Ladies and Gentlemen,
In Singapore news Bukit Batok Constituency is to have by elections in May. The incumbent government member has had an affair with a woman and therefore was removed for bad moral character.
Chee Soon Juan, the ever ready opposition politician who has never won any elections in his entire life is nevertheless determined to do it once again. It is reported, he will contest the elections once again against the almighty PAP. Of course he will lose, and we all know that, but he is not bothered by that one bit. The question is by how big a margin this time. One can wonder of course why he continues in this pointless path. He had in the past engaged in public protests to bring about change. I thought that was the right way under the unique political system in that island but apparently he has given that up. Instead he is determined to fight every election knowing full well that he would lose each time.
But strangely in his losing each election, he is in a way helping to destroy the ruling party. It is like this. The vast majority of Singaporeans today are resigned to the fact that you simply cannot live there unless you support the powers above, meaning the ruling PAP. Even to scrape a living in the island, you have to be seen as a supporter. The handful of people who are naïve enough to think otherwise are thrown out of their jobs and have no future whatsoever. As a result of this fascist system of government prevailing in the island, the handful of those who still cherish their independence are simply packing up and leaving en masse for the West. Singapore has the highest brain drain rate in the world.
But each time the ruling party pummel the few opposition politicians at the elections, the numbers emigrating to the West take a spike and hit the roof. So this time again when Chee Soon Juan who will no doubt lose at the coming elections it will actually help to chase even more educated freedom loving Singaporeans out of the island for settlement abroad.
Singapore is a small island city and even a few leaving the island bad enough. But because this government is determined to make it's citizens live no better than the North Koreans without any civil rights whatsoever, English educated Singaporeans are leaving in droves to the West, not prepared to live under a fascist dictatorship. This huge brain drain, the highest rate in the world relative to it's size means it really hurts this regime.
This huge brain drain which continues thanks partly to Chee Soon Juan losing at elections will continue to hurt the ruling party. The ones who pack up and leave are those who refuse to live like a slave under the regime's totalitarian system of government. They are also the very best of that society, the very ones this government finds hard pressed to lose.
Chee Soon Juan is not going to win any election in that island. In fact I won't be surprised if he wouldn't even get 10 % of the vote. But in an uncanny way, he does indirectly serve the cause of freedom by driving anyone with any sense of independence and self respect out of the island. To that extent we have to thank him for that.
The only way you can topple this totalitarian government is through civil disobedience and masse protests and demonstrations; not elections. This regime which has been running the island for the last 50 years and would no doubt be running it for another 50 is a completely fascist regimen. When the state controls every aspect of your life including your jobs, your savings and your housing, and who watches your every move, it is impossible to vote for anyone else. I think Chee Soon Juan knows that too. Although he does not intend it, Chee Soon Juan's losing at elections drives home the message once more that there is no hope at all for democracy in that island. And the hopelessness of the situation will drive even more skilled educated professionals out of the island. And without it's best citizens, naturally the ruling party has to weaken even further.
Singapore will move even closer towards a total fascist state. Very probably 90% of the citizens would vote for this regime, turning it into a mindless conformist society as one would expect in North Korea. With such a society of just followers and no leaders, it cannot expect to achieve any progress. And hence on the path to destruction.
We have to thank Chee Soon Juan for that.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
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