Singapore Lee's son, Lee Hsien Loong, Bashar al Assad and Kim Jong Un

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The one thing that is common among Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew's son Lee Hsien Loong, Bashar al Assad of Syria who is just about to be toppled and North Korea's Kim Jong Un is this; they are all the son's of their fathers and it is that qualification alone that put them where they are.

Lee's son, had it not been for the fact of his father, he would probably have been working as a bank teller in one of Singapore's Chinese owned banks. And he wouldn't be talking so much either and what is worse expecting us to listen.

His father sent him to an English university where he obtained some sort of a degree. Upon his return he promptly was made a General in the Singapore army, immediately thereafter made to stand for elections with orders to the others that he must be allowed to win, under pain of defamation lawsuits and immediately thereafter made Prime Minister whether anyone liked it or not.

Today he goes around making speeches to his Singaporeans and governs over his one party state, devoid of any free speech, expression, right of protests and with a state controlled press and media. To top it all, he has beside him the police force and a suppliant judiciary who are waiting for orders to imprison, impoverish and bankrupt anyone whom he wants destroyed.

Let's turn to Bashar al Assad of Syria who appears at present in a rather tight situation to put it mildly, of being overthrown and sent off to prison in The Hague for crimes against humanity. He has had a very similar existence to that of Lee's son. He too joined the Syrian army and was made a General in record time under his father’s orders, sent off to England for an education, and upon his return promptly made the President of Syria on his father’s death. Had it not been for his father, Bashar will probably be selling spectacles in one of the souks in Damascus, where he actually belongs.

The case of Kim Jong Un is no different. You see the same pattern. Being the son of his father Kim Jong Il happens to have privileges. In his case, it was a Swiss education and thereafter upon his father’s death President of North Korea.

The other thing which is similar in all these cases is this. None of their subjects have any respect for them. In Singapore, not a single person has any respect for Lee's son, whom we all know got to where he was just because of his father. He has no credibility and no one takes him seriously. If he has managed to govern so far, it is because of the bootlickers who grovel at his feet because it is very profitable, in the tune of millions of dollars in salary and perks. And then you have the masses who have no idea of their rights and are quite prepared to go along because they receive some sort of an income which is better than the neighboring countries such as Indonesia.

And then you the masses of Chinese immigrants who are brought in from the rural parts of China to replace the ever growing massive brain drain to the West and the aging population that are dying off. Such people too have no idea that they are entitled to any rights since they never had any in Communist China from where they came.

As for Syria the people have had enough and resorted to a revolution. In the case of North Korea, since they cannot obtain exit passes to leave the country which they hate, they have no choice but to eat humble pie.

It is funny really to look at Singapore from a distance. Remember I was there, born there and was a Singapore politician before I decided that there is a better way to live than that and very sensibly packed up and left. Although the rate of overseas emigration out of Singapore is already at record levels, I sometimes wonder why anyone would want to tolerate a life like that. I mean a life under Lee Kuan Yew's son.

Gopalan Nair
Former Singapore opposition politician
Attorney at Law
Fremont California USA
Tel: 510 657 6107 or 510 491 4375