Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The grim forecast on the Singapore's economy keeps coming in. Worst recession in Asia. 300,000 jobs to be lost in 2009. The population to shrink by a certain percentage. The foreign population of Singapore will leave almost to the last man. Singapore Airlines losing traffic, cargo and pilots. Ships leaving Singapore port for Tanjong Pelapas.
Really it looks very bad. Yet the 86 year old Minister Mentor who used to carry a hatchet in his bag to kill off his enemies, either metaphorically or otherwise I could not tell; his minion Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the Finance Minister and his son whom he placed as Prime Minister; all claim that all this will pass, it is all normal economic fluctuations, nothing to worry about, get yourself a glass of soda, ice cream, relax and everything is going to be fine! Really?
I don't think so. The Singapore model is broken. Incongruous. The parts do not fit. It cannot work.
In the 1960s Singapore was a place for cheap labor. This was its niche. A disciplined willing and ignorant work force working for peanuts was excellent for foreign companies. Quiet submissive obedient workers who will take anything and never go on strike. But this was not the people's idea. In fact the people had no part to play in the entire economy of Singapore since its inception. It was Lee Kuan Yew and his minions who decided everything. It is this lack of the people's output that will see the downfall of this economy.
Then it was banking. Foreign banks were persuaded to set up office here. The money they were particularly after was the illegal money from cheats all over the world. Now you have Burmese drug lords, thieves and cheats from India who avoided Indian taxation, Indonesian cheats who robbed banks, Robert Mugabe who banks his ill gotten gains in Singapore because no one else will accept it, and every other crook in the world finds sanctuary in Singapore. This dirty money is what keeps Lee Kuan Yew and his government going.
And then we have bio tech industry. Several millions of very good money is invested into this industry. Question is will it succeed? I think not. This high technology science involves the presence in Singapore of highly educated people. These people are the first to be informed of the sad state of human rights in Singapore where decent people are sent to jail merely because they wrote a blog post, merely because they carried out a peaceful protest! This intolerance for normal human rights destroys the reputation of any country, just as that of Burma which is completely destroyed. With the bad reputation that Singapore has, being a dictatorship which rules through fear, you are not going to get educated honest scientists to associate with a disgraced state like Singapore.
Where the law is daily abused by corrupt judges, such as Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean of the Singapore High Court, to punish and imprison Lee’s critics. There are a few scientists who might be willing to associate with a disgraced state like Singapore for very high salaries but how many are they? Not a single self respecting scientist will be willing to be seen within a mile of a country like this, let alone be associated with it. Of course, no one can really know the truth, since Singapore’s media is state controlled, and just like other state controlled media, you never hear the bad news. What else do you expect from propaganda?
And then you have tourism. But Singapore has overpriced itself so much and it has got such a bad name for denying human rights, for having the highest execution rate in the world, for torturing their people and foreigners by beating them on their buttocks, for denying lawyers for political opponents of Lee, by denying free speech, expression and assembly, Singapore is now equated with the intolerant dictatorships of the Middle East and Africa. With this bad publicity, a place of tyrannical rule, where people are afraid to speak their minds, honest educated tourists shun the country and go elsewhere such as Thailand, which respect democracy.
Having realized that they have lost all, they have no choice but to turn to gambling. But the success of gambling is not a guarantee. With Taiwan building casinos and even Macao losing money, why should the Chinese rich have any reason to come all the way to Singapore?
The desire to for gambling, in a country which all along considered it taboo, is indication enough. It is desperate. Singapore has lost its niche. Through the greed of Lee Kuan Yew, he has throughout kept the people away from the decision making process. All these years, a few sycophants and yes men who have passed their exams were given carte blanch to do anything they want. And usually when decisions are made without consulting the people, they are usually wrong. Democracies rely on the opinions of everyone, which taken as a whole, guide national policy. That is why democracies may be slow but they remain sound. They don't fall like a house of cards, which is exactly what is going to happen to Singapore; fall like a house of cards.
Singapore has nothing to offer the foreigner. The money laundering part of Singapore banking is coming to an end. President Obama has already made it clear $50 billion is lost to the American Treasury through unpaid taxes, money that is running to tax havens such as Nauru, a pacific atoll and Singapore. This cannot be. He is going to demand Singapore open its books to revel the identity of these crooks, which means the dirty money business will come to an end.
