Davinder Singh: Lee's IBA-letter reference only an “inaccuracy”

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Thursday, 10 July 2008

Singapore Democrats

Below is the reply written by Mr Davinder Singh, counsel for Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Lee Hsien Loong, in reply to Dr Chee Soon Juan's request for the assessment of damages hearing to be reconvened. Dr Chee's further reply to Mr Singh follows.

Note: The local press only reported on Mr Singh's response but completely blacked out Dr Chee's first letter.

Davinder Singh's response to Dr Chee's first letter

9 July 2008

The Registrar
Supreme Court
1 Supreme Court Lane
Singapore 178879

Dear Sir

RE: SUIT NOS. 261 & 262 OF 2006

1. We refer to the 3rd Defendant's letter dated 8 July 2008 requesting that the hearing be reconvened.

2. Apart from the fact that there is no proper application, the request is frivolous and misleading.

3. The request is frivolous because the views of the International Bar Association (IBA) about our Judiciary have absolutely no bearing on the question of damages.

4. The only reason Mr Lee Kuan Yew referred to the IBA's endorsement of our Judiciary at the IBA conference in October 2007 was to demolish the 3rd Defendant's baseless suggestion in open court that there is no rule of law in Singapore.

5. Further, the 3rd Defendant has in his letter sought to convey the false impression that, contrary to Mr Lee's evidence, the IBA did not praise the Singapore judiciary.

6. In fact, as was the point of Mr Lee's evidence, the IBA stated that our judiciary is "outstanding". In his speech, at the opening of the IBA Conference in Singapore on 14 October 2007, IBA president Fernandp Pombo said that Singapore was picked as the venue for the conference because of Singapore's "outstanding legal profession, an outstanding judiciary and an outstanding academic world in relation to the law". This was reported in the Straits Times of 15 October 2007, a copy of which is enclosed.

7. The only inaccuracy in Mr Lee's testimony was his statement that the IBA had conveyed this view in a letter to the Law Society of Singapore, whereas it was actually in a public speech by the IBA president. If anything, Mr Lee's testimony did not do enough justice to the fact that an international organisation like the IBA was prepared to and did publicly endorse the excellence of our judiciary.

8. Finally, the 3rd Defendant's desperate hunger for publicity to make a false point will only serve to waste the Court's time.

Yours faithfully
Drew & Napier LLC
(Davinder Singh S. C.)

Chee Soon Juan's reply to the above letter

10 July 2008

Registrar
Supreme Court
Singapore

Dear Sir,

Re: Suit Nos 261 and 262 of 2006

Mr Singh says that his client's reference to the missing IBA letter is only an “inaccuracy.”

Getting the date of the letter wrong is an inaccuracy. Mixing up the writer of the letter can be considered an inaccuracy. Testifying that there is a letter where none exists is not an inaccuracy.

But not only did Mr Lee cite a non-existent letter, he also took pains to point out who the sender and the recipient were. He even gave an account of its contents. When I was skeptical and questioned Mr Lee's recollection of what the letter said, the Minister Mentor emphatically re-stated it:

LKY: I think they left Singapore with a very different impression from what you have projected because we have a letter from the President of the International Bar Association to the organisers, namely the Law Society of Singapore, how successful the meeting was and how impressed they were by the standards they found to obtain in the judiciary -

CSJ : Standards of the MRT or standards of the rule of law?

LKY : Standards of the rule of law and the judges, the meritocracy which is practised throughout the judiciary.

As you can see, this wasn't a passing mention by Mr Lee. Mr Singh strains credulity by trying to pass Mr Lee's testimony off as just an “inaccuracy”.

Contrary to what Mr Singh now claims, Mr Lee's reference to the IBA endorsement letter was meant to prop up his claim that there was rule of law in Singapore. Rule of law is respected and practiced only by men of integrity and honour, virtues that Mr Lee claims he possesses. How is this not relevant to the case?

Mr Singh also states that Mr Lee was inaccurate only because he had said that it was a letter whereas it was an opening speech that the president of the IBA gave.

When trying to get out of a hole, Mr Singh should stop digging. From the above court transcript Mr Lee clearly referred not just to a letter but one that was written after the IBA conference was over giving the impression that having seen and heard everything, the IBA participants were still impressed with Singapore's judicicial system.

It must be emphasized that Mr Lee made the statement in court under oath. Surely he cannot be allowed to now use counsel to correct his evidence simply through a letter. If such is the case then future trials should be conducted by mail.

Under certain circumstances, Mr Lee could be considered to have misled the court thus committing perjury. Did he? The answer to such a question must be incontrovertibly determined and not left to speculation. I am certain that Mr Lee would want as much.

