Jeyaretnam J B

J B Jeyaretnam (Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam) (1926-2008) was a prominent lawyer, magistrate and the first opposition member of parliament (MP) in independent Singapore. He was also a champion of democracy and a vocal advocate for the rule of law. Jeyaretnam was born in Chankanai, Sri Lanka, while his parents were on home leave from Malaysia. Later, he studied at the English College in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and moved to Singapore to attend St. Andrew’s School after the Japanese Occupation (1942-45). He went to England to study law at the University College London in 1948 and graduated with honours in 1951. Jeyaretnam also passed the British bar finals the same year. He returned to Singapore the following year to join the Singapore Legal Service (SLS), where he served as a magistrate, Crown Counsel, Deputy Public Prosecutor, and Registrar of the Supreme Court during his legal career. In 1963, he was appointed the first criminal district Judge and first magistrate in SLS, but resigned later that year to enter private practice. 

Jeyaretnam entered politics in 1971 and became the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party (WP) the same year.  He lost his first election in 1972 but won the Anson by-election in 1981, becoming the first opposition candidate to be elected as an MP in Singapore after it became independent in 1965. However, in 1986, he was disqualified from parliament following convictions for making false statements about the Workers' Party's accounts. In 1987, he was also disqualified from practising law, so he appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which reversed his disbarment and called his conviction "a grievous injustice". Jeyaretnam was appointed as a non-constituency MP (NCMP) in 1997. Yet, in the late 1990s, he was often seen selling his books to pay off damages from lost suits. In 2001, he lost his NCMP seat after filing for bankruptcy. He also resigned from WP as he was not eligible to run for elections until he had cleared all his debts. Jeyaretnam established the Reform Party in 2008 but passed away later that year, at the age of 82. His elder son, Kenneth Jeyaretnam, eventually became the party's leader. His younger son, Philip Jeyaratnam, became an award-winning writer and a distinguished jurist. 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to him at his passing, saying, "Mr Jeyaretnam played an important role in the political development of Singapore, championing democracy, justice, fairness, and the rule of law." Jeyaretnam tirelessly advocated for human rights and democracy throughout his life. He made history as the first opposition MP in parliament, breaking the monopoly of the ruling People’s Action Party for over a decade and a half. His enduring legacy is that Singapore’s democracy needs a strong Opposition, regardless of how good the ruling party is. 

For more information
Chew, Valerie. “Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam.” Singapore Infopedia. Published 4 December 2023. https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=26021a48-d4ee-4d15-9d5d-51b1ea033bc5
Chua, Val, and Ching Wern Lee. “TODAY20: The Lonely Fighter (Oct 12, 2002).” TODAY. November 14, 2020. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/today20-lonely-fighter-oct-12-2002
Economist. “J.B. Jeyaretnam.” 9 October 2008. https://www.economist.com/obituary/2008/10/09/jb-jeyaretnam
Elangovan, Navene. “New Charity to Be Set up and Named after Late Opposition Party Leader JB Jeyaretnam.” TODAY. 5 January 2021. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/new-charity-be-set-and
named-after-late-opposition-party-leader-jb-jeyaretnam
Wall Street Journal. “A Worthy Legacy,” 31 July 2001. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB99653464010000000  
“Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam v the Law Society of Singapore (Singapore).” CaseMine. 21 November 1988. https://www.casemine.com/judgement/uk/5b4dc2542c94e07cccd23f18

தமிழில் வாசிக்க

Return to home page

About the Encyclopedia

The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.