CALD secretariat meets with CALD chair in Singapore

(November 3, 2008/ Singapore) The CALD secretariat represented by Dr. Neric Acosta, secretary general and interim executive director, and Mr. Paolo Zamora, senior program officer, made a courtesy meeting today with Dr. Chee Soon Juan, chair of CALD and secretary general of the embattled Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). Also in the meeting were SDP members Gandhi Ambalam, Chia Ti Lik, Jaslyn Go, Chee Siok Chin and John Tan.

Dr. Chee has not been able to leave Singapore for more than three years now and is still facing charges along with 17 other SDP members. Tagged as the Singapore 18, Dr. Chee and his colleagues were indicted for violating the Miscellaneous Offences Act for peacefully assembling without a permit to express their concerns over rising housing costs. The party asserts their innocence and firmly stands by their right to freedom of assembly and expression.

Dr. Acosta expressed his dismay over such continued repressive actions of the Singapore government and said, “the legitimate expression of dissent is a hallmark of democracy and the tolerance of differences in ideas and policy initiatives should mark a society’s own maturity and openness; unfortunately Singapore remains closed and unyielding in this respect.”

Mr. Zamora reported to the SDP members what transpired in the recently concluded Political Party Management workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Due to the difficulties and constraints SDP is facing, the party was not able to send a representative to participate in the said workshop.  The participants of this year’s workshop conveyed their message of support to SDP through the CALD secretariat.

Mr. Zamora also reported updates on the program and preparations for the CALD 15^th Anniversary conference in Bangkok this coming December. In the event that SDP’s presence will again be deterred, the CALD secretariat guarantees that their message will be properly communicated to the international community and to the liberal family attending this event.

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This post was written by CALD