Government annuls Singapore opposition leader's bankruptcy
Source: Agencies |
November 22, 2012, Thursday
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PROMINENT Singapore opposition leader Chee Soon Juan has had his bankruptcy annulled, the government said yesterday, after an unprecedented concession by two former prime ministers to whom he owed about US$408,000.
Ex-prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong agreed to accept a reduced amount of 30,000 Singapore dollars (US$24,500) from Chee, which will formally free him from bankruptcy proceedings that were set to take place today, said a statement by the Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office.
Chee, the firebrand leader of the Singapore Democratic Party, was declared bankrupt in 2006 after he failed to pay S$500,000 in court-ordered damages to Lee and Goh.
The two had sued him for defamation for comments he made against them during the 2001 general election.
The development means Chee, 50, will be able to travel outside the country freely and also contest the next elections, which are due in 2016.
Some commentators saw the concession by Lee and Goh as a political maneuver because allowing Chee to contest the elections could split the fragmented opposition's votes further at a time the ruling People's Action Party has lost much support because of rising prices and an influx of foreigners.
Lee was Singapore's prime minister from 1959 to 1990, when he handed over power to Goh. Lee continued to work for the government, first as "senior minister," an advisory post created for him, and from 2004 until 2011 as "minister mentor." Goh was prime minister from 1990 to 2004, when the prime ministership went to Lee's son, Lee Hsien Loong.
While he was declared bankrupt, Chee needed government permission to travel. Earlier this year his request to attend the Oslo Freedom Forum - a conference on human rights where he was scheduled to be a guest speaker - was denied.
Ex-prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong agreed to accept a reduced amount of 30,000 Singapore dollars (US$24,500) from Chee, which will formally free him from bankruptcy proceedings that were set to take place today, said a statement by the Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office.
Chee, the firebrand leader of the Singapore Democratic Party, was declared bankrupt in 2006 after he failed to pay S$500,000 in court-ordered damages to Lee and Goh.
The two had sued him for defamation for comments he made against them during the 2001 general election.
The development means Chee, 50, will be able to travel outside the country freely and also contest the next elections, which are due in 2016.
Some commentators saw the concession by Lee and Goh as a political maneuver because allowing Chee to contest the elections could split the fragmented opposition's votes further at a time the ruling People's Action Party has lost much support because of rising prices and an influx of foreigners.
Lee was Singapore's prime minister from 1959 to 1990, when he handed over power to Goh. Lee continued to work for the government, first as "senior minister," an advisory post created for him, and from 2004 until 2011 as "minister mentor." Goh was prime minister from 1990 to 2004, when the prime ministership went to Lee's son, Lee Hsien Loong.
While he was declared bankrupt, Chee needed government permission to travel. Earlier this year his request to attend the Oslo Freedom Forum - a conference on human rights where he was scheduled to be a guest speaker - was denied.
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