| July 31, 2008 |  | |
| New political party may resort to 'civil disobedience', says its chief | ||
Political veteran J.B. Jeyaretnam, secretary general of The Reform Party, said he does not expect Singapore's pro-government press to carry the party's views, meaning it will have to use other means. 'We are hoping to get to the people through the Internet, and also by our actions', he told the Foreign Correspondents' Association of Singapore. 'One of the things is trying to organise peaceful marches on issues', he said, agreeing that Singapore's strict laws against public assembly make such an approach difficult. Scarred by racial riots in the 1960s, the city-state requires a police permit for a public gathering of five or more people, meaning that demonstrations are rarely seen. Mr Jeyaretnam, 82, said that when he decides to hold a rally he will apply for a permit and, if it is denied, one option would be a court challenge. 'And if everything else fails then I suppose there might come a time when we have to talk about civil disobedience. But I don't know if we have to resort to that immediately'. He said it will be 'a bit difficult' to prepare people for such actions in a country where citizens 'feel they can't do anything'. The opposition plays only a marginal role in Singapore, where the People's Action Party (PAP) has been in power since 1959 and has all but two elected seats in the 84-member parliament. Mr Jeyaretnam, then with the Workers' Party, made political history in 1981 when he became the first opposition politician elected to parliament. He was declared bankrupt in 2001 after failing to pay libel damages to members of the PAP, including a former prime minister. Last year Mr Jeyaretnam, a lawyer, cleared the bankruptcy which had prevented him from running for political office. His new party held an inaugural dinner earlier this month. -- AFP | ||
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