Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore now wants me disbarred! Should I be concerned?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore's state owned and controlled newspaper the Straits Times of Sept 5, 2009, has this article about me, "Law Society acts against Gopalan Nair". Normally such news from any other country (other than Uniquely Singapore) would have made the subject of the impending punishment undoubtedly concerned. Surely after having spent many years studying for the Bar and qualifying as a lawyer, disbarment would have meant a total waste, not forgetting the shame and embarrassment of being known as a disbarred lawyer.

But you see, sadly for Lee Kuan Yew and his Singapore Judiciary, which is nothing but toothless body of terrified and intimidated yes men and women, masquerading as judges to do nothing more than please him; not surprisingly I don't feel any emotion at all, except perhaps humor.

I know as well as everyone else that Singapore is now not much different from a North Korea which periodically goes about making all sorts of threats against its opponents about which no one outside the country really cares. In the case of North Korea, whenever they get upset of something or other, they fire a few missiles into the air, which all immediately drop back to earth with faulty engines. In the case of Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, when they get upset about someone or other in the free world whom they are unable to silence; I guess they go about bringing disciplinary actions! I can tell you this much. It is quite clear, these theatrical disciplinary proceedings which will undoubtedly disbar me, is intended more to intimidate the Singapore lawyers, as if they were not already sufficiently intimidated! As for me, I don't care one way or other what Singapore does. Surely even an imbecile can understand that.

Any action in Singapore truly has no effect on me whatsoever. Although technically still on the Rolls of lawyers in Singapore, I had permanently left the island for America in 1991 and ever since then have not renewed my practicing certificate. I am still on the Rolls of the English Bar as well as the Bar of California where I have been in active practice for the last 13 years.

Although ordinarily any attorney discipline of this nature in another respected democratic country such as the UK, Canada or Australia would result in disciplinary proceedings being instituted against the attorney in California; Singapore now has such a bad reputation for lacking any democracy or the rule of law, that any attempt to go after me in California would make them look even more silly than they already are.

Perhaps that explains why despite my string of "crimes", according to the Singapore dictatorship from 1984 till today, they had not made a single attempt to have me disciplined here or in England. United States and California are places which pride in the rule of law. In these circumstances, it would be impossible for Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore to convince them that Gopalan Nair, their political opponent, needs to be punished for among other things declaiming that Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean had prostituted her office as a judge while she sat in judgment over Dr. Chee Soon Juan last year in defamation proceedings on behalf of her boss Lee Kuan Yew.

In fact, if I am disbarred from the Singapore Bar, instead of being disappointed about it; it would in effect be a badge of honor, elevating me to the position of other formidable opponents of Lee Kuan Yew who have been similarly punished for their standing up to injustice.

Dr. Chee Soon Juan lost his job as a lecturer at the NUS and was bankrupted. Mr. Tang Liang Hong lost millions of dollars and went into exile in Australia. Francis Seow had to escape and seek refuge in Boston. JB Jeyaretnam was disbarred and bankrupted but eventually reinstated because he paid the fine. Tan Wah Piow had to run to England. And now Gopalan Nair is disbarred from practicing law in Singapore, even though I had no intention to do it anyway.

But I do concede one thing. The brave men and women above have paid a much greater price than I ever had. Their suffering was much more real than mine. While in Singapore, I was fined $8,000.00 in 1991 for something that I said at an election rally in Bukit Merah by elections. Suspended for 2 years from practice which had no effect on me whatsoever, since I was already in California by that time. Last year, I was not permitted to leave Singapore for 6 months which effected my practice in California financially from which I have already recovered. I was sent to Singapore's Queenstown Jail for 3 months, which turned out to be a tremendous adventure and paid $3,000 fine to the Singapore court when I was falsely accused by Lee's policemen of being disorderly. The trial took 18 days of which I enjoyed every minute grilling the lying Singaporean policemen, who were forced to make the most incredible statements imaginable. On the whole, it has been fun all around. And I am able to live and practice law in California which I enjoy every minute. Truly, Lee Kuan Yew has not managed to hurt me as much as he would have liked; that much is certain.

There should be no doubt about it. Any punishment from the Singapore Bar now, for what I did last year in Singapore and years before, would be another badge of honor on me, proudly worn and proudly proclaimed. Thank you.

Let me make some corrections and clarifications to this article from Singapore's state controlled press. As expected of any state controlled propaganda sheet, Singapore's Straits Times being no different, there are many convenient inaccuracies either to tell downright lies about Gopalan Nair, or to make Lee Kuan Yew's political enemy depicted in bad light. This is nothing new.