It is important that the hearing be reconvened and Mr Lee required to take the stand again to clarify his statement – under oath – and be subjected to further cross-examination on the matter.

Mr Singh may also want to retract paragraphs 6, 7, and 8 of his letter given that he probably wrote them before he read the IBA's latest report on Singapore.

I don't have to tell you that this controversy is of great public interest and as such should not be brushed aside. I urge you to allow my application so that justice is manifestly seen to be done.

Sincerely,

Chee Soon Juan

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Comments (67)

Fri 11 Jul 2008 1:02 AM | Mike - Not an important issue

It's not as important as it is made out to be...

There is no fresh evidence to be produced in court..

So there cannot be another hearing.

It's be wasting time.

Singapore's time

Fri 11 Jul 2008 1:19 AM | tomyam

Offering "inaccurate information" to the courts is wrong and may warrant a reprimand from the court. As pointed out by CSJ, MM LKY was referring to after the conference had ended that he had heard of this letter praising singapore judiciary. Perhaps IBA president, Mr [b]Ferdinand Pombo[/b] should be asked if he endorses the latest report by IBA on singapore after all he is the one who praised our "outstanding judiciary" in his opening speech at last year conference.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 1:21 AM | Steve - Not an important issue?

Of course it is not an important issue for the rulers because it is embarrassing that Lee Kuan Yew made such a mistake under oath.

Now if we remember james Gomez: he made a mistake and what happened? It was instrumentalized to paint the opposition in a bad light! A smear tactic.

Lee Kuan Yew, however, lied under oath. He did not merely say something inaccurately, otherwise how could he remember it in such detail?

Furthermore, Lee Kuan Yew painted a bad picture of Dr. Chee. This statement was aimed to destroy his credibility. This is very serious indeed. As problematic as his accusation of Dr. Chee as psychopath.

I even go as far as demnanding that this case should be thrown out. Instead, Lee Kuan Yew should be prosecuted for perjury. Lying under oath is a serious offense.

But unfortunately I think the court will decide in favour of Lee Kuan Yew, thus again proving that it is compliant to the ruling elite, as is stated in the recent report from the IBA.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 1:25 AM | Anonymous

The fact of the matter is that IBA did praise Singapore's judiciary. Whether it is by letter or in public doesn't change the fact. Can you please stop kicking a big fuss over this and try to get yourself out of trouble? Singaporeans don't want someone who keeps getting jailed to further their cause.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 1:40 AM | Anonymous - What Singaporean

[quote=Anonymous]The fact of the matter is that IBA did praise Singapore's judiciary. Whether it is by letter or in public doesn't change the fact. Can you please stop kicking a big fuss over this and try to get yourself out of trouble? Singaporeans don't want someone who keeps getting jailed to further their cause.[/quote]

You don't represent all Singaporean so don't any how use Singaporean.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 1:40 AM | Uncle Ver SG

[quote]The fact of the matter is that IBA did praise Singapore's judiciary[/quote]

Only in matters that do not affect the PAP/Government/State owned corporations' own self-interests aka commercial litigation of which the bulk of the MNCs fight over in the US/UK etc.

Harry Lee's performance in this debacle leads one to believe that
a) as an old man, his mind is succumbing to memory lapses to important events as recent as weeks ago of which he plays a pivotal role and/or
b) he is surrounded by incompetent monkeys who cannot even do the basic job of informing him of important details or
c) he intentionally and deliberately lies under oath and that his character has no integrity at all.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 1:44 AM | Anonymous

The real fact of the matter is that the IBA has released a report condemning the SG judiciary. And please don't embarass the rest of us Singaporeans by using the term 'Singaporeans' like it represents all of us.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 1:45 AM | Enquirer

I agree with Mike and Anonymous. SDP is kicking up a silly fuss. This is a quote I take from the latest IBA report "[i]In judicial and legal system rankings, Singapore has also performed well in international assessments. In Transparency International’s Corruptions Perceptions Index 2006, which measures
the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians,
Singapore ranked fifth in the world. Similarly, in an Asian-only based report, the Political &
Economic Risk Consultancy’s Asian Intelligence Report 2006, strong commendation of Singapore’s
judicial system was made, stating: ‘Within Asia Hong Kong and Singapore are the only two systems
with judiciaries that rate on a par with those in developed Western societies[/i]…’

Granted the report did criticize Singapore, but SDP has, again, only cited the parts of the report it likes. Talk about biased reporting!

Fri 11 Jul 2008 2:19 AM | Nick - Sweet

Dr Chee, you are awesome. I look forward in seeing this case closed with the iron fist of JUSTICE, not some old worn out game old folks like to play.

Don't listen to those fools who try to condemn you!!!

You're the only hope Singapore has in pushing forward.

You have my 100% support!

