Singapore's model citizens, unscrupulous, indifferent or dumb

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew who runs the island with his family and close friends has made his position abundantly clear, which is, that he knows exactly what is good for Singapore which he has run for the last 50 years or so. Therefore he doesn't want anybody coming around and telling him how and what he should do, and if you persist, he will have you arrested or sued and bankrupted by his judges.

What he wants is for people to agree with him and work for him. If they do that, they can expect very good lives in his island. Otherwise bad luck if you find yourself miserable.

Who are these people who succeed in this sort of a society anyway? Well firstly there are the overly ambitious ones. These people generally do not have any scruples. From the outset they have decided that the best way to succeed under the Roman Emperor is to be liked by him and do as he says. Since the island needs educated people, they make sure their children pass the necessary exams, usually in the sciences, and some in law to run his courts which are used to distort the law and destroy the opposition. Therefore, to realize their dreams of great wealth under Lee Kuan Yew, they do well in school, obtain scholarships to prestigious universities and return to Singapore Island to serve Lee.

Of course they are aware that Lee has a one party totalitarian police state, which denies fundamental human rights, denies freedom of expression and jails people without trial. But governed entirely by greed to realize their ambition, they willingly discount these things and serve their master, Lee Kuan Yew. They are on the whole unscrupulous characters that happen to be very rich thanks to Lee Kuan Yew.

Then you have the masses that are simply indifferent. They do well too. Lee appreciates them too because they have no opinions about anything important, and even if they do, deliberately shut their minds to it. Since they don't come in the way of his plans on how the island is run, he has no problems with this group. You can find them in government offices and companies and businesses all over the island. They form the largest majority. Mindless opinionless robots.

Then you have the dummies, people who don't really know that Lee is taking them for a ride. For instance they are not aware that the police should not be going around harassing anyone they please. They are not aware that freedom of speech is not only a good thing, it is a right that they have. They are not aware that judges are supposed to be independent and follow the rule of law, thinking that since they serve Lee, they can do anything he pleases. Lee Kuan Yew likes this group too, since they are simple people who will do as they are told, without bother.

The ones who have a hard time in Singapore are those who bother to think. It is not a good idea to be going around reading books on democracy or philosophy and trying to push your views on Lee's one party totalitarian police state. He simply doesn't like that. You would simply be in the way of his grandiose plans. Such people shouldn't waste their time in Lee's Singapore because it is not going to pleasant. If you are a thinker and have some strong views which may not be entirely similar to that of Lee Kuan Yew, which by the way is entirely normal human nature, I suggest you bypass Singapore for somewhere else. Go to Australia or the US or Canada where they appreciate thinking discerning people with ideas and ideals, which may or may not comport with those of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew.

On the other hand if you don't think too much yourself, with no strong views about anything big or important such as the society you live in, somewhat like a poodle, then Singapore is the place for you. You can look forward to a long and pleasant life under the rule of Lee Kuan Yew and Company provided you do as he says.

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