Let us all remember Chia Thye Poh
Who is Chia Thye Poh? as the date of singapore's election become imminent, im suddenly hit by a bout of election's fever. how ironic that for the first time i am able to vote (last election was a walkover for my constituency), i am away in eastern europe.. anguish. i wanted to vote and make my tiny voice heard as i seek to do the basic responisbility of all citizens-to vote. but it was not meant to be. however unable to vote does not dampen my enthusiasm with all the rip-roar of electional activities being easily available from the internet. i become a keen spectator of all the on going events in my country.
Today I came across this name. Chia Thye Poh. i had never heard of this name before and what he had went through in his life. i guess the name Nelson Mandela would ring a bell more readily than this guy. however what he went through is by no means insignificant compared to Mr Mandela. Both are considered political criminals and thus held captive by their respective governments. Both believed in peace. Both fought for their beliefs. Both are punished for their beliefs..
In 1966, Chia with 8 other MPs decided to boycott the parliament. together they denounced the stranglehold that PAP had on the people and is becoming "undemocratic". they demanded the release of all political detainees and the termination of "undemocratic laws"-primarily the internal security act (ISA). together they were jailed under the ISA and were only released after they signed a decloration to renounce violence and cut ties with the communist party of malaya (CPM). Chia however was never released. he refused to back down from his beliefs. he was no communist and he was not violent. he rationalised that signing the argreement would imply that he is affilated to CPM and thus the allegations against him would be proven correct. thus he did not back down. This cost his 32 years of his life (22 years was in jail). He was only 25 when first jailed.
Silently he persisted. how he must had agonised on missing the best part of his life. the conflict between bowing to one's beliefs for freedom must had tormented him to no ends. he was a brave and obstinate chap who holds true to his ideologies. he did not conform to conventionality and threats when that would seems the easiest and best way out. in short, he suffered for truth. he was and remained a hero.
While Mr Lee Kuan Yew recieved all the acolades and rightly so for transforming Singapore from a backward country to one of the wealthiest and most brilliant utopian country in the east, Chia suffered in igominy. personally i held Lee in the highest esteem and i acknowledge his genuine love for Singapore. He is a patriot. but so is Chia. in our likelihood, they are rather similar. both love their country. both are courageous enough to take brave decisions. both hold true to their beliefs and refuse to cow in adversaries. both are heros in their own sense.
I still do not believe Lee would do anything deliberate for the detriment of Singapore. NO way is he such a guy. i do not know him personally for sure but how many sporeans do anyway? but looking at him weep when spore was forcefully detached from Malaya still render me speechless and poignant. this guy genuinely love his country. that scene could not be rehearshed. it is out of true love and unstingly belief that spore will suffer once out of the federation, that he weep. but he did not bowed. he did not kneel and beg malaya to take us back. despite the odds, he believe. so do Chia.
I believe Chia do not understand the magnitude of his predicament he was in. he believe that he will eventually be released since none of the allegations against him is true. however days turn to months. months turn to years. he faded into the distant memory as spore seen tremendous growth. how his aged parents must have miss him.. he must has surely being their pride. here is a graduate from the nanyang university. he was bright, young and smart. he had a wonderful future ahead of him. the world was literally at his feet especially at a time where literacy rate is low in spore. coupled with the fact that the growing economy would surely have a place for someone like Chia, he could back down and no one will begrude him that. no one but his conscience.
When he was finally released in1989, he was still not free literally. he was held in sentosa and allowed limited rights (eg. not able to speak freely to press or travel with restrictions into mainland spore). to add insult to injury, he was ordered to pay for his stay at sentosa. he was offered a job as an asst curator in Sentosa Fort. he turned it down as being a low govt employee would mean rescinding his rights to speak freely to media. he finally got his full freedom on 27-11-1998.
