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Tak
Boleh Tahan! protesters in front of Parliament House on World
Consumer Rights Day
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Six
more protesters called up for investigations
Singapore
Democrats
25 Mar 08
Police have called up six more
people who took part in the Tak
Boleh Tahan!
Protest on 15 Mar 08 for investigations. They are: Mr Francis
Yong, Mr Ng E-Jay, Mr Mohd Jufrie Mahmood, Mr S Govindarajan, Ms
Go Hui Leng and Mr Carl Lang.
This brings the number of
protesters under police investigation to 18. The show of defiance
by the group is unprecedented and is an indication of
Singaporeans willing to stand up to the PAP.
Do they
regret what they did?
"What's there to regret?"
said Mr Jufrie, a popular opposition leader who stood as a
candidate in the 1980s and 90s. "If it's the right thing to
do then we should not fear our actions."
He added:
"It's about time someone did this. We all need to stand up
for our rights."
These activists have nothing to gain
personally. No lucky draw, no medals, no monetary rewards. Just a
desire to seek justice and freedom for our country.
They
participated in the activity because they could not stand by and
see Singapore being pulled down by our rulers' insatiable lust
for money and power.
These are good and decent people,
people who only want the best for Singapore. They were willing to
put their own well-being on the line so that their fellow
Singaporeans might live in a democratic society.
No
citizen should have to be treated like criminals just because
they want democracy for their country.
Ms Go Hui Leng
exemplifies this courage. The young mother of two brought along
her toddlers to show that the rising cost of living affects
adults as well as children.
She subsequently wrote a
letter to the Straits
Times Forum
which was, not surprisingly, rejected (see below). She echoed the
thoughts of many Singaporeans when she said: "What has
become of our society if even speaking up has become a
crime?"
The SDP salutes the courage of these
protesters and we are very proud of each and every one of them.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with them in our march towards
freedom and democracy.
May the rest of our fellow
citizens join us in this proud and noble cause.
Letter
to The Straits Times Forum:
20
Mar 08
I refer to the peaceful protest by SDP held on 15
March 2008.
I got to know about the protest through word
of mouth and decided to exercise my constitutional rights as a
Singapore Citizen by participating together with my two young
children. My purpose was simple: to highlight the rising cost of
living that is affecting me and my family.
Recent
increases in childcare costs, milk powder, transportation and
medical costs, are taking a toll on families like me with very
young dependents.
What started out as a peaceful protest
turned unnecessarily rowdy in the end because the police held up
the group of protesters outside Funan Digimall and prevented them
from moving.
The police intervention created a scene that
attracted big crowds of passersby.
As a Citizen who is
non-partisan, I will support causes I believe in, regardless of
who the organizers are. In times of price hikes where we were
told by our ministers to buy house brand bread, eat frozen meat,
I do not think I have the spare cash to enjoy the luxury of junk
foods. It's World Consumer Day on 15 March 2008, so what is wrong
with protesting about the recent escalating price hikes?
What
has become of our society if even speaking up has become a crime,
and peaceful protests end up with arrest, yet limping terrorists
are out on the loose?
Go Hui Leng
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