Sunday, October 7, 2007

Singapore. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is not long more to wait. Not at all.

Lee Kuan Yew is 84 years old. He is an old man. And through his years in power, he became corrupt; as all dictators become. He gave power and money to his family and relatives and cronies. The difference between the Burmese junta and Singapore is only a matter of degree.

In Burma, as in Singapore under the Lee Kuan Yew administration, the military dictators plunder the countries wealth before the eyes of the people enriching themselves. If you complained in Burma, you would be imprisoned and killed. In Singapore, you would be sued and bankrupted. As to which is worse, I leave it up to you.

But now the clock is especially ticking for Lee Kuan Yew. He is 84. And the truth is like everyone else, he is human. His body has to give way, his mind too. He will very soon turn to vegetable; and then he will die. That is certain. The only remaining question is when?

The biggest mistake he made is anointing his son Prime Minister. Unfortunately for him, his son does not instill any confidence even within his own party. There are many things Lee Kuan Yew did over the years that attracted the hatred of the vast majority of his people. The only one's benefiting from his rule are his cronies and relatives who are paid enormous sums; and through globalization, the foreign millionaires now resident in Singapore. The rest merely get along.

The reasons for the hatred towards him and his family in power are many; such as nepotism, corruption in paying themselves unacceptably excessive sums as their salaries, the politicisation of the judiciary, using the courts to silence dissent, the muzzling of the press, and various other blatant human rights violations.

The people are angry. They are waiting for Lee Kuan Yew to die; like vultures around a dying hyena in the desert. And when he dies, his son, lacking any ability will not be able to govern. The pent up anger within people will finally erupt; I expect massive street demonstrations, the present ministers who have got their money will be the first to leave the country, others will follow, capital will flow out, and there will be a momentous change.

I hope when the day comes; mind you, I do not say "if" that day comes; because it is bound to happen; I hope that Singaporeans will hold his son and his family members to account for their ill gotten gains of millions of dollars and made to answer for their actions.

The day that Lee Kuan Yew dies will be the day that sets Singapore free; if the present political opponents in Singapore do not mange it earlier. The political dissidents in Singapore now are working hard to propel the protest movement, which, mind you, has already begun, to full steam ahead. I expect when Lee dies very soon, that protest movement will be the cause for massive protests throughout the island.

I have many more years to live. So have all the other political activists. And unfortunately for Lee's son, he too has many more years to live. All of us will see what happens after Lee's death. And all of us expect his son, the Prime Minister and the others who have abused the trust of Singaporeans to answer for their actions.

After all Lee Kuan Yew will have to die very soon whether he likes it or not. A piece of advise for Lee Kuan Yew. If he is smart, he will play it safe by asking his son, his family and his cronies to leave Singapore forthwith. That way, they may be able to avoid the dangers that may befall them; no guarantee, of course.

Waiting any longer may be too late for them.

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

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

funny how you can say that 'people are angry' and all that, which I assume you are speaking on behalf of the people, without any citations or quotations whatsoever.

come back, and effect real change if you'd like. don't just stay where you are, and talk the talk while hiding from the comforts of your home in the us of a.

Anonymous said...

your blog is a good read. but let's be real. people in singapore do not care about anything much more than their ricebowls...there is no passion, not even in love, just look at the birth rates. singapore will never advance, not even when the old man dies. you and i both know what a better life is and we both see through all the rhetoric. the problem is singaporeans themselves. if they do not want freedoms we share, then they have exactly what they deserve. don't waste your time, they will never advance as long as they are promised money, upgrades, or walking sticks for the old and poor. ricebowl mentality my friend, it means more than freedom...

Anonymous said...


Funny how 'anonymous' demonstrates the very act of 'talk the talk while hiding from the comforts of your home'...

Anonymous said...

Despite not being a Singaporean, I am angered, i am an expat yes from one of those 'poorer' nations that Singapore imports from, I thought Initially I could make Singapore my home, but the magic wool that the govt. has pulled over it's citizens makes me mad, this is a transit stop for me.

They call themselves a first world city, it not, it's worse than third world govt., that defines Singapore. If lining their own pockets was an art form, the Singapore govt. would take gold prize. The PM is your king, his wife the Queen and you...productive worker ants, you better have offspring, better pay taxes, and better work till you die.

Perfectly good malls and food courts can be rebuilt at the cost of millions, yet the elderly do not have state provided pensions, how many old ladies are selling tissue packets at the age of 80+? One mall redevelopment cost can cover social security for the elderly, two can cover pocket money funds for needy children, but no...

Probably the only first world nation without first world care for it's citizens, if I was a citizen I would be boiling, but I am not and yet I seeth seeing no one stirring, just like lambs to the slaughter house

Anonymous said...

comment for thought provoker...

the comforts of my home...i live in singapore, there is no comfort in my home. why? because i know what a better life is and when i see how people do not give a hoot, challenge me on this issue, not on writing from the comforts of my home.
it is true, singaporeans do not have a passion or will to fight the fight good fight. yes, you will always have a few who will but the overwhelming majority will not and resort to as you say, hiding in the comforts of their home through blogs like these.

not to say anything bad against bloggers, the point being singaporeans will grumble grumble complain complain about everything under the sun as in blogs, but not step up to the plate to do anything about it. my statements are directed towards the mentality and lack of passion in singaporeans. because all you have to do is wave some money and the mention of upgrades etc., etc., singaporeans will go for that and most do not have the common sense to realize that a change in party does not mean the city will crumble. however if you talk to people most will tell you if there is a government change the networks and connections will be severed, therefore the infamous "what to do" mentality and what about my ricebowl if these networks and contacts that have been built up are suddenly severed.

let's be real, you can bet you HDB, if you really own it, that if singapore legitimately changes parties that certain people will make it very hard for the new party to advance and get things done. and rest assured that that the old party will come backto the rescue and say "we told you so, you should stick with us for peace and prosperity."

and this will happen and it will work because singaporeans are impatient (just wait by the door at the mrt) and have no passion. i agree with the writer of this blog and wants what he wants, however we all know the mindset of singaporeans and until that changes, there is really nothing to debate. we know all the stories about the government and blah blah blah, it is the mindset of the singapoean with no passion that will not advance the nation, not the government. singaporeans generally follow follow and do what they are told. if a business has procedure a,b,c,and d and something not in the procedures happens, most will not know what to do and will panic, it's true. singaporeans are conditioned to be smart, but also to basically be a robot and follow commands...a bit tough to swallow and a bad analogy I admit, but until singaporeans realize this is what they are under this system, they will only argue and never develop a passion except for money and ricebowls...this is your problem, moreso than the currrent government. and no matter how much you want a change in government, the people and the mindset is what has to change even more...this is the problem and the challenge.

impy said...

heh.. i bet you $50 that singapore will be continue to be a stable country under the good leadership of loong.

Anonymous said...

Hi all,

Singapore is NOT a COUNTRY, its a fucking Incoporated.

Why, where on earth, do people have to wait till 65 to withdraw their CPF. I do not like what the ruling party telling me what to do.

I think they shhould listen to what we tell them. They are public servants not royalty.

As I'm 50% Hakka, Hey old man listen to this "I kill you with the stick, mthe stick also need to be thrown into the sea" You know what I meant, You old fart.