Ladies and Gentlemen,
If K Shanmugam, Lee Kuaan Yew's hand picked Singapore Indian Law Minister was discerning to any extent, he should know his days in authority run only as long as Lee Kuan Yew's life. Once Lee is dead, the Singapore Indian's position of Minister would slowly also die and he would, like others of his Tamil kind, slowly disappear into oblivion. With Lee's demise, Singapore's multi racial picture would also slowly cease to exist.
From the time of Singapore's independence and even before, the historical understating was always that Singapore was and is a multi racial country, reflecting the main enthicities that were living in the island, with a slight majority of Chinese and the other half roughly divided between Indians and Malays.
To support this foundational understanding, laws were enacted to give effect to the four languages, Malay Chinese Tamil and English, with English being the main business language because it was felt that Singapore would advance with it rather than with the other languages and scant lip service was also done in the Constitution demanding racial equality.
However, as we have seen, Lee Kuan Yew has had different plans, and lately even more so. Of course we cannot know what he is thinking but my belief is this. Being a Sinophile, to coin the word similar to an Anglophile, someone who is enamoured with Chinese culture traditions and greatness, especially since it appears to be the fastest growing economy today, Lee Kuan Yew it appears has decided to throw in his lot with Communist China, as a second fiddle of sorts. I suppose his thinking is that when China becomes dominant and super powerful, it would also lift Singapore, it's obedient servant.
Therefore he has deliberately decided to make Singapore into a Chinese dominated island, not a Western English speaking island. To this end, he brings in planeloads of Chinese from mainland China as we speak, to deliberately upset the ethnic make up of the island. Today, Singapore Indians who once were about 30% of the population has been reduced to no less than 8% or 9% while the Malays who are the real natives of the island have shrunk to no more than 13%, the vast majority being Chinese.
Today, it is possible for someone not only to live but also do business in Singapore by knowing only Chinese, something that one could not even have imagined before; English is really not necessary. Government clerks speak Chinese, bus conductors speak Chinese and if you wanted to set up a business, it can be done entirely in Chinese. As for English, one only needs it for the odd letter or 2 sent to a government office, which can easily be accomplished with some help, but otherwise, Singapore today is entirely a Chinese city.
But in spite of that, you may wonder why we have government Ministers such as Lee Kuan Yew's Law Minister Shanmugam being a Tamil Singaporean, a dark face in a sea of yellow faces. You also see a couple of Malay Ministers and other Indians such as the Ministers Iswaran and Tharman Shanmugaretnam. The reason for this is simple. It is not because an ethnic Chinese does not have the qualifications to do the job, but because it helps to appease the island's Indian population by showing that they are not forgotten, even though in reality, they are.
But I can assure you that this charade that goes in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore is not going to last. If Shanmugam is still Minister, it is not going to be lasting career, i can assure you that. I reckon a sea change is going to come over Singapore once Lee kicks the bucket. Lee Kuan Yew's Chinese Ministers not only don't see the need to continue with this game of make believe with these handful of Indian faces in authority, the newer Chinese politicians have no understanding or even the appreciation of a multi racial Singapore. To them, Singapore today is a predominantly Chinese society with Chinese language and culture; it is not a multi racial island.
And with Lee's passing, the last remnant of the dinosaur days of Singapore and it's multi racial past will also slip into oblivion; the Chinese politicians will speak henceforth in Chinese to their Chinese masses who would naturally say that there is no longer any need for the likes of this Tamil bootlicker Shanmugam and other such like ceremonial figures; and the only thing left to do would be to say good riddance. It would be the same with the other handful of Indians and Malays with titled jobs and money. The Chinese don't need you. You don't speak their language and you have nothing to give. So it is going to be Adios.
This is not intended as an attack on Singaporean Chinese by any means but just a logical prediction of things to come. It is the same with any other society had they been in the majority. For instance if Singapore was predominantly English then English would be preferred, so with German, French or any other racial group for that matter. It is natural for people of a race to be comfortable with others who are like them, especially a Chinese society which has an illustrious history.
I am afraid, with a few speeches in cultured Mandarin or Hokkien to the Chinese masses of Singaporeans, the Malays and Indians would be history. There simply won't be anymore Indian Ministers in Chinese Singapore. I am not sure whether I should be happy or sad to see this happen. But I am certainly happy to say, I told you so.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Disbarred from practicing law in Lee's Singapore, imprisoned and refused entry to the island for criticizing Singapore's judiciary in this blog (see blogpost May 29, 2008 Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang's Kangaroo Court)
Actively practicing law in California and in good standing at the California Bar.
Member in good standing as a lawyer in England and Wales (Barrister).
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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