Biotech industry too will end. Foreign western countries are aware they are losing their talent to Singapore because some unscrupulous scientists are willing to forget their duty to mankind and be associated with a dictatorship like Singapore. In any case, none of these scientists are actually stationed here permanently. They spend no more than 1 month a year in Singapore, spending most of their time in laboratories in US Universities. For the Singapore government to say these scientists are in Singapore is stretching imagination to breaking point.
Airlines are losing to Emirates. Foreigners have no desire to dig roots in a country that has the highest rate of executing human beings, torturing human beings and one that denies basic human rights to their citizens as well as foreigners. They use Singapore as a revolving door. Make money and leave.
Since the average man's ideas are irrelevant, the government has been planning what is best. And as usual they get it wrong. And there is no way these mistakes can be corrected.
Today the country has effectively priced itself out of competition. Assembly line work has moved to the neighboring cheaper countries. Illegal banking is coming to an end. Regional airlines are taking the business out of the expensive Singapore air carrier. Biotech and other manufacturing are no longer coming to Singapore. It is as expensive to operate there as in their home countries. Shipping traffic is moving to cheaper and equally efficient Malaysia.
And to top it all, Singapore has the lowest reproduction rate in the world. It also leads the world in the numbers fleeing from the country.
The state controlled Singapore media talks of figures that Singapore claims to have, 400 billion dollars or some such figure. Yet Lee Kuan Yew has never been willing to state the exact figure or where these moneys are invested. I suspect, since it is reasonable to suspect in these secretive circumstances, that in fact Singapore may have a fraction of that money or no money at all! It could be even in a more desperate position than Mugabe's Zimbabwe! We never know, and we can never know because the Lee Kuan Yew remains adamant in not revealing the requested information. As far as I am concerned, it does not matter whether Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore has 400 billion dollars or ten times that. All that money will go in 2 weeks because Singapore really has lost its edge in the market place.
With the present deepest recession ever in history of this island nation without natural recourse, and with a very bad name as a place which denies it’s people their human rights, what can it do now to compete with the world? What does it have to offer? With the much higher wages that people need to live in expensive Singapore, and with the very large public sector, I am not sure if there is anything that Singapore can sell. I know there is oil refining, the air carrier and banking. All areas which are logically going to lose out either to cheaper neighboring countries or because western countries no longer find it profitable to be in a high cost country like Singapore or a country disgraced.
More suicides, more poverty and more hot air from Lee Kuan Yew and his minions published in the state controlled press. I don’t see anything else.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Something about myself. A ten year old boy who never grew up.
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A digression. Something about myself. When I was in Singapore from May last year to November, a lady whom I knew said to me that I was just like a 10 year old boy who never grew up! In fact that was the nicest words anyone ever said to me. I hope I remain so. Forever.
I knew Singapore well but the bus rides, MRT stations etc were new to me. I was after all many years away from Singapore. I asked her to take me to Changi beach to look at planes landing, to Labrador Park to see the ships pass by, to the railway tracks to see the trains go by. I love to see ships, planes and trains. And she said to me, I was like a 10 year old boy. But truly I love these things.
I think she guessed this was the last time I could see Singapore, since as you know, I was soon thereafter banned from entering the country by orders of Lee Kuan Yew. I think she felt sorry for me and she obliged by taking me to see ships trains and aeroplanes.
My father when I was a child took me on Malayan Railway trains almost every Sunday morning to Kluang or Segament in Johore only to catch the oncoming southbound train back to Singapore. I was fascinated by trains. I used to visit Paya Lebar airport to watch planes landing one after another, watching their glide path, holding steady straight and level just above the runway, before flaring with nose slightly up and tail down just before touchdown. I used to pretend to know certain officers on ships docked at Keppel Harbor and get passes to board them. On one occasion, I managed to board the MV Laos docked at the Keppel Harbor, I went to the galley and ordered Courvoisier Cognac, drank so much, that the French bartender took the cap off the bottle and told me to take it easy, reminding me it was Courvoisier that I was messing with. I was 17. It was my luck that I still managed to walk off the gangway to the dock in that state and not fall over the rail into the water. I am not sure whether this vessel is still in service. It belonged to a French company Messageries Maritimes. At that time, it was a cargo passenger vessel plying between Singapore and Vietnam, formerly French Indo China.
Any man is molded by his childhood. I had a happy one. My father had great wisdom and understanding of how a boy should grow up. My life with my father and mother was full of adventure stories, of Treasure Island, of Alexander the Great and his conquests around the world. Of mountaineers and sailors and airmen. He was a great newspaper reader. Once as a boy, he told me Gamal Abdel Nasser occupied the Suez Canal. Of course I did not know anything of Nasser or what in Heavens was Suez. But I knew it was a big thing, seeing the expression on his face. And it is these things that develop curiosity in a child. And also principles. Yes, principles, very important. He used to tell me always to speak the truth, never mind even if they take your head.
And of course, as a boy, I used to take all these things seriously. I admired airmen who made history by flying around the world in light aircraft, of sailors who crossed the oceans in nothing more than dinghies, of Edmund Hilary, first man to conquer Everest in 1953, of Dr. Bannister who ran the 3 minute mile. Of Krishna and Arjun in the Hindu Mahabharata, who overcame the evil in battle.
And it is these things that stayed with me ever since. And thank God, I am this way, thanks to my father and mother.
Honor is the foundation upon which everything has to rest. One has to earn money with honor, because without honor, it is worth nothing. It is better to be poor and honorable, than rich with dishonor. That is the teaching of my late father which has stayed with me forever.
I learned sailing at Changi Sailing Club. You could hire sailboats then. I once took out a 420 sailboat and took it around Ubin. It is surprising how narrow the channel is on the north side from Malaysia. I would say, perhaps 300 feet.
Later I bought a Laser dinghy. It is a cat rigged, unstayed single sail one man boat, about 14 feet. Once I had a life and death incident. I took out the Laser, crossed the channel towards Ubin and headed towards Tekong Kechil, then Tekong Besar, and almost before Tanjong Pengarrang village in Johore, hit high wind. Not being an experience sailor then, about 500 feet from the Tekong shoreline, the boat capsized and turned turtle, with the mast underwater pointing to the sea bed, and the hull facing up. To right the boat, I climbed on the hull, grabbed the centerboard sticking up and managed to right her up. Only problem was the wind was abeam, which meant that she capsized again to the other side.
The trick was of course to face the bow into the wind and then try to right her. That way, the wind will not catch the sail when upright. This I soon realized swam around and turned the bow into the wind and managed to get her up. I then climbed from the transom on to the boat. Only problem now was, the mainsheet had slipped from the shackle block which meant that I had no control of the sail. The mainsheet was flapping in the wind at the end of the boom. The only thing I could do was to grab the boom with one hand, tiller on the other and managed to reach Tekong beach.
I was famished, dehydrated. No water to drink at all. Dying of thirst. I met a Thai worker driving a tractor on the beach. I think they were constructing Tekong Army Camp. I used sign gestures to say I was thirsty. He took me on the tractor to a large barrel containing water. I drank to my fill. The time now was almost 5 pm. It will soon get dark. I had to get back to Changi Sailing Club. I tried to push the boat back into the sea and get on it. Problem was each time the waves pushed it right back. Anyhow after a few attempts I managed to get on it and sail it.
The wind had almost died down. It was night fall. I was underway, but only just. Just after I passed Tekong Kechil it got completely dark. I was on the north side of the channel heading towards the beacon across from the sailing club. I was sailing very slowly just beside the beacon, about 2o feet away from it, when my hull hit a rock underneath! What! I was 20 feet away from it! Surely the water is deep enough. It was low tide you see, and the rocks were just under the surface of the water, unseen. And what was worse, there was no wind. And mine was a sailboat. No motor.
So I got out of the boat and stood on the submerged rock holding it. My boat had no lights. Not even a flash light.
Mind you the narrow channel between Ubin and Changi Sailing club is busy with large tankers and cargo vessel traffic moving across. By now there was no wind at all. If I did attempt to sail the boat across the channel, with what wind I had, what happens if the wind dies completely when I am in the middle of it, with a tanker coming straight at me!
