Do you really know Chee Soon Juan?

Getting Singaporeans to understand the real Chee was what the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) aimed to do in the new book about their Secretary-General.

"Thinker Teacher Rebel Why? Portraits of Chee Soon Juan" is a collection of reflections on Chee, seen through the eyes of activists, doctors, politicians, writers and artists.

Among the 10 authors are Sam Rainsy, Minority Leader of the Cambodian Parliament and former finance minister; Sir Graham Watson, former Member of the European Parliament; and Constance Singam, former president of the Association for Women's Action, Research and Education (AWARE).

However, the more intimate portraits came from people who interacted and worked more closely with Chee. Hence, you get to really know Chee from the accounts by SDP members such as Jaslyn Go, Paul Tambyah and opposition members such as Wong Wee Nam.

Here are 10 revelations about Chee that made you realise he has more things in common with you than you initially thought. 

1. Chee met his future wife Dr Huang Chihmei while studying.

"I met Soon Juan when we were doing our graduate studies at the University of Georgia in the United States...Being from Taiwan, another Asian country with its own authoritarian past, has in some way equipped me with the ability to emphatise with the present Singapore and continue to be hopeful about its future." - Huang Chihmei, "The Man I Married", p.7-9.

2. Poor guy meets pretty girl.

"Sometimes he mentions that he wonders how a poor student like him back then when he could only afford a motorbike could be so lucky as to have met such an attractive and sweet girl (Huang Chihmei)." - Jaslyn Go, SDP Assistant Treasurer, "A Caring Family Man, An Inspiring Friend", p.77.

3. Chee's mother supports him at the SDP rallies.

"CSJ's mother comes to almost all of the SDP's rallies. She has been doing this since he joined the Party. During one of the GE 2011 rallies, she came to me and told me that it pains her to read the local newspapers that portray her son negatively." - Jaslyn Go, SDP Assistant Treasurer, "A Caring Family Man, An Inspiring Friend", p.73.

4. Chee didn't do well for his 'A' levels

"Soon Juan told me that he hadn't worked hard enough for his 'A' levels. So when his 'A' level results were out, his grades were not good enough for him to gain entry into the National University of Singapore (NUS)." - Jaslyn Go, SDP Assistant Treasurer, "A Caring Family Man, An Inspiring Friend", p.76.

5. Chee took on odd jobs to support himself through school in the US.

"With what little money he had, he went to the United States to study for his degree. The money he had at that time was only enough to last him for only one trimester (sic), not even one year...While most of his peers were busy partying, he was stuck, taking on odd jobs to pay for his tution fees and living expenses." - Jaslyn Go, SDP Assistant Treasurer, "A Caring Family Man, An Inspiring Friend", p.76.

6. The Chee family lives a very simple life.

"His (Chee's) children do not carry a handphone or play with iPads or any computer gadgets. Instead they indulge in simple pleasures like reading books borrowed from the public library. - Wong Wee Nam, medical doctor and former NSP candidate, "Chee Soon Juan: A Personal Perspective", p.93.

7. The Chee family is musically-inclined.

"There is one pastime that Soon Juan does not deprive his children and that is to learn and play the piano. All three children have been playing the piano since the age of five." - Wong Wee Nam, medical doctor and former NSP candidate, "Chee Soon Juan: A Personal Perspective", p.94.

And the more political revelations...

8. SDP's decision to pull out of the Punggol East By-Election

"On the ground, it had been clear that the SPD had been working the hardest. In fact, by then, the SDP had almost visited all the households in the ward, and election and candidate posters had already been printed and were ready to be shipped out.

"To his credit as party leader, Dr Chee finally made the difficult decision to pull out after numerous discussions with members and close friends of the Party, and averted potential rifts within the Party". - Tan Lip Hong and Leong Yan Hoi, both medical doctors, "A Man of Destiny, A Party of Heft", p.122.

9. Opposition MP Chiam See Tong considered rejoining the SDP in the last GE.

"The Chiams agreed to an informal meeting with Soon Juan to see how they could work the thing out. I contacted Soon Juan and gave him a summary of my proposal. He agreed reaily to meet up with the Chiams...

We proposed that Mr Chiam return to SDP as a mentor-like leader to lead a team to contest a GRC. No decision was reached that night and everyone was asked to return home and think about it." - Wong Wee Nam, medical doctor and former NSP candidate, "Chee Soon Juan: A Personal Perspective", p.93.

10. Chee did not object to Chiam re-joining SDP.

"Mr Chiam finally said he was keen to go with the proposal to contest the next GE under the SDP. Dr Chee had no objection. He even showed that he had thought the whole thing through by bringing out a master plan listing out the sequence of events for Chiam's homecoming...

Unfortunately, the Chiams found that events were moving too fast and wanted to postpone the return. Two days after the final meeting, I received an SMS and an email from Mrs Chiam suggesting the postponement". - Wong Wee Nam, medical doctor and former NSP candidate, "Chee Soon Juan: A Personal Perspective", p.98.

You can watch the video below if you are keen to know more about the book: