Singapore, from a Colonial Democracy to a Lee Kuan Yew Dictatorship

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the early days of the 20th Century, Singapore was a British Colony. But it was also a democracy. In the 1950s and 1960s, Singapore had a fair and independent judiciary, a criminal jury system, a free press, free and independent trade unions, social security and unemployment benefits and above all, fundamental human rights.

My father came to British Singapore from India because it was a democracy under British rule. He would not have come were it a dictatorship.

Once Lee Kuan Yew took over in independent Singapore, the people literally went from good to bad. Steadily and progressively throughout his one party rule up till today, he systematically dismantled the democracy which the British had set up. But even worse he made sure that he systematically brainwashed Singaporeans into accepting a life in perpetual fear of the government, and making them believe that any form of resistance against them is not only bad, but illegal as well. This is how it has gone on up till today, with Lee Kuan Yew's glittering skyscrapers shooting into the equatorial sky with modern roads and amenities but leaving the people totally bereft of freedom, any fundamental rights and an island almost emptied out of its educated and skilled who have all left for settlement abroad.

What is amazing is either his inability to understand or his deliberately ignoring the fact that educated and discerning human beings will not be satisfied just with tall buildings and good roads, they also need some self respect.

Totally ignoring this fact, he went along deliberately and openly abusing the legal system by turning the judiciary into nothing better than Kangaroo judges in their Kangaroo courts, totally denying a free and independent press, criminalizing free speech and expression and openly being corrupt by paying themselves millions of dollars as salary. And worst of all, he made it very clear through deliberate victimization of any politic critic through defamation actions and dismissals from employment that he will not tolerate any criticism whatsoever.

After doing this, what did Lee Kuan Yew expect? Did he expect educated professionals and their families to eat humble pie and merely sing along with him in his island?

Today, not only have I left, almost everyone else I knew in my school Raffles Institution have all probably left. And I mean the majority, not just a few. I don't know where they are over the globe, but I expect many are in Australia, New Zealand and the other English speaking western countries.

The ones who have stayed behind are those who did not have an education or skills enabling them to emigrate, or those unable to see the depths to which their lives and spirit has descended. They are either foreigners for whom such things as democracy and human rights do not really  matter since they are not going to be there for long, and those who are ignorant and of course not to forget the bootlickers and sycophants who surround him like leeches for the good life he provides.

Lee Kuan Yew while building his skyscrapers has managed to deplete the island completely of its intelligentsia and professionals and today relies entirely on expatriate temporary workers and his cronies to run the show.

With this change, the true Singaporean way of life and its original character and culture has all disappeared, leaving Singapore as just an island peopled by some disparate foreigners who are there to make a buck as long as the going is good.

As for the true capable and thinking Singaporeans, they have simply said goodbye long ago.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California
Tel: 510 491 4375
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com