Ladies and Gentlemen,
The major problem that the island faces undoubtedly is the abysmally low birth rate, the lowest in the world. Perhaps all right for a large country like China but fatal catastrophe for the small tiny island of Singapore, a tiny island nation state both in size and population. In size it is a mere 26 miles East to West and just 16 miles North to South. In it is packed like sardines about 2 million "original" Singaporeans and "3 " million recent arrivals who have been given "instant" citizenship.
Singapore had about 3 million people who were real or "original" Singaporeans. By this I mean Singaporeans who are not only born in Singapore but whose parents were also born in Singapore or at least had lived many years in the island. These people can be considered Singaporeans and carry the culture, ethos, traditions and way of life of the island which had developed over decades or even centuries. Every country develops a culture, way of life and traditions of its own and Singapore is no different.
Singapore island as you know was British. It laws and government were based on the British model and English was the lingua franca in the island. The use of the English language alone directly and indirectly made people think the European way together with the system of government in Europe.
But all that changed with our "hero" who came along in 1959, Lee Kuan Yew. He thought he knew we best better than anyone else. Never mind the dominance in the world of Western civilization and democracy, he decided, since he knew best that the Chinese Communist way was the best for the island, never mind what anyone in this tiny island thought, and never mind there were sizable numbers of Malays and Indians who were not even ethnic Chinese.
Slowly but surely, since 1959 he slowly dismantled Western style democracy and introduced Communist Chinese style government, in fact an exact replica of what China is today. He abolished the right to free speech, expression and assembly. The island's police can arrest anyone they want, probable cause or no. The judges are all carefully selected to deliver government approved verdicts. The entire media is state controlled and there is no independent media. In order to get a job or succeed, you have to be a government supporter. Government critics are arrested and jailed on trumped up charges and destroyed. These are exactly the same things you see today in Communist China. And these are exactly the same things you saw in the former Soviet Union.
But unfortunately for dictators all over the world, their predictions always prove wrong in the end. The truth lies in a human beings right to self determination and not in forced submission. The human spirit will not be forced to obey what goes against the truth. As a result dictatorships always fail in the end.
And this is the problem that Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore is facing today. A people who are not allowed to speak freely, assemble or peacefully protest are not a happy people. Not being happy, they are not productive. They refuse to marry and have children and given a chance they don't want even to live in that depressing island preferring instead to emigrate.
As a result the island has the lowest birth rate in the world. Last year it was 1.24, below even the replacement rate. Malays and Indians are trying the leave the island en masse, Malays to Malaysia and Indonesia and Indians to India or wherever else would take them. As a result they are literally becoming extinct in the island. Even the Western educated ethnic Singapore "original" Chinese are opting to move to Australia and any Western country that will take them.
As the low birth rate and en masse emigration to the West continues, the island's dictatorial government has no choice but to bring in people from the outside; otherwise who will do the work to run the country to make more money for the dictators? You cannot bring in hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians and Albanians to the island since this would be glaringly incongruous in the middle of South East Asia. Moreover the Bulgars and Albanians would not perhaps be willing to run around like poodles at each command of Lee Kuan Yew's son the present Prime Minister and today's island dictator. So who else to bring in the plane loads than Communist Chinese, who are the perfect fit. Communist Chinese in China have no rights, can be arrested anytime at the whims of the Chinese politburo and are quite happy to do as they are told. So who better than the Communist Chinese to populate the island. Best thing of all, no one would even know the difference since they are both Chinese and no one can tell the difference.
As a result Singapore today has completely lost any connection whatsoever to its original idea of a democracy based on the British model. There are no real debates in Parliament, which is nothing but a theatrical performance. There is no criticism. There is simply the word of the masters and the total obedience of the islanders. The culture and way of life of the former British colony of the island of Singapore is no longer that of Britain. Today it is that of Communist China.
I wouldn't want to live in Communist China today even if you paid me. Neither would I want to live in Singapore which is just like living in China.
Which begs the question, whose island is it anyway, Communist Chinese or Singaporeans?
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.giopalan@yahoo.com
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1 comment:
Well said!
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