US embassy's comment 'unwarranted'

THE Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday described as "both unwarranted and unfounded" a comment by the United States embassy expressing concern over "the ruling party's use of the court system to intimidate political opponents".

"This comment is both unwarranted and unfounded. Singapore leaders sued because they were defamed," said an MFA spokesman of the comment which was reported by the United Press International (UPI) news agency on Wednesday.

This was two days after the High Court ordered Workers' Party chief J. B. Jeyaretnam to pay $20,000 in damages to the Prime Minister over comments he had made during the General Election. Mr Goh Chok Tong was awarded 60 per cent of the costs.

"Singapore leaders guard their integrity jealously. They will continue to clear their names through the courts whenever they are defamed. How else do they clear their names?", the spokesman added.

He noted that both Mr Jeyaretnam and Singapore People's Party chief Chiam See Tong had, for the same reason, sued in the courts to clear their names when they believed they were defamed, and some cases had succeeded.

Indeed Mr Jeyaretnam had once sued Mr Goh, he said.

"Leaders in countries where their laws do not allow them to sue when they were defamed have had their reputations clouded in doubts.

"Polls show that politicians in such countries are held in low esteem by their people," the spokesman concluded.

The UPI report gave no further elaboration on the embassy's concern.

It also reported that political observers had told the agency that the judgment was an "unusual departure in defamation cases brought by government officials, both for the small amount of damages and for its criticism of government lawyers."