Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The state controlled Singapore newspaper the Straits Times of Feb 18, 2008 has this story, "Polling districts changed". Of course we know elections are round the corner. Lee Kuan Yew has begun gerrymandering, an illegal electioneering practice.
An illegal practice, it is the re-drawing of electoral boundaries by the government in power to get more of their supporters into their boundaries to win, or to redraw the boundaries of opposition wards so as to exclude opposition supporters within it, to make them lose.
The reason why it is illegal is this. Firstly, if the opposition has already secured their ward, the voters in it are entitled to elect their representative whom they already know. By redrawing it and removing a section of them into the bordering ward, they are reducing their chances. Also the voters there want their man who they know and support, not someone else if the borders are redrawn and their representative loses.
Second, it is to protect the incumbent representative there. Since he has won the seat, and has cultivated his support there, it would be wrong to deny him the right to win again, by taking his supporters away.
The Singapore state controlled paper claims the government is doing this so that "each polling district has the optimum number of voters". What does that mean, do you know? I don't. In fact it is so just much drivel and poppycock, nothing more. There is no lawful requirement in elections for every ward to have an "optimum" number of voters.
Quite clearly this is gerrymandering, but I wonder why they even take the trouble. It is quite clear they will win by rigging the elections in the shameful ways I have said here before. They may decide to win all the seats or they may let the harmless Loh Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong win again, primarily to fool the rest of the world into thinking it is a democracy, and not a one party state, which everyone at home knows it is.
Lee Kuan Yew and his PAP will win hands down, as they have always done. If they don't, they will already have stuffed the ballot boxes and win anyway. Perhaps the ballot boxes have already been stuffed and are on standby. Davinder Singh, Lee Kuan Yew's lawyer has already been briefed to standby with the necessary court papers to for the likes of Francis Seow to finish him off. The state controlled press has already been instructed to splash across their pages the virtues of Lee Kuan Yew's ministers and the cowardly men who stand as the opposition.
Even though Singapore is a small island and constituency of Hougang and Potong Pasir are just a few feet away from Lee Kuan Yew's constituencies, miraculously and oddly, only those within the confines of these two wards are opposition sympathisers and those a couple of feet away are not! If you believe that, you will believe anything.
Lee Kuan Yew will once again rig the elections to win, as he has always done since 1959. He is treating you as a bunch of fools. If I were you, I will refuse to vote. It carries a fine, but if you refuse to vote en masse, there is nothing Lee Kuan Yew could do. Also you can protest. You can stand in the streets to distribute leaflets. You can Email your friends not to vote.
But one thing I can tell you. Lee Kuan Yew will win again, not because the people support him, but because they have no choice because he has got them, that is you, by the neck. It is up to you as to what you want to do.
Gerrymandering is illegal. That is what Lee Kuan Yew is doing before your very eyes.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
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9 comments:
Yes there is a likely chance that Singapore will see Elections soon. Hope citizens will be reminded not to be fooled by the PAP once again. Just cannot give them the mandate because they will only continue to misuse, abuse and alter our minds and life. BEWARE Singaporeans!
will you feed us, mama?
No, Gopalan.
I will vote. But not for the PAP.
I will vote. and I'll encourage others to vote, too. But for the opposition. The work that you do here is important in reminding our oft forgetfulness on the wrongs that have occurred. Constant reminders are necessary. Especially when the election comes around. That's when you'll be needed most.
Keep up the good work.
By the way, is it difficult applying for american citizenship? What their criteria. How long would it take?
The PAP can shift the goalposts for as long as they want, perhaps, one day, they will miscalculate and put too many "optimum" voters in one GRC, leaving another too short. hahaha
The best gift for Lee is when this strategy fail, just like its upgrading program.
Definition of Gerrymandering.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering
Now we know what the "elites" focus their brains on ............
I see that MICA's chink is still around with his racist taunts.
Mr Gopalan Nair, please see below story, you might be interested in it:
Singapore authorities recently harassed an Asia Times Online contributor for a November story that detailed the island state's mounting financial troubles.
Police claimed that the article had been sent with added malicious comments to the head of state, opposition politicians and newspapers from the reporter's e-mail account.
The reporter denied the charge and police officials later indicated that an unidentified hacker had sent the message from her account. Either way, the reporter has been put on official notice that her online writings and e-mail activities are under surveillance.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/KB27Ae01.html
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JK06Ae01.html
It sounds fishy doesn't it, same story as your e mail case.
Interesting that Singapore is listed under "less democratic countries" - less democratic than "nominally democratic" Malaysia. Shame to Singapore.
"The situation is worsening in less democratic countries. Vietnam, known to maintain some of Asia's most extensive Internet controls outside of China, has in recent months moved to introduce more stringent regulations governing bloggers and their postings. Singapore authorities recently harassed an Asia Times Online contributor for a November story that detailed the island state's mounting financial troubles. "
Gerrymandering may be illegal, and it is certainly a process I disapprove of, but it definitely doesn't undermine the performance legitimacy of the PAP.
Admittedly, the stiff controls that the government has set up are not particularly edifying for a country proclaiming itself as democratic, but who's actually stopping you from voting for the opposition? Who's actually stopping you from continuing to express your views?
My belief is that the PAP has justified it's place as Singapore's leading party, and if one day it should fail to convince me of that, then may it suffer the same fate as that of LDP from Japan and fall as the incumbent that got tangled up in its own laces of complacency and bureaucracy. Otherwise, I will continue to vote for the party that has ensured my comfort and security.
As one living in the opposition ward, it is clear that many of those in the older generation are voting for Chiam See Tong because of his 'connection' with the older folks. Should another candidate take his place, it may be difficult for the opposition to maintain its position.
I can only hope that Singaporeans will vote with their head and not their heart, and vote for the opposition only if they truly believe the opposition can do a better job than the PAP. To vote for the opposition simply to 'spite' the PAP or for the thrill of overturning the incumbent is nothing more than childish--something I hope Singaporeans will never turn to.
I have also noticed that "Comment moderation has been enabled. All comments must be approved by the blog author." Should this comment be left out, it is clear, then, that you too may just be guilty of unfair censorship.
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