2,000 Hold Opposition Rally in Singapore
SINGAPORE — Two thousand people attended an anti-government rally at an outdoor sports stadium in Singapore on Saturday--the first event of its kind since the tightly controlled city-state became independent 35 years ago.
“Cast off this fear! Wake up out of your apathy!†declared the country’s leading opposition politician, Joshua “J.B.J.†Jeyaretnam, to enthusiastic applause.
Speaker after speaker denounced the ruling People’s Action Party and demanded civil liberty for Singaporeans, who enjoy one of Asia’s highest standards of living but who live under some of the world’s strictest laws.
The rally was held to support Jeyaretnam, who faces ouster from the 93-seat Parliament. His is one of only three seats held by the opposition.
He was recently declared bankrupt--a status that officially bars him from Parliament--and will lose his seat if he cannot pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in defamation lawsuits brought by senior government officials and their supporters. He is appealing the ruling.
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