Nick

Fri 11 Jul 2008 2:32 AM | Singa Crew

Only an inaccuracy?!?

WAH! Like this also can? When Mr Gomez got into a confusion regarding his application form, that wasn't an 'inaccuracy' then. He was repeatedly painted as a liar and brutally attacked in the press.

When JBJ merely made a factual statement at an election rally that Mr Tang Liang Hong had made a police report, that was deliberately misconstrued as 'defamation' by the PAP. And JBJ was whacked left-right-center both in the media and the court room.

But now Mr Lee said there was a letter from the IBA when in fact there was none, and that's merely an inaccuracy...

I know vulgarities will be censored so I will only say this in response to Mr Singh's 'inaccuracy' statement: $#s$^@

Readers can define it however they want.

Crew

Fri 11 Jul 2008 2:42 AM | observer

when would LKY admit his mistake, even for once, when the evidence is so clear for all to see?

for goodness sake, LKY, how can u be right all the times?

Fri 11 Jul 2008 2:46 AM | Nike - New Evidence

Apparently, the old man is either senile or lying ...

Fri 11 Jul 2008 2:48 AM | Anonymous - re:

[quote=Enquirer]I agree with Mike and Anonymous. SDP is kicking up a silly fuss. This is a quote I take from the latest IBA report "[i]In judicial and legal system rankings, Singapore has also performed well in international assessments. In Transparency International’s Corruptions Perceptions Index 2006, which measures
the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians,
Singapore ranked fifth in the world. Similarly, in an Asian-only based report, the Political &
Economic Risk Consultancy’s Asian Intelligence Report 2006, strong commendation of Singapore’s
judicial system was made, stating: ‘Within Asia Hong Kong and Singapore are the only two systems
with judiciaries that rate on a par with those in developed Western societies[/i]…’

Granted the report did criticize Singapore, but SDP has, again, only cited the parts of the report it likes. Talk about biased reporting![/quote]

Actually, SDP has never really stated that it aims to be objective or unbiased. That is really not the purpose of its existence. It is a political party and as such, it is already partisan towards certain perspective in its interpretation of events happening in Singapore and I don't know why this onus to be objective should be heaped on it now. And truly, I cannot for my life, cite or remember anyone in history that can be said to be truly unbiased or objective. It is simply believing in what you think is right and striving towards that objective. Is this a very difficult concept to comprehend? If someone did not share the same views as those held by SDP, they are always welcomed to ignore them. I think its members are very used to it and they don't mind that very much.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 3:42 AM | Enquirer - To Anonymous

I like your point, but I find it hard to accept that a party that constantly attacks the main stream media for biasness does not walk its talk. If the SDP ever comes to power, can Singaporeans be assured they will be granted freedom, truth etc? Based on what I see, I have my doubts.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:04 AM | Better be kind then sorry

[quote]Now if we remember james Gomez: he made a mistake and what happened? It was instrumentalized to paint the opposition in a bad light! A smear tactic.
[/quote]
See James Gomez detained at Youtube.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:15 AM | Tan Tai Wei

We are not talking of a nervous schoolboy being questioned and saying the first thing that came to mind, and therefore uttering "inaccuracies".

Here was seasoned politician and former lawyer, with a lifetime of experience in crafty verbalism at mass communication to score political points, etc. And he was responding under oath.

It was quite an elaborate "inaccuracy", deliberately spelling out, under several bullet points, the purported merits of our judiciary that had impressed that letter writer after he had purportedly studied it during his stay here at the conference.

More, he did say "WE have a letter..."

Now, in that context, "WE" could reasonably be taken to include Davinder - "we, the team for the plaintiffs, and what we have in our files, which could be tabled as evidence if required".

And Davinder kept quiet, and in that context, it must mean consent.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:16 AM | LEE HISEN FONG

It seems to me ,there is nothing we can do about the truthness of LEE's testimony during the cross examination .So what if there is any inaccuries , what else can we do ? What can we do even he has swear under the oath , there is no rule of law in the juridary system of singapore.we shall resign to our fate. Dr chee ,i respect your courage to expose the truth and this old man would be very displeased at this time

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:18 AM | Anonymous

No, LKY thinks he is God himself and can make no mistakes. He probably has plans to rule from the grave when his time is up. Because he was so confident that he could get away with anything because he knows the court belongs to him and have no qualms in making a mockery out of it by resorting to lying to make himself look good. What do you expect from a man who used underhanded means to get into power by arresting his political opponents because he knew he could not win in a fair election? The truth??

