NEWS: Help Jeanne Ten Fund Court Challenge Against NUS for Wrongful Denial of Master Degree.

Left to Right: Dan De Costa, Khush Chopra, Jeanne Ten, and Kieran James, Joo Chiat Road, May 2019.

Dear friends,

Legal Battle with NUS – For the past 14 years, I have fought a tough battle against the National University of Singapore for the wrongful denial of my Master’s Degree. In 2012, I sued the university as a last resort. I am now trying to raise $20,000 for Security for Costs so that my lawsuit can be heard in the Court of Appeal.

Two years ago, donations from the public enabled me to pay a portion of the $11,000 of court hearing fee and send my case to trial instead of being thrown out by Court. I am now trying to raise $20,000 for Security for Costs so that my lawsuit can be heard in the Court of Appeal.

To recap, here below is a brief summary of the past 14 years in which I had fought a tough battle against the National University of Singapore for wrongfully denying my MA degree, the sabotage of my PhD programme that I was then enrolled in in 2006, which cost me loss of career opportunities and loss of income. NUS destroyed my career.

In September 2006, NUS (National University of Singapore) expelled me from the university after refusing to confer me my Master of Arts Degree in retaliation for my whistle-blowing about misconduct by a professor at NUS, and my whistle-blowing about the subsequent cover-up. As a result of this expulsion by NUS, I had to leave a PhD course that I had already started in the United States. This destroyed my chances of pursuing a career in my field of expertise.

In August 2012, I was left with no other option except to turn to the courts to sue NUS, after two different NUS university presidents and the Ministry of Education all failed to help me despite my desperate appeals for help. If I didn’t start the lawsuit against NUS by August 2012, my case would have been “time-barred” which means that I would have passed the deadline to take legal action.

NUS should have properly admitted its guilt, offered to make amends to me, and punished the wrongdoers. Instead, NUS spent more than $700,000 of public funds to hire lawyers to fight me every step of the way and protect the wrongdoers from the punishment they deserved. NUS fiercely resisted discovery of relevant documents, thereby dragging out the lawsuit and making it very costly for me. NUS could afford to use these attrition tactics against me, because NUS can use public funds (taxpayers’ dollars) to fight me in court. I ran out of money half-way through this lawsuit and had to resort to borrowing. NUS even tried to apply to Court to bankrupt me in 2015.

In July 2017, I went public to raise funds for my legal fees after NUS successfully got the Court to issue me two ultimatums (Unless Orders) – to pay $11,000 within three days, failing which my legal case would be thrown out of court. By borrowing money and crowdfunding, I was able to raise the funds to send the case to trial.

In August 2017, the public trial of my case began in the High Court. The trial spanned a total of nine days from August 2017 to November 2017. I blogged about my 9-day trial and legal updates here.

In July 2018, the Court delivered its decision – I lost all my legal claims against NUS. This was despite the High Court finding that NUS was guilty of wrongdoing against me (see the quotations from the High Court’s written judgment below).

On 26 July 2019, the Court delivered its decision on costs – the High Court ordered me to pay $169,748.77 to NUS for the lawsuit (excluding “interlocutory” matters). NUS originally claimed $698,940.11 in legal costs and disbursements for the lawsuit (excluding “interlocutory” matters). This means that NUS claims that it spent at least $698,940.11 paying its lawyers from Drew & Napier to fight me in Court. Since NUS is a “public body” this money must have come from the taxpayers’ dollars.

I don’t know whether if NUS will appeal the cost award, given that the Court has awarded NUS less than a quarter of what NUS has claimed that it had spent in legal costs. Both sides have until 26 August 2019 to file a “Notice of Appeal.” NUS may also choose to bankrupt me as NUS has tried once in 2015 to enforce the cost orders made by Court. This is what NUS does to a student who has refused to allow NUS to cover up misconduct of one of its faculty members against the student.

Having considered the matter thoroughly, I have decided to appeal the High Court’s decision on costs, as well as the High Court’s substantive judgment, to the Court of Appeal; but the problem is that, in Singapore, if you want to appeal to the Court of Appeal, you have to pay $20,000 for “Security for Costs.” If you can’t afford to pay the $20,000, then the Court will not allow you to appeal. The Security for Costs is for the opposing party, which is NUS in my case, and the Security for Costs is separate from the thousands of dollars of court filing fees to be paid to the Court.

