TODAY: A style out of fashion?

Veteran politician JBJ says that current WP should confront more

DERRICK A PAULO
derrick@newstoday.com.sg


ME, A STREET FIGHTER? Veteran Opposition politician J B Jeyaretnam prefers to describe his style of politics as "confrontational".

HIS fiercest opponent - Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew - has labelled his style as anything from "gutter politics" to "street fighter" tactics. Opposition veteran J B Jeyaretnam prefers to describe his methods as "confrontational" instead.

But there is one observation about his approach that Mr Jeyaretnam shares with MM Lee: That it is no longer a feature of the Workers' Party.

And, looking at the recent General Election (GE), Mr Jeyaretnam doubts it will make a comeback within the party he used to lead. He said: "I can't see it happening under (secretary-general) Low Thia Khiang. (He) hasn't shown himself ... willing or ready to take on the PAP on the most crucial issue of the system of government in this country."

Mr Lee had said last month at the 50th anniversary dinner of the Foreign Correspondents Association that Mr Low is moving in the right direction after having "got rid" of Mr Jeyaretnam and his "Third World" politics. The latter, though, is not making any concessions about his approach.

"I don't believe confrontational politics is wrong, which is what the PAP would seem to imply. They talk about constructive criticism. Of course, to them, constructive criticism is criticism within the parameters they've laid down," he said.

Which is why, he added, Mr Lee was pleased to see the back of someone like him who would challenge the system. But is the veteran Opposition politician
calling time on politics now?

"I haven't quite decided. A lot will, of course, depend on my health and if my strength will permit me to continue," said the 80-year-old, who had "great hopes" of getting discharged from his bankruptcy to contest the GE. He admitted that, with the polls over, the urgency to pay his debts from the lawsuits against him had passed. "Yes, I'd like to be discharged, but it's no longer a pressing matter," said Mr Jeyaretnam, who was speaking about the GE at an FCA luncheon last week.

These elections, with more media publicity of the Opposition in the lead-up to the polls than in previous elections, raised expectations that "some real issues would be debated", he said, citing issues about the widening wage gap, unemployment, workers' rights, healthcare, education and the cost of living. But he did not see this happen. If it had and the WP had a real go at the issues, "they might have captured Aljunied".

And Mr Jeyaretnam is not very optimistic about the Opposition's chances in a Group Representation Constituency at the next GE. "The flagship constituency didn't do as well as the flagship constituencies in the previous elections under the WP," he said, referring to the 1988, 1991 and 1997 polls.

In those elections, the WP got 49.11 per cent of the Eunos vote, 47.62 per cent in Eunos again and 45.18 per cent in Cheng San, respectively. In this GE, the WP won 43.91 per cent in Aljunied. Nonetheless, he does think that democratic ideals are on the rise among young Singaporeans.

"Going around, selling my book in Singapore, I've had hundreds of students buying the book," he related. "But, I've also noticed this: Once they leave the universities ... either their energies or their enthusiasm are sapped as a result, I suppose, of the seen and unseen pressures of society.

He cited family pressure and the climate of fear as the main counterbalances to the desire for change and greater freedoms. Although more young Singaporeans are joining the Opposition, it is not enough to convince him that the fear factor is ebbing. He has a sterner litmus test - one that is true to his style of politics.

"It's when you have people who are prepared to stand up, march through the streets of Singapore, hold a public rally. Then they can say 'we are no longer afraid'," he told TODAY.

By his own admission, it is a style that seems very much out of fashion.

Straits Times: Gomez let off with a 'stern warning'

BY SUE-ANN CHIA

WORKERS' Party member James Gomez has been given a "stern warning" for what police said yesterday was his use of threatening words towards a public servant.

A police statement said that after reviewing the evidence, the Public Prosecutor was satisfied that he committed the offence against a public servant who was carrying out his duties.

He could have been slapped with a fine not exceeding $5,000 or jailed for a period not exceeding a year.

"However, having considered all the circumstances of the case, Mr Gomez's willingness to cooperate with the police and the absence of any previous criminal record, the Public Prosecutor has decided that a stern warning be administered to Mr James Gomez for the offence," the statement said.

