Political activism
As a member of the Barisan Sosialis he was elected member of the Legislative Assembly for Jurong Constituency in 1963,being nominated as the candidate in replacement of a colleague who had been arrested by the government of Singapore. [1] [3] Concurrent with his holding of office,he worked as a university physics professor.
Ban from Malaysia
He was banned permanently from entering Malaysia in the wake of a political speech he delivered to the Perak division of the Labour Party of Malaysia on 24 April 1966. [3]
Conviction and arrest
In July 1966,he was convicted for publishing a "seditious article" in the Barisan's Chinese-language newspaper. [4] In the same month,he was arrested with 25 others and charged with unlawful assembly for his participation in a demonstration against United States involvement in the Vietnam War that resulted in open confrontation with police. [5] [6] It has been noted that he was active among peace campaigners calling for an end to the US bombing of Indochina during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. [1]
In early October 1966,he and eight other Barisan Sosialis MPs boycotted the Parliament over the decision by the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) to split from Malaysia. [7] This was part of the Barisan's strategy to protest "undemocratic acts" [8] of the Government,by carrying their struggle against the PAP outside of Parliament. [8] He declared that the means of the struggle would be "street demonstrations,protest meetings,strikes". [9]
On 8 October 1966,he led an illegal protest march of 30 supporters to Parliament House and handed a letter to the Clerk of the House demanding a general election be held under eight named conditions,with the release of all political detainees and the revocation of all "undemocratic" laws. [8]