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:21 AM | Anonymous - To Enquirer

The fact that your comments are published without any editing by the moderator gives me the confidence that SDP champions true freedom of speech.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:25 AM | Anonymous

I think the IBA leadership must be under a lot of pressure from its own members after it decided to hold the annual IBA meeting in Singapore last year.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:28 AM | Anonymous

i can gaurantee that the case will not be reopened because if they grant the case to be reopened, it is akin to the court admitting to all the criticism the IBA has said about the judiciary in Singapore.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:36 AM | OPPOSITIONS ALWAYS IN NEGATIVE - SPIT ON HIS GRAVE SOON!!

Aiyah forever and every LEE JUNTA ALWAYS RIGHT!

OPPOSITIONS ALWAYS IN NEGATIVE LIGHT!

THIS IS A FACT IN STINKAPORE!

PRAY AND HOPE THIS SENILE OLD MAN DIES SOON!!

PEOPLE CAN SPIT ON HIS GRAVE SOON!!

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:44 AM | Anonymous

it's nice to have Mike, and Enquirer around. see, at least they can say what they want here without fear and that is the one of the benefits of democracy. so whether they know it or not, mike, enquirer, and a few others you are already embracing and subscribing to democracy and what the sdp stands for.

hey mike, enquirer, i love you guys

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:46 AM | Jen

OH REALLY? Mike, Enquirer and some cowardly anonymous kids? IBA talks good about LEE??

NOW, READ THE LATEST REPORT:

http://www.ibanet.org/images/downloads/07_2008_July_Report_Singapore-Prosperity_versus_individual_rights.pdf

Now Lee can kindly read this in court!

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:53 AM | Paul - Being economical with the truth

LKY lives in a fantastic world. I use that description in its narrow sense, i.e. a world of fantasy. He is clearly detached from the real world that the ordinary Singaporean inhabits. I would go so far as to say that he has gone gaga.

Singh obviously listens intently to every whisper of his paymaster's voice and hops to his every command. Please do not treat us as though we were born yesterday. A lie is a lie is a lie not matter how you care to dress it up. A piece of turd stinks even if you were to goldplate it.

My point again is this - if the tormentor-in-chief of Singapore can be inaccurate in this instance, how many times has he been inaccurate in the past? How many crucial decisions have been made in the past which affects the lives of the ordinary Singaporean today? Is he fit to be Minister Mentor when he has been shown not to be in command of the facts?

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:56 AM | To Enquirer

[quote]If the SDP ever comes to power, can Singaporeans be assured they will be granted freedom, truth etc? Based on what I see, I have my doubts.[/quote]

buddy-buddy-buddy,

There is no gurantee in this world, that if ever SDP comes to power they will walk the talk. No gurantee they will promote freedom, democracy etc. No gurantee they will even do anything good for the people, eg. bringing down the price, chase away the foreigners etc. No gurantee they wont pay them the millions like currently the ministers are paying themselves. I even think there is no gurantee that today's stalward leader of SDP wouldn't try to turn to be an autocrat.

[b]But there is a gurantee:[/b] If it ever happens, the Singaporean like you and millions other will cast their vote to make it happen ie. bring SDP to power.
And, people like you and millions other will kick them out of power if they don't keep their promises.

[b]People's power buddy...God has given it to you why not use it!!![/b]

Still not convinced, who knows may be you dont have to pay a cent the ERP, parking and COE you are paying today. May be GST back to the good old days, who knows..who know

[b]You dont take chance with the power you have, you die everyday...you take chance with your ballot you might die once, but not everyday.[/b]

How about this ...convinced!!!

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:56 AM | Anonymous

Dr chee, at my very young age , i was misled by local press and thought that you are somebody who making trouble for the government .As i am older, i used my logical thinking and judgement and found that you are not what the governemnt have describe as.
I feel very sorry about your state now as you are being sued for no reason and have to pay for all liberal damages to the wicked ones.You have my support and respect as i see you as a strong man rather than the founding father of singapore. He has lost all my respect after the "inacurries" testimony he give during the cross examination under the court's oath.

Those fools or lackeys are trying to paint a bad impression on you. Most of the singaporean ssay you are a clown or a troublemaker but after the cross examination, i believe you are advocating true democracy for singapore. You have my support . Those fools are only peoples without shame.I would rather starveto death than to let my pride , integrity and honesty down and live a life with guilty conscience. Dr chee you were jailed not because you are criminal ,a threat to the society but because of the baised rule of law in singapore judiciary sentenced you .For those lackeys where is your sense of justice and it is a shame you study law and practise it.You have totally lost your humanity to greed .

Fri 11 Jul 2008 5:22 AM | Paul - re:

[quote=LEE HISEN FONG]It seems to me ,there is nothing we can do about the truthness of LEE's testimony during the cross examination .So what if there is any inaccuries , what else can we do ? [/quote]

Yes, there is one thing we can all do for now and that is to point people to this website. If you have a list of acquaintances in your email address book, send the hyperlink to every one of them. We are hampered by the government-manipulated media but we can spread the news by bringing it personally to the knowledge of others.

