Book Review: Democratically Speaking

When I was growing up in Singapore, I remember coming across a couple ofStraits Times articles which pretty much branded Dr. Chee Soon Juan as a troublemaker.

It was only after my mid-twenties that I first surfed into the SDP website, of which Dr. Chee is the Secretary General of.

The first thing I noticed on the website were the three words under the political party’s header:

“COMPETENT, CONSTRUCTIVE and COMPASSIONATE”

These are very strong words, which I — in all my youthful naivety — used to take for granted that these were values a political party in any region would automatically aspire to uphold.

I ended up ordering a copy of Democratically Speaking (published in 2012) to gain a better idea of Dr. Chee’s thoughts on democracy and the opportunity Singaporeans have to “defend [their] political rights” before it’s too late.

This is a current screenshot of the purchase page on the SDP website:

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It was evident from the contents page alone that Chee Soon Juan had presented the book’s contents in an organised, compelling manner.

The contents are divided into the following sections:

Part I: The political economy (on “wealth disparity” and “holding [the powers that be] accountable”)

Part II: In the opposition (Dr. Chee’s views on taking non-violent action, and effective opposition)

Part III: The rule of law (a comprehensive section on Dr. Chee’s courtroom experiences with confronting LKY, and how citizens are not treated equally under the law in Singapore)

Part IV: Democratically Speaking (a collection of Dr. Chee’s letters, articles, and interviews over the past two decades which are all focused on the democratisation of Singapore)

The chapter on “taking non-violent action” was particularly illuminating, as it presents several points as to the necessity of civic engagement and dissent.

Dr. Chee makes it very clear that “dissent” does not mean violent or reckless actions for the purpose of bringing about positive change. After all, the word “dissent” can be defined as expressing or having opinions at variance with those officially held.

On why dissent matters, Dr. Chee writes:

“Public demonstrations empower the people. . .In truth, it is the empowerment of the people that the PAP fears. The ruling clique knows that its illegal hold on power is possible only because it keeps the people isolated from one another.”

Dr. Chee also explains why democracy in Singapore exists “in theory,” and why simply “electing more opposition MPs in the next General Election until the PAP is displaced as government” is not going to work. With the ruling party retaining all the power and having the ability to “change the rules ever so easily,” any gains any opposition parties make in Singapore can be wiped out if and whenever the rules are changed.

Dr. Chee stresses the point about opposition unity, and how pushing for political rights and civil liberties should be a common platform for all opposition parties. After all, the opposition landscape cannot be its most effective if the various opposition groups are more interested in criticising or lauding each other, than working together for the common goal of advancing human rights and the cause for a genuine democracy.

The foundation of a democratic system grants citizens the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly — things which make it more difficult for the “autocratic-minded” (i.e. people who take no account of other people’s wishes or opinions) to retain absolute power in politics.

Dr. Chee explains that civil disobedience is not just “about breaking laws and challenging the authorities on a whim and fancy…[and] not about unruliness and anarchy.” The aim is to achieve change through organised, peaceful means, so as to prevent a chaotic and violent outcome.

He acknowledges that advocating and working for change in an “intimidated society” is not as comfortable as being on “the side of power.” But that “those whose conscience and awareness do not allow them to remain idle. . .have the obligation to speak up.”

Perhaps this line from Democratically Speaking says it best:

“If it was good and right for Singaporeans to use non-violent action against the British [in the pre-independence days of Singapore], why is it bad and wrong for us to use it against the much more authoritarian PAP now?”

What I liked the most about Democratically Speaking is that it wasn’t a book based on theories alone. Dr. Chee and the SDP have not been idly sitting around talking about change and not doing anything about it — you can view their Facebook page and website to see their current efforts. As a youth in Singapore, not once did I see the work or campaigns by the opposition parties mentioned or portrayed in a positive manner in the mainstream SPH-dominated media, which is why I did not (and still don’t) treat The Straits Times as a reliable source when it comes to local politics.

There is a long, long history of the sacrifices opposition members in Singapore have had to make. Ordinary people may wonder and question why any sane individual would seek to bother to make life so difficult for themselves, to go through all the trouble for positive change.

The reason is because civil liberties (i.e. individual rights protected by law from unjust governmental or other interference) are worth defending.

What are civil liberties? According to Politics.co.uk:

“Civil liberties are basic rights and freedoms granted to citizens of a country through national common or statute law. They include freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom from arbitrary arrest, freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom of religious worship. Such rights and freedoms form the basis of a democratic society and are often denied to those living in a dictatorship.”