Lawyer Chia Ti Lik stood his ground today when he told a district judge that “as a citizen of this country, I have to stand up against the law that violates the principles of democracy and freedom”.
Mr Chia made the defiant statement when he was asked by Judge James Leong if he had anything to say before sentence was passed.
Earlier, Mr Chia, one of the Tak Boleh Tahan (cannot stand) protesters, had pleaded guilty to two charges of “illegal assembly and procession” in front of Parliament House to mark World Consumers Day on 15 March 2008 where nearly 30 people had gathered to protest against the escalating cost of living. This afternoon, Mr Chia pleaded guilty to the charges due to work commitments.
Before he was sentenced, Mr Chia read out a statement in which he told the judge: “I am not in defiance or disrespectful to the court. But because of my political conviction I can’t say this will be the only offence.”
Hearing this, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mr Isaac Tan noted that Mr Chia had shown “no remorse”.
Agreeing, Judge Leong said: ”Chia is unable to ensure the court that he will not do it again.”
The judge then fined Mr Chia, $800 for each offence, making a total of $1,600 or ten days’ jail in default. For his "unremorsefulness", the lawyer was fined $400 more than the amount meted out to Mr Chia's co-defendents who had siimilarly pleaded guilty also because of work commitments. The maximum fine for each offence is $1,000.
Another accused, Ms Suraya binte Akbar, a 26-year old housewife with three young children also pleaded guilty at the same court to the two charges and was fined a total of $1,200 or eight days’ jail in default.
Meanwhile, the trial involving thirteen other protesters continues at Subordinate Court 5 tomorrow at 9.30 in the morning.
Lawyer Chia Ti Lik stood in court before Judge James Leong and said, “[A]s a citizen of this country, I have to stand up against the law that violates the principles of democracy and freedom”.
There is no higher expression of patriotism than this.
Tue 26 May 2009 2:54 PM
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Gopalan Nair
I was fined $2,000.00 maximum fine for allegedly hurling an abuse at a police office on American Independence Day 2008 and another fine of $1,000.00 maximum for allegedly being disorderly (according to the police who lied in court) by waving my hands gently up and down near Little India, singapore by this judge.
This was after I was arrested in Singapore for allegedly "insulting" Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for criticizing her for bias in my blog Signapore Dissident singaporedissident.blogspot.com in the Lee Kuan Yew vs Dr. Chee case.
This man cuts a pathetic figure. I could see he does not like what he does for a living, abusing the law to silence Lee's detractors. He painfully knows what he does is wrong. I could see that. Yet he does the dirty work, becasue he cannot earn a living any other way, presumably. Otherwise why does he do what he does?
I was in his court for full 18 days fighting these trumped up charges against me. I could see his despair on his face thoughout. It was clear he wasn't happy to be given Lee Kuan Yew's political cases, to abuse the law to destroy Lee's opponents. But he was clearly weak. He felt safe to go along with it, to save his job. Sad man. Sad case.
Same in this case. Chia would have seen by now that James Leong knows Chia is not guilty of anything. He knows Chia is merely excercising his constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression. Yet he has no choice but to publicly condemn Chia and punish him. This is the only way to please lee Kuan Yew and keep his job as a judge.
No man should have to earn a living the way this James Leong does. It is shameful, it is demeaning. It is cowardly. Yet Lee Kuan Yew has reduced his people to this, in his fear ridden country.
Gopalan Nair
Tue 26 May 2009 8:17 PM
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ashinigami
patriotism that unfortunately goes unrecognised and often harshly punished behind closed doors.
Tue 26 May 2009 11:27 PM
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Peng Teck - Gopalan is a liar
Gopalan who do you think you are kidding?
On your blog you invited the police to arrest you at Serangoon Road.
You could have done so much more if you had gone home to write about your first hand experiences in Singapore with authority and credibility. But instead you wasted the great opportunity.
You became a liability by your drunkard and unruly behaviour in public. And that invitation to arrest was stupid as it marks you as childish and a charlatan. You certainly don't know what you are doing.
I don't know how old you are. But you need to grow up.Will you?
Wed 27 May 2009 3:02 AM
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V.Benedict - Another Definition of Democracy
The tension between constitutional liberalism and democracy centers on the scope of governmental authority. Constitutional Liberalism is about the limitation of power; democracy is about its accumulation and use. For this reason, many eighteenth- and nineteenth-century liberals saw democracy as a force that could undermine liberty. The tendency for a democratic government to believe it has absolute sovereignty (that is, power) can result in the centralization of authority, often by extraconstitutional means and with grim results. What you end up with is little different from dictatorship, albeit one that has greater legitimacy.
