Friday, November 23, 2012

Singapore Island. A society of slaves

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore Island, a tiny place at the tip of the Malay peninsula with a native population of about 2.5 million and another 2.5 million foreigners. It is ruled by Lee Kuan Yew and his son, whose family have continuously ruled the island people for the last 50 years. Throughout that time, its people have lived no better than slaves of the Lee Ruling Family as they do now.

Just like slaves, the people of Singapore have no control over their lives. The government controls it. The entire island’s news media is completely controlled by the government. No bit of information which the government has not censored is released to the public. In this manner, the government is completely able to control the lives of its citizens.

Here is an example. Yesterday's Straits Times, a state controlled newspaper has this article, "New Minimum Standards for Taxis" Nov 23, 2012. The following is part of this article:

"Cab operators will have to ensure that their taxis are plying the roads during peak hours and clock a minimum mileage everyday.
These new standards, aimed at making it easier for passengers to get a cab during peak hours, take effect from January.
The six operators must ensure that 70 per cent of their fleet clock an average daily mileage of 250 km a day from next year. This standard will be upped to 85 per cent in three years.
They must also have 70 per cent of their fleet on the road during peak hours. In three years, the standard will be upped to 85 per cent."

Please see http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/new-minimum-mileage-standards-taxis-20121123

As you can see, without any debate whatsoever, the government by themselves had decided, whether the taxi drivers liked it or not, that they are required henceforth to drive additional hours at specific times. Just like that. The drivers are not asked what they thought of it, the people are not asked what they thought of it, and no one else was ever asked what they thought of this. Just like that, drivers would have to do as they are told, or else stop driving a cab.

It is like this with every aspect of life of every person in Singapore Island living under Lee Kuan Yew's rule. You are simply told that your lives have changed tomorrow and what you think is totally immaterial.

It is not much different from living under a King. Just like a King, Lee and his friends at the top decide on how to live your lives, and all you have to do is obey.

Had this been considered for taxis in San Francisco, firstly, the plan to promote this would have been made public, the taxi associations would be invited to comment, the public would be invited to comment, the newspapers would carry headlines on this, radio shows would be conducted for the public to speak on this, and after all this, the city councilors would call town hall meetings with the people and only after this would the debates be held to finally vote one way or the other. That is why San Franciscans are not slaves and this is why the people of Singapore are nothing but slaves.

And this is why, Americans are proud human beings, a free people, who are proud of their lives as human beings and proud of their country as a democracy. It is the feeling that your life counts, your views counts and you are a respected member of society. It is this same good feeling that the British, the French, the Germans and every other citizen of democracies in the world. The ones who live like the people of Singapore are the citizens of Communist China, North Korea and Cuba. Like the citizens of Singapore Island under Lee, they too have no control over their lives.

It is like this everyday in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore. Yesterday Lee's state controlled newspapers also carried a story of car license fees hitting sky high (COE fees). No one was ever consulted. Lee Kuan Yew's people are just required to obey and pay.

The streets of Singapore are filled with foreigners who steal jobs from locals. The locals hate this policy. But no local is ever consulted. The government will simply bring in as many foreigners as they like, simple as that.

I hope the reader appreciates the picture I am painting of Singapore. The Lee Ruling Family simply feel that they can do whatever they want, anytime they want and the people simply have to accept them. They have no other choice.

So what do people think of living like this? Well, it will depend on who you ask. If you ask an Australian foreigner who is temporarily working in Singapore, he would probably simply laugh. He thinks Lee Kuan Yew is a clown for behaving like this. Of course he does not care one way or another. He is in Singapore only temporarily to make some money. Singapore is not his home and he will go home to Australia soon anyway.

But as for the locals, most of them don't even realize that they live as slaves. They know no other way of life. There are some locals who have travelled abroad, and they are the ones who hate this sort of life and leave for settlement in the West in increasing numbers, leaving those unable unwilling or incapable behind as Lee Kuan Yew's slaves.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney t Law
Singaporean by birth in exile
Fremont, California, USA
Tel: 510 491 4375

3 comments:

John Lee said...

Singaporeans ie. the infamous 60% are not called Sinkies for no reason.

These 60% are a large group of goons who have the herd mentality.

These species of not so human homosapien Sinkies have been variously termed as goons, ugly, greedy, idiots, daft, emotionless, cowards, self centred, yes even rascals.

They complain much and about anything under the good sun but will dare not do anything about it. Just a shout and they will all again fall in line.

They are a politicians dream electorate. As a politician in power you can call them names, treat them like children, tax them to death, trample upon them and even throw them into the river but they will still vote for the same party over and over again.

In return all you have to do as a politician in power is just to feed them junk like chicken in a chicken coop.

Sometimes as a politician in power you take away the little goodies from them to brainwash them as to who feeds them and to whom they are obligated.

These Sinkies are the lowest form of human species.

Grrrrrrh

Gopalan Nair said...

To John Lee,
I think you give too much credence to Singapore's elections. In truth, it really does not matter who they vote for, the Lee Ruling Family will continue in power. What they need is mass protests and peaceful demonstrations to demand justice and democracy. Unless that happens nothing will change. Elections make no difference. I think Singaporeans who still live there are unaware of their rights. As such they are unlikely to do anything which makes a difference. On the other hand, those who are aware are and will leave the island, leaving only ignorant masses and foreign labor who will do nothing because they don't know or don't care. Eventually of course Singapore will collapse because these people will not have the qualities necessary to make it a success.

Jackomo Finanae-- IKO! said...

Excellent Article Gopalan! 100% on target!

Hey Singaporeans still in Singapore, I am an ex-Singaporean living in the USA who left Singapore more than 2 decades ago. Aren’t you jealous? Do you feel a Twinge of envy? Do you wish you too had that chance? To paraphrase the song by the “Pussycat Dolls,”

Don’t you wish you were in the West like me?
Don’t you wish you or your parents had left like me?
Don’t you wish you had the freedoms like me
Don’t you, Don’t you?

Don’t you wish you had the brains to leave long ago like me?
Don’t you wish you had some rights like me?
Don’t; you wish you had the breaks like me?
Don’t you, Don’t you?

Take care….