Why the SDP is expanding
http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/
Why the Singapore Democratic Party deserves our
support
Written by Ng E-Jay
30 July 2009
The first SDP event I attended was the gathering at Hong Lim
Park on 01 May 2007 welcoming Dr Chee Soon Juan and Ms Chee Siok
Chin after they had completed a 2-day, 120km walk to mark Labour
Day and to highlight the plight of Singaporean workers.
Looking at the exhausted but determined faces of Dr Chee and Ms
Chee, and hearing the short but edifying address Dr Chee made left
me with the impression that perhaps, unlike the terrible vibes that
the party constantly receives from the mainstream media, the SDP
was a party of substance, that perhaps it was a party with a
message worth listening to.
I was not wrong.
Over time, as I got to know the party, its members, its ideas
and its political philosophy better, I found myself agreeing more
and more with its vision and its values.
The SDP is an opposition
party that has been on the receiving end of a concerted torrent of
negative Government propaganda, fueled by a compliant mainstream
media that would stoop as low as need be to vilify, demonize, and
ridicule the party.
I constantly wondered why after having had their
names dragged through the mud so many times, SDP’s leaders soldier
on with their cause, never angry nor feeling victimized by the
situation, but ever determined to get their message across to
Singaporeans.
I took a look at SDP’s performance at the previous two General
Elections. It was not pretty, to say the least. The SDP only managed to obtain 20.36%
of the valid votes cast in the constituencies they were contesting
in during the 2001 General Elections. For the 2006 General
Elections, they
obtained an overall 23.23% of the valid votes
cast.
I wondered why, after having been trashed at the polls and after
having been laughed at not only by PAP supporters, but even by
supporters of other opposition parties, the SDP soldiers on,
believing in what they are doing, trusting that they would be
vindicated one day.
After some time, I found the answer. It is about
unyielding leadership, having conviction in their
values and what they believe in, and having the stoic determination
to press on with the good fight, out of an unbounded love for
Singapore and for Singaporeans.
That is why the Singapore Democratic Party deserves our support.
That is why I am a supporter.
Many critics have speculated that the SDP is not interested in
participating in elections because it is not wooing the electorate
over with bread-and-butter issues, and because its participation in
civil disobedience and its focus on democracy and human rights
issues have alienated it from voters.
This is despite the fact that the SDP has stated categorically
on its website that it remains committed to participating in
elections and winning the hearts and minds of Singaporeans.
With the mainstream media
deliberately censoring news and comments from the SDP, it is no
wonder that many people remain unaware of the activities the party
is organizing and engaging in, and its stand on various
issues.
The truth is, the SDP has always paid close attention to
bread-and-butter issues like jobs for Singaporeans, our CPF, and
the cost of living, and suggested workable alternatives to our
disastrous Government policies.
But the SDP has also correctly recognized that to
campaign effectively for bread-and-butter issues, we need democracy
in Singapore, without which we would be merely going around in
circles and championing those issues only on terms dictated by the
PAP.
Without transparency and without a means of making the
Government accountable to the people, we would only be able to
obtain token concessions from time to time, but we would never be
able to compel the Government to act in the people’s interest.
The SDP is displaying true
leadership and moral courage by committing to participate in
elections even though they know the PAP and the mainstream media
will resort to all ways and means of fixing them and tarnishing
their image in the eyes of voters.
I feel that the SDP is
correct in remaining committed to elections, because elections are
a good opportunity for the party to make its presence felt and a
good chance for the party to build awareness and cultivate the
ground.
The SDP must also show that
it cannot, and will not be intimidated by the underhand,
undemocratic tactics employed by the
PAP.
Consistent participation in elections is also a way of showing
the electorate that despite insurmountable odds, it is fit and
ready to lead, that it is willing to do so not because it
is easy, but because it is right.
But beyond elections, I believe that the SDP also wants to build
an enduring legacy for itself, a legacy of championing the
principles of democracy, of social justice, of human rights, of
transparency and accountability of a Government to its people.
I believe that the goal of the SDP is not just to do well in the
next 1, 2, 3 or even 5 elections, but to be at the forefront of the
wave of democratic change that must inevitably hit Singapore’s
shores one day, no matter how long it takes.
The SDP is not afraid of being dissolved by the PAP because it
knows that what binds its members, supporters and friends together
is not the party vehicle, but its values, its shared beliefs, its
convictions, and its commitment to championing a more free and just
society.
The PAP can and will most likely use more and more sophisticated
methods to marginalize the SDP, to alienated them from voters, and
to discourage others from working with them and collaborating with
them to build a better Singapore.
But I also believe that
eventually, the truth must prevail, because the causes championed
by the SDP are just and right.
There is little doubt in my mind that if the SDP continues the
good work it is doing, it will leave behind an enduring legacy of
being part of the democratization of Singapore, and that its work,
its activities, its articles and writings will also form an
enduring record for future generations of Singaporeans to reflect
on.
Bloggers, activists, friends
and supporters of SDP should also try their best to be part of this
legacy by openly supporting the party and penning their thoughts,
feelings and ideas on the party and its role in the democratization
of Singapore.
http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=3467