As far as I know, the Malaysian Court and the British Courts do not require (or require only minimal amounts for) this sort of security deposit. However, this is, sadly, the current position in Singapore.

Now, in August 2019, I am resorting to crowdfunding again to raise $20,000 Security for Costs which is for the benefit of NUS, before the Court of Appeal would accept my application to hear my appeal.

At the present moment, I have about 2 weeks to raise the $20,000 to appeal the Court’s decisions. I believe I have an arguable case, in fact a strong case, but I don’t have the sum of $20,000. I need to reach the target sum by 22 August 2019 (and file the Notice of Appeal latest by 26 August 2019).

Appealing to the Court of Appeal is probably the only way that I can avoid bankruptcy – or, at the very least, it is certainly the only way that I can possibly avoid a crushing financial burden in the form of the unfair costs order.

Why do I want to appeal?

Some people have asked me to give up taking NUS to the courts because they feel that I can never win a lawsuit against a Singapore public/government institution in Singapore. However, I will still go ahead with the appeal because I believe I have a strong case before the Court of Appeal.

The High Court judgment has already exposed and confirmed wrongdoing by NUS officers.

In the July 2018 written judgment, the High Court actually found NUS to be guilty of wrongdoing in the main facts of my case. (See the elaboration on this point in the next section below.) But the High Court did not find NUS to be guilty of “malice” or “deliberate” acts and, hence, the High Court did not hold NUS liable to me for expelling me from the university and destroying my career, despite the overwhelming documentary evidence that proves that the wrongful actions that NUS took against me were intentional, deliberate, premediated and carefully planned and executed by numerous high-ranking NUS officers.

In my case against NUS, NUS has consistently taken the legal position that I did not complete the requirements that were necessary for NUS to award me my Master’s degree. This is a lame excuse and a red herring. The fact is that I had successfully completed all of the requirements for my graduation and for the award of my Master’s Degree, including researching and writing a book-length Master’s thesis, and I had submitted the final version of my thesis to NUS on the deadline stipulated by NUS. The documentary evidence of letters and internal emails written by NUS officers, clearly prove that the real reason why NUS expelled me and denied me the award of my Master’s degree, was that I refused to comply with demands that I drop my complaints about a professor’s misconduct (my thesis Supervisor), even after NUS sent me a letter that threatened me with expulsion if I refused to comply with the improper demands.

On 13 May 2019, during the court hearing on Costs, the lawyer for NUS, in trying to convince the High Court judge to order me to pay NUS even more costs, told the judge that NUS had made an offer to me to award me my Master’s degree in 2017. (Refer to an extract of the Court Transcript recorded on 13 May 2019 below.)

In other words, NUS has finally (in effect) admitted in Court in 2019 that it had withheld my MA degree despite the fact that I had already earned the degree in 2006!

The High Court judgment appears to be that what NUS did to me is wrongful but NUS is not legally liable to me in the eyes of the law. With all due respect to the High Court, this is absolutely absurd. I will try to ask the Court of Appeal to reverse the costs order. The actions of NUS are “disgraceful” and deserving of “moral condemnation.”

I filed my Notice of Appeal to appeal the High Court’s judgment to the Court of Appeal on 8 August 2018, which was before the deadline; but, the Court has unjustly denied me my legal right to appeal, despite the fact that the right to appeal is supposedly a legal right that belongs to every Singaporean. The Court denied me my legal right to appeal on the grounds that I was unable to pay the $20,000 for “Security for Costs” for the appeal. Now that the High Court has issued a decision on costs, I have another opportunity to be heard by the Court of Appeal, but first I have to raise the $20,000 for “Security for Costs” before the deadline.

Your donation will help me to ask the Court of Appeal to hear my appeal of the High Court’s judgment, amongst other issues including the issue on costs.

Please donate generously to my crowdfunding appeal, so that my case can be heard in the Court of Appeal. Thank you.

For those of you who are still interested in the details of my case after reading this far, you can continue reading on my blog.

Please donate to my crowdfunding appeal.

