(February 3, 2008/ Singapore) Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats Secretary General J.R. Nereus Acosta and program officer Carlo F. Religioso concluded their three-day mission to Singapore where they met with CALD Chair Chee Soon Juan.
In the meeting, Dr. Chee lamented on how the Singapore government has been man-handling the cases filed against him and other SDP members. The Attorney General’s office has indicated that it will proceed with the remaining seven charges against him, with the trial for the second charge initiated in November 2007. In the event that Dr. Chee will be found guilty of all subsequent charges, heavier fines will be imposed on him, prolonging his bankruptcy and further curtailing his rights and freedom. His freedom to travel has already been impaired and the only way he can effectively express his ideas as CALD Chair is through the “free spaces” of the internet.
On the other hand, Dr. Acosta discussed with Dr. Chee important issues concerning CALD, specifically its overarching theme for 2008. Both agreed that the theme for its 15th anniversary should give emphasis to CALD’s founding principles and its raison d’etre.
The theme “Safeguarding Developing Democracies in Asia” manifests CALD rejection of the idea of “sequential democracy”, the theoretical anchor for the so-called “Asian values” of prioritizing development over democracy. CALD will continue to forward and foster the belief that freedom is universal and that democracy should be strengthened and sustained by strong, functioning and open institutions.
CALD’s proposals and activities for 2008 and beyond will seek to clearly reflect this theme and overarching value.
The meeting was also attended by the Singapore Democratic Party members: Mr. Gandhi Ambalam, Mr. John Tan, and Ms. Chee Siok Chin.
Categorised in: News Article
This post was written by CALD
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