I was tremendously touched by this guy. who else would have shown such strength and perserverance even when the odds are stack so heavily against him? the worst feeling must have not knowing when he would regain his freedom, his rights. personally i have never question any of the govt's policies. they are regarded universally as one of the least corrupted, most efficient and best in the world. i feel that they does everything that they think is for the good of spore. i do not question their intentions. i however had doubts on some of their methodologies.
Holding a person without trial is akin to depriving a human being of his basic right. his right to hear and be heard. while in extreme cases (if the suspect is known universally as a terrorist that is extremely detrimental to the safety of the general public) this may be legitimate, this cannot be augmented in the majority of other instances especially in such a context.
While i lament the lost of such a patriot, this instance bring forward an impt view that the govt composition should be more balanced and more voices should perhaps be heard. the ruling party had done a splendid job so far and they DESERVED to stay in power. with walkovers, their continued governance of the country cannot be denied and neither should they be. the party is capable of leading us to greater heights. but we need more voices in the parliament to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. the people have a choice to be heard and they must know of every incidents that are occuring. i leave you with this poem that Chia found on his prison wall that strengthen his resolve, his beliefs.
"Ten years behind bars
Never too late
Thousands of ordeals
My spirit steeled."
Mr Chia Thye Poh, i salute you.
Today I came across this name. Chia Thye Poh. i had never heard of this name before and what he had went through in his life. i guess the name Nelson Mandela would ring a bell more readily than this guy. however what he went through is by no means insignificant compared to Mr Mandela. Both are considered political criminals and thus held captive by their respective governments. Both believed in peace. Both fought for their beliefs. Both are punished for their beliefs..
In 1966, Chia with 8 other MPs decided to boycott the parliament. together they denounced the stranglehold that PAP had on the people and is becoming "undemocratic". they demanded the release of all political detainees and the termination of "undemocratic laws"-primarily the internal security act (ISA). together they were jailed under the ISA and were only released after they signed a decloration to renounce violence and cut ties with the communist party of malaya (CPM). Chia however was never released. he refused to back down from his beliefs. he was no communist and he was not violent. he rationalised that signing the argreement would imply that he is affilated to CPM and thus the allegations against him would be proven correct. thus he did not back down. This cost his 32 years of his life (22 years was in jail). He was only 25 when first jailed.
Silently he persisted. how he must had agonised on missing the best part of his life. the conflict between bowing to one's beliefs for freedom must had tormented him to no ends. he was a brave and obstinate chap who holds true to his ideologies. he did not conform to conventionality and threats when that would seems the easiest and best way out. in short, he suffered for truth. he was and remained a hero.
While Mr Lee Kuan Yew recieved all the acolades and rightly so for transforming Singapore from a backward country to one of the wealthiest and most brilliant utopian country in the east, Chia suffered in igominy. personally i held Lee in the highest esteem and i acknowledge his genuine love for Singapore. He is a patriot. but so is Chia. in our likelihood, they are rather similar. both love their country. both are courageous enough to take brave decisions. both hold true to their beliefs and refuse to cow in adversaries. both are heros in their own sense.
I still do not believe Lee would do anything deliberate for the detriment of Singapore. NO way is he such a guy. i do not know him personally for sure but how many sporeans do anyway? but looking at him weep when spore was forcefully detached from Malaya still render me speechless and poignant. this guy genuinely love his country. that scene could not be rehearshed. it is out of true love and unstingly belief that spore will suffer once out of the federation, that he weep. but he did not bowed. he did not kneel and beg malaya to take us back. despite the odds, he believe. so do Chia.
I believe Chia do not understand the magnitude of his predicament he was in. he believe that he will eventually be released since none of the allegations against him is true. however days turn to months. months turn to years. he faded into the distant memory as spore seen tremendous growth. how his aged parents must have miss him.. he must has surely being their pride. here is a graduate from the nanyang university. he was bright, young and smart. he had a wonderful future ahead of him. the world was literally at his feet especially at a time where literacy rate is low in spore. coupled with the fact that the growing economy would surely have a place for someone like Chia, he could back down and no one will begrude him that. no one but his conscience.
