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Sylvester
Lim (left in red) and Chong Kai Xiong being led away by the
police
"We
will not fight back with violence. To do so would undermine
everything that we stand for and believe in. Instead we will
fight back with non-violence and goodwill, armed with only our
abiding faith in democracy and our love for our country."
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The
campaign grows
Singapore
Democrats
19 Mar 08
By all measures, Saturday's protest
was small - a total of 30 people took part. But it was
unprecedented.
In a society where fear is deeply
entrenched in the psyche of the people, such a turn-out is
tremendously uplifting.
In truth we had not expected more
than 15 persons to show up. We had underestimated the courage of
our fellow citizens, a miscalculation we happily acknowledge.
A
few showed up that afternoon and asked for the Tak
Boleh Tahan
T-shirt. We had only printed 20. Undeterred, several of them
walked with us in their own attire.
This is a very
encouraging sign: There is a growing number of Singaporeans who
know their constitutional rights and are eager to assert them.
Among these people were some new faces who quickly became
targets of police arrests. They are the leaders of tomorrow's
Singapore.
Mr Chia Ti Lik is one of them. He is emerging
as a leading civil rights activist in his own right. His
composure and astuteness makes him a valuable asset to the
democracy movement in Singapore.
Another is Mr Sylvester
Lim who was an oasis of calm. If he was frightened, he never
showed it. He was a rock that the other protesters found
reassuring. His quiet but steely resolve to bring about
democratic change is inspiring.
Then there is Mr Seelan
Palay. His gentle demeanour belies a passion for justice that is
seared into his very being.
Mr Chong Kai Xiong is
another soft-spoken man. And like Seelan his commitment to
democracy is unshakable. Kai Xiong firmly stood his ground when
the police confronted the group and refused to submit to the
bullying and intimidation.
Perhaps the most encouraging
factor is the participation of 19-year-old Mr Muhammad Shafi'ie
Syahmi. A polytechnic student, Shafi'ie represents a growing
segment of youths who are becoming more politically active. This
augurs well for Singapore's future.
Mr Muhammad Jufri
came with his wife, Suraya, and their three children. Asked
whether he felt bad that his children had to witness their father
being arrested, Jufri replied: "I'm very proud that my
children got to see their father arrested by a undemocratic
regime and when they grow up they know that their father stood up
for freedom."
As for those of you who walked with
us, with or without the T-shirts, your presence made us stronger
and your courage made us even more determined. Thank you.
Mr
Lech Walesa, former dissident who subsequently became Poland's
president, once said: "The day the police hit us was the day
I knew that the regime's days were numbered."
The day
the Singapore police dragged young and peaceful protesters into
their vans was the day that signaled the beginning of the end of
the PAP's strangulation of Singapore.
For the police's
ignominious behaviour on 15 March was calculated to scare the
protesters and others into submission as well as to put a stop to
future assemblies.
Instead the opposite happened. The
show of aggression has made us even more determined to fight
back.
But we will not fight back with violence. To do so
would undermine everything that we stand for and believe in.
Instead we will fight back with non-violence and
goodwill, armed with only our abiding faith in democracy and our
love for our country.
The PAP has forgotten the truism
that that which does not kill us, makes us stronger. This is not
hyperbole. Neither is it trash-talk.
It is simply a
statement, made with serenity and clarity of mind, that we will
take whatever knocks and make whatever sacrifices to win freedom
and justice for Singapore.
Make no mistake. The
campaign is growing and will continue to grow.
Sure,
there is still much work to do and our goal is distant. But let
there be no doubt as to the outcome of this undertaking.
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