Singapore Connect: http://sgconnect.ning.com/

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In my last post, "Redwood City, California. Boycott the meeting.............." I had said most overseas Singaporeans are discouraged and disinterested in Singaporean affairs. Here is the evidence.

Roger Liew, the Singapore government PAP representative in the San Francisco Bay Area is in charge of an organization, "Singapore Connect" for trying to garner the support of overseas Singaporeans to maintain connection with Singapore, as the Singapore Lee Administration, faced with massive emigration of Singaporeans is hurting from this brain drain.

Singapore Connect's web address is http://sgconnect.ning.com/. You will see, it has a grand total of no less than 128 members! Mind you, the San Francisco Bay Area has about 50,000 Singaporeans at least. If you are shocked in disbelief, let me tell you the figure again. Roger Liew's Singapore Connect has a miserable total of only 128 members! But wait. That is not all. Of this grand total of 128, half of them are hiding their faces, the other half of them are not giving their real names, and sections of them have pictures, not of themselves but of dogs and cats, many of them do not give any information at all, and almost half of the total are foreigners. Of the entire grand total of 128 miserable members, you could say that perhaps 40 are from Singapore and that, mind you is only a guess, since they are hidden!

If the question is why, I am sure the answer is quite obvious. I think it can be best answered this way. Had you been from Burma, Myanmar as the cruel military junta calls them, would you be happy to join an organization associated with that regime, or would you, being in America, say thank God and good riddance to that dictatorship? Would you not try all means to stay as far away from that regime, out of shame by reason of association? Well it is the same with Singaporeans overseas.

In the Singapore Connect members, you see that almost all of them do not show their faces, many of them use false names, almost all of them do not wish to state their nationalities and do not reveal information about them. They are all trying to conceal themselves. In Singapore, it is common practice, unlike other democracies, for people to be afraid to reveal their identity when expressing their opinions on matters public. They fear the wrath of the PAP if one is identified as a political opponent, just as in Burma. This may be understandable, as Singapore is an authoritarian dictatorship that is intolerant of dissent.

But why hide your faces in California? I am not hiding mine. What is there to fear from Singapore while in the USA! There could be more than one reason. Firstly, some of these might be harbouring an intent to return to Singapore in which event, Lee may come after them had they said anything amiss, even inadvertently. Second, they may be ashamed of being associated with that dictatorship. Third they may see some business benefit by membership, but at the same time, are ashamed of being identified with a pariah state like Singapore.

Whatever the reasons for remaining incognito, it is a disgrace that Roger Liew has managed to get only 128 hidden faces to join his Singaporean organization. It proves what I had said. This pathetically low membership, among a Singaporean population of 50,000 in the San Francisco Bay Area, proves my point. Singaporeans by and large do not wish to have anything to do with the Singapore PAP government and their multi million dollar ministers, who imprison, torture and bankrupt political opponents and silence them with defamation actions.

Singaporeans in California are ashamed to be associated with Singapore. Ashamed to be associated with a country listed 148th for lack of press freedom, and listed among countries such as North Korea and Somalia by the respected French organization, Journalists Without Borders. Ashamed to be associated with a country where the Prime Minister and Ministers earn 5 times what George Bush earns, while the lower income class earn less than $300.00 per month. Ashamed to be associated with a country where speaking in public needs a permit, and even if applied for, automatically refused. Ashamed to be associated with a country where not flushing a toilet carries a fine of $100. Ashamed to be associated with a country where you can be imprisoned without trial. Ashamed to be associated with a country where corrupt judges bankrupt opposition politicians. Ashamed to be associated with a country where Lee obtains judgement in defamation legal proceedings against opponents through Order 14 Summary Judgement. Ashamed to be associated with a country where the only answer you will get from anyone on the street to a political question is "No Comment".

This shame that you see in Singaporeans is unique but understandable. There are many other overseas associations of other countries here. There is the British Club with thousands of proud overseas Britons living here. They proudly list their names, their faces and their personal information as proud overseas Englishmen, Scotsmen, Welshmen and Irishmen, proud to be British living in the Bay Area. They are not hiding their faces as those miserable few in the this Singapore organization. And the same with the overseas Australians, the overseas Kiwis, all proud of who they are, with their memberships running into several thousands and proud. While the miserable 128 Singapore members hide their faces with shame.

You see they are ashamed to be associated with a stupid country. So they will not come to dine with the Real Admiral of that country on the 24th of April, 2007 in Redwood City. I reckon, Mr. Roger Liew will have to dine alone with the Admiral and the staff of the Singapore Consulate General, San Francisco.

Since Roger Liew has failed miserably in his attempt to get overseas Singaporeans interested in Singapore, should he not return the money which he has received from the Singapore Treasury to carry out this project.

Roger Liew, look here. How much have you been paid? Please refund the money forthwith. It is taxpayers money. Enough is being wasted on the Minister Mentor and the million dollar ministers. We will not accept this anymore.

Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com

I attach below my Email to Roger Liew (rogerliew@gmail.com) copied to the following people: 'Lea_CHAN@sgmfa.gov.sg.' (Miss Lea Chan, staff at the Singapore Consulate General San Francisco; 'singaporeconnect@gmail.com'; 'jai_sohan_singh@mfa.gov.sg' (Jai Sohan Singh, Consul General Signapore Consulate San Francisco) ; 'lui_tuck_yew@moe.gov.sg.' (Rear Admiral Lui Tuck Yew )


Roger Liew,

Poor Boy. I have seen your Singapore Connection organization. My God, 128 miserable members, ¾ of them hiding their faces and refusing to give their names! Try to get it into you head, please. None is interested in your country. Just like no one is interested in Myanmar. They are ashamed to be associated with an authoritarian dictatorship that imprisons, tortures and bankrupts political dissidents. Tell your Boss Lee. People are ashamed of Singapore. They are ashamed to be associated with it. Tell the Rear Admiral to go home to carry out Lee’s dictates. No one is going to come to your function. By the way, how much has Lee paid you to do this? Please return the people’s money, Singaporean taxpayers money. You are a thief if you keep it. You have failed in your mission.

Look here. My name and address clearly written below. I am not trying to hide. Why are you hiding? Why are the members of your Singapore Connect, all 128 of them, hiding? Why are they ashamed to be identified with Singapore connect? Tell me that, my boy Roger?

Tell the Admiral to go home. And ask him to be careful boarding the gangway to his toy boat. I don’t want him falling into the swamp. He doesn’t seem to have got his sea legs yet.

Gopalan Nair
Attorneys at Law
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, California 94538
USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914