.
Test.
What a privilege to have met JBJ, even for a brief moment. I can't say very much else because I have never been politically interested or involved.. but he sounds like a remarkable man. I suppose it takes such men to want to dedicate their lives towards bettering the circumstances of other people, or in his case a whole nation.
Like Nelson Mandela. He fought against apartheid and went to jail for 27 years. Even after he was freed, he continued to fight for his beliefs until it finally came true. Nothing could deter him.
So yes. God bless JBJ. May he rest in peace.
Singapore needs people like him. People who are not afraid to stand up against the government and give opposing viewpoint.
We learn that one of the best ways to counter groupthink is to appoint a devils advocate. This is so ideas and theories can be discussed and thought through thoroughly.
In you were to be surrounded by yes-men, how will you know whether your idea is a good one or not. While the PAP may hate to admit it, they need people like JBJ. I hope that he gets the credit that is due. An unsung hero perhaps?
i think that JBJ was an excellent politician. someone who stood up for what he felt was right. this is truly lacking in singapore today. because of society, i feel that individuals are afraid to stand up and speak their mind. call this the SINGAPORE GROUPTHINK! but it is a sad fact that we have made our country such that opposing the norm will only be greeted with hostility
i was never interested in politics, and never actively went out to read about news in that genre. but i knew of this news on the same day, and i also knew who he was. this just shows how much influence this man had to have so many people talking about him.
from what i know, many people felt this man to be great as he dared to speak his mind, which more than often was the truth. unfortunately, in a society where not conforming is frowned upon, and he has suffered the sharp end of the stick.
yes, we do need more people like him, but who is willing to bear all the limelight of being a non-conformist?
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