Ladies and Gentleman,
We should not forget the constraints under which Singaporeans live, which makes any suggestion of parliamentary elections a complete joke. If the opposition are under the illusion of winning seats, they must stop smoking whatever they are smoking right now, and come down to earth.
The entire media is controlled by Big Brother which completely ignores the opposition as if they do not exist making people completely ignorant of them. Only yesterday in California, I was at a laundrette talking to a Chinese Student from the Peoples Republic of China to whom I asked what he thought of the Nobel Prize going to Liu Xiabo, to which he had replied that he never heard of him before! The Chinese press is so tightly censored that the vast majority of Chinese have never heard of him, just as they have never heard of democracy, never heard of any rights and living in complete ignorant bliss!
It is as if they have completely given themselves up to their rulers and what is more surprising, they are very happy with it!
Although Singapore is not exactly Communist China, as far as information goes, it is not vastly different. The vast majority have heard of Dr. Chee Soon Juan but not exactly what he really is, but someone who is maligned, vilified and a pervert of sorts.
This manipulation of the press and denial of free and fair information is illegal under Singapore law, but as the people are either terrified or stupid or both, no one questions them and in this method, they prevent any honest democratic politician ever being elected.
As for the Chinese student I met in California, he seemed quite half dead, both in body and spirit. He was a frail looking character who wanted to return to China instead of living in California because he admitted having been brainwashed for 3,000years he cannot change. He had no complaint about his country, about what they did to his countryman Nobel Laureate, and as soon as he got his clothes out of the machine quietly wished me goodbye and left. Frankly he didn't seem very different from the average Singaporean.
And together with the abuse of the legal system with the judiciary controlled by Lee, the lack of workers rights, and the lack of any rights for that matter, Dr. Chee Soon Juan already knows even before stepping into the elections that he doesn't stand a chance in a million. Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong are of course going to win because they have nothing to say about anything and if Kenneth, the late Jeyaretnam's son behaves the same as he is now, which is really nothing, he too will win, because that is exactly what Lee Kuan Yew wants. But Singapore has not and will not get any better with Low, Chiam and Kenneth because their presence in Parliament is useless. It is no different if instead of them, you added a few more cabinets.
What we need is controversy, what we need is public disorder, what we need is civil disobedience; what we need is daily protests on the streets demanding a change for the better. What we need is the daily arrest of good people being paraded before the courts for doing nothing more than than exercising their constitutional rights. What we need is for the people to watch this government misusing their powers on a daily basis and there will come a time very soon, even tomorrow when the people will say no more. That is the moment that we want.
Remember there is sympathy in the ground, let us not forget that. Yes, very great sympathy. Many may not realise the extent of the abuse either because of ignorance or fear but at the same time there are many who are just waiting for the moment when they will break their chains and set themselves free.
There are many foreigners too in our midst who just deplore the state of the lives in Singapore. They too will join only if you did.
Controversy and public disorder is not wrong, it is essential when the government is abusing your every right. And daily instances in public of peaceful protests with stark images across the screen of police dragging away innocent people to jail is just what will change the entire island. You are not wrong in protesting against illegal and unconstitutional rules and laws.
I can assure you the elections will not change anything. What they will do is to place a few more goons for the impression of a democracy. And furthermore Lee is aware that there are many unhappy people today, and therefore make sure of rigging the elections any which way he can not to repeat the 1981 election result of the late JB Jeyaretnam's win. The true opposition, meaning Dr. Chee Soon Juan's SDP don't stand a chance in the world and the sooner we admit this fact the better.
The only hope I see for Singapore is Dr. Chee Soon Juan's Singapore Democratic Party but if they are simply going to contest elections and nothing more, the cows will eventually come home before any change happens.
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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8 comments:
Malaysia should cut off its water supply to Singapore and make Lee Kuan Yew show cause as to why Singapore should not be regarded as enemy alien. So many acts of malignant abuse of the Malaysian leaders should justify this reciprocal act of basic denial of the needs of an enemy alien consistent with the Warsaw Convention on humane treatment of enemies.
Once this basic need is denied Lee Kuan Yew will wake up and kum lan jiao of Najib Tun Razak.
