J.B. Jeyaratnam was one of the most committed fighters for human rights and justice that I have known. He struggled and he persevered with a sense of dedication and determination which was astounding. It is this — his determination and his commitment — that he will long be remembered for.
I first met J.B. at an international human rights conference in New Delhi about 18 years ago. On some of his visits to Kuala Lumpur, he would look me up. The last time we met was in the coffee- house of a KL hotel on the 9th of June 2008. We chatted for almost three hours.
There was a lot that we shared in common. We were both concerned about civil and political liberties; about the growing gap between the have-a-lot and the have-a-little in society; about the negative aspects of globalisation; about global hegemony and its adverse consequences for humanity. On certain other issues we held differing views.
In my conversations with him, I discovered that J.B. was an incorrigible optimist. He was convinced that a better Singapore, a better ASEAN, a better world was possible. He dedicated himself to that challenge — especially the challenge of making his own litle acre on God’s good earth a better place.
Our greatest tribute to this indefatigable champion of justice would be to continue to work steadfastly to improve the lives of our fellow human beings.
Chandra Muzaffar, 3 October 2008 Kuala Lumpur |
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