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Singaporean opposition faces lawsuit over claims

Leaders of an opposition party faced the threat of legal action yesterday for newsletter articles alleging that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) was perpetuating a corrupt political system set up by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), Singapore's founding father.

The alleged defamation was contained in three English and Chinese articles in the latest issue of the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) newsletter, The New Democrat, according to letters of demand served on members of the party's 12-member central committee, including party leader Chee Soon Juan (徐順全).

Chee, bankrupted by a defamation suit stemming from the last general election, and the others were given until Tuesday to apologize and pay unspecified damages to the Lees. The prime minister is secretary general of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).

The apologies would have to be published in the Straits Times and the Chinese-language Lianhe Zaobao on April 27, Nomination Day, ahead of the May 6 general election, the first since Lee Hsien Loong came into power in August 2004.

The opposition leaders will face legal action unless they apologize, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, representing the prime minister and Singapore's founding father, told the Straits Times on Friday night after the letters of demand were delivered.

"The party expected this," said opposition supporter Yap Keng Ho, a 44-year-old executive. "We are not intimidated."

The SDP has not disclosed the number of candidates it plans to run, but political observers noted the impact could deal a blow to the goal of the opposition parties to field 47 candidates and prevent the PAP from being automatically returned to power on Nomination Day.

The walkovers stretch back to 1988.

The PAP, which has ruled the city-state since independence from Malaysia in 1965, is hoping to defeat the only two opposition members in the 84-seat parliament.

Critics such as Amnesty International maintain the spate of defamation suits brought by Singapore's leaders against opposition members in the past were aimed at crippling the cash-strapped parties.

Leaders contend that the lawsuits are necessary to protect their reputations.

The three articles suggested that the prime minister condoned corruption at the Housing Board, the Central Providend Fund Board responsible for pensions and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.

They also alleged that the PAP leaders covered up problems at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), Singapore's largest charity.

The scandal came to light in court testimony last July over pay and perks for its former chief and raised questions about NKF's transparency and accountability.
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