Ladies and Gentlemen,
The cardinal issues surrounding Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore government's demand that Silviu Ionescu, the former Romanian diplomat accused by Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore of a fatal hit and run accident in Lee's island is not only whether he was guilty of the accident; it is equally important whether he will get a fair trial in Singapore.
In democracies the cardinal rule is whether a defendant will get a fair trial; not whether you believe he committed the crime.
In countries that uphold the rule of law, the admirable time honored rule had always been that even Adolf Hitler is entitled to a fair trial. If that is impossible, then he deserves to go free.
The rule has always been, in democracies, that a million guilty men should go scott free lest one innocent person is denied justice. That is British jurisprudence, American jurisprudence, European jurisprudence. That is the bedrock upon which freedom itself rests.
Consider Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore. It is known throughout the world as a country that uses the law to demolish political opponents of Lee Kuan Yew. JB Jeyaretnam, Tang Liang Hong, Dr. Chee Soon Juan and myself has experienced this first hand. Singapore law is what Lee Kuan Yew instructs his judges to do at any particular moment of time. Singapore law is Lee Kuan yew's plaything. It is his tool to silence anyone he does not like. His judiciary is corrupt and will do anyting he says. Singapore to quote Silviu Ionescu himself has a "human rights problem". And that is something the world is already aware; and is the major problem in this case.
In the case of Ionescu, we have heard the Singapore Coroner has found him guilty. But the question is not whether the verdict of the Singapore Coroner is just; but whether anyone in the present disgraceful position that the Singapore government and it's courts find themselves in; the question is whether anyone will believe the judgment of the Singapore Coroner. That is the million dollar question. And that is where Singapore fails miserably. And that is where the advantage lies for Ionescu and Romania.
Dr. Silviu Ionescu may well have been guilty of the fatal hit and run accident, as Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore claims. But the bigger question is not whether he is guilty, it is whether he will get a fair trial in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore.
Singapore's shameful history has shown that Lee Kuan Yew and his minions in government would be prepared to tailor any evidence they want anytime to finish off anyone they want. Do you recall the late President of Singapore Devan Nair? Lee Kuan Yew claimed that Nair was drunk, fondled Dayak women in Sarawak and other unimaginably crude and preposterous accusations against him. On the other hand there was universal condemnation of Lee Kuan Yew by the free world who did not believe one word of what Lee Kuan Yew has said. It was the same with JB Jeyaretnam and even myself.
The question is this. If Lee Kuan Yew who has been running Singapore as he pleases for the last 50 years including the judiciary has so been thoroughly discredited as he is, what guarantee is there that in this case, the entire case against Dr. Ionescu has not been stage managed? What guarantee is there that every single witness brought forth to the Coroners Inquiry was not doing it at the behest of Lee Kuan Yew. What guarantee is there that Lee Kuan Yew himself did not give orders to the Singapore Coroner to come up with the guilty verdict?
What guarantee that none of this shameful nefarious activity in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore had never occurred, but is entirely a product of Lee Kuan Yew's orders? What guarantee is there that Lee Kuan Yew had a personal vendetta against this former diplomat because he was reporting badly on Singapore's human rights record as he claims? What guarantee is there?
The Romanian government is trying hard to keep cordial relations with Singapore naturally. But very politely the Romanian government should tell Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore that it's reputation has been tarnished beyond help by Lee Kuan Yew's abuses in his island, that there is no guaranteed that Dr. Ionescu will ever get a fair trial and Lee Kuan Yew and his son should simply bugger off.
Please do not mistake my stand here as showing indifference to the dead man's family. No my sympathies cries out for them. But here, Lee Kuan Yew has shot himself in the foot. His judiciary has been discredited in the eyes of the world. And neither Romania nor Dr. Ionescu should be expected to have anything to do with them.
It would have been different if it was the UK or Australia. But Singapore is not like the UK or Australia. It's courts are like those of North Korea. Had this happened in North Korea, Romania would not have handed him over to Kim Jong Il. Neither should they hand him to Lee Kuan Yew.
These are not democracies. These are dictatorships whose courts do anything the dictator wants.
It is the height of ironies for Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore to tell the Romanian government that Dr. Silviu Ionescu had tarnished it's reputation! Let me ask what about the reputation of Singapore? Is it not a case of the pot calling the kettle black?
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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13 comments:
I think you should consider renaming your blog from "the singapore dissident" to the "singapore patriot" - you are fighting for the silent majority which you don't have to in the first place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjEh60Q5g34&feature=related
The LEEport in 144th Times wrote about the nasties of Confrontational model of Democracy. But who is responsible for the Confrontation?
Answer: PAP and LEE people.
Since when we heard of suing, banksrupting and jailing of Opposition and anti-PAP in a proper democracy?
LEE brand of politics set a bad reputation for themselves.
How come the LEEgime LEEders never question their own clown behaviours of foreign media.
HARRY LEE, at 87yo, must be the biggest and nastiest clown in his land.
Sometimes, it is fated why certain things happen to his wife, sons, daughter, daughter in law and grandsons.
Trial by LEEporters. Yes! LEE style.
The Romanian government should read this to understand why Silviu Ionescu, who has been tried and convicted by the Straits Times, will not get a fair trial in Singapore's courts.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3938905/Human-rights-democracy-and-the-rule-of-law-in-Singapore
To the family of the victim of the accident, you must write to the Romanian government, presenting your evidence, and have them try Silviu Ionesc in Romania.