Mr Gomez, part of the WP's team that contested and lost in Aljunied GRC, was told of the outcome yesterday when he was called to the Police Cantonment Complex in New Bridge Road.

His passport - taken last Sunday when he was stopped from leaving the country - was also returned.

Mr Gomez was at the centre of a controversy with the Elections Department over his non-submission of a minority candidate certificate.

He claimed to have submitted the form on April 24. He went to the department two days later and asked for the certificate. When told there was no record of him handing it in, he asked the officer to check again and warned of implications.

After being informed later that day that security camera footage showed he put the form into his bag - and following calls by People's Action Party leaders for him to come clean over the incident - Mr Gomez owned up and apologised on April 29.

But the department filed a complaint against him on May 6. A day later, he was stopped at the immigration counter as he was leaving the country at Changi Airport.

After the complaint, police began their probe into offences of criminal intimidation, giving false information and using threatening words and behaviour.

Mr Gomez was questioned three times. Also interviewed were department staff, WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang and chairman Sylvia Lim. Ang Mo Kio MP-elect Inderjit Singh and retiree Thiayagarajah Karthigesu, an assenter for PAP candidates contesting in Ang Mo Kio also spoke to investigators.

Mr Inderjit had said previously that on April 27 Mr Gomez told him that the minority certificate incident was just a "wayang", or Malay for theatre - comments Mr Thiayagarajah also heard.

The police said statements Mr Gomez gave "contained serious inconsistencies and discrepancies". When taken with statements of others - including Mr Singh and Mr Thiayagarajah - it "put into question the real truth".

Mr Gomez said yesterday he was told of the outcome and about the stern warning he would receive.

"I was agreeable to that," he said. He regarded the matter as closed and hopes "to move on".

He also said he had no plans to sue Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew who called him dishonest, and a liar.

Mr Gomez also told his employers - the Stockholm-based think-tank, International IDEA. He plans to remain here over the weekend and will arrange to return to work in Sweden next week.

Channel NewsAsia: Returning Officer names WP Chairman Sylvia Lim as Non-Constituency MP

SINGAPORE VOTES 2006

By S Ramesh


WP Chairperson Sylvia Lim

SINGAPORE : The Returning Officer for the recent General Election, Mr Tan Boon Huat has declared Workers' Party Chairman, Sylvia Lim as the candidate elected to be the Non-Constituency MP or NCMP.

The declaration was made in a Government Gazette announcement on Friday.

Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, the offer of the post of NCMP would be extended to the team which polled the highest percentage of votes among the unsuccessful opposition candidates.

In this case, the WP team obtained the highest percentage of nearly 44 percent in the Aljunied GRC contest.

The Workers' Party had announced on Tuesday (9 May) that it is naming Ms Lim for the post.

This is the third time the WP is taking up the NCMP post, the last being former Secretary General, Mr JB Jeyatertnam and Dr Lee Siew Choh from the party. - CNA /dt

Channel NewsAsia: WP says it will work the ground at East Coast GRC till next election

SINGAPORE VOTES 2006

By Pearl Forss


Brandon Siow

The defeated Worker's Party team that contested in the East Coast GRC in the recent General Election, has plans to engage residents there for the next 5 years.

It hopes to change the perception that the opposition only turns up in the constituencies only a few months before a general election.

The team members fielded in the 5-member GRC were Mr Perry Tong, Mr Eric Tan, Mr Chia Ti Lik, Mr Abdul Rahim and Mr Brandon Siow.

The rookie team, who collected 36 percent of valid votes in last Saturday's polls, was out and about on Friday morning thanking residents.

They said that they want to contest in the same GRC again at the next General Election, and will spend the next 5 years preparing for it.

Mr Perry Tong said: "We are organising a series of grassroots and community-based activities. The outline is in place, we'll firm up the details.

"We will establish a broad support base here and move on from there, depending on the requirements and needs of residents."

The team said that one main reason it lost in the GRC is that young voters chose the incumbents.

They felt that it was an irony since the young Workers' Party team fielded in the GRC was supposed to connect with the post-65 generation.

Mr Chia Ti Lik said: "Based on the younger voters' perspective, whenever they compare a team that is completely new, unfamiliar and relatively untested against a team where there are ministers from the ruling party, then however much they feel for us, they will tend to be more prudent and vote for the ruling party."

Looking ahead, the team said that it would be a challenge to continue the current momentum for the next five years.

Mr Eric Tan said: "We hope to recruit more people, and therefore build on our branding and offer an institutionalised approach. That means when people look at Workers' Party, it is not just Low Thia Khiang or Sylvia Lim but more an institution that can be an alternative in the future."

In the last few days, over a hundred people emailed the Workers' Party or approached its candidates personally requesting to join the party.

The Workers' Party says it is its responsibility to build up the party so that it can be a serious counter point to the People's Action Party. - CNA/ir

TODAY: Probe unlikely to affect NCMP seat: Low

WP chief confident police will be fair; Gomez is called in for questioning a third time

LIN YANQIN
yanqinl@newstoday.com.sg


TIME TO GO: Workers' Party secretary-general Low Thia Khiang (right) gestures to his colleagues to leave after the counting of the overseas votes were finished.

ALTHOUGH the James Gomez controversy is far from settled, Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang said it's unlikely that ongoing police investigations will affect chairman Sylvia Lim's nomination to become a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP).

Speaking to reporters yesterday after observing the counting of overseas votes, Mr Low said he is confident that the police will be fair in dealing with this matter.

When asked what happened during his three-hour interview with the police at his Hougang Town Council office on Monday, he said: "They basically wanted to know of some of the statements I made in public, on what basis I made those statements, how I justify my assessment of Mr James Gomez during the election and things like that," he said. "I suppose they want to find out whether I had, in any way, covered up for James Gomez."

The police had spoken to him - along with Ms Lim and other party colleagues - as part of the ongoing investigations on Mr Gomez over allegations of criminal intimidation and providing false information to the Elections Department.

At WP's final rally last Friday, Mr Low had clarified that he had instructed all non-Chinese candidates, including Mr Gomez, to obtain a minority certification form.

The form was the subject of a controversy during the nine-day election campaign, when Mr Gomez first accused the Elections Department of misplacing it, before apologising when evidence was produced to show otherwise.

The Elections Department lodged a complaint against him on polling day on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Mr Gomez was called for the third time to the Police Cantonment Complex for more questioning yesterday evening at about 7pm. The session lasted around three hours.

"By now I have answered about 100 questions, in all," said Mr Gomez.

He said that from the line of questioning, it appeared that the police were also investigating him for giving false information and using threatening words and behaviour, apart from the accusation of criminal intimidation mentioned earlier.

He said he had heard that people were concerned about his case and added that he would continue to cooperate with the authorities. The police had still not given him a time-frame on how long the investigations would last, he said.

Apart from WP members, the People's Action Party's MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC Mr Inderjit Singh and several officials from the Elections Department have also been interviewed in relation to the investigations.

Mr Singh had issued a public statement during the height of the controversy last week on a conversation he had with Mr Gomez on Nomination Day.

According to Mr Singh, Mr Gomez had told him then that the whole episode was a "wayang" (show).

Mr Gomez is part of the WP team led by Ms Lim that challenged the PAP in Aljunied GRC. The contest ended with the PAP team, fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, winning 56.1 per cent of the vote.

– WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY DERRICK A PAULO

TODAY: Police quiz Gomez again

WP man was asked to give 'detailed responses', PAP MP Inderjit Singh interviewed

LOH CHEE KONG
cheekong@newstoday.com.sg


PROBE: Mr Gomez (right) was yesterday asked to elaborate on questions that were raised during his first interview on Sunday. PAP MP Inderjit Singh was also interviewed by the police.

THE Workers' Party's (WP) James Gomez was summoned by the police for the second time yesterday, as investigations into his alleged offences of criminal intimidation and providing false information to the Elections Department gathered pace.

The People's Action Party's (PAP) MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, Mr Inderjit Singh, was also interviewed by the police.