I had to make a decision. One, abandon the boat, swim to the beacon and wait till morning for help. Two, take a risk and cross with what little wind I had and hope it will hold till I reached Changi shore. I told myself, Gopalan Nair, do or die, I will risk it. I am going to sail it across and hope for the best. There was a little wind and I managed to inch forward. I was hardly moving. But when I was in the middle of the channel, my worst nightmares came true. From the west Pasir Gudang side, true enough there was this huge vessel lying high above the water heading straight at me. And I was stuck in the middle with no wind! I could not move! The ship was going to hit me!
You learn in sailing a principle that if you rock the boat left to right hard repeatedly, you will get a little forward propulsion. And this is what I was doing frantically to move the boat out of the way of that ship. When he closed, he sounded his horn. Obviously he saw me. The channel being so narrow and deep water only in the middle, the ship can hardly maneuver out of my way.
I was lucky to be about 10 feet clear of that big ship when it passed me. It was lying very high above the water; with its huge propeller blades half exposed, obviously empty except for ballast, emerging from the water and splashing it with a load roar each time when they came around hitting the water. I was lucky my boat was not pulled towards it, being so close, as that would have been the end of me.
Tired haggard bruised and famished I managed to beach the boat on shore. The time now was about 9 pm. On the beach with a large beer in hand, and pot belly, there a large Australian. I told him briefly what happened. You can imagine my irritation when he asked me whether the boat was all right! For heavens sake I nearly died!
Rider Haggard's King Solomon Mines has a dedication at the beginning which reads as follows:
This faithful but unpretended record of a remarkable adventure is hereby respectfully dedicated by the narrator Allan Quartermain to all the big and little boys who read it.
Truly some boys never really grow up. And that is the best life any boy can have, whether you are a big one or a small one.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A digression. Something about myself. When I was in Singapore from May last year to November, a lady whom I knew said to me that I was just like a 10 year old boy who never grew up! In fact that was the nicest words anyone ever said to me. I hope I remain so. Forever.
I knew Singapore well but the bus rides, MRT stations etc were new to me. I was after all many years away from Singapore. I asked her to take me to Changi beach to look at planes landing, to Labrador Park to see the ships pass by, to the railway tracks to see the trains go by. I love to see ships, planes and trains. And she said to me, I was like a 10 year old boy. But truly I love these things.
I think she guessed this was the last time I could see Singapore, since as you know, I was soon thereafter banned from entering the country by orders of Lee Kuan Yew. I think she felt sorry for me and she obliged by taking me to see ships trains and aeroplanes.
My father when I was a child took me on Malayan Railway trains almost every Sunday morning to Kluang or Segament in Johore only to catch the oncoming southbound train back to Singapore. I was fascinated by trains. I used to visit Paya Lebar airport to watch planes landing one after another, watching their glide path, holding steady straight and level just above the runway, before flaring with nose slightly up and tail down just before touchdown. I used to pretend to know certain officers on ships docked at Keppel Harbor and get passes to board them. On one occasion, I managed to board the MV Laos docked at the Keppel Harbor, I went to the galley and ordered Courvoisier Cognac, drank so much, that the French bartender took the cap off the bottle and told me to take it easy, reminding me it was Courvoisier that I was messing with. I was 17. It was my luck that I still managed to walk off the gangway to the dock in that state and not fall over the rail into the water. I am not sure whether this vessel is still in service. It belonged to a French company Messageries Maritimes. At that time, it was a cargo passenger vessel plying between Singapore and Vietnam, formerly French Indo China.
Any man is molded by his childhood. I had a happy one. My father had great wisdom and understanding of how a boy should grow up. My life with my father and mother was full of adventure stories, of Treasure Island, of Alexander the Great and his conquests around the world. Of mountaineers and sailors and airmen. He was a great newspaper reader. Once as a boy, he told me Gamal Abdel Nasser occupied the Suez Canal. Of course I did not know anything of Nasser or what in Heavens was Suez. But I knew it was a big thing, seeing the expression on his face. And it is these things that develop curiosity in a child. And also principles. Yes, principles, very important. He used to tell me always to speak the truth, never mind even if they take your head.
