Daily Lesson from Life 30 September 2008

"Tue, Sep 30, 2008 AsiaOne Former opposition MP JB Jeyaretnam dies

Former opposition MP and former Secretary-General of the Workers' Party, Mr JB Jeyaretnam died early Tuesday morning due to heart failure at 82.

Mr Jeyaretnam was the first opposition member to win a Parliamentary seat in 15 years when he won the Anson By-Election in 1981. He defeated the People's Action Party's (PAP) Pang Kim Hin and the United People's Front's Harbans Singh.

Mr Jeyaretnam retained the seat in the 1984 General Election, but had to vacate it in 1986 after he was convicted on charges of misstating his party's accounts. He was later barred from standing for office.


In 1997, the Workers' Party was offered a Non-Constituency MP seat for turning in the highest votes by an opposition party in that year's General Election. Its five-member team stood in the hotly-contested Cheng San Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and took 45.2 per cent of the votes against the PAP's 54.8 per cent.
This marked the fiery Mr Jeyaretnam's return to Parliament until 2001 as Non-Constituency MP.

In July 2001, Mr Jeyaretnam was declared a bankrupt, losing his seat in Parliament. He also could not stand for that year's General Election. He left the Workers' Party in October 2001.


In May 2007, he was fully discharged from bankruptcy. In June this year, he launched a new party called the Reform Party.

Mr Jeyaretnam, a widower, leaves behind two sons, Kenneth and Philip. They were with him when he died.“

JBJ as Mr Jeyaretnam is fondly referred to is an uncommon politician for me! A passionate man with lots of conviction and dedication to the political cause of his belief. He had set the standard for opposition parties in Singapore for sure. He has done what nobody else had done - to take on the all powerful PAP and won in a general election - fair and square!

Could he had been more effective when he was in the parliament instead of getting himself into trouble with libel suits with Mr Lee Kuan Yew and other PAP members is debatable.

The lessons for me are:

1. to persist till the end of one's conviction, it takes great courage and perseverance! To go up against the establishment, it takes single-mindedness and extreme sacrifices. He has done all of them!!;

2. when one is up against the establishment, we need to also bring up the young and develop them into useful citizens. His two sons are grown adults with successful careers in their own rights. His wife has gone before him and he is now reunited in heaven with her. While we fight for the future, we also nurture the present. He had done well in this aspect too!;

3. it is not what others said about you when you leave this earth but what you think you had achieved that matter. At the end of the day, can you say: It was alright. I have done ok! There is not much regret!! If you can, you have arrived. Leaving the world is good!

May Mr JBJ find peace in his final resting place as he stood with his devoted and beloved wife in heaven and let the living do their tasks until they too come to the end of their life!