For your information, I am not a member of the SDP but it makes me very angry when the truth is held down by tyrants.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 7:02 AM | Carlson

High salary comes with high expectation. If you claimed to be able to walk on water, there is no room for inaccuracy in your performance. Errors cause life sometimes.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 7:15 AM | Enquirer - The site moderaters

Yes, I have acknowledged the fairness of the moderators before and I say it again - the moderators have not blocked my posts. Credit must be given where its due.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 7:40 AM | bodoh pap - re:

[quote=Anonymous]The fact of the matter is that IBA did praise Singapore's judiciary. Whether it is by letter or in public doesn't change the fact. Can you please stop kicking a big fuss over this and try to get yourself out of trouble? Singaporeans don't want someone who keeps getting jailed to further their cause.[/quote]

kicking a big fuss? o ya, that's pretty pap style right? they always kick up a big fuss when they got on u. remember the gomez case? haha...i remember mrbrown did a very funny podcast on "ba cho mee".

everyone knows pap loves to kick up a big fuss over small matters to nail down those who oppose, so why can't we learn from them, our millionaire ministers? what's wrong leh?

and Dr Chee has got more valid reason to pursue this matter, becos it concerns our reputation, omg, our SM can't even tell reality from illusion, thinking ppl praising him ar! dream on lah, or u totally senile liao!

Fri 11 Jul 2008 7:43 AM | Anonymous

This Mike guy who always posts negative stuff and is almost always the first one to post ended up overdoing it - till no one even bothers much anymore reading or responding to him.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 7:48 AM | elitocracy - Salute to enquirer

Well done in acknowledging the moderator is fair.

I would say that legal system generally works except for one domain: political trials. So it is not surprising that while IBA recognised the high standard of the legal system here in general, it nevertheless is critical of areas in the legal system that unfairly impede political competition.

I do not think SDP is being biased. Because political competition is what they are focused on and fighting for.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 8:02 AM | Hyena - Be above all the bickering

The constant bickering reflects the narrow mindedness of SDP. Your campaign is getting too personal - it is obvious to the majority of Singaporeans you are driven by hate and malice of LKY

Please lift yourself up and transcend all these, all you will forever look small and pitiable in the eyes of the majority of Singaporeans

Fri 11 Jul 2008 8:20 AM | To Hyena

[quote]it is obvious to the majority of Singaporeans you are driven by hate and malice of LKY
[/quote]
Obviously integrity and justice do not hold well in your vocab. I am not sure about hate or malice but am quite sure the comments here are also driven by a true sense of justice and a deep regard for integrity. Please do not say the majority of Singaporeans are like you... please.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 8:21 AM | Paul - If only it were true

Mr. Singh, if that was merely an inaccuracy, then I am Guru Nanak. What do you say?

There is no need to employ sophistry to keep fooling the nation. Have we not been tormented enough? If you are a man of conviction and integrity, just tell it as it is, warts and all.

However, I am not holding my breath as I know you are not highly paid for nothing. You can make black appear white, and a falsehood appear as the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I am going to have a good night's sleep. I hope you will have the same.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 9:04 AM | Fong M.Y. - Let LKY taste his own medicine

Dearest Dr.Chee S.J.

Greeting's Good Day To You.

Please remove Lee Kuan Yew mask and show to all Singaporeans how ugly he looks like, you are the only person who is able and had proven to us that Lee regime is unacceptable.

You should let Lee Kuan Yew to taste his own poisonous medicine, and advice him in the next meeting in Loud & Clear "Mr.Lee Please come CLEAN !"

Yours Sincerely,
Fong

Fri 11 Jul 2008 10:43 AM | Concern Singaporean - An Open Letter To Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew

Hi MM Lee Kuan Yew & All Fellow Singaporeans, Hope this letter finds you well and greetings to your wife Mrs Lee. I pray that God heal her. Mr Lee, my name is Albert Ng. Pardon me for my educational background. Am just a 'N' level student & a Marketing Diploma holder. I was born in 1968, post 65er you may call it. Never experienced WWII and won't know how's life like then. Am now approaching 40yrs by Aug'08. The month where our tiny red dot turns 43yrs since independence. Mr Lee, I salute you for putting S'pore in the World Map together with your Old Guards eg. Mr Hon Sui Sen, Mr Toh Chin Chye, Mr Goh Keng Swee, Mr Rajaratnam, Mr Ong Teng Cheong, Mr Tony Tan, Mr Tay Eng Soon, Mr Ngiam How Doong etc. It is from Third World to First World indeed. Mr Lee, I want to bring to your attention that in becoming First World, what have we sacrificed? I have a few questions which I'm concerned about. Have we sacrificed our basic human rights in our quest to attain First World status? Have we sacrificed our souls for materials comfort? Need we be reminded that empty as we come from our mother's womb, empty we shall depart? For what do you gain to win every possessions in this World then to lose your soul? Mr Lee, while I admire your passion that you spent your entire life in running this country, I can't agree with everything that you have governed our country since 1965. I'm not judging you Mr Lee, but I just want to share my thoughts with you, Sir. Isn't it better to retire gracefully now and let the younger leaders lead this country into the next century? Mr Lee, no man is an island, I believed you have heard this Sir. If you are worried what our country state will be after you leave this world, Mr Lee, I want to say, don't worry about tomorrow, for today has enough of its troubles. Mr Lee, I like to quote what Mr Tony Blair said in his recent speech as a British Ambassador, 'Its better to lose and do the right thing, than to win and do the wrong thing! Mr Lee, I hope deep inside you, you are doing the right thing and not be haunt by your guilty conscience everytime when you know you did the wrong thing and yet you turn a blind eye. Mr Lee, we all have this unique system in us created by God. Its call 'Conscience'. Be very happy when it hurts. Be very worried when it doesn't. And finally Mr Lee, I pray and wish your wife speedy recovery and may you be bless for everything you are doing for our country. Thanks Mr Lee for looking into emulating Sweden's practice of helping S'poreans, esp paternity n paying for child care education. We certainly have enough money to support this. Afterall, a caring leader will breed a caring nation. Mr Lee, my prayers for your wife and you. I continue to pray that God grant you the wisdom to lead our country to the next level. Pls do not use your own strength to govern our country. By human standards, we will fail inevitably. By His standards, we shall prevail, no matter what circumstances we face. Until then God bless Singapore n God bless Singaporeans. Dr Chee and party, thanks for your struggles. You will be richly rewarded up above. God bless.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 10:57 AM | Precision - Screw up

How can you let such an old man to invest your hard-earned CPF money? How much?...$100 billion ...sorry "We are Singaporeans, no questions on CPF investments please."

Fri 11 Jul 2008 11:17 AM | Billy - Snake talk

Inaccuracy?

A lie is inaccuracy too.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 11:38 AM | Saint Splattergut

"4. The only reason Mr Lee Kuan Yew referred to the IBA's endorsement of our Judiciary at the IBA conference in October 2007 was to demolish the 3rd Defendant's baseless suggestion in open court that there is no rule of law in Singapore."

FAIL.

I stopped reading the article once I read this... ehh... that IS the whole point. The IBA's "endorsement" that never was.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 12:59 PM | Anonymous - To Enquirer

The reason for SDP's attack on the media is a strong and defensible one. From a theoretical and philosophical standpoint, the institution of media is founded on the basis of objectivity and truth. That is the ideal any respectable media institution would strive for. Of course we all know that the actual manifestation of this particular institution anywhere in the world is far from ideal.

But the whole purpose for the media's existence is this social responsibility to the people. To educate, to bring forth analysis of information that would otherwise be inaccessible to the masses because of the constraints of society. To put it simply, the media has this yardstick that it must constantly be gauged against. Objectivity. So if the media is "not doing its job" properly, it should be castigated.

On the other hand, a political party is partisan in nature. A party's entire existence rests on being partisan and biased towards something. It has a purpose and it fights for that. Its existence does not come into question simply because it does not strive to be objective. That is not "wrong" or "bad" as it is simply justifying its own existence and serving a particular purpose in society.

As for your doubts of what SDP would do if it ever came into power, that is another story. I cannot foretell the future and it is pretty pointless speculating about it. Perhaps it would use the existing authoritarian mechanisms to consolidate its power or perhaps it would cut the media and different institutions loose to function as they should. I don't know.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 3:41 PM | g_e - Liar, liar, pants on fire

So Harry Lee Kuan Yew lied. Should we be surprised? His entire legacy was built upon a tissue of lies and half-truths.

He lied about Lim Chin Siong and the Barisan Socialis being communists out to topple the government unconstitutionally.
He lied about the Marxist conspiracy.
He lied in Parliament about profiteering from his Jade Mansions investment.
He lied when he accused Tang Liang Hong of being a Chinese chauvinist.
Did he also lie that he paid in full for an SIA jet to be converted into a flying ICU when his wife suffered her first stroke?
He lied.
He lied.
He lied.
And at the ripe old age of 84 he continues to lie through his teeth about the IBA letter.
I don't doubt for a moment that the lie was premeditated and not a mere 'inaccuracy'.
It's far too explicit and confidently delivered to be other than a well-planned untruth.
Unfortunately for him, he did not count on his lie being caught out and the IBA following up with its devastating criticism.