Paypal tljvnus@gmail.com; PayLah! 93884036; Bank POSB Everyday Savings Account 193-69702-0; Ten Leu Jiun Jeanne-Marie, DBS Bank Pte Ltd, 12 Marina Boulevard, DBS Asia Central, Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 3, Singapore 018982, Singapore; Bank swift code: DBSSSGSG; Branch code: 081.
Credit Card: https://gogetfunding.com/final-push-to-obtain-justice-urgent-appeal-for-funds-to-get-to-the-court-of-appeal-2/

NEWS: Letter to PM Mr Lee Hsien Loong from Patrick Low, 24 August 2017

Dear PM Mr Lee Hsien Loong,

Very soon you will be stepping down as Singapore's third Prime Minister. Let me ask you: "what kind of legacy would you like to bequeath to our country?"

National Unity I am sure is uppermost in your mind. But have you done enough on this score? If not what else can you do before you leave the stage?

The late Patrick Lee Song Juan celebrates LKY's exit from Cabinett

The birth of Singapore was under very tough and divisive conditions. The Left and the Right in their struggle to gain independence from the colonial master suffered painful and blightening experiences in their lives. Many lost their freedom and were incarcerated for years. Though the battle is over peace and reconciliation never did ensue.

Time should heal many things but time alone without statesmanship cannot bring about a real reconciliation among the people and the combatants.

Since more than half a century has elapsed after the epic struggle it behoves us, the ordinary sons of the soil, to remind you, the son of the Founding Father, that you still have an unfulfilled task to undertake and complete on behalf of your father because he failed to do it.

As a son it is not easy for you to step out of your father's shadow. But now that he is gone you must try.

Imagine the surprise and the joy you will bring to the nation if you were to say sorry and declare an amnesty for all political exiles including those very old people living on the Thai-Malaysian border who are dying to have their last wish honoured before they leave this temporal world. Instead of trying to prevent diabetes you can heal the long time wounds of so many freedom fighters inflicted during the independence struggle. Say sorry to them and make amends.

Tribute to Chia Thye Poh at old SDP Headquarters,

In your hands Mr. Lee lies the power to undo the wrongs of your father and his erstwhile comrades. You can reverse the trumped up charge of a Marxist conspiracy which arrested 22 young people back in 1987. Even your cabinet ministers found it difficult to swallow the toxic charges you used to cripple the idealism of young Singaporeans then. 30 years have passed and we are still waiting for the sorry word.

Shame on you!

The recent saga of the will of your father as it relates to 38 Oxley Road and the resulting in a public squabble whose rancour brought not only shame upon your family but also tarnished Singapore's reputation is something which you need to put right before you step down. So in your hands too lies the power to mend the rift within your own family before the poison spreads to the hearts and minds of unborn generations.

If you put your mind to it you know that you as the head of a sovereign nation have much to gain if you only have the courage to sweep the muck from your office and clear the decks for the next generation. Only then can you lay the groundwork for true national unity.

You have recruited some of the children of former political prisoners into your ranks. Good for you but does it not occur to you the soul wrenching exercise for these children of your former political opponents to put aside the past and step forward to serve the party and the nation.

If you are truly magnanimous, noble and not petty minded you can also step forward and declare an unconditional amnesty for all political exiles whether they be in London, Paris, Melbourne, Betong or Boston. In so doing you would go down in Singapore history as a peacemaker and not a nitpicker. National unity for our Motherland will be truly epic and unrivalled.

Singaporeans from the world over will truly rejoice and salute you for your courage and wisdom in taking such a big step forward.

Mr. Lee you know that national unity is not based solely on race, colour, and religion. It is also a function of social, economic, and class inequities. In this regard you can exert much greater effort to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Why not state your goals boldly and clearly and name a Scandinavian country that we can all emulate to while retaining our own uniquely Singaporean character? At the very least that is a vision that we can aspire to.

Your government keeps harping on about globalization and pseudo-meritocracy to praise and excuse yourself. Do you not know that these are the very forces which have produced Brexit and Trumpism?

You must be wary that once the political pendulum swings against you no-one will be able to put "humpty dumpty" together again.