Wed 27 May 2009 3:12 AM|
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Muhammad Shamin
Mr Peck Teng,
You are just in denial. There is injustice in Singapore and you refuse to acknowledge it.
Perhaps, you have not grown up yet to see the realities in Singapore.
Wed 27 May 2009 3:13 AM
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V.Benedict - A Regime of "totalitarian democracy"
Singapore is a regime of "totalitarian democracy." all the while using the methods of a police state to suppress liberty of thought, word and action. Facism at best!!!
Wed 27 May 2009 3:43 AM
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Aung
Dear Chia Ti Lik,
I admire you as you have the courage to do what a good citizen should do. I support your action.
In Burma, a lot of courageous people like you, including our leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, also faced heavy sentences just for fufilling their duties as good citizens. These happen when our countries are ruled by ruthless dictators.
Aung.
Wed 27 May 2009 5:16 AM
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AlexNg - re:
[quote=Gopalan Nair]I was fined $2,000.00 maximum fine for allegedly hurling an abuse at a police office on American Independence Day 2008 and another fine of $1,000.00 maximum for allegedly being disorderly (according to the police who lied in court) by waving my hands gently up and down near Little India, singapore by this judge.
This was after I was arrested in Singapore for allegedly "insulting" Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for criticizing her for bias in my blog Signapore Dissident singaporedissident.blogspot.com in the Lee Kuan Yew vs Dr. Chee case.
This man cuts a pathetic figure. I could see he does not like what he does for a living, abusing the law to silence Lee's detractors. He painfully knows what he does is wrong. I could see that. Yet he does the dirty work, becasue he cannot earn a living any other way, presumably. Otherwise why does he do what he does?
I was in his court for full 18 days fighting these trumped up charges against me. I could see his despair on his face thoughout. It was clear he wasn't happy to be given Lee Kuan Yew's political cases, to abuse the law to destroy Lee's opponents. But he was clearly weak. He felt safe to go along with it, to save his job. Sad man. Sad case.
Same in this case. Chia would have seen by now that James Leong knows Chia is not guilty of anything. He knows Chia is merely excercising his constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression. Yet he has no choice but to publicly condemn Chia and punish him. This is the only way to please lee Kuan Yew and keep his job as a judge.
No man should have to earn a living the way this James Leong does. It is shameful, it is demeaning. It is cowardly. Yet Lee Kuan Yew has reduced his people to this, in his fear ridden country.
Gopalan Nair[/quote]
Well said !!!
Fri 29 May 2009 6:06 PM
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Gopalan Nair
To Peng Teck,
You do not understand what I had written about in my comment. I had written about my arrest by Singapore Police on July 4, 2008 while walking along a street near Little India, Singapore at about 8.30 pm. The police claim that I was disorderly and hurled insults at them. I have denied doing any of that. I did not invite the police to arrest me in my blog. I was arrested on the spot.
When you refer to my challenge in my blog, it was not in relation to this incident. It was a challege to Lee Kuan Yew after I had written about the bias of Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean in the defamation lawsuit brought on by Lee against Dr. Chee Soon Juan. Please read my blog post of May 31, 2008 in Singapore Dissident.
You have got your facts mixed up.
I was never drunk or behaved unruly. That is what Lee Kuan Yew's police have said. They have also said that JB Jeyaretnam is a slanderer, a cheat and a liar; they have also said Tang Liang Hong is a slanderer adn a tax cheat; they have also said Francis Seow is a tax cheat etc; and they have also said Dr. Chee is a cheat and so on.
If you wish to believe any of these lies against any of them, including against me, you can of course do so. But I think you would find it impossible to convince any right thinking Singaporeans that that is so.
A writing such as yours, calling me a liar and so forth, only makes your job of trying to discredit Lee Kuan Yew's opposition, all the more difficult.
I am assuming you are working in Lee's 5th column to discredit his detractors.
“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would no more be justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”
Lawyer Chia Ti Lik stood his ground today when he told a district judge that “as a citizen of this country, I have to stand up against the law that violates the principles of democracy and freedom”.
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There is no higher expression of patriotism than this.