The student you met knows about the Nobel prize going to Liu, but he is too frightened to express his opinion. For all he knows, you might be a PRC spy.
I too had a similar experience. In late 2008, a Chinese women who works at Singapore's GIC office in Silicon Valley was eager to strike up a business conversation with me. Smart woman, who had a lot of useful observations about industries, companies, Singapore and Asia.
But, when I asked her about Temasek, which was then in the news after having made so many bad investments, she became visibly nervous, looked over her shoulder, and kept saying she did not know anything. She wouldn't even volunteer any opinions about Temasek.
It is a cultural thing with the ethnic Chinese - they have been trained from birth never to challenge authority and never to express their opinion.
This cultural trait hurts even American-born Chinese. For all the academic successes that Chinese-American students have attained, very few rise to the senior management ranks in the USA.
There are more India-born Indians leading American companies (e.g Pepsico, Citibank, ...) than American-born Chinese.
Westerners like people who express their opinions.
Amazing to see someone still so concerned about affairs going on in SG after leaving. Probably love SG a lot once or still do.
If it were me I would have put SG 1000 miles behind me.
-D
To Anonymous Wed 22, 0755,
It is not about loving anything. It is abou the principle that you use your abilites to better society, whenever you can. I guess in your case, you don't care. That is what makes the difference between people like you who just live, and others who struggle for a better society whenever they can.
Hotel Property Ltd (HPL), Ong Beng Seng and LKY.
Worth reading.
- Dr Lee Suan Yew, Lee Kuan Yew's younger brother, was on the board of directors of the company.
- The stock exchange authorities quickly announced that HPL had breached regulations. One day later, Lee Kuan Yew and his son, Lee Hsien Loong, publicly revealed that they too had bought HPL condominiums.
- Lee Kuan Yew, his brother and his son purchased these apartments, they were offered substantial discounts to boot.
- Madam Kwa Geok Choo, chose an apartment to buy. She was quoted a price of $3,578,260. This was a seven percent discount on the list price.
- All in all, Lee Kuan Yew received from HPL a total of $416,252 whilst Lee Junior got $643,185 in discounts.
http://sgcentral.blogspot.com/2006/04/hotel-properties-limited-hpl-saga.html
To Anonymous 0755
You sound like someone from Internal Security Dept of Lee Kuan Yew trying to shut down this blog.
If Singapore leaders can comment on leaders of other countries as evident from Wikileaks why can't Gopalan comment on Singapore leaders.
This is freedom in cyberspace and democracy as everyone else know it except Singaporeans who kum lan jiao of Lee Kuan Yew. Not much to kum anyway, the lan jiao already shrunk after 88 years of kum by so many Singaporeans like Professor Tommy Koh, Tan Boon Teik, Yong Pung How, Belinda Ang, Quentin Loh, and the PAP stalwarts who conspired to extend the Lee Dynasty.
Perhaps Kim Jong Il, Najib Tun Razak, the Burmese junta leaders, Hun Sen should commence defamation proceedings in Singapore against Lee Kuan Yew and tie him down to his Singapore precedent cases like what he did to J B Jeyaratnam, Chee Soon Juan, Tang Liang Hong and give him back his old medicine. The doctrine of "stare decisis" to apply. This should bankrupt the sovereign fund of Lee Kuan Yew and enrich the third world countries in the region.
Anon of Wed 22, 07.55am is exactly the kind of Singaporeans which PAP love.
Ever since emigrants are called QUITTERS by puppet Goh Chok Tong, this divisive tactic is used to shut off Singapore emigrants and make them feel like traitors.
In immigrant populated Australia, the Aussie government encourage the 140 over nationalities living here to stay close in touch with their county of origin thru its Multicultural policies. (Ex)Singaporeans living in Australia are perhaps the only ones left behind - cruelly dumped by THEIR OWN COUNTRYMEN from THEIR PLACE OF BIRTH!!! (I blame PAP for this)
After the QUITTERS comments, the SG govt now wants to rebuild the bridge. Too late! I will enjoy Singapore govt sponsored Food Fairs, donate to Singapore non-govt organisations but will not support the PAP govt. Ever!
Meanwhile, I am smiling at the YES-PAP foreigners that Singapore are trying to bring in, to the horrors of true-blue NS serving Singaporeans.
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