The article says he has not worked here for several years. This is partially true but the language is inaccurate. I had not practiced law in Singapore since 1991, which was 18 years ago.

The article states that the 2 man tribunal is looking into whether "I had brought the legal profession into disrepute by my actions as a member of the Singapore Bar". Let me make this very clear. I have all along believed that Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s dictator has brought the legal profession into disrepute by using the Singapore police, the Singapore judiciary and the Attorney General's Chambers for a dishonest purpose; which is to destroy his political opponents to perpetuate himself and his family and political party in power. This is an illegal use of the law and he has to be stopped for the sake of Singapore. I have all along been writing to point this out, that is, Singapore’s judges are corrupt and beholden to the Lee Kuan Yew family. My purpose in writing these blogs is expose this to the world and to encourage and persuade Singaporeans and others to fight against this misuse of power in the interests of Singapore. What I am doing is for the good of Singapore, so that Singapore can sooner than later become a democracy as it should have been all along.

In other words, the Singapore judiciary has brought themselves into disrepute. I am merely trying to point it out.

And then the article says I could be fined $20,000.00, prevented from applying to practice in Singapore for 5 years or suspended all together. Let me tell them this. Frankly it would have made no difference if the Singapore justice system had ordered that I be skinned alive. None at all. I live in California. If they did come up with whatever punishment and expected me to undergo it, they would have to enforce it in California. And as I said, it would be difficult for them to do that, since all my actions are not just permissible in California, they are actually respected. In California, my actions would command respect and admiration. We don’t care how they look at it in Singapore.

The article says that according to sources in Singapore, any action in Singapore against me would have little bearing on my California practice. As I said, this is not true. California just as any other state in the US requires lawyers to uphold the law, not only in California but anywhere else. Any crime or misconduct anywhere in the world would render me liable to discipline in California. But in this case I will not be liable for anything in California simply because whatever I did was not a crime or misconduct. It may be in Singapore but who cares about a country with unjust laws and without the rule of law.

The article accuses me of lowering the Singapore legal profession's esteem in the eyes of the public. I am not trying to "lower" its esteem. Singapore legal profession’s esteem, especially that of the Singapore judiciary, is already rock bottom. I am merely trying to make that widely known.

I have never been in contempt of Singapore’s courts as the article states. Pointing out that Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Lee Kuan Yew's judge had shamelessly prostituted her office by her bias for him, was not contempt or an insult. It is an accurate statement which needs to be made for public knowledge and public interest.

As for the allegation of abusing police officers, I never did that and have denied it all along, which I was able to successfully establish after the 18 day trial. Since the court hearing it was biased and beholden to Lee Kuan Yew to destroy his opponents, with Judge James Leong (he has some other Chinese names as well) commissioned to carry out that dirty job, there was no way I could win.

There is an inaccuracy where the article refers to "these judges presided over cases against 3 men who were convicted of mocking the court". If it is referring to the Kangaroo T shirt case involving John Tan, Izrizal and Shafi being sent to jail for 3 months for wearing T shirts with a picture of a Kangaroo, I did not write anything about it while in Singapore as I was about to be deported from the country at that time.

It makes reference to my having apologized unreservedly just before my release from prison. This is what happened. I was in Queenstown Jail and was due for release on the 26th of November 2008. One week before release, the police came to see me in prison and tendered fresh charges, this time for contempt of court. It referred to the earlier disorderly behavior trial before James Leong. During that trial I had made statements in court to the effect that "I had no confidence in the impartiality of the court" which happens to be true. The police now brought contempt charges for my having made statements like this in that court.

Frankly by that time I would have been prepared to say anything they wanted to hear. My practice in California had already suffered very badly and I had to get back. In any case, whatever promise I made to a court such as this, for which I had no respect whatsoever, could easily be withdrawn after I returned to America. In Singapore, I was dealing with a bunch of thugs, Lee Kuan Yew and his friends, and there was no need to stand on niceties there. So the best thing to do not to prolong my unjust incarceration was to say anything they wanted to hear. So I did apologize which I retracted the moment I landed in San Francisco.

And for your assurance these writings will continue.

And finally, I am sure the Singapore authorities will use this blog post to enhance any punishment they had in mind for me. So let me tell this to the very Lee Kuan Yew compliant Chief Justice of Singapore, Chan Sek Kiong. Go ahead; give me 5 life terms in prison without parole and throw away the key! It won’t make the slightest difference to me!

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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