The 5 factors of lumpen capitalism, class, cronyism, culture, and communication have inflicted heavy damage on American society over the last 24 years under Clinton, Bush, and Obama. They swept a seasoned politico Hilary aside and threw up an extremely unstable maverick disruptor called Donald J Trump. If this can happen in America it can happen to you too. In fact we came quite close to it in 2011 when the the first GRC of Aljunied was snatched from under your very nose and you scored the lowest electoral return for the PAP in decades.

The tipping point Mr. Lee is an unpredictable thing. But know ye that in a media savvy world once the rage erupts the ruling-class will have no place to hide. Once seen as a cosy selfish and self serving coterie divorced from the people it will be difficult to regain the trust and the mandate of the people.

Mr. Lee for you there is still time. But not much - 2 to 5 years at most because you have lost your zest and your health is not great and you are weary.

During the remaining time you have at the helm you must do your utmost to bequeath a true cultural revolution to the people.

Man does not live by bread alone and they live and die from multiple causes from cancer, stroke, diabetes to alzhiemers.

Your job as PM is not to advise us as the Chief Medical Doctor from SGH. Your job from the Istana is to helm and guide the ship of state through choppy waters to a better promised land.

Yours Sincerely,

Patrick Low.

NEWS / OPINION: Workers' Party Statement regarding Lee family feud, 20 June 2017

Workers’ Party Statement, 20 June 2017

The Workers' Party believes the crux of the family issues surrounding 38 Oxley Road is for the family to resolve privately or in Court. We are only concerned with the allegations of abuse of power and the harm these have caused to confidence in Singapore and our political institutions. WP MPs have filed the following parliamentary questions to help clear the air on the allegations.

Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government would consent to a resolution to convene a Special Select Committee of Parliament, comprising Members from all parties, with public hearings that are broadcast live to look into allegations of abuse of power by the Prime Minister made by members of his family so as to allow his accusers to present all the relevant evidence to Parliament.

Sylvia Lim: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what rules are in place to ensure that Ministers and senior public office-holders with personal or pecuniary interests in the subject-matter of government decisions do not influence or participate in the related deliberations and decision-making, and how are the rules enforced; (b) as regards government opinions or decisions relating to the estate and assets of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, what conflicts or potential conflicts of interest did the government identify to exist from among the members of the Cabinet and with regard to the Attorney-General; (c) how these conflicts or potential conflicts of interest were or are being managed.

PNG ENG HUAT: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what clear rules and directives are in place to prevent Ministers and other political appointees from abusing their positions to access, influence and direct senior civil servants on matters beyond their professional course of work; and (b) how often are these rules and directives communicated to the senior civil servants and in what form.

Chen Show Mao: To ask the Prime Minister what mechanisms are in place to prevent, limit, detect, and address situations where ministers or other political appointees use state organs to obtain information not related to the performance of their duties, advance personal interests or punish detractors, critics, or political opponents.

Chen Show Mao: To ask the Prime Minister when should a minister or political appointee go to court to defend his or her reputation and when should he or she refrain from private litigation and seek instead to address such allegations publicly, such as in Parliament.

Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister (a) under what circumstances Ministerial committees whose existence is not made public are convened to address issues; (b) how many of such committees exist and can their terms of reference and composition be publicly announced unless forbidden by national security concerns: (c) in the case of the Ministerial committee reviewing the fate of No 38 Oxley Road, will independent heritage experts and processes for public opinion sensing be engaged by the committee.

Daniel Goh 吴佩松: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether Deeds of Gifts executed with the National Heritage Board may be shared with third persons, and if so, under what circumstances they may be shared, (b) whether the Deed of Gift of items from 38 Oxley Road was protected by a confidentiality clause, and if so, why did the Board release the Deed to the Prime Minister.

[Source: Workers' Party Facebook page, 20 June 2017.]

Activist Roderick Chia celebrates Workers' Party wins at 2011 GE

NEWS: Roy Ngerng to pay S$150,000 in damages to PM Lee in instalments, by Roy Ngerng, 14 March 2016

Message from Roy Ngerng:

Hello everyone, this is an update to the defamation suit with the prime minister.

I have to pay a total of S$180,000. (I have to pay him S$150,000 in damages and S$30,000 for the costs of the hearing.)

(1) I have to pay S$30,000 by this Wednesday....
(2) From April 1, I have to pay $100 every month for 5 years.
(3) After 5 years, from 2021, I have to pay $1,000 every month until I finish paying.

