New political party formed...

If you havnt heard the news yet,there will be a new political party soon in Singapore.Opposition figure JB Jeyaretnam submitted an application on Thursday to register the new Reform Party as a political party.He vowed on Friday that he will fight what his party call the "enslavement" of Singapore after nearly half-a-century of rule by the People's Action Party which is the PAP of course.

He said Singaporean society has been "castrated" and its people left powerless by an executive that holds "absolute power."He also said that his party will not "play pussy-foot with the PAP".I am not so sure what it exactly mean so you just have to judge it for yourself.He said Singapore,which prides itself on having 'First World' status,faces a widening gulf between rich and poor.Government leaders earn millions but many families survive on one or two thousand dollars a month,yet nobody speaks up,he said.Jeyaretnam also expressed his hopes of not only to reform the structure of the Singapore system,but also people's way of thinking,to rouse them from a PAP-induced "slumber."Jeyaretnam added that,if he is physically able,he will stand as a candidate in the next general election due by 2011.I dont know about you,but I have heard his name a few times before and here is some information about him that you might find useful.

Facts About Mr JB Jeyaretnam:-

• Made political history in 1981 when he became the first opposition politician elected to parliament.


• He was then secretary-general of the Workers' Party.


• A lawyer,he was disbarred when he was declared a bankrupt in 2001 after failing to pay libel damages to members of the PAP,including former prime minister Goh Chok Tong.


• Last year,he paid 233,255 Singapore dollars to clear his bankruptcy & in damages from defamation lawsuits filed by Singapore's leaders,which had prevented him from running for political office


• He has then been reinstated to the Bar and has resumed legal practice.

His application has not been approve yet,but he said that it would take two months to process and he does not foresee any difficulties in getting the approval.Currently,the party have only 10 members,which is the minimum number required to form a political party.For me,I dont know whether the idea of starting a new political party is a good idea.I mean when was the last time an opposition party actually win big in the election,just probably in the last election.Plus,Mr Jayeratnam has just got out from bankruptcy.I think he will not get any problems in getting his application approved,and Im sure the number of members will increase once that is done with.He was very straightforward in the press conference yesterday,I dont know if we are going to see another Chee Soon Juan,the SDP leader here.Being an opposition party in Singapore is not definitely an easy thing to do but I have to give him credit for being daring enough.Only time will tell whether his new party will really make an impact in our political scene though I am content with how the country is being govern right now.

*The report is taken from ChannelNewsAsia and AFP.