Yesterday, Mr Gomez arrived at the Police Cantonment Complex at about 9.30am and emerged from its premises some five hours later.

The researcher, 40, later told TODAY that he had received a call from the police late on Monday night for him to go down to assist in investigations.

"They were essentially elaborations and clarifications to questions asked in the first round (on Sunday). They wanted more detailed responses," he said.

According to Mr Gomez, the police also requested a copy of his minority certificate application form, which he gave them along with the letter of authorisation and submission that would enable a candidate to authorise another person to collect and submit the form on his behalf.

Mr Gomez was stopped at the airport on Sunday while leaving for Sweden to resume work at Idea International. His passport was seized and he was questioned for eight hours. While he was willing to cooperate fully with the investigations, he took the opportunity to convey to the police his concerns about his financial and work obligations.

Due to start work in Sweden yesterday, Mr Gomez managed to obtain a letter from the police to explain his predicament to his employers. But he had other concerns, such as getting his passport back so that he could get back to work.

"While I am involved in this, I need to get on with other aspects of my life as well," he said.

He added: "My ticket transiting from Bangkok to Sweden was a non-refundable ticket. And I run the risk of not receiving income for the days that I'm not at work. I also have bills and rents to pay in Sweden because I have an apartment there."

Mr Gomez said that the police were unable to put a time frame on the investigations. Nonetheless, they told him they would look into his concerns.

When contacted, the police said that the second interview was part of "the process of reviewing the evidence and interviewing all relevant persons". It added that it had also interviewed Mr Singh, who declined to comment when contacted by TODAY.

The MP, who is embarking on his third term following the elections, had issued a public statement during the height of the controversy on a conversation he had with Mr Gomez on Nomination Day. According to Mr Singh, Mr Gomez had told him then that the whole episode was a "wayang" (show).

On Monday, WP chief Low Thia Khiang was interviewed by the police at his office for more than three hours, while the party's chairman Sylvia Lim also gave a statement on Sunday night.

Officials from the Elections Department, the complainant, have also been interviewed.

The controversy started when Mr Gomez claimed to have submitted his application form for a minority candidate certificate to the Elections Department.

The department disputed the claim and made public its evidence such as security video footage and a transcript of a telephone conversation Mr Gomez had with a department official.

The Elections Department lodged a complaint against Mr Gomez on Polling Day last Saturday, and police are investigating the case as alleged offences of criminal intimidation and giving false information.

Though he did not submit his form, Mr Gomez was reported to have warned Elections Department officials of "consequences" when told that they did not have his certificate.

Speaking to 938Live, lawyer Edmund Pereira explained what might constitute "criminal intimidation".

"Whenever a person threatens another with injury - either to his own person or to that person's reputation - or to his property, like for example, I'm going to burn your house down, and causes that other person to be put in alarm, or fear," he said.

Mr Gomez is part of the WP team led by Ms Lim that challenged the PAP in Aljunied GRC. The contest ended with the PAP team, fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, winning 56.1 per cent of the vote.

Channel NewsAsia: Elections Dept asks WP to name NCMP from its Aljunied team

SINGAPORE VOTES 2006

By Dominique Loh

The Elections Department confirms it has asked the Workers' Party to name a member of its Aljunied GRC team to be declared as a Non-Constituency MP.

Either Goh Meng Seng, James Gomez, Sylvia Lim, Mohd Rahizan Yaacob or Tan Wui-Hua could be named as the next NCMP.

The party members are to meet on Tuesday night at their headquarters to make that decision.

The Parliamentary Elections Act allows a maximum of 3 NCMPs to be declared, minus the number of opposition MPs voted in.

Choosing the NCMP is determined by the highest percentage of votes garnered by a candidate among the opposition parties in descending order.

Since two opposition MPs were voted into Parliament after this year's election, the Act allows for another opposition MP to be inducted into Parliament as a NCMP.

The Workers' Party have until 15 May to make their decision and inform the Returning Officer. - CNA/ir

TODAY: NCMP seat to go to WP?

THE Elections Department said yesterday it has offered the role of Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) to the best performing loser in this General Election but did not reveal to whom it was offered.

