| Reuters February 10, 2006 SINGAPORE By Fayen Wong See: Chee Soon Juan statement A PROMINENT Singaporean opposition leader was declared bankrupt on Friday, Feb 10, for failing to make libel payments to two former prime ministers, a ruling that will bar him from contesting elections, his lawyer said. Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party, lost a three-year legal fight against defamation suits brought by Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong in January 2005, and was ordered to pay S$500,000 ($306,000) in damages for a case dating back to the 2001 parliamentary elections. "He was declared bankrupt. He is not appealing," Chee's lawyer M. Ravi told Reuters. The ruling was made in a closed-door bankruptcy petition hearing at the Singapore High Court. The ruling permanently bans Chee from running for parliament, as bankrupts are not allowed to contest elections. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is widely expected to call an early general election, possibly as soon as next month. Chee, a free-speech proponent, had already lost his right to contest the next general election after being fined S$3000 in 2002 for speaking in public without a permit. Anyone fined more than S$2000 (US$1230) is barred from standing in a general election for five years. Chee told reporters outside the court that he would remain politically active, despite not being able to contest elections. "Through the decades, opposition politicians have been, and continue to be, hounded, persecuted, and prosecuted by the PAP (People's Action Party) through the courts," Chee said in a statement read to reporters outside the court. Almost all of Singapore's leading opposition figures have faced legal action at some time by prominent members of the ruling PAP. Activists and critics such as rights group Amnesty International say that defamation lawsuits brought by Singapore leaders are designed to cripple the opposition. But Singapore's leaders say it is necessary to safeguard their reputations. Chee, a former university lecturer, was found guilty in August 2002 of defaming Lee and Goh during the run-up to the 2001 election by questioning their use of public funds. Known for his strong criticism of the government, Chee has had several clashes with the ruling party. In 1997, he was ordered to pay S$315,000 to a PAP member and two other parties after Chee said that his sacking from the university was politically motivated. The PAP -- now led by Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's
first prime minister -- has dominated parliament since independence in
1965. It won 82 of 84 seats in November 2001 elections and has never lost
more than four seats in any election. Chee's party has no seats. |
||||