• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Stop practice of “name-calling and personal destruction”: Chee

by Andrew Loh
03/05/2015
in Current Affairs
Reading Time: 4 mins read
15

Chee

Yee, with bruised eye
Yee, with bruised eye

It is time to stop the practice of “name-calling and personal destruction” in Singapore’s political landscape, says Dr Chee Soon Juan, secretary general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).

Writing on the party’s website on Sunday, Dr Chee made the call in the light of the assault on 16-year old blogger and Youtuber, Amos Yee.

The teenager was hit in the face by a 49-year old man on Thursday as the former was making his way to the State Court for a pre-trial hearing.

The assault had apparently resulted in a bruised eye and cheek on the youth.

The assailant was reported to have been arrested by the police 12 hours after the incident and investigations are ongoing.

Amos Yee is currently in remand for breaching bail conditions.

It is unknown if he has been given medical attention.

Dr Chee’s remarks is the latest which call for restraint in how the public react to the teenager’s views.

The Media Literacy Council and the Singapore Kindness Movement have also cautioned against taking things into one’s own hands. (See here and here.)

“We heave [sic] a collective sigh of relief that the assailant did not carry a weapon, otherwise the situation could have turned even more tragic,” Dr Chee wrote. “As it is, if the culprit had landed closer to Amos’ ear, it could have caused critical perhaps even irreparable damage to the boy.”

Dr Chee pointed out that the physical assault on the teenager had been preceded by “expressions of hate” after Amos Yee’s controversial video on Youtube on the late Lee Kuan Yew’s death, which is also claimed to have insulted Christianity.

“We should not be surprised therefore that someone took it upon himself to express his emotions through a violent act,” the SDP leader said.

He added that “it is the PAP’s rhetoric, often bordering on incitement, that provides the substratum for mistrust and hate.”

Dr Chee then provided three examples of where the PAP’s rhetoric had allegedly or could have led to threats made against their opponents.

He cited the case of Tang Liang Hong who had taken part in the 1997 general elections and who “was accused of being an anti-Islam, anti-Christian Chinese chauvinist” by PAP leaders.

“The incendiary labels stoked vicious threats against Mr Tang so much so that immediately following the elections in 1997, he fled the country,” Dr Chee said.

He also related the experiences of former solicitor-general, Francis Seow, and former Workers’ Party chief, JB Jeyaretnam, both of whom Dr Chee said had had derogatory and incendiary labels ascribed to them, which could have led some to behave in “a very regrettable manner” towards the two men.

“I have been called a gangster, a traitor who opposes Singapore and even diagnosed a psychopath,” Dr Chee said. “When you top this off with a call to ‘annihilate’ me, you set up a scenario laced with poisonous tension, tempting individuals to perpetrate acts of malice and aggression.”

The SDP leader, whose first foray into electoral politics was in the 1992 by-election in Marine Parade, then disclosed two incidents where he himself had been targeted for such “acts of malice and aggression”.

“The first was that my German Shepherd dog was poisoned, the cause of death was confirmed by the vet. The second involved the repeated slashing of my car tyres. Both episodes happened in the late 1990s at the height of the PAP’s vitriol against me.”

Explaining that opponents of the PAP may not have the same security protection, he asks the latter to realise that “their opponents are vulnerable to attacks by persons on the violent fringe.”

Chee
Chee

“Engaging in over-the-top rhetoric and using violent imagery is dangerous,” the SDP chief warned.

“All it takes is just one moment of madness by one lone individual to commit one violent act, and no amount of calling for justice by the Minister for Law can undo the damage,” he said, referring to Mr K Shanmugam’s remarks following the assault on Amos Yee.

Mr Shanmugam had described the attack as “quite unacceptable”.

“I have often counseled against personal attacks and character assassination in our politics,” Dr Chee said. “It is base and primitive, and has absolutely no place in the modern and civilised nation that we aspire to.”

“I call on those in the PAP to stop its practice of name-calling and personal destruction.”

You can read the full text of Dr Chee’s article here: “This is why we must stop personal attacks in politics”.

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

Singapore warns slower economic growth in 2023
Labour

Less than 1 in 10 jobs created in first three quarters of 2022 went to Singaporeans?

28/01/2023
Peru Congress rejects president’s plan for early elections
AFP

Peru Congress rejects president’s plan for early elections

28/01/2023
UMNO purging members as it sacks former health minister Khairy and suspended ex-defence minister Hishammuddin
Malaysia

UMNO purging members as it sacks former health minister Khairy and suspended ex-defence minister Hishammuddin

28/01/2023
WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status
AFP

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

27/01/2023
AFP

Two years after Myanmar coup, UN says situation ‘catastrophic’

27/01/2023
Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health
Community

Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

27/01/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
15 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Singapore warns slower economic growth in 2023

Less than 1 in 10 jobs created in first three quarters of 2022 went to Singaporeans?

28/01/2023
Peru Congress rejects president’s plan for early elections

Peru Congress rejects president’s plan for early elections

28/01/2023
UMNO purging members as it sacks former health minister Khairy and suspended ex-defence minister Hishammuddin

UMNO purging members as it sacks former health minister Khairy and suspended ex-defence minister Hishammuddin

28/01/2023
WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

27/01/2023

Two years after Myanmar coup, UN says situation ‘catastrophic’

27/01/2023
Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

27/01/2023
Philippines to appeal ICC resumption of drug war probe

ICC grants new inquiry into Manila’s deadly ‘war on drugs’

27/01/2023
Minister refutes claims of Malaysia consulting Singapore on housing policy due to its inefficient civil service

Minister refutes claims of Malaysia consulting Singapore on housing policy due to its inefficient civil service

27/01/2023

Trending posts

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
36

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
24

...

Ho Ching breaks silence over Temasek’s write down of its US$275 million investment in FTX, says it “can afford to be contrarian”

US regulator questions VCs’ due diligence work prior to investing in FTX; Ho Ching says Temasek can afford to be contrarian

by The Online Citizen
24/01/2023
28

...

Indian rupee falls 60% since signing of CECA while Singapore becomes top investor in India

by Correspondent
25/01/2023
55

...

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

by The Online Citizen
26/01/2023
46

...

Stop practice of “name-calling and personal destruction”: Chee

by Andrew Loh
03/05/2015
15

...

May 2015
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Apr   Jun »
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz