Singapore is different things to different people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Reading the numerous reports of the state controlled paper The Straits Times, the last one being "Singapore's new home grown legal team" dated April 16, 2008, praising the new Tamil Law Minister K Shanmugam sky high, for all his achievements both true and made up, I am prompted to write this.

Singapore is different things to different people. If you are a Singaporean, born and bred in Singapore, educated; a self respecting proud human being; living in Singapore is a pain. A pain because you are, as Lee Kuan Yew correctly put it many years ago when describing Singaporeans, a "digit". To be precise, Lee Kuan Yew's "digit". To live a life according to his terms, not yours. In a country where everything is in Lee's hands; the judiciary, Parliament, Constitution, the extent of your rights, provided you have any; where you live to work at the pleasure of Lee Kuan Yew. In other words a slavish poodle like existence. That is why many educated and discerning people emigrate, never to return. Living in Singapore for them has become intolerable. They no longer are willing to live as "digits".

Then there are Singaporeans born and bred in Singapore, highly educated, patriotic; wanting to change Singapore into a better place than what it is. A better place for them and their descendants. These are the brave admirable men and women who suffer great hardships and yet persist in their work to bring democracy to Singapore. Men and women such as Dr. Chee Soon Juan, repeatedly jailed and bankrupted because of his demand for democracy in his country.

Others such as Gandhi Ambalam, Yap Keng Ho, Chee Siok Chin, John Tan, Seelan Palay and countless others who have sacrificed a great deal and willing to sacrifice even more for what they believe in, which is freedom. These men and women hate living under tyranny too. But the difference in their case being, they are ready to stay behind and fight for change despite all odds. Great respected men and women. One cannot help but to admire their persistence, courage and tenacity. Admirable indeed.

Then there are the expatriates. British, Australians or Germans, whatever. To them Singapore is just a place to make money, either for themselves or for their European multi national companies. It makes no difference to them if they were in Kigali, Belgian Congo, or Singapore. It is all the same. They are not interested in local politics, since it does not concern them. Whether there is democracy, whether there is none; whether they cane people or they do not; whether they hang 20 year old boys for petty drug offenses or they don't; whether they jail innocent street protesters or they don't; none of this bothers them. After all it is not their country.

For these European expatriates, Singapore is one of the best places in the world. Many willing Singapore women to be had, a low crime rate, good pay, hot humid weather permitting flimsy clothing especially for women, unlimited alcohol and a friendly people. What more can a European man want; or for that matter any man. Singapore for them is a paradise.

Then there are the disgraceful ones like the new Minister for Law K Shanmugam. Like a prostitute who has just undressed ready to be ravished by her paying customer, K Shanmugam is seen with all smiles in the state controlled newspaper, jubilant that the is now the new Minister. He has also prepared himself, just as the prostitute who has stripped and waiting to be ravished; prepared himself to spend an entire career in the service of his master Lee Kuan Yew. Prepared to contort himself into obscene legal positions to please his master; to say that detention without trial is good, even if he thinks it is not; the Dr. Chee Soo Juan is a liar and a cheat after all, even if he thinks he is not; that no permits should be given to the opposition to say or do anything, even if he thinks they should; that freedom of assembly and speech does not exist, even if he thinks it does. All said to please his master Lee Kuan Yew, because his master wants them said.

In other words, K Shanmugam, the new Tamil Indian Law Minister stands now, ready and willing to spend an entire career prostituting himself for the pleasure of his master Lee Kuan Yew; just as the woman who had taken her clothes off waiting to be ravaged. And in fact, this man K Shanmugam is even more disgraced than the prostitute waiting for her client to ravish her. She may do it for once and stop. In his case, he is prepared to be abused the remainder of his working life! A shameless unconditional undertaking to Lee Kuan Yew to say or do anything he wants, regardless of how obscenely unconscionable or disgusting the demand may be!

In this class of the disgraced people, we can add all the judges in Singapore whose job it is to distort the law for the political ends of Lee; the civil servants who favor the ruling party as against the opposition, the police who carry out the orders of arrest and intimidation against Lee's opponents, and all other manner of people who benefit through nepotism and connections with the establishment. They are all prostitutes who shamelessly sell their conscience for the right price. The sort that K Shanmugam is.

To borrow a phrase form David Marshall, the first Chief Minister of Singapore, these "poor prostitutes", the shameless type of the new Tamil Minister for Law, K Shanmugam, like the expatriates, also love Singapore. To prostitute himself for the rest of his working life for the pleasure of Lee Kuan Yew, this Tamil is paid several million dollars a year.

Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
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Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
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