| Associated
Press May 10, 2007 SINGAPORE By GILLIAN WONG A SINGAPORE opposition politician who fought a long, lone battle against the ruling establishment said he emerged from six years of bankruptcy Thursday, May 10 - which would make him eligible to run in the next parliamentary elections. Joshua B. Jeyaretnam, 81, told the Associated Press he is no longer bankrupt after making a final payment in damages from defamation lawsuits filed by the country's leaders, including the prime minister. "Of course, I'm very relieved," he said Thursday. "But it's a very heavy price I have paid." Bankrupts are barred from holding parliamentary seats in Singapore. Critics claim leaders use defamation suits to silence the opposition, but leaders argue that they have a right to defend their reputations against untrue criticism. Jeyaretnam said he has given a cashier's order for S$233,255 (US$154,010; €113,641) to the Official Assignee, which handles such matters. He did not say how he got the money. An appeal court had awarded him a "conditional discharge" from bankruptcy on April 23, valid if he paid what he owed within three weeks. The long-ruling People's Action Party, or PAP, holds 82 out of 84 elected seats in Parliament. Jeyaretnam, then-leader of the Workers' Party, in 1981 became the first opposition politician elected to Parliament since Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. In Parliament, he became a rare voice railing fiercely against the PAP's strict controls on political activity, media and public speech. However, leaders' numerous defamation suits put him into bankruptcy, driving him from his legislative seat. But he is now eligible to run in the next elections, not due until 2011. Jeyaretnam was declared bankrupt in 2001 when he failed to pay more than S$600,000 (US$367,049; €308,512) in damages to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, former Prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, and others. He was found guilty of defaming them at a 1997 election rally, when he said a colleague had filed a police report accusing the ruling party leaders of defamation. Jeyaretnam also lost a 1995 lawsuit over remarks made in his then-party's newsletter. He has earlier estimated that he has paid out more than S$1.6 million (US$925,000) in damages and court costs over the years. In recent years, Jeyaretnam - once a wealthy, flamboyant and high-profile lawyer - has stood on street corners to sell his own books about Singapore politics. He said Thursday he is applying for his license to practice law again The Official Assignee's office confirmed it received the cashier's order from Jeyaretnam, but made no further comment. |
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