The offer will most likely go to the Workers' Party (WP), whose team in Aljunied GRC obtained 43.92 per cent of votes. The party can choose one from among its five-member team to take up the NCMP seat.

If the WP rejects the seat, the Elections Department will then offer it to the second top loser, the Singapore Democratic Alliance's Steve Chia. - CHANNEL NEWSASIA

TODAY: Gomez investigation continues

JASMINE YIN
jasmine.yin@newstoday.com.sg



THE police have confirmed that they are investigating Mr James Gomez (picture) from the Workers' Party (WP) for alleged offences of criminal intimidation and providing false information to the Elections Department.

Several persons, including Elections Department officials, Mr Gomez and WP chairman Sylvia Lim, have been interviewed, but "no arrest has been made and no persons detained in police custody", said the police in a media statement released yesterday.

"The police are in the process of reviewing the evidence and interviewing all relevant persons."

This probe follows a complaint lodged by the Elections Department against Mr Gomez on Polling Day last Saturday.

The 40-year-old researcher became embroiled in controversy during the nine days of hustings when the Elections Department disputed - using evidence such as security video footage and a transcript of a telephone conversation he had with a department official - his claim about having submitted his minority candidate certificate to the department.

Late on Sunday afternoon, Mr Gomez was stopped at the airport where he was planning to catch a flight to Sweden to resume work at Idea International - a job he had taken up just a few weeks ago. He was asked to assist in investigations pertaining to this complaint and acceded to that request.

Emerging from the Police Cantonment Complex just past midnight after some six hours of questioning, he told the waiting media that his passport had been seized and impounded indefinitely.

Mr Gomez was part of a WP team led by Ms Lim that challenged the People's Action Party (PAP) in Aljunied GRC.

The contest ended with the PAP team, which is fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, winning 56.1 per cent of the votes.

Mr Gomez told TODAY he had not been called for further police questioning, but that he is "willing to cooperate with the investigations in any way possible".

When asked if he had been in contact with WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang and Ms Lim after he was released from questioning, Mr Gomez would only say: "I've been in touch with my party colleagues."

He said that the police had not reverted to him on his request for a letter that he could use to explain the situation to his employers at Stockholm-based think-tank Idea International, who are expecting him to report for work this week.

"I'll just wait, but I have informed them of the situation," he said.

While investigations are now underway, an online petition has been set up to protest against the probe on Mr Gomez.

Straits Times: WP offered NCMP seat, party to decide this week

TAKE IT OR NOT?: Ms Lim confirmed the Elections Department's offer was received yesterday.

THE Workers' Party (WP) has been offered the Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seat in Parliament, because its Aljunied GRC team was the top scorer among defeated opposition candidates.

However, it has yet to decide if it would accept the offer from the Elections Department.

WP chairman Sylvia Lim told The Straits Times yesterday that a decision will be reached by this week. Ms Lim led the Aljunied team, which got 43.9 per cent of the valid votes cast in the GRC.

In the letter of offer issued to the WP yesterday, the Elections Department asked the party to propose who among the five Aljunied candidates would take up the NCMP post. It was given seven days to submit a name.

Under the NCMP scheme introduced in 1984, the highest-scoring opposition losers are admitted to Parliament if there are fewer than three elected opposition MPs.

An NCMP does not represent any constituency but can take part in all debates. However, such MPs cannot vote on major issues such as no-confidence motion, amendments to the Constitution, the Budget and other financial Bills.

If WP turns down the offer, the NCMP seat will be offered to the next best loser: Mr Steve Chia who received 39.6 per of the votes cast in single-seat Chua Chu Kang.

But the former NCMP said last night he would not take it up.

"Why should I?" said Mr Chia, who had announced that he was quitting politics after he lost in his third attempt at the polls.

He urged WP to accept the offer, as the chosen MP would gain from the higher public profile as well as the experience of debating in Parliament. He was an NCMP for the past five years.

But he cautioned: "It has been proven that the NCMP seat is not effective in winning elections."

However, Ms Lim, whom he expects to be the next NCMP, may fare better, he added.

SUE-ANN CHIA