Just as the the once-respected red Singapore passport has lost its prestige through Singapore citizenship being handed out to every Tom, Dick and PRC hooker alike, the legacy of decades of abuse of power has now come home to roost thanks to the internet. With that knowledge comes global scrutiny, and when the microscope focusses on Singapore's judiciary, there simply is nowhere to run, no conceivable excuse that can be proffered to justify the barbaric treatment meted out by its courts to those who objected to Lee Kuan Yew's high-handed methods and were brave enough to say so.
There are no two ways about it. Singapore's judges and lawyers, with a vanishingly few honourable exceptions, have been and still are craven, self-seeking and complicit in the tearing up of the rule of law and the emasculation of the nation's Constitution by the ruling political party. They now have the dubious honour of being held up as text-book examples of the classic kangaroo court and with that ugly track record comes such a loss of credibility that no democratic country could in good conscience subject one of its citizens, whatever the charge, to the tender mercies of a prima facie seriously debased judicial system.
Indeed, Ionescu's own lawyers would have a field day shooting legal fish in a barrel should the Romanian government be mad enough to attempt to send him to face Singaporean justice. The poor widow and relatives of the dead and injured men need to stare accusingly not only at Ionescu but also at the PAP Singapore government. Thanks to its heinous past and present-day conduct, PAP has lost them their right to justice and compensation and the (alleged) perpetrator of their nightmare will walk off whistling into the Bucharest sunset, scot-free.
Temasek’s $1.1b project bites the dust.
LKY's daughter-in-law f*cks up, again!
People of Singapore lose more money because of Temasek.
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/04/12/temasek-holdings-1-1b-blessed-project-bites-the-dust/
Dear Gopalan,
Just read the Facebook "Bring Dr Silviu Ionescu Back to Singapore!!"
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=292619162532&ref=ts
It is frightening how Lee Kuan Yew's Red Guards are trampling on the laws and seeking Silviu's blood.
Just as you mentioned about Singapore laws being manipulated by Lee Kuan Yew, I wonder who will takeover "Singapore Laws" after his passing.
Those who believes Singapore judiciary is non bias, independece & fair got to have their mind be examined.
You are just a fucking dick head that want to condem everything abt singapore. Imgaine the widow who lost her husband. The sons who lost their father. And you are the same ball-less dick head from romania that ran away from responsibilities. Why not come back on 2012 and run for the election, since you are so patriotic?
you dont even have the balls to allow us to upload any comments that we want and you say that singapore do not have any human rights? Same same but different attitude huh?
Mr Nair, why is there a need for you to politicize everything to be about Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore's failures? Please, get out of your armchair and do something if it really means that much to you.
It is sad that a dead man's family cannot find the justice needed because of our judiciary system's 'leanings' to the state that's quite well known to the international community.
I am fine about the stance on this blog as I believe everyone has the right to communicate their thoughts, whether their views are accepted by the masses is another thing.
The issue here is not Mr Nair's patronizing of the those accident victims and family but whether we will see the senior mps give out a strong statement regarding this.
I hope our Master Marksman can be as ruthless to those that bully the laymans(the normal working class who slog off everyday)as he have been to all opposition of the ruling party, since it is in their duty to protect us as we have voted for them. Or are our top leaders still stuck in western "awe" that the asian man is inferior to a white man. Sometimes I wonder why those senior mps only bully our own people(opposition parties are singaporeans too) but become a rickshaw puller when dealing with the bigger nations. I really want justice for the famillies so that they could have closure to this debacle.
To those too quick to put down Mr Nair, I hope you take a step back and look at all angles. I don't agree on the stance of the current oppostion parties of Singapore, but listening to them could be beneficial towards understanding the bigger picture. Remember we are a city state, and city state historically do not last more than 50 years on the average.
Although I'm of the younger generation I really put JB Jeyaretnam in high regards, he is a man who actually fought for the poor, minorities, and the blue collar rights. To sum he fought for our welfare and before his passing I saw the frail JB standing to give leaflets at a bus interchange, engaging with the young. Sadly it seems nowadays all the opposition parties cares about is democracy and human rights, that's all good but if the poor can't find food, would they care about peaceful demonstration or human rights? From the underprivilege perspective they are screwed by both ruling and opposition. Who actually listen to their cries?
Overall I hope the political landscape of Singapore could change to accomadate more open dialougue between the ruling and opposition. To Mr Nair, I applaud you for fighting for your cause, you may not have won me over but at least I hear all the sides of the story.
Sir, I pity you.
You are a bitter man. I think you would acknowledge that yourself.
I am a much younger person than yourself, perhaps I might help remind you of the promise that life held for you in earlier days.
Now consider why you are in the frustrated state you are in now. Your inability to let go of personal grudges, imaginary or otherwise has stifled what could otherwise have been a fulfilling life.
Sir, let go of the past, go find something really worth throwing your life, heart and soul into.
It is not found in this sham of a blog. You might have, in some distant past, really cared for Singapore. But somehow you lost that love, and what remains is your pride, anger and frustration at yourself which you project onto the entity you create in your mind of the Singaporean government.
Sir, throw away that pride.
It is not too late. Forgive Singapore. Forgive yourself.
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