TR EMERITUS

The Reform Party can confirm that Mr. Ng Teck Siong, former Chairman of the Reform Party, submitted his resignation to the party’s Secretary General on Sunday 26th April. The senior officers and council of the CEC were saddened by the news but are fully supportive of Mr Ng’s decision that, “in the interest of party renewal, this is an appropriate juncture to step aside,”  Mr Ng is a veteran of opposition politics having being involved with different opposition parties for almost thirty years.  His political career first began in 1980 when he joined the Singapore Democratic Party under the then SG Mr Chiam See Tong. In the last few years he has become well known as a trusted assistant to the late J.B. Jeyaretnam.  Mr Ng Teck Siong was invited onto the Pro-Tem committee by JBJ during the early stages of The Reform Party’s inauguration and took over the helm of leadership following the death of JBJ in October 2008. Mr Edmund Ng Chair of the reform Party denied rumours of any personal rift quoting an interview from MediaCorp’s ‘938 live’ yesterday where Mr K Jeyaretnam said "Teck Siong has given many years of loyal service to my father and has done a good job of steering the party. It shouldn't be taken as a reflection of anything bad on him. Just that the majority of the CEC felt it's time for new blood."  The Chair went on to stress that the party is governed by CEC decisions not by any one individual. Mr Jeyaretnam paid tribute to Mr Ng Teck Siong, praising him for stepping up and taking over at the helm at a very difficult time. “The door is always open to him”, he added.  The CEC, on the whole of the Reform Party, wishes Mr Ng continued good health and happiness and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours. Source: The Reform Party  Read More →

By Eugene Yeo As expected, the state media has embarked on its smear campaign against Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam even before the next election. The Reform Party founded by Kenneth's father, the late Joshua Jeyaretnam had a CEC meeting on 26 April 2009 during which Kenneth was appointed as its Secretary-General by a majority vote. The Reform Party has issued a press release here which documents clearly the resolutions passed. However, the Straits Times report ignore its content completely and chose instead to focus on an alleged rift between Kenneth and his father's closest ally, the affable Mr Ng Teck Siong: "A month after joining the fledgling Reform Party founded by his father, hedge fund manager Kenneth Jeyaretnam has taken over as its secretary-general. At the same time, a long-time ally of the late Mr J B Jeyaretnam and a co-founder of the party, quit after falling out with the younger Jeyaretnam." (read full article here) To be fair to Jeremy, he did contact Kenneth who declined to comment on the matter. Nevertheless, I am still disappointed with the main thrust of his article which appeared more keen to play up on petty politicking within the party than the matter proper. Regardless of its authenticity, this statement is damaging to Kenneth's image as a budding politician and a response is warranted immediately. Singapore is a conservative Asian society where the young are expected to show respect to seniors, teachers and mentors. Politicians who are perceived to lack these quintessential virtues will almost always be rejected by the electorate.  Mr Ng Teck Siong is a good friend and comrade of the late Jeyaretnam and was instrumental in setting up the Reform Party together with him. After his passing last year, Teck Siong held the fort as the Chairman of Reform Party till the last CEC meeting after  which he resigned from his position following a vote of no confidence against him. Jeremy Au seemed to insinuate in his article that Kenneth had a personal dispute with Teck Siong which led eventually to his quitting from Reform Party while the reality may not be as such. Some readers may be misled to perceive Kenneth as an arrogant and ungrateful upstart who has failed to show proper respect to his late friend's close friend. I propose that Kenneth and Teck Siong hold a press conference together to debunk any rumors of discord and ill-will between the two for the sake of the former's political career. Kenneth may like to take the opportunity to express his appreciation and gratitude to Teck Siong's unwavering faith in JBJ in the past while Teck Siong should throw his full support behind Kenneth as the leader to bring Reform Party forward. Politics is all about "wayang" and public opinion is of utmost importance. The mainstream media is an expert at manipulating public perceptions to cast aspersions on the character or capability of opposition politicians. Once a politician is stuck with a "label" by the media, it will probably stay with him forever with no hope  of redemption. Dr Chee Soon Juan, James Gomez and Tan Lead Shake are examples of opposition politicians who have been "fixed" by the state media and never quite salvaged their embattled reputation in the eyes of the Singaporeans. Even till today, many Singaporeans believe that Dr Chee has plotted the ouster of his mentor, the respected Mr Chiam See Tong from the Singapore Democratic Party. I hope Kenneth can get a good start in his fledging political career and get acknowledged in due course as a credible and respected opposition leader in the mould of Mr Chiam See Tong and Mr Low Thia Kiang. With Mr Chiam entering into the twilight of his political career, Singaporeans desperately need to get another opposition MP into Parliament and Kenneth represents our best hope. Kenneth's undisputed pedigree as the son of JBJ, academic qualifications and professional background as an economist will pose a formidable threat to the PAP which may already be hatching a plan to throw him off course. Let us stay vigilant always and be alerted to any reports in the state media which may tarnish the image of Kenneth.  Read More →

From The Informant Network Team, Wayang Party: Senior lawyer Dr Thio Su Mien said during the press conference by the new AWARE exco that she had "counselled" homosexuals: "Are we going to have an entire…of lesbians? I have nothing against lesbians or homosexuals personally. On a personal front, I’ve given ministered, I’ve counselled them. So you need to understand I’m not talking about… They are in pain. And very often…where you have abusive fathers, they do things with their daughters and the daughters revolt, rebel against society. We understand this is what it’s all about. It’s the people, the pain of people." (Source: wayangparty.com) Dr Thio's Church, the Church of Our Savior has also put up a position statement on homosexuality which seems to imply that "homosexuality" can be changed through counseling and spiritual help: "Our Choices Ministry provides both counseling and spiritual help for those who want to be set free from homosexual thoughts, tendencies and practices. God provides great comfort and strength for those who repent of their sins and who trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Repentance is necessary and is also possible for all sins — including homosexual practice." (Source: COOS) From the position adopted by COOS, it is quite clear they believe that homosexuality is a sin which can be corrected and hence the need to speak out strong against any perceived tolerance and promotion of homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle in mainstream society. In a way, COOS is imposing its values and beliefs onto non-Christians who do not subscribe to the teachings contained in the Bible. While COOS is entitled to its own opinions and has the right to preach about its stance on homosexuality to its own congregation, the secular society at large should look at the issue homosexuality strictly from an objective, reliable and scientific authority based on the latest medical evidence. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrist, homosexuality is not a mental disorder and there is no sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed: STATEMENT FROM THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS The Royal College shares the concern of both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association that positions espoused by bodies like the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) in the United States are not supported by science. There is no sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed. Furthermore so-called treatments of homosexuality as recommended by NARTH create a setting in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish. The Royal College of Psychiatrists holds the view that lesbian, gay and bisexual people should be regarded as valued members of society who have exactly similar rights and responsibilities as all other citizens. This includes equal access to health care, the rights and responsibilities involved in a civil partnership, the rights and responsibilities involved in procreating and bringing up children, freedom to practice a religion as a lay person or religious leader, freedom from harassment or discrimination in any sphere and a right to protection from therapies that are potentially damaging, particularly those that purport to change sexual orientation. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association concluded there was no scientific evidence that homosexuality was a disorder and removed it from its diagnostic glossary of mental disorders. The International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organisation followed suit in 1992 Source: Royal College of Psychiatrists  Read More →