Co-incidence or fear-mongering? Both roy and ravi asked to pay

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

CO-INCIDENCE OR FEAR-MONGERING? BOTH ROY AND RAVI ASKED TO PAY

Post date:
24 May 2014 - 7:44pm








This is simply absurd.
Is it a co-incidence that right now both Roy and Ravi need to pay costs to the PM and the AGC respectively?
AGC is seeking $1000 in costs from Ravi for “wasting their time”. They claim that M Ravi had been “negligent and unreasonable” and this has resulting in unnecessary costs. Ravi had been seeking to drop all charges for his 5 clients on the basis that their cases were prejudiced by the Committee of Inquiry hearing on the riot. He even went to India to hold a press conference and meet the family of the man who passed away during the riots.
However, M Ravi’s lawyer, Mr Thuraisingam, pointed out that M Ravi was simply acting in the interest of his clients and if the court rules that he has to pay costs, it may deter lawyers in the future from representing their clients to the best of their ability.
Read the full article here.



Ravi with the family of , Sakthivel Kumaravelu, the man who died during the Little India Riots

This is not the first time a defamation lawsuit is being brought against Political Opponents. JB Jeyaretnam, Chee Soon Juan, Alex Au, Leslie Chew, Han Hui Hui, these are some of the people who have ran into trouble with the law.
But this is the first time it has received so much publicity that every other SIngaporean knows about the Defamation Suit. On Monday alone Roy’s blog received more than a million views. This is also the first time so many of us are following a political story when in the past most of us couldn’t give too hoots about Politics.
This is also the first time a lawyer is being asked to pay costs, its an unprecedented move.

In the 2006 elections, 1.22 million (66.6%) Singaporeans voted for the PAP. And in 2011, PM Lee said sorry and apologised for his Governments mistakes. He said this “No government is perfect… we will make mistakes. But when it happens we should acknowledge it, we should apologise, take responsibility, put things right.”
Well, if a Prime Minister who has let down 1.22 Million Singaporeans can get away with a simple apology, I wonder why Roy can’t.
Is this a move to instill fear into other Lawyers, Bloggers and people who are anti-establishment?
Well, if it is then we should do the exact opposite of what the Government expects us to do. We should be emboldened, instead of backing out. We should unite, instead of be divided. There is indeed strength in unity. There were 3 cases of Vandalism yesterday, 2 at bus stops and one at SMU about this CPF incident. Instead of Vandalism, we should instead use Social Media to Agitate, Educate and Organize fellow Singaporeans. We could also gather in Hong Lim Park on 7th June at 4pm for a Protest to #ReturnOurCPF

This protest is organized by Roy, Hui Hui and Leong Sze Hian. Presidential Candidate Tan Kin Lian would be delivering the opening speech there and Dr Chee Soon Juan will also be sending a message which would be delivered at the protest too. This incident has also resulted in a sharp increase in attendees for the Protest. Usually it would only have an audience of 100 – 200, but for this Protest the attendance is estimated to be about 600 – 800. Yes, we do have a Permit for this Protest, so grasp this golden opportunity and let your voice be heard!
Futhermore, we could also give Monetary Support. During the defamation lawsuit against Chee Soon Juan in 2011, he had to pay $30,000 in damages. This made him bankrupt and unable to stand in the 2011 GE.
On Monday, more than a million people viewed Roy’s blog, if less than 3% of the visitors paid just $1 each, we would be able to cover the costs for Chee Soon Juan.
A small step goes a long way.
Personally, I want to see him stand in the 2016 Elections and give the Government a good run for their money. I don’t want this lawsuit to bankrupt him which would prevent him running in the next elections.
Me and my fellow admins at Wake Up Singapore will be crowdfunding to raise funds once an amount has been agreed on. We are toying with the idea of selling T-Shirts from which proceeds would go to them too. More details real soon!
Fellow Singaporeans, we must stand strong and not back down. Mavericks like Roy and Ravi have blazed the trails for us, and we must not let their efforts go to waste. We should build on their efforts and form a movement. Singapore is experiencing a mass political awakening.

While dreams of the late JBJ are coming true, the PAP’s worst nightmares are turning into reality too.
We must not back down. We’re in solidarity with Ravi and Roy.
Onwards, Singapore.

Ariffin Sha
*The author blogs at http://ariffin-sha.com


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