Singapore Democrats
A panel comprising activists and bloggers will discuss the contributions of the SDP to the socio-political scene in Singapore. This will take place at the SDP exhibition to be held this Sunday.$CUT$
A Look Back – 35 Years of Democratic Service is part of the celebrations of the SDP’s 35th anniversary. It will highlight the milestones as well as the contributions the party has made in Singapore.
Panel speakers are prominent blogger Mr Alex Au, filmmaker Mr Martyn See, executive director of HOME Mr Jolovan Wham, and SDP Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan,
Mr See will talk about the making of Singapore Rebel. Trailers of film (as well another video Speakers Cornered) will be screened during the discussion.
He will also talk about the impact of the Films Act on civil society. In 1996, the SDP produced a video to talk about the party’s views on various issues which was the first of its kind in Singapore. The PAP banned the video and subsequently amended the Films Act to prohibit the production of political videos.
Mr Wham will discuss the issue of defamation suits and their impact on society as well as the matter of foreign talent in Singapore.
Mr Au will talk about the “pendulum of socialism” in Singapore’s socio-economic landscape.
The discussion will be moderated by Ms Teng Qian Xi, who, when she was 19 years old, wrote a piece entitled Why I am cynical about Singapore’s political process commissioned by The New Paper. A graduate from Columbia University, Ms Teng is the author of several books of poetry and also translates literary texts from Chinese to English.
But the event not only looks at the SDP’s history, it will also discuss how the historical foundation built up over the three-and-a-half decades will be useful in the coming general elections.
SDP’s grounding in fight for the political rights and freedoms of Singaporeans through the years is quickly gaining traction as more and more people see that without rights, little can be done to rectify the economic problems that beset our nation.
In fact, problems like the withholding of our CPF savings, the high HDB prices, the non-transparent nature of our sovereign wealth funds, etc are a direct result of the lack of democratic freedoms in Singapore.
This has led to the absence of an oppositional voice in Singapore, allowing the PAP unchecked powers to implement laws and policies in its own interests, instead of those of the people.
The SDP will do in this next GE what it has been striving to do all these years – break the political monopoly of the PAP by getting into Parliament to speak up for Singaporeans.
A Look Back – 35 Years of Democratic Service
Date: 21 June 2015, Sunday
Time: 2.00pm
Venue: Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium (the old Glass Hotel)
Seletar Room, Level 3, Outram RoadFree admission. All are welcome.