When he was finally released in1989, he was still not free literally. he was held in sentosa and allowed limited rights (eg. not able to speak freely to press or travel with restrictions into mainland spore). to add insult to injury, he was ordered to pay for his stay at sentosa. he was offered a job as an asst curator in Sentosa Fort. he turned it down as being a low govt employee would mean rescinding his rights to speak freely to media. he finally got his full freedom on 27-11-1998.
I was tremendously touched by this guy. who else would have shown such strength and perserverance even when the odds are stack so heavily against him? the worst feeling must have not knowing when he would regain his freedom, his rights. personally i have never question any of the govt's policies. they are regarded universally as one of the least corrupted, most efficient and best in the world. i feel that they does everything that they think is for the good of spore. i do not question their intentions. i however had doubts on some of their methodologies.
Holding a person without trial is akin to depriving a human being of his basic right. his right to hear and be heard. while in extreme cases (if the suspect is known universally as a terrorist that is extremely detrimental to the safety of the general public) this may be legitimate, this cannot be augmented in the majority of other instances especially in such a context.
While i lament the lost of such a patriot, this instance bring forward an impt view that the govt composition should be more balanced and more voices should perhaps be heard. the ruling party had done a splendid job so far and they DESERVED to stay in power. with walkovers, their continued governance of the country cannot be denied and neither should they be. the party is capable of leading us to greater heights. but we need more voices in the parliament to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. the people have a choice to be heard and they must know of every incidents that are occuring. i leave you with this poem that Chia found on his prison wall that strengthen his resolve, his beliefs.
"Ten years behind bars
Never too late
Thousands of ordeals
My spirit steeled."
Mr Chia Thye Poh, i salute you.
posted by david at 7:16 AM
4 Comments:
Thank you David for this poignant summary on the political persecution of Dr Chia Thye Poh. I now realised how much he has done for Singapore by sacrificing himself for democratic principle, in particular parliamentary democracy. Indeed there is a danger of Singapore going down the drain with one-party autoritarian rule. I weep when I realised how one man stand up against the behemoth of the ruling party. Dr Chia's wasted life is not in vain and his name will go down in history as a martyr for democracy. I salute Dr Chia Thye Poh.
Thank you for this wonderful message tribute to Dr. Chia Thye Poh.
Today (August 29, 2010), Dr. Lee Wei Ling, daughter of LKY, has written an article in which she told readers while she can accept sufferings she cannot accept now to see her mother who is suffering so much because of stroke. I really don't care how Dr. Lee mother suffered. That's none of my business.
But it reminds me of Dr. Chia Thye Poh.
I wonder the suffering of his family members - parents and sibling seeing that their son and brother suffered imprisonments for 23 plus 9 years of living under restricted order. In total 32 years of his life was wasted for a crime that until today nobody seems to know anything about.
In fact, very very few people know about who Chye Thye Poh is.
I hope Dr. Lee Wei Ling can go and ask his father, LKY how would he feel had one of his sons (or daughter) is imprisoned for 32 years for a crime that no one knows exactly what it was and the ;crime' was never tried, never officially nor legally convicted.
For Dr Chia, to quote from your text, his time in prison from days turned into months, months in years and years into decade must be the most torturing moment.
@PSALM23
You should ask LKY how he sleeps at night knowingly that he imprisoned someone for 32 years without trial just because Dr Chia disagreed with his beliefs.
I first heard of Chia Thye Poh on the Australian ABC radio in 1989 when he was released from ISA with restriction.
No one or no government in the world have any right to detain anyone just because he or she disagreed with the government. Even a murderer or a rapist would get a more lenient sentence, and Dr Chia had not killed any one.
Dr Chia, we all salute you for your courage and for your principle.
All I can say is that, LKY, shame on you.
How can LKY sleep in peace for 32 years? And how can Dr Lee Wei Ling talk about her parents' sufferings? She should ask her father every day what he did to all his political opponents. Everyday, write the names and the lives of all those innocent people tortured by her father.
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