Goodbye Mr Jeyaratnam

Joshua Benjamin Jeyaratnam 1926 - 2008

You were always to be a relic of the past
Me, who was born deeply entrenched in the PAP way of life
Me, who never had to fight for a thing
Who did not know about the battles our fathers had to fight

You were also sometimes an embarassment
When I saw you hawking the Hammer on the streets
The embarassment an Indian woman feels
when she sees an Indian man belittled and mocked

You were loud, you ranted, you made yourself heard
When they were so many who did not want to hear you
You beleived in your ideals and you didn't care who knew it
You tries so hard to make us beleive it too

I recently heard someone say
Money can't buy taste class or character
Mr Jeyaratnam, you had all three
Whether on the streets or in parliament house

You will be missed
Even by those who didn't know you
Even by the likes of me