My personal account of the 15 March 08 debacle

By Ng E Jay 

I met the SDP protest group at Delifrance at 1pm. Everyone was in a purposeful mood. The items for the protest had been prepared, and people were changing out into their red T-shirts which bore the words “Tak Boleh Tahan!”, which is Malay for ‘Cannot take it anymore!’.

Yes, Singaporeans can barely tolerate the rampant inflation which has gripped our country. The exorbitant ministers’ pay are a further slap in the face for Singaporeans who are trying to cope with escalating food and fuel prices, not to mention 7% GST.

Together we walked to Parliament House, where the protest group laid out examples of essential food items like Milo, rice, cooking oil, etc, using them to illustrate the massive burden on Singaporeans who are paying more and more for these daily necessities.

Brave folks like Chia Ti Lik, Chee Soon Juan, Chee Siok Chin, amongst others, gave their views to the media on the issue of inflation and escalating prices, and why the government is not doing enough to care for Singaporeans.

Then we took a group photo for those decked in red. It took courage for me to even decide to be part of that photo. Chee Soon Juan exclaimed into the air, “Tak Boleh Tahan!” to a dozen cameras. That was firebrand politics at its finest, something I can only look up to, not live up to.

After the brief visit to Parliament House, the protest group picked up their placards and started to march to Funan Centre. The police warned them that there were conducting an illegal assembly, and wanted them to hand over their items. The group steadfastly refused, closed ranks, and moved on.

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