It's sad, but everyone will have to go one day. And Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam (JBJ as he is popularly known) passed away this morning from heart failure at the age of 82.

This man who was much maligned and attacked by LKY and PAP never gave up the fight for his belief in a more just and equitable Singapore.

He first won a seat in parliament in 1981 and broke PAP's monopoly on power. But trust LKY to find ways to unseat an opponent and this he did in 1986 when JBJ was found guilty of making a false declaration of his party's accounts and fined. This saw him removed from parliament under existing laws. And on top of that, he was also barred from practising law. Well I'm sure most Singaporeans learnt the true meaning of the word "vindictiveness" from this sordid affair. You not only remove your political opponent but remove his means of earning a living.

His second term in parliament was as a non-constituency MP from 1997 to 2001. But this tenure saw him sued by Goh Chok Tong and ten others for defamation. This action broke him financially and he was declared a bankrupt and hence ineligible for parliament.

But trust JBJ not to lie down and go away with a whimper. He continued speaking out and working to clear his bankruptcy, which he did in 2007. As of 2008 this year, he helped form the Reform Party and vowed to return to parliament by the next election.

Unfortunately for him and Singapore, he never got the chance to. He left us with the memory of a man who fought the good fight and never gave up despite the animosity of his political opponents and the general apathy of most Singaporeans.

I think it takes a special breed of people to be able to do that and not succumb to all the negativity, convictions, bankruptcy, etc. I am sure most people would rather have the fawning sycophancy that LKY gets.

Rest in peace JBJ and my thoughts are with your family.

Hopefully someone might be brave enough (or some would say foolhardy enough) to take up your standard and continue your mission. Singapore sure needs it.

Of that generation of politicians, it seems LKY and Chiam See Tong are the only ones left. And Chiam is younger than LKY. Who's next?

• Asia One - Former opposition MP JB Jeyaretnam dies
• BBC News - Singapore opposition leader dies
  

Labels: politics, singapore