I would like to thank lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam and his colleagues for helping me reach this settlement. I am very grateful to them.

These 2 years since I was sued hasn't been easy. There have been ups and downs.

I am just glad that it started a conversation on the CPF and some enhancements were made to the CPF.

But I have learnt some lessons as well. I should have been careful with how I say things. I am thankful to have reached the settlement with the prime minister.

I hope to have a fresh start. I have been looking for a job and doing freelance photography. I hope to be able to find a job and make use of my work experience and skills in an area that I could make good use of. I miss contributing effectively to make positive change.

After the last election, a choice was made. I hope that this will be one that will put the country in the right direction. People choose what they are ready for.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who have supported me over these years. Thank you for believing in me. I did what I could. And I am glad that somehow, we were able to make a difference.

Also, I would like to thank my parents and my family. I wouldn't have been able to get through this without them. At a time where I had even lost friends, they have been an unwavering pillar of support.

I hope this marks an end to a chapter and hope that we can move on from here.

If you would like to help to defray the costs, you can also fund raise to the bank account at POSB Savings Bank Account 130-23068-7 (Ngerng Yi Ling).

Thank you once again.
[This article has been posted with the kind written permission of Roy Ngerng.]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/roy-ngerng-to-pay-s-150/2599544.html

NEWS: Letter to PM from PA grassroots leader Aljunied GRC, 2 September 2015

A historic moment - George Yeo accepts defeat in Aljunied GRC on election night 2011 as Dr Vincent Wijeysingha of SDP looks on (at SDP election night function, Quality Hotel, Balestier Road). Meanwhile SDP leader Dr Chee Soon Juan speaks to the crowd.

Letter claimed to be from PAP grassroots:

Dear PM,

I am a PA grassroots leader in Aljunied TC. I am sorry to be sending this anonymous open letter to you via TRE. But I really got no choice because I don’t know how else I can be heard.

I want to tell you how disappointed I am about the PAP team you are fielding in Aljunied GRC for this coming GE. And it is not just me, but many of my fellow volunteers too. The message we are getting from you is: “PAP leadership has already given up on Aljunied GRC”.

If you have already given up, how do you expect us to fight on? I mean, we are all volunteers you know? Some of us take leave from work, many of us sacrifice our personal time. Your unveiling of the PAP team was like pouring cold water to our face.

My biggest disappointment is that you did not field any ministerial calibre people in the team. Ng Eng Hen said that other GRCs are more worthy to have such candidates fielded. You can say all you want but you know what we really think – You scared to lose, is it? What kind of fighting spirit is this then? When it is sure win, then you say you got so-and-so ministerial material to anchor the GRC. When it is not sure win, then you say we don’t deserve ministerial material. So is the ministerial material candidate a leader? Or is he just someone to be ushered in?

Chan Chun Sing said in the PAP annual conference that we will fight, fight, fight. Say only, right? How come no generals ever got fielded into SMCs? How come no ministers or ministerial material ever got fielded into any SMCs? How come neither George Yeo nor Lim Hwee Hwa ever continued to work the ground in Aljunied, even after they are defeated, to help win it back? Is this how “ministerial material” is to behave – when “PAP pow chiak”, they are “leading”, when not “pow chiak”, they are nowhere to be seen.

Some of us have worked in grassroots for many years, even going back to your father’s days. He knows how to fight. I don’t see this in you. Even Tan Cheng Bock said : today’s PAP has forgotten how to fight.

The next disappointment is with the sudden removal of Chan Hui Yuh and Kahar from the team lineup. They have been working the ground for more than a year now. The excuse given is that Chan is a young mother of two young children and “the PAP will not put family relations at risk. It’s not win at all cost. We value the family”. Aiyoh … sounds so lame … then how come you field Tan Pei Ling in MacPherson SMC? She just gave birth leh. And the sudden removal of Kahar and replacement with newbie Shamsul is perplexing. 

Especially since Kahar actually attended a function organised by WP’s Malay MP couple of weeks ago. 

What’s going on?? Are you taking the Malay votes for granted?

