Freedom House 2005 report: "Citizens of Singapore cannot change their government democratically "

Ladies and Gentlemen,

According to the internationally respected human rights monitor, "Freedom House" in their 2005 report, "Citizens of Singapore cannot change their government democratically". Nothing can be further from the truth. And the sooner the citizens realize this the better.

The recently deceased Lee Kuan Yew and his family who run the island of Singapore through their Peoples Action Party since 1959 continuously without break have no intention whatsoever of ever relinquishing power. This is a fact. No matter what, it is they who will rule or none at all. It is like the Chinese Communist Party which rules Communist China in perpetuity.

Recently in 2011, Singapore islanders in some quarters have begun to hope that the Lees may be overthrown after all since they only got 60% of the votes. But you should also remember, if you are aware of it, so do the Lees. And they have taken measures and will take even more measures to make sure that there will be no change at all from status quo.

Reading the Internet which is awash with anti Lee PAP euphoria may give false hope to many seeking change. But if it is hope, it is just forlorn hope.

The Lees are masters in manipulation.

Just as the deceased Lee Kuan Yew thought he was too good for anyone else, which prompted the late Tunku to correctly describing him as "too clever by half", Lee's son  is now busy trying to work out how best to have elections but in reality don't have them. In other words go though the process and the trappings of elections but the Lees win anyway.

In fact, it may be that the Lee family are themselves encouraging this anti Lee bandwagon in the Internet to give the impression of democracy.

While they behind the scenes, collaborate with the Workers Party and indeed encourage you to vote for them when in fact they would instead actually be working for the Lees.

At the same time, you create an atmosphere of fear so much so that every other single self proclaimed opposition politician has self censored himself so much so that they are in fact no different from the ruling party.

One such case is the NSP which calls itself opposition, while the state controlled press are very happy to give them publicity and leaves them entirely alone, free from defamation lawsuits and harassment, while they on their part other than making some lame claims of democracy do nothing more. For instance, they have no qualms about Lee family's industrial scale corruption, the total lack of human rights, no press freedom and no rule of law. In effect they are only a weaker form of the PAP itself; nothing more.

At the next election, Lee Kuan Yew's Peoples Action Party will win again. They have no intention of losing. They have already laid the groundwork through the island wide blanket of fear that is well entrenched in the Singaporean psyche. With this well cultivated fear, half the battle is already won for them, as the vast majority of the average Singaporean has been effectively put off from any political activity, let alone anti PAP activity.

With the groundwork already abundantly laid, the PAP will go around terrorizing every single citizen to vote for them.

Remember the island is one of the most if not the most surveilled  of tiny island's in the world. The government monitors every single citizen, their movements and their thoughts and actions every single minute of the day using their wide state security apparatus and all they have to do is to ratchet up the pressure with even more threats and intimidation.

And one additional possible plan may be for the PAP, realizing that many may favor the opposition, for themselves to encourage people to vote for the Workers Party. After all, since they have already co-opted them, a vote of the Workers Party is a vote for the PAP.

And so I come to my point. The only way that Singaporeans can overthrow this dictatorship is through peaceful protests, demonstrations on the street and peaceful civil disobedience. Singaporeans must realize that democracy is not just voting every 5 years and doing nothing in between. Democracy requires the government to be accountable every minute of the 5 years and if they are dictatorial, to stop them through people power if necessary.

With Lee Kuan Yew, someone who was a leader of the island throughout it's short history no one can doubt his authority or credibility even though one may disagree vehemently with his methods. But his son, who is now the Prime Minister is simply nothing, his only qualification being his father's son. He is weak and is no position to resist any sustained period of peaceful protests and demonstrations.

The question that Singaporeans should ask is this. Do you want democracy or not. If your answer is yes, then you have to do something about it now. Elections whenever it happens will not change anything. In any case, you don't have any leaders to lead you, as anyone capable has been sufficiently put off or bankrupted and destroyed. Many have left the country. What you have today is mostly ignorance or as Devan Nair called them "department store dummies".

The island is going to the dogs. Like a hulk of a sunken vessel at sea, it is slowly rusting away. You have a choice to act or not to. Elections would continue to come and go, but they would only guarantee one thing, the perpetual hegemony of Lee Kuan Yew's Peoples Action Party dictatorship. If that is what you want, then do nothing. Otherwise act now. The 2005 Freedom House report is spot on. "Citizens of Singapore cannot change their government democratically ". You have to remember that.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/singapore.dissident