His kangaroo courts will turn a blind eye, but what now of your precious reputation, Mr. Harry Liar Lee Kuan Yew?

Will your epitaph read [b]"Here LIES Harry Lee Kuan Yew"[/b]?

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:04 PM | CHECK THIS OUT SINGAPOREANS: - HIGER FARES

[color=red][b]CHECK THIS OUT SINGAPOREANS:

PAP TIMES READ : [ANOTHER TRICK]:

CHEAPER TRAVEL FOR 4 IN 10 COMMUTERS

ahahah! but they confuse you until you buzzzy pp'ple really bother to read:

BUT FOR THE REMAINING SIX WHO TAKE DIRECT SERVICES HIGER FARES ARE LIKELY TO RISE!!

what utter rubbish!!

YOU NEED MILLION DOLLAR PAID MINISTERS TO COME UP WITH THIS KIND OF SLNS?????[/b][/color]

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:25 PM | Inaccuracies - Where else?

If LKY is elaborately inaccurate about such a simple matter in which you can prove or disapprove ... what will he do on matters that you cannot really validate?

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:28 PM | As usual his logic fails him:[ - MM's quote

[b]A Quote: MM Lee: If you say that this Government is corrupt or has mismanaged the country’s resources, I’ll sue you!

[color=blue]As usual his logic fails him:[/color]

Using legal threats only make people fearful of those threats. Threats silence the people. Silence does not mean “people believes that anybody is doing anything that’s not corrupt or improper”.[/b]

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:36 PM | Tan Tai Wei

Congratulations, Albert.

Success in life is judged not by certificates and diplomas, and position and power.

At 40, you have matured, way beyond many first class honours now in their 80s.

While many remain only clever, you have become wise. God bless.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:43 PM | Mike Chan - Don't insult our intelligence!

Mr Singh is insulting our intelligence in his letter.He could have got away with it years ago.But in this day and age of 2008?......No way, not with more and better educated citizens and the miracle called the INTERNET! Truth and goodness will prevail in the end even if eventually the Registrar dismisses Dr Chee's complaint appeal, as to be expected. As with MY, S'pore is also going down that slippery road.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 4:51 PM | Anonymous - Peanut and Inaccuracy

Mrs Peanut Goh...and now Mr. Inaccuracy Singh. What is next? Both is wasting public fund.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 5:43 PM | Stunned

Wow, just who is this "MIKE" character. I find his comments really amusing. Actually his logic and brilliance makes him a prime candidate for a tea-session and potential Minister of HA.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 6:11 PM | one more singh - The Chees-Lees side of things

you know wat i m tinkin of?
i say, we should concentrate on the future, on who should talk over from / challenge LHL..

this battle of LKY vs CSJ will be over in 10 years, max, either one / both will pass away for sure..

so, we should groom our young now, teach then the right values..

channel all our efforts to make sure that the dragon's sons, god bless their souls, do not get too "powerful", yah..

can somebody please do "something nice" to them.. you know, like sabo them, catch them with their pants down with the busty CSC, for etc, (example only ar).. MAKE SURE that they dun get to hold key appointments..

THEN, we can talk about how to reform the political arena in Singapore..

Fri 11 Jul 2008 6:37 PM | tohjohn

By LKY own standards, LKY himself is a liar. Just as in the James Gomez case, LKY called James a liar even after James said it was a oversight. The PAP even initially prevented (harassed)James from leaving the country from that mistake.

So Mr Lee Kuan Yew by your own standards, you are a liar too

Fri 11 Jul 2008 7:11 PM | | CHUA CHUAN SEAH - Lee Kuan Yew's Untruths

Both Lee Kuan Yew's current defamation suit against Dr Chee Soon Juan (which allowed the SDP leader to expose Lee's lies and evasions) and Lee's many trumped-up charges over the years against his political opponents and critics are flagrant examples of Lee's worship of power.

Lee Kuan Yew has chosen power over truth. LKY is not immune to making false claims about his opponents and critics and deceiving the public in the process. In his mind, telling the truth would have meant a humiliating political defeat.

Only winning matters to him, and loyalty to himself. So he chooses to endorse falsehood, rather than give in to his political opponents. That's what is important to him, even if it meant turning black into white and truth into lies. LKY is the most vivid manifestation of the PAP's deceitful political culture.

Of course, the mainstream pro-PAP mass media and official records and establishment history give a totally different or "standard" account or version of LKY's "honesty". But more and more people have now seen through his political deceits.

