A very touching article by Yahoo!News: A peek into the life of Chee Soon Juan that make one grown man crys.
Despite being sued till bankrupt and probably never ever able to find a job again in Singapore (for those who don’t know, it is very hard to find a job if you have criminal record in a small place like Singapore let alone someone who was sued bankrupt not by one but two former Prime Ministers of Singapore), what strikes me is how his wife and family stuck with him. While politics is always very dirty everywhere, I hope no future Singapore politicians (and their wivies and children) have to go through what Chee Soon Juan, JB Jeyaretnam ,Tang Liang Hong, Francis Seow, Chia Thye Poh, Lim Hock Siew, Lim Chin Siong had gone through, then we can proudly say that we have come out of age and a truly civilised and first world country. If not because of politics, many of these doctors, lawyers, lecturers, unionists would have continued to contribute to Singapore instead of being sidelined for their strong (some may say extreme depends on how it is being portrayed) political beliefs.
“A true hero of Singapore, I salute Dr Chia for his courage, integrity and sacrifice for Singaporeans. When he graduated from Nanyang University at the age of 20 and embarked on a teaching career, the world was so bright for him and his family. Effectively trilingual, he is proficient in English, Malay and Chinese. But for cruelty of the P.A.P., Chia would have made enormous contributions to our country and the region. ” – Martyn See Tong Ming on Chia Thye Poh
Some notable comments by the readers exerpted here:
“Nothing (even with all the money in the world) beats an united and happy family. You are a winner, Dr Chee. Secondly, despite the countless setbacks in your political career, you still persevere. Look at PAP, George Yeo, Lim Hwee Hwa … call it quits, after just one setback. They prefer to be head of big corporations earning money, than pursuing their political dreams (if any).”
“Although some of the things u did were not agreeable to me but i admire your guts to speak up and fight the PAP. I guess many singaporeans do not hv the guts to do what u could do.”
“Now I see another angle of Dr Chee….. he’s not as complicated as what I think. Leading a very simple life, content and most important is the family & yourself are happy.”
“Dr Chee, despite what life throws at you, never give up that fighting spirit.
You are very blessed indeed to have such wonderful children and wife.”
[Updated 9 Jul 2015, Straits Times]
He also thanked filmmaker Tay Bee Pin for producing the 18-minute short film Behind The Man, about Dr Chee and his family living in their three-room Toa Payoh flat.
He addressed his critics who accused him of engaging a public relations company to fashion his public image, saying: “Please, please don’t insult or rubbish the sacrifices some of these people make.
“My life has been an open book for ridicule and attacks from PAP and its supporters. I hope you don’t ridicule me and my wife, taking our home as a little sanctuary where, when we close the door, it’s just us and our children in a little corner of the world where the PAP can’t get in.”
More.
Related links:
- Another name calling incident by PAP leader
- GE2015: ‘Just keep going, don’t give up’, Chee Soon Juan’s 13-year-old daughter tells SDP chief
Inspiring speeches:
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