Ladies and Gentlemen,
By now every Singaporean must know this. How they live? What Singapore will become? What businesses will be attracted from abroad? What trading policies will be adopted? Will immigration be increased or decreased? What sort of immigrants will come? After off shore bankers are invited, who ease will be? Singaporeans have no say in any of this. In fact, you do not know what Singapore will be tomorrow. Lee Kuan Yew and his friends in government will decide these things for you, just as they have done the last 40 years. All you have to do is just follow instructions like an obedient Singaporean. This is, whether you like it or not. This is your pathetic life in Singapore.
Singapore constitution requires elections to be held every 5 years. The elections are stage managed by Lee and his friends. You are powerless to install your chosen representatives. In any case, for the last several elections, almost half the seats were uncontested. Lee's party comfortably walked over to victory. And they will again. And if not they will stage manage it. And win again.
The 84 representatives in Parliament know this as well. They are aware that there is nothing they can do. Mr. Palmer, a PAP MP had asked certain questions on the welfare of lower income citizens recently in Parliament. This was reported in the Singapore state controlled press. That question and answer session too was stage managed. Mr. Palmer on his own in fact had no questions whatsoever. The question that he asked in Parliament was because Lee and his friends, Palmer's superiors, told him to ask that question. The idea here is to hoodwink you into thinking there is representative government. That MPs ask questions on behalf of the poor. But that happens only in real democracies. Singapore is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship pretending to be a democracy.
These question and answer sessions is a pretence to make you think parliamentary democracy exists. In fact it serves no purpose at all. Singapore would continue running the same way it has done for the last 40 years with or without these theatrics of parliamentary debates. In fact, I am sure Lee himself considers these parliamentary sessions an utter waste of time. But it is something that has to continue to perpetrate this charade of parliamentary democracy.
So just like this poor obedient PAP MP Mr. Palmer, all the other 82 PAP MPs are the same. The questions they have to ask in Parliament is all told to them beforehand. They then go into Parliament and like a theatrical performance read out the questions that they are told to ask. The answers too are predetermined. Even before they step into the Singapore Parliament, they already know what questions are to be asked, as well as the answers to those questions!
Please don't even for a moment think that what goes on within Singapore Parliament is in fact representative democracy. It is play acting. It is a theatrical performance. Where these hand picked PAP politicians; handpicked by Lee Kuan Yew, go through the motions of a parliament sitting. No such thing really happens.
The PAP MPs themselves are unwilling, actually unable, to represent you. They are powerless. They know it and Lee knows it. You can raise your problems with them. But in doing so, remember, there is nothing much they can do for you. If it pleases Lee, he may do something; otherwise nothing.
The newspapers in Singapore are, as you know, wholly owned and controlled by Lee Kuan Yew. Their job is to play the same game that Lee Kuan Yew plays; that is to pretend that it is a democracy. So on their part, they will tell stories that this MP said this or that. Well, the truth is, they can say as much as they want. Lee still rules alone single handedly. He is the dictator.
The trade unions play the game too. The game of pretence. They say they are defending the workers. In fact nothing of the sort happens. They are there to pay the wages which the government thinks ought to be paid. In any case, only a few occupations are unionized. By and large the entire Singapore working population is not protected at all. Whether they are paid living wages or starving wages is entirely, as the government has said, up to market forces.
Today we see foreign workers coming in. Today immigration is encouraged. Banking is encouraged. So bankers come to Singapore. Gambling is encouraged. So casinos are built. How many foreigners there are now, only God knows. The newspapers cannot be trusted. Their job is to print government propaganda. Whether now the foreign population has exceed the native born Singaporean, we do not know. Perhaps it has. Is this sort of immigration a good thing? Your views do not matter. The government has decided. So it will be done.
And similarly, if the government decides tomorrow that these policies are wrong, Lee will change them. You as a citizen are not part of the equation. Your views do not matter at all. All decisions are made by Lee Kuan Yew, his son and his friends in government. Please remember this sad fact, in this so called first world country, as Lee Kuan Yew claims it is. He has even written a book with this title, that is First World. Whether you in fact believe it be a first world country, he, Lee Kuan Yew does not care in the least. To summarize what he thinks of you, it is this. To him, you are a "digit". He has said this in Parliament.
You have no say about immigration. You have no say about wages. You have no say in the direction Singapore is taking in business, in commerce, in social services, in wages, in infra structure, in construction, in brainwashing; you have no say about anything in your country. The sooner you realize it the better.
Question is, are you prepared to let this continue? If not, the time is now for you to do something. It is criminal on your part to let your country be ruined by this man Lee Kuan Yew. And also, it is miserable and demeaning to live a life over whose destiny, you have no control. You are not the master of your destiny in Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew is the master.
