On Saturday, August 24, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) held a fundraiser with the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) Old Boys’ Association. During his speech, Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan spoke about “people before profit, rights before riches, wisdom before wealth”.
He started out his speech by explaining how politics, in its broadest sense, is an extension of education, adding that politics is about what is just, compassion, human dignity and freedom.
Dr Chee said, “When our fellow citizens were detained without trial and were subjected to beatings and psychological abuse, my education doesn’t allow me to remain silent”.
“When the ruling clique now devises a horrid plan to tighten the noose around the Internet through POFMA, my education rouses me.
When we see our elderly poor having to rummage through garbage bins for leftovers or clear our dishes at hawker centres or drag their bent and gnarled bodies to collect cardboard just to pay for the next meal, my friends, ACS did not educate me to look the other way.
When our city is full of crazy, rich Asians and where the PM insists that he be paid millions of dollars a year”.
Speaking to alumni of ACS, Dr Chee said that “Standing up for what is right, fighting for what is just, speaking up for the voiceless and resisting those who oppress us – that is what education is all about”
He explained that inequality is one of the biggest issues bedeviling Singapore’s society.
“What is most disconcerting is that the current regime shows neither the inclination nor the capacity to mitigate the widening of this wealth gap”, Dr Chee said.
He said that the SDP’s motto of ‘People before profit, rights before riches, wisdom before wealth’ is their motto for turning things around. -/TISG
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