Chee Soon Juan to speak on resilience and politics to Philippine youth

SINGAPORE: Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan is scheduled to speak at three events for young people in the Philippines next week. This follows his trip to the United Kingdom last November, when he spoke in London and Oxford.

On March 25 (Wednesday), Dr. Chee is set to speak at the headquarters of the Liberal Party of the Philippines National in a discussion called “The Power of Resilience in Politics: A Conversation with Liberal Youth.” The event, organized by the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats together with Liberal Youth, starts at 10:00 am, and interested parties may register here.

Later that day, he will be at the De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde at 2:00 pm in a talk organized by the Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats titled “Pressure, Purpose, and Power: Building Resilience in a High-Pressure World.“

“By weaving together lived experiences and practical lessons, Dr. Chee encourages young people to confront adversity with courage, cultivate inner strength, and remain hopeful in the face of uncertainty,” the school announced. Registration is also required for this event.

On the following day, Dr. Chee is set to speak at one of the Philippines’ top universities, Ateneo de Manila, on resilience in political leadership, at 2:00 pm. The SDP chief posted a QR code for registration at the event on his Facebook page.

Unbroken: The power of resilience

Dr Chee’s latest book, Unbroken: The power of resilience, was published in September. It presented a departure from his previous works, which centered around Singapore politics. In it, he shared his personal experiences with isolation, failure, and finding strength in struggle.

“For years, we have been having difficult conversations here in Singapore about freedom, truth, and what it really means to stay human in a system that puts so much pressure on us.

When I wrote Unbroken: The Power of Resilience, I wanted to share not just my story, but the deeper question behind it: how do we keep going when everything seems so bleak?” the SDP chief said in a video last year.

Characterising Singapore society as “based on extraction rather than creation,” he then went on to ask whether this model is sustainable, and added that he also looked into the “deeper structural vulnerability” of the present political system and what it means for the future of Singapore and its people.

“But this isn’t just about my book or one tour. It’s about all of us who still believe the truth. Courage and compassion matter,” he added. /TISG

Read also: Chee Soon Juan met Tan Wan Piow for the first time in the UK