Fri 11 Jul 2008 9:36 PM | Jen - re: To Anonymous

[quote=Enquirer]I like your point, but I find it hard to accept that a party that constantly attacks the main stream media for biasness does not walk its talk. If the SDP ever comes to power, can Singaporeans be assured they will be granted freedom, truth etc? Based on what I see, I have my doubts.[/quote]

The fact that your comments and some others of the very FEW anti-SDP supporters here manage to get their unwanted comments approved and pubished on the site already shows that the SDP is unbiased, and yes if they were to come to power, im very sure Singapore will be a free one, where LIES can never be covered up, unlike PAP.
So, you doubt WHAT???

Fri 11 Jul 2008 10:26 PM | LKY is BIG LIAR - No more euphemism

LKY is a nit-picking vengeful character, who likes to call other people LIAR. However, when he tells lies, the state media covers it up, and his lawyer guard-dog call it an inaccuracies.

BE NOT AFRAID TO CALL A SPADE A SPADE AND CALL A LIAR A LIAR!!!!!

Fri 11 Jul 2008 10:45 PM | mike aka pappy dog stfu

haha i had a good laugh at mike and other pappy dog's posts

it is good to see such ppl like you who have sold their conscience and heart away to pappy and post bs here

next elections i will take pappy ang pao and vote opposition

Fri 11 Jul 2008 11:04 PM | ac. - lawyer lawyer..

After reading through the carefully constructed & meticulously phrased letter by Davinder Singh... he basically just said Dr. Chee's substantiated evidence are not to be taken into consideration, and that he is wasting time again. Some argument. *lol* ;-)

I would expect something better from Drew & Napier though. Then again, he has the backing of Lee, and whatever that comes out from his mouth would seem like the truth. Nothing but the truth..

Fri 11 Jul 2008 11:27 PM | Low Fak Yew - Registrar should accede to DR Chee's request !

This matter is about the letter.
If you said you have the letter, produce it ! If there is none , then i think it is fair for DR Chee to re-cross examine the person who claimed there is.

I believe this claim links to a person's integrity and honesty and reputation if the statement was sweared under oath.

It does not concerns DR Chee and Ah Yew no more, we are seriously talking about the future of sinkapore and our children.

Dr Chee is merely helping sinkapore and sinkaporeans to see the truth and learn from it, and make the necessary change.

DR Chee is already gentlemanly bankrupt, what does he stand to gain ?

The registrar has a choice, may god bless Dr Chee.

Sat 12 Jul 2008 2:54 AM | thinktok

Mr Singh, You are one of the lawyers that put Singapore on the world map. Ignore these people, you have done a great job so far.
SDP, CSJ is just irritants like sand in the eye.

Anyway a speech in a meeting is better than a letter. I do not blame Mr Lee because he read the speech and for a man that is so busy the inaccuracy promptly admitted should be let.
CSJ has only LKY in his radar. what a pity?

Sat 12 Jul 2008 2:58 AM | Realist

I am quite an open minded person, and the SDP is doing more harm than good. We want an opposition party that can take on the government on important issues but up to I am afraid SDP has failed miserably.

Sat 12 Jul 2008 5:31 AM | L

Seems to me, they have too many skeletons in their closet. Thats why they are desperately holding on to their power, for as long as possible.....

You guys over in SDP are doing a great job so far! You have me as your supporter.

Sat 12 Jul 2008 6:13 PM | novoice - L is absolutely right

I think L is absolutely right!

What are those skeletons?

Sun 13 Jul 2008 4:19 AM | EXACTLY TRUE - They can't reveal everythings

True enough they need to cover up as long as possible once reveal will affect the entire country's reserve and standings.

That's why he mentioned should oppositions take over will ruin the country when every skeletons reveal.

Sun 13 Jul 2008 7:54 AM | Nike - Can't reveal everything?

I think it is more like can reveal anything!

No no ... Should the opposition take over, we can see the filth and rot of the current administration.

Sun 13 Jul 2008 8:23 AM | TakBolehTahan

Dear Mike & Enquirer, How can you trust a PAP that has a Minister that can't even apologise in a decent matter (READ: "This should not have happend. I am sorry it did), a Prime Minister that can't apologise decently (READ: Mee Siam my hum, gets his press secretary to "clarify"), and a MM that can't even apologise gentlemanly that he has committed a memory lapse?

Talk about double standards of Western country and a conspiracy to do us in?

Ha ha, my feet is laughing!

Sun 13 Jul 2008 7:11 PM | Anonymous

[quote]What are those skeletons?[/quote]

If you are able to gain access to those Swiss bank vaults holding the LEEson billions, you are sure to find those skeletons piled mountains-high alongside the greenbacks.

You may even recognize distinctly whose skeletons those are too - a Chia here, a Lim there, a Teh... who knows.

Mon 14 Jul 2008 12:06 AM | outsider - We want a closure..a fair one pls

we want a fair closure to this...if it is a crime to answer for...be it you are the king or a peasant...

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