Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Justice for Mr. Mas Selamat Kastari

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mr. Mas Selamat Kastari has now been caught. Singapore government has now retched up the drum beat that he had planned all manner of mischief against Singapore, such as blowing up Changi Airport among others. But are we not forgetting one thing here? Is not a man presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law? Is it enough for this Lee Kuan Yew dictatorship which is Singapore; to merely make all sorts of claims against a man, lock him up and throw away the key?

My question is this. If indeed Lee Kuan Yew had any evidence against him, why is it not possible to give him a fair trial? And if he is found guilty, then punish him. If not let him go.

There is no decent fair minded country in this world that does what Singapore is doing; locking people up without giving him any trial. I personally don't care what Singapore's Wong Kan Seng, Lee Kuan Yew's hand picked Minister of Law has to say about Mas Selamat. Wong Kang's Seng's allegations are not evidence and are of no value. In order to imprison a man, you need a trial and evidence that stands up to legal scrutiny.

This whole idea of imprisoning a man without trial, the Internal Security Act of Singapore which is being used to imprison Mas Selamat, is unacceptable in any civilized society.

And what is more, history has shown that Lee Kuan Yew has systematically abused this law to imprison innocent people for decades, people whom Lee Kuan yew did not like. I am of course talking of people such as Chia Tye Poh, imprisoned for 31 years because he was a political threat to Lee. Said Zahari, imprisoned for 17 years. Lee Kuan Yew's so called Marxist conspirators, decent civic minded Singaporeans who were jailed for years, merely because they dared to challenge Lee's authority. We now know that all these people were imprisoned under this law without trial and without any legal basis whatsoever, except for Lee Kuan Yew's claims plucked out of thin air. And it is this same law which stands wholly discredited and disgraced which is being used yet again to imprison Mas Selamat. Yet again a man is being thrown in jail because the Singapore state controlled newspaper, the Straits Times, claims that Wong believes Mas Selamat intends to blow up Singapore.

Anyone with a sense of decency cannot accept this. No, we are not satisfied with your accusations, Wong. Singapore's legal systems stands discredited as shown by the 72 page report of the International Bar Association. It is a country where judges decide the law not according to the rule of law but what pleases Lee Kuan Yew and his friends.

And I urge Malaysia not to hand over Mas Selamat to Singapore. Without any evidence I am not prepared to believe in any of Wong's accusations against Mas Selamat. The law requires that a man is innocent until proven guilty. As for Malaysia, so far, there has been no claim that Mas Selamat has planned anything against Malaysia. Malaysia is primarily a Muslim country and Mas Selamat is Malaly Muslim. I do not see any need for him to harm Malaysia. As for Singapore, Malaysia must know that the law is compromised. The litany of cases against opposition politicians such as JB Jeyaretnam, has left the legal system of Singapore disgraced and discredited. And history has also shown that the Internal Security Act has repeatedly been misused, the prime example of which is Chia Tye Poh, an innocent man, jailed for 31 years, even longer than Nelson Mandela. In these circumstances, without a proper legal system in Singapore, a legal system which has been thoroughly politicized, there is no guarantee that Mas Selamat will be treated fairly under law. This gives a right to Malaysia to refuse handing over Mas Selamat to Singapore. And this is the right thing Malaysia should do.

I do not know whether Mas Selamat is the monster that Singapore makes him out to be. But whether he is or he isn't, until he is given a fair trial, I am not prepared to believe anything.

I urge Malaysia, not to hand Mas Selamat over to a country such as Singapore, a country whose legal system stands disgraced in the eyes of the civilized world.

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/

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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

dear mr nair,

may i remind you that mas selamat is also currently being detained under malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA)?

i disagree that we should not have ISA at all. ISA exists for the purpose of detaining terrorists that threaten the security of singapore. but! i disagree that the government uses the ISA as a reason to detain political prisoners or political oppositions as you have mentioned like Chia Tye Poh and Zahari who posed no physical threats to singapore unlike Mas Selamat who is active in JI.

i too hope that malaysia doesnt return him to singapore. not because of singapore's ISA or the point about him not given a fair trial. i'm worried that he'll just run out again.

Anonymous said...

the malaysian side has spoken that mas selamat was plotting attacks in singapore by the way.

Gopalan Nair said...

I am aware that Mas Selamat is being held under Malaysian ISA. I am however not sure whether the statements put out by the Singapore state controlled press about what the Malaysians have said is true, since the Singapore Straits Times can tell a very good Lee Kuan Yew story.

I am against detention without trial, whether in Singapore, Malaysia or the northern reaches of Mali, the Sahara, Africa.

I hope the Malaysians would either try Mas Selamat or let him go. But in relation to Singapore, Malaysia is a far more democratic country. And in fact, there is a strong movement both from the government and the oppostion to abolish the ISA there. I won't be suprised by years end the ISA will be abolished in Malaysia. At least I hope so.

Ties between Signapore's arrogant government and Malaysia are weak. Malaysia also knows the ISA in Singapore is abused and discredited for Lee Kuan Yew's ends.

Lastly, regradless of the accusations against Mas Selamant, the principle of due process is sacrosant. It has no place in the civilized world.

A man should be given a trial, without which there can be no detention.

Anonymous said...

Agreed!

What proof that Mas Selamat wants to harm S'pore???

All hyped up by our dear LKY's regime!!

They make you a criminal and a gangster overnite!! Thanks to SPH!

Where is a fair trial????

Anonymous said...

Between Mas Selamat and LKY- we are suffering lot!

What life are we all going thru here being robbed of our peace, monies and values and respect and dignity!

Each day living here is a hell and misery! Unless you a top minister earning millions!

So I wonder who is more harmful???????????????

Anonymous said...

Mas Selamat (and swine flu) just saved the PAP govt from the fallout of PAP incompetency in the global financial crisis.

One of the best marketing to Singaporeans is the terror threat to Singapore.

But I suspect the worst "terrorist" Singapore will ever find is an opposition party member who is trying to do his or her job or a Catholic priest who offended the old man.

These people have not killed anyone. But a connected "journalist" who actually killed someone got away with 1 day jail.

Meanwhile the intelligence of obedient meek Singaporeans are once again insulted.

A tragic comedy delayed.

Anonymous said...

To the first poster:

What's wrong with abolishing the ISA - given its gross abuse by scoundrels like Lee Skunk Yew - and replacing it with an Anti-Terrorism Act, with trials dealt with in open court?

Anonymous said...

how i wish one day we will all hit the streets,fists in the air as we shout in unity "we want a change"
and overthrow this dictatorship ruled still by the bastards of 1965!

Rauf

Anonymous said...

How I wish one day we will be able to use the ISA against those in power now.

Anonymous said...

It's all very simple.
If you want to win elections, you create a bogeyman.
At one time it was the communists.
Now it is terrorists.
And if you read the Malaysian newspapers, Mas Selamat spent more time tending his garden!

Anonymous said...

Hey Singapore Dissident, get a web cam and start v-blogging, or alternatively, record your views and upload them on Youtube.