I guess the biggest issue is this: You only sent in Lim Boon Heng to walk the ground in Aljunied recently. You only deployed retiring MP Yeo Guat Kwang at the last minute. You removed those who’ve been walking the ground for a long time. Do you even have a strategy to win back the hearts and minds of Aljunied GRC residents? Not a strategy that pops up during GE time, but a long-term strategy? You accuse the opposition of only showing up during election time. Some of these candidates that you’ve appointed seem to be doing the same.

Although I and my fellow volunteers are demoralised, we will still do our best. It is hard especially when you have already given up hope, how can you ask us not to give up hope?

We will keep repeating “LKY, LKY, LKY”.
We will keep repeating “AHPETC accounts, AHPETC accounts, AHPETC accounts”.
We will keep repeating “Upgrading, Upgrading, Upgrading”.
We will keep repeating “SG50, SG50, SG50″.

But if that is the only strategy to win back Aljunied GRC, I think it will fall short. I hope I am proven wrong.

Tan Ah Kow (pseudonym)

NEWS: Singapore Prime Minister takes Legal Action against Singapore Blogger, by FORUM-ASIA, 26/5/14

Activist Roy Ngerng

Singapore: Government Again Uses Strong-arm Tactics Against Citizen Blogger
26 May 2014 4:11 pm, by FORUM-ASIA

For Immediate Release

(Bangkok, 26 May 2014): The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) expressed its regret at the Prime Minister of Singapore’s threat to pursue legal action against blogger Roy Ngerng, which it views as the latest attempt to undermine freedom of expression in the country. The regional human rights group called on the Prime Minister to withdraw his threat of legal action against the blogger.

In response to a blog-post that allegedly constituted libel, the Prime Minister’s lawyers sent a Letter of Demand demanding an apology, removal of the post and payment for damages or face a defamation lawsuit. The blogger subsequently took down the post and issued a letter of apology on 23 May 2014 (Friday). The Prime Minister has however rejected the offer for no damages and given Mr. Ngerng until 26 May 2014 (Monday) to make an offer of costs and damages, failing which legal proceedings would be commenced. News reports today also reveal that the Prime Minister further demanded the removal of four additional blog posts and a YouTube video, including a written agreement to not publish anything to  “further aggravate the injury and distress caused”

This followed a series of timeworn and strong-arm tactics employed by the Singapore government against legitimate public criticism. More recently, blogger Alex Au, socio-political blog editor Richard Wan as well as cartoonist Leslie Chew have similarly been subjected to punitive legal threats and actions for blog/website posts. Coupled with the restrictive licensing regime of online news sites instituted in 2013 these incidents represent a serious and growing attempt to undermine the democratizing potential of freedom of expression online in Singapore.

“The threat and application of libel laws only serve to discourage critical debate and reporting on matters of serious and valid public interest. While injury to reputation of individuals is a valid concern, public officials and bodies must have a higher threshold of scrutiny and criticism,” stressed John Liu, FORUM-ASIA’s South & East Asia Programme Manager.

FORUM-ASIA noted that the communication of information and ideas about public or political issues between citizens, public officials and elected representatives is essential, and that legal action is absolutely unnecessary especially if there are less restrictive and accessible means of protecting reputation interest, such as in an open dialogue, which Mr. Ngerng has extended to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister however ignored this request.

The regional human rights group also asserted that the threat of legal action against the exercise of the right to freedom of expression in Singapore’s tightly-controlled media environment is not only repressive, but creates a chilling effect on the rest of society which curtails robust debate and fosters even more self-censorship.

“Freedom of expression is a necessary condition for the realization of the principles of transparency and accountability, which lie at the heart of Mr. Ngerng’s posts. The Prime Minister must withdraw his threat of legal action against Mr. Ngerng and desist from demanding damages to be paid. We further call for the repeal of all laws that restrict the exercise of the fundamental right to freedom of expression in Singapore,” asserted Evelyn Balais-Serrano, FORUM-ASIA’s Executive Director.

[Kieran James' note: It is a terrible thing for a rich Prime Minister to sue a poor ordinary citizen. The PAP does not deserve your support at least in relation to this issue. This article was first published at the following link: http://www.forum-asia.org/?p=17027. The article is reproduced here with the kind written permission of Mr John Liu, South & East Asia Programme Manager, FORUM-ASIA.]