Act on it now. Waiting for the elections in 2011 will achieve nothing. The elections itself is drama. Theatrics. In Malay, such as theatrical performance is called Wayang. What is happening now is a wayang. And you are having no part to play in it.
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
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9 comments:
My dear Mr Gopalan Nair,
LKY is not going to last forever. He is a frail 84 yr-old and a human being like you and me.I doubt he can even live till 2011.I assure you things will change for the better with his demise anytime now in the next few months/years. Please be patient.Good will triumph over evil eventually.Happens everywhere in history.Burma and North Korea will also change one day.God bless you.
Very interesting writing.... You have succintly described how pathetic most Singaporeans are either inherently or beaten down to this.
We are apparently know as a first world country with a third world autocratic government, with god of no mercy still reigning and unable to let go.
As you have clearly pointed out, what can Singaporeans do, what do you suggest possible actions plans since as you also indicate:
- the elections are stage managed, rigged to spread out the opposition supporters by redrawing GRCs, with totally unrelated constituencies grouped together, give the opposition a hard time and depriving them of work or jobs in Singapore, a country of which most of the jobs are overwhelming controlled by the government both in the private and public sector, and god knows what else they do.
I believe we will see more of such outrage in the next election, in the redrawing of the GRCs, possibly in area where the PAP have close shaves, including the PM's constituency.
They will presumablyinstall the people who they want in the government irrespective of the people's choice. I clearly recalled that Mah Bow Tan was kicked out of the elections but is now a Minister? after sitting on LKY's coat tail to get in by the back door.
What should Singaporeans act on. You with your experience have given up your citizenship, perhaps hope in Singapore, and is looking from a safe shore. Why not be in Singapore and play a role to serve out in the opposition.
There was one key point you missed about Mr Palmer's QnA session. He made an extremely clear distinction between "us" and "them". Instead of saying "we" as in Singaporeans, he drew a line between the elites and the have-nots.
Lucky Tan, wrote a wonderful satirical piece on it.
http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2008/01/us-and-them.html
Dear Soojen,
Thanks for your post. I came to the US in 1991. The US has given me a career, a law practice and hope. Things that I was denied in Singapore. There was the need for me to show my appreciation to the US. Therefore I took up American citizenship.
However I was born in Singaproe. I share the hopes and aspirations of other Singaporeans. Singapore will continue to be close to my heart wherever I am.
From the US I can do much more for the cause of freedom in Singapore than if I was there.
This blog is intended to expose the injustices committed in Singaproe by the Lees. So it is serving good purpose.
As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat.
Thanks for the interest in my blog.
Gopalan Nair
"From the US I can do much more for the cause of freedom in Singapore than if I was there."
Dear Gopalan,
I can understand your commitment to Singapore, even though you are already an American. As someone who has taken up foreign citizenship, I do not really want to keep in touch with Singapore political news, other than wanting to read about the juicy news of how the regime is coming with new schemes to control the lives of ordinary Singaporeans.
I feel that it is as if Singapore is no longer my problem. Even when Singaporeans told me about the shortcomings of the Australian system (Reminded me of Dr LKY's finger spiraling down action*) I just smile at their ignorance. I live in a free country - does one only expect utopia from a free country.
* When asked by Aussie journos about Singapore political system in Univ of Canberra (after receving his doctorate), LKY said that if Singapore follows Australia's way, it's economy will spiral down until it hits rock bottom.
To borrow some words ... "As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat." There will many ways for Singapore to hit rock bottom - like when LKY kicks the bucket.
Keep up the good work.
The pap regime will not last long after the dictator is gone.
i grew up in sembawang kampong, although we were poor, life then was great. marbles, fishing and catching spiders, i think Gopalan would have enjoyed such similar joy in his childhood. has the singapore that we grew up with slowing abandoning the citizens? it is does. that is why my friends and I are now in australia. Given a choice, would we really want to stay in SG? i would but circumstances, both political and economical, are not favourable to us. we cant forget the good times that we had in singapore, nor can we forget the sheer incompetency of the PAP govt that manhandle our future.
Fishbuff,
During my time it was cathing male spiders, and fighting other spiders. We used to keep them in match boxes. Then there was kite flying. You have to grind shredded glass and mix it with a boiled smelly glue and draw it thorough sewing thread and put out to dry. Then attach it to your kite and fight with other kites. if you are fast and your thread is sharp, you will cut off the other kite.
I can go on. Those were good days.
Gopalan Nair
An intersting observation on Singapore PM salary. He gets 6 times US President's. With a population ratio of 60(US) to 1(Sin) PM salary is 360 times on a per capita basis. With China to Sin GIC it looks like 10 (China) to 1 (Sin); but once per capita is used: it becomes $28,552 (Sin) and $1000 (China)! Sin GDP per capita is $35,817; PM salary is 69.8 times that! US GDP per capita is $45,144; US President is 8.86 times that!
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