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Chee's
correspondence with Straits Times
Singapore
Democrats
6 Mar 08
Mr
Yap Koon Hong
Forum Editor
The Straits Times
stforum@sph.com.sg
Dear Mr Yap,
Your first edit
cut down significantly my letter. I obliged.
Now you get
cold feet and want to further cut my reply
to the "400-word limit". In the process you have taken
out whole paragraphs that contain essential points and
counter-arguments.
The word limit is just an excuse
because you have published letters - unsolicited - from Mdm Ho
Ching and Dr Lee Wei Ling which surpass greatly this limit.
What's more, mine is not an unsolicited letter but a
reply to Mr Peh Shing Huei's op-ed. Readers can see that I have
addressed only the points raised by the writer.
If you
find the time and space to criticise the SDP, then have the
decency to accord us our reply.
I draw your attention to
how Mr Lee Kuan Yew insists on his right of reply to the extent
that no amendments may be made to the missives. Foreign
publications have been penalised for not adhering to such
dictates.
I do not insist that amendments cannot be made
to my letters. All I ask is that the deletions not alter or
remove the basic premise of my reply. Surely this is not too big
a request.
Just to leave you no wriggle-room, however, I
will allow the suggested deletions except for paragraphs 2, 6, 7,
8, 9, and 10 which you may not remove. The permitted deletions
will further reduce the number of words but it will at least keep
intact the essence of my letter.
I beseech you to stop the
prevarication and publish my reply.
Chee
Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party
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