About FORUM-ASIA:

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is a regional human rights group with 47 member organisations in 16 countries across Asia. With offices in Bangkok, Jakarta and Geneva, FORUM-ASIA addresses key areas of human rights violations in the region, including freedoms of expression, assembly and association, human rights defenders, and democratisation.

For inquiries, please contact:

·John Liu, South & East Asia Programme Manager, FORUM-ASIA, johnliu@forum-asia.org,
+66802828610.
·Evelyn Balais-Serrano, Executive Director, FORUM-ASIA, 
 evelyn@forum-asia.org, +66922627971.

Read Kieran James' interview with Roy Ngerng at the following link:
http://joochiatroadonline.blogspot.com/2013/10/interview-my-interviw-with-activist-roy.html

MEDIA STATEMENT: 5 December 2013 AGC’S RESPONSE TO MEDIA QUERIES ON THE “STATEMENT ON AGC ACTION AGAINST ALEX AU”

MEDIA STATEMENT
5 December 2013
AGC’S RESPONSE TO MEDIA QUERIES ON
THE “STATEMENT ON AGC ACTION AGAINST ALEX AU”
 
1. The “Statement on AGC Action against Alex Au” purportedly signed by 170 persons and sent to the media by Mr Jolovan Wham on 29 November 2013 acknowledges that it is important to uphold public confidence in the judiciary, and states that "[i]f Mr Au has erred, then his claims should be rebutted in public." We agree with this.

2. The article “377 Wheels Come Off Supreme Court's Best Laid Plans” by Mr Au contains allegations of wrongdoing by senior judicial officers. These allegations severely undermine their standing, and the authority of the judiciary as a whole. The hearing to determine whether the article is in contempt of court will be open to the public, and Mr Au will have every opportunity to rebut the charge against him.

3. The Constitutional right to free speech and expression is not an absolute right, but subject to limits which are expressly provided for in the Constitution. These limits are necessary to protect the reputations of individuals, both private and public, and also the standing of key State institutions, including the judiciary. As important as the right to free speech and expression is, the Constitution recognises that our society as a whole must be safeguarded against statements without basis which injure the reputation of persons or lower confidence in the administration of justice.

4. Mr Au had previously scandalised the court in the article “Woffles Wu case hits a nerve” which he posted on the same website on 18 June 2012. On that occasion, legal action was not taken against him after he withdrew the article, apologised and undertook that “[he would] not in future put up any post to the same or similar effect”.

Media Relations Unit
Attorney-General’s Chambers

NEWS / OPINION: "Ground Zero", by Nicole Seah (National Solidarity Party), 23 November 2013

GROUND ZERO, by Nicole Seah, 23 November 2013

People usually write these things at the end, or the beginning of the year, but I just had to say this - I'm all of 27 years old, but can safely say that 2013 has been the worse year of my life thus far.

Yes, I can already imagine the older folk rolling their eyes. Let me carry on first lah!

Post-General Elections 2011, life took a sharp detour. People were more interested in what I was doing politically than professionally, which was annoying because I was doing pretty well at work. There were expectations to be as active as an elected MP. All eyes were on you. You either impressed them to the sky or got brushed off as a load of hogwash.

It derailed me from my larger purpose. I started taking on opportunities with the thought in my head "Would this help me get elected in 2016?"

Needless to say, when you start thinking about your life in 5 year blocks, you start to get equally myopic about the way you do things. And you start walking in the wilderness, with no larger goal in mind.

I carried on with my nose to the grind, feeling exhausted every day just going to work, going for house visits, walkabouts, feeling like I was reading off a script every time I met a new resident because my brain was so dead I was on auto-pilot.

I felt even more helpless every single time I met a needy person, knowing that other than referring them to CDC or a private charity, it was completely limiting because there are just only so many hours in a day to really help or invest in someone, especially when you're holding down a day job with no support or mentors.

I was naive, arm-twisted into making some pretty bad decisions (Yup, the Presidential Elections was one of them. Terrible, irreversible mistake, completely underestimated what my lobbying could do).

I felt like a fraud being invited to speak at conferences everywhere. I mean, I do have an opinion on some things, but I'm not an expert on everything or anything as of yet.

