Ladies and Gentlemen,
It was a pleasant surprise to read Li Xueying's article in the Straits Times of Feb 03, 2007 "PAP moves to counter criticism of party, Govt in cyberspace" which requires me to gladly, revise my earlier bleak view of Singapore's prospects for freedom.
Earlier, I did not realize that bloggers and web sites critical of Lee Kuan Yew's government had any great effect in changing the political system. Apparently according to Li of the Straits Times, the Lee Kuan Yew government not only think so, but they have in fact commissioned no less than 3 Ministers to challenge this formidable onslaught by bloggers like myself.
One point that clearly shows the weakness of Lee Kuan Yew's government is the admission by them that they have employed agents to rebut this overwhelming criticism of the people but what is more revealing of their weakness is their admission that these agents will be doing their work anonymously. Why anonymously? Don't they themselves believe in what they say, and if so, why the need to do so "ANONYMOUSLY"? This admission by them speaks volumes on their dishonesty, their abuse of legal process to destroy their opponents and all manner of dirty tricks, since if they were honest about what they have to say, they will say it proudly, identifying themselves and standing firm on the veracity of their statements. Really, I have not heard any other decent or credible government in the world, worth it's salt, that will not be prepared to stand by their statements in defense of their government and policies. Only a weak and dishonest government, who no longer have the support of their people, have to rely on such shameful clandestine methods. This fact alone shows how weak they are and the abysmal depths of shame and deceit that they must resort to, to remain in power.
The report also states that the PAP feels that their counter arguments against those attacking the PAP cannot be "too obvious, otherwise it would come across as propaganda". Really, this statement is shocking coming from the PAP. They appear to be saying that their agents who will be attacking the bloggers critical of the PAP, must do so only mildly because if they came up with a forceful or deliberate argument, no one would believe them! So much for the credibility of this government.
Well, my name is Gopalan Nair and you have my address and I will say what I say in California, in Singapore or from Kwajilean Atoll in the Pacific Ocean if need be. You have my picture as well.
It appears, from Li's report Singapore government is working very hard to succeed in this clandestine, cloak and dagger exercise of anonymous counter argument and have secured the services of 20 IT savvy bootlickers to humour Lee Kuan Yew and run around doing the dirty work incognito, clear evidence that Lee Kuan Yew and his family are aware of the great extent to which the dislike of him and his government has increased among his people.
The report also admits that the on-line community is almost entirely anti Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP and there are almost no PAP supporters on cyberspace!
Back to their idea of anonymous blogging, they say the identity of the PAP makers of the statements is not important. Why not? I think it is very important, since these are issues of national interest and national politics that affects the lives of everyone.
The further exciting news from the report is that most younger Singaporeans rely for their political news entirely on the Internet, and have lost all confidence in the state controlled newspaper, but also that they relied entirely on the Internet in the 2006 elections.
I am energized and vitalized by this piece of news. I think therefore that it should not be long before we have Singaporeans coming forward to protest the injustices that happen there. I think the people are angry and ready.
For any Singaporean reading this blog and being moved by what I say, let me say this. You underestimate your strength. Before Lee Kuan Yew and his men, you are stronger than you think. Do not believe that without Lee Kuan Yew's help, you will perish. Not true. Most of you have excellent skills, good work ethics and discipline. You can very easily find work in any other place in the world, if push comes to shove. I am not suggesting that you should leave Singapore. What I am saying is that you need not fear so much for your livelihood as to forgo your principles and your rights. Secondly, if you are persecuted for your beliefs and you find it intolerable, you can always easily obtain asylum status in any European country or the Americas. There are also a multitude of scholarships and assistance programs to assist people such as yourselves with a conscience. The free world always welcomes men of conscience, only Singapore dislikes them. And if any of you want my assistance in the event that you find it intolerable and must leave, if your destination is the USA, send me a note and I will help you.
Again my saying all this is not to persuade you to emigrate. It is only to tell you not to feel that you are so helpless that you must conform to Lee's nonsense. You need not. The world is wide.
To those who are moved to action by what I have said, I say stand up to your rights and to your self respect. You should first ask yourself whether you are morally right and Lee is morally wrong. Take the issue of the government paying the President $2.6 million a year or other such mind boggling, eye popping figure. Ask yourself whether it is right, when there are poor folks starving in their HDB flats. If your answer is in the positive, that is, you are morally right, then you should act. A banner such as " PAP must distribute national wealth fairly", and with accompaniment of fliers, with you standing at Orchard Road among the passers by. There is nothing morally wrong in your action. In fact you would have done your conscience good because you have done a good deed. You have fought for the poor.
The point is that you are not trying to make the PAP reduce the President's salary immediately. You may or you may not succeed in bringing that about. It is not the end result that matters. It is your action that means everything. Your soul will feel better immediately in having done good. The PAP might try to arrest you and charge you and so on. Believe you me, it will not produce any results for them. As it is, they are tired not knowing what to do with charging Dr. Chee in court. You see, even though Dr. Chee is sent to jail, not one human being thinks that Dr. Chee is a criminal. The public can see, very clearly that it is Lee Kuan Yew and company who are the criminals. So it will be in your case.
And as time goes on, with more protesters, Lee Kuan Yew will just have to call it a day.
Dr. Chee is much more knowledgeble on the principles and pratice of non violent protest than I am. If you have any questions on how to go about it, Dr. Chee or Uncle Yap will certainly put you in the right direction. You know how to contact them.
I think the time is now right, for the protests. The issues are many, and they are all burning issues "Transparency in government financial dealings" " The abolition of the Newspapers and printing Presses Act to permit newspapers without government licences", "Free speech and expression" "Abolish the death penalty for minor drug traffickers" and so on.
Good luck. I am with you.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
EMail: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
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