J. B. Jeyaretnam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
J. B. Jeyaretnam
|
|
|---|---|
| ஜோசுவா பெஞ்சமின் ஜெயரத்தினம் | |
Jeyaretnam in 2005
|
|
| 5th Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 22 December 1981 – 10 November 1986 |
|
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Chia Thye Poh |
| Succeeded by | Chiam See Tong |
| 7th Secretary-General of the Workers' Party | |
| In office July 1971 – 27 May 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Sum Choon Heng |
| Succeeded by | Low Thia Khiang |
| Non-Constituency Member of the 9th Parliament of Singapore |
|
| In office 14 January 1997 – 23 July 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Vacant |
| Succeeded by | Steve Chia (SDA) |
| 1st Secretary-General of the Reform Party | |
| In office 18 June 2008 – 30 September 2008 |
|
| Chairman | Ng Teck Siong |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Jeyaretnam |
| Member of the Singapore Parliament for Anson SMC |
|
| In office 31 October 1981 – 10 November 1986 |
|
| Preceded by | Devan Nair |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Majority | 2,376 (13.6%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam
5 January 1926 Jaffna, British Ceylon |
| Died | 30 September 2008 (aged 82) Singapore |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Political party | Reform Party |
| Other political affiliations |
Workers' Party (1971–2001) |
| Spouse |
Margaret Cynthia Walker
(m. 1957; died 1980) |
| Children | Kenneth Jeyaretnam (son) Philip Jeyaretnam (son) |
| Alma mater | University College London (LLB) |
| Profession |
|
| Nickname | "Tiger of Anson" |
Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam (Tamil: ஜோசுவா பெஞ்சமின் ஜெயரத்தினம்; 5 January 1926 – 30 September 2008), often called J. B. Jeyaretnam or JBJ, was an important Singaporean politician and lawyer. He was a member of the opposition Workers' Party and led the party as its secretary-general from 1971 to 2001. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition from 1981 to 1986. This happened after he won a special election in Anson SMC. He was a Member of Parliament from 1981 to 1986 and again from 1997 to 2001 as a Non-constituency Member of Parliament.
Born in Jaffna in 1926, Jeyaretnam grew up in Malaya and Singapore. He studied law in London and became a lawyer in 1951. When he returned to Singapore, he worked in the legal service from 1952 to 1963. Later, he started his own law firm in 1968. He entered politics in 1971 and became the leader of the Workers' Party. He tried to win elections several times but lost to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).
Jeyaretnam made history in 1981 when he won a special election in Anson SMC. He became the first opposition politician to be elected to Parliament since Singapore became independent in 1965. He won again in the 1984 general election for Anson SMC. In 1986, he lost his seat in Parliament. After some challenges, he founded a new political party, the Reform Party, in 2008. He passed away later that year.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jeyaretnam was a Christian from a Sri Lankan Tamil family. He was born in Jaffna while his parents were visiting from Malaya. His father worked for the Public Works Department in Malaya.
Jeyaretnam spent his childhood in Johor. He started school in Muar at a French convent. His schooling at English College Johore Bahru was stopped by the Japanese occupation of Malaya. During this time, Jeyaretnam learned Japanese. He worked in the census department and later as an interpreter for the Japanese Transport Department. He said he did this to avoid being forced to build the Burma Railway, which was known as the "Death Railway" because many people died building it.
After the war, Jeyaretnam moved to Singapore. He continued his studies at St. Andrew's School. In 1948, he went to England to study law at University College London. He earned his law degree with honours in 1951.
Legal Career
After becoming a barrister in London in 1951, Jeyaretnam joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1952. For 11 years, he worked in different legal roles. He was a magistrate, a district judge, a crown counsel, and a deputy public prosecutor. He also became the registrar of the Supreme Court. He was Singapore's first criminal district judge. In 1963, he left the legal service to work in private law. He opened his own law firm in 1968.
Political Journey
Early Elections (1971–1980)
In June 1971, Jeyaretnam joined the Workers' Party, an opposition party. He quickly became the party's secretary-general. He first ran for election in 1972 in Farrer Park SMC. He lost to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) candidate.
He continued to run in elections in 1976, 1977, 1979, and 1980. He ran in places like Kampong Chai Chee SMC and Telok Blangah SMC. Each time, he lost to the PAP candidates.
Becoming the First Opposition Member of Parliament (1981)
Jeyaretnam finally won an election in 1981. This was a special election in Anson SMC. He won with 51.93% of the votes. This made him the first opposition politician to be elected to Parliament since Singapore became independent in 1965.
In 1984, Jeyaretnam ran for election in Anson SMC again. He won with 56.81% of the votes against the PAP candidate. In that same election, another opposition leader, Chiam See Tong, also won his seat. Jeyaretnam and Chiam were the only two opposition Members of Parliament in the Sixth Parliament.
Losing His Parliamentary Seat
In 1986, Jeyaretnam faced some challenges related to statements he made about the Workers' Party's accounts. As a result, he lost his parliamentary seat on 10 November 1986.
Returning to Parliament (1997)
In the 1997 general election, Jeyaretnam was part of a Workers' Party team that ran in Cheng San GRC. They did not win the election, but they were the "best losers." This meant that because there were not many opposition Members of Parliament elected, they were offered one special seat in Parliament. This seat is called a Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP). Jeyaretnam accepted this seat.
However, Jeyaretnam lost his NCMP seat in July 2001. This happened because he was declared bankrupt after being unable to pay money from some legal cases. People who are bankrupt cannot serve in Parliament.
Starting the Reform Party
After his financial issues were resolved in 2007, Jeyaretnam decided to form a new political party. In April 2008, he announced his plan to create the Reform Party. The party was officially registered in June 2008. Jeyaretnam became the interim secretary-general of the party.
Personal Life
Jeyaretnam met his wife, Margaret Cynthia Walker, while they were both studying law in London. They married in Singapore in February 1957. Margaret passed away in 1980. They had two sons, Kenneth Jeyaretnam and Philip Jeyaretnam.
Kenneth Jeyaretnam is also involved in politics. He has been the secretary-general of the Reform Party since 2009. Philip Jeyaretnam is a well-known lawyer and has been a judge of the Supreme Court since 2021.
Death
Jeyaretnam was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on the morning of 30 September 2008 because he had trouble breathing. Doctors tried to help him, but he died of heart failure at the age of 82.