I felt extremely self-conscious about the need to appear or look a certain way, just so people wouldn't walk away feeling they've been cheated. I was only cheating myself.

Got played out dating 2-3 men who were obviously more interested in my public profile than who I really was as a person.

Feared for my family's safety because I was constantly being stalked with rape threats, death threats, people knowing my exact address.

I was on the verge of snapping. That was when my meltdown began.

Was working in a great agency with some really fantastic, hilarious, brilliant people. I couldn't live up to expectations. Was a cultural misfit. Self-esteem took a dive, professionally lost, complete lack of confidence. Affected my work. I was working through Christmas, New Year, churning 6am all-nighters because there just weren't enough hours in a day and I was burning out from all ends.

Then came Feb 2013 - The day I found out grandma was diagnosed with third stage stomach cancer. Something in me snapped and I had a physical panic attack. I still remember standing at the first floor of my office, leaning against the wall, body shaking, suddenly unable to breathe or walk. Blacked out on the spot.

I went on 2 months of medical leave, never to return to the agency. Contracted dengue. Sat on a chair in Changi General Hospital, extremely weak, on drip and unable to move for 10 hours because they didn't have a bed for me to lie on.

Another offer came along to work with companies in India. The boss promised me I would make it big, get lots of equity, become a business woman of substance under his tutelage.

That didn't work out as well. In fact, I got fired right after I came back from London. With no one-month compensation as stated in my contract. Singapore, what employment rights? The icing on the cake was a carefully-timed string of nasty emails that followed.

My health took another dive. I was hospitalised for 18 days this time, and spent most of my birthday lying in bed alone. No income for another 1.5 months. Practically subsisted on crackers and water because I was too weak to eat anything else.

Yeah, it all sucked and I was moping for a bit, but so what?

I'm grateful, because I learnt a couple of lessons along the way.

1) Life is 50-50. You can't control most of it, but you can control how you respond to it, and whether you want to make things work.

2) Learn to let go. Many things are like sand. If you hang on too tight, you end up losing all of it.

3) Love unconditionally. It's the hardest skill to master but it sets you free when you don't expect anything, or don't receive anything from the other person.

4) Love yourself, but also pick your battles. And only pick the larger ones. If someone treats you with anything less than an ounce of dignity or respect, have the balls to either give it to them, or turn the other cheek and walk away.

5) Be true to yourself and what you like. So what if digital planning or ad optimization isn't cool? I love interpreting stories from hard data. Don't fall into a mould of what other people expect you to be.

6) Traveling out of a suitcase for months and being in hospital made me realise I don't need many material things. I'm selling off 90% of my clothes and shoes to make a bit of income, and going to subsist on 10 outfits for work. That's all I need. Stop shopping. Stop reading fashion magazines. They make you want to buy things you don't need, or feel like you have to dress in a certain way to look good.

7) Stop taking shortcuts, you only shortchange yourself. The interwebz has made us attention-deficient. We hanker after lists like "7 ways to improve your love life", "5 ways to get a promotion". We think Ted talks are life-changing. But at the end of the day, THERE IS NO SHORTCUT.

Read as much as you can, fiction and non-fiction. By read, I mean physical books that you actually hold. Synthesise knowledge on your own. Make your own insights. The biggest challenge here is to be your own thought leader. Don't parrot what other people say. Your brain is yours to keep.

9) Remember what you used to love as a child, before the world changed you. Go back to that. For me, it was archaeology, a little homemade science lab, books, theatre, my violin, Aztec, Mayan, Egyptian ancient civilisations, sitting at a makeshift table reading off the Straits Times and pretending I was a newscaster. Find the joy in those memories and never lose them.

10) When you have a larger purpose in mind, remember that the road to achieving it is a marathon for life. Don't ever lose sight of it, but don't expect success to come to you as quickly as you want it to. In fact, let go and embrace the fact that success may never even come to you, no matter how hard you try. But at least you did.

The fear of failure is a social construct. My mom is going to kill me when she finds out I told the interwebz I was fired from my last job. But you only learn through failure.

Lastly, whenever you're down and out, remember that the biggest blessing from here on is this - The only way now is to go up.

[Source: This post was first published at this link: https://www.facebook.com/sheerpoultry/posts/413723152087388]