And of course, as a boy, I used to take all these things seriously. I admired airmen who made history by flying around the world in light aircraft, of sailors who crossed the oceans in nothing more than dinghies, of Edmund Hilary, first man to conquer Everest in 1953, of Dr. Bannister who ran the 3 minute mile. Of Krishna and Arjun in the Hindu Mahabharata, who overcame the evil in battle.
And it is these things that stayed with me ever since. And thank God, I am this way, thanks to my father and mother.
Honor is the foundation upon which everything has to rest. One has to earn money with honor, because without honor, it is worth nothing. It is better to be poor and honorable, than rich with dishonor. That is the teaching of my late father which has stayed with me forever.
I learned sailing at Changi Sailing Club. You could hire sailboats then. I once took out a 420 sailboat and took it around Ubin. It is surprising how narrow the channel is on the north side from Malaysia. I would say, perhaps 300 feet.
Later I bought a Laser dinghy. It is a cat rigged, unstayed single sail one man boat, about 14 feet. Once I had a life and death incident. I took out the Laser, crossed the channel towards Ubin and headed towards Tekong Kechil, then Tekong Besar, and almost before Tanjong Pengarrang village in Johore, hit high wind. Not being an experience sailor then, about 500 feet from the Tekong shoreline, the boat capsized and turned turtle, with the mast underwater pointing to the sea bed, and the hull facing up. To right the boat, I climbed on the hull, grabbed the centerboard sticking up and managed to right her up. Only problem was the wind was abeam, which meant that she capsized again to the other side.
The trick was of course to face the bow into the wind and then try to right her. That way, the wind will not catch the sail when upright. This I soon realized swam around and turned the bow into the wind and managed to get her up. I then climbed from the transom on to the boat. Only problem now was, the mainsheet had slipped from the shackle block which meant that I had no control of the sail. The mainsheet was flapping in the wind at the end of the boom. The only thing I could do was to grab the boom with one hand, tiller on the other and managed to reach Tekong beach.
I was famished, dehydrated. No water to drink at all. Dying of thirst. I met a Thai worker driving a tractor on the beach. I think they were constructing Tekong Army Camp. I used sign gestures to say I was thirsty. He took me on the tractor to a large barrel containing water. I drank to my fill. The time now was almost 5 pm. It will soon get dark. I had to get back to Changi Sailing Club. I tried to push the boat back into the sea and get on it. Problem was each time the waves pushed it right back. Anyhow after a few attempts I managed to get on it and sail it.
The wind had almost died down. It was night fall. I was underway, but only just. Just after I passed Tekong Kechil it got completely dark. I was on the north side of the channel heading towards the beacon across from the sailing club. I was sailing very slowly just beside the beacon, about 2o feet away from it, when my hull hit a rock underneath! What! I was 20 feet away from it! Surely the water is deep enough. It was low tide you see, and the rocks were just under the surface of the water, unseen. And what was worse, there was no wind. And mine was a sailboat. No motor.
So I got out of the boat and stood on the submerged rock holding it. My boat had no lights. Not even a flash light.
Mind you the narrow channel between Ubin and Changi Sailing club is busy with large tankers and cargo vessel traffic moving across. By now there was no wind at all. If I did attempt to sail the boat across the channel, with what wind I had, what happens if the wind dies completely when I am in the middle of it, with a tanker coming straight at me!
I had to make a decision. One, abandon the boat, swim to the beacon and wait till morning for help. Two, take a risk and cross with what little wind I had and hope it will hold till I reached Changi shore. I told myself, Gopalan Nair, do or die, I will risk it. I am going to sail it across and hope for the best. There was a little wind and I managed to inch forward. I was hardly moving. But when I was in the middle of the channel, my worst nightmares came true. From the west Pasir Gudang side, true enough there was this huge vessel lying high above the water heading straight at me. And I was stuck in the middle with no wind! I could not move! The ship was going to hit me!
You learn in sailing a principle that if you rock the boat left to right hard repeatedly, you will get a little forward propulsion. And this is what I was doing frantically to move the boat out of the way of that ship. When he closed, he sounded his horn. Obviously he saw me. The channel being so narrow and deep water only in the middle, the ship can hardly maneuver out of my way.
I was lucky to be about 10 feet clear of that big ship when it passed me. It was lying very high above the water; with its huge propeller blades half exposed, obviously empty except for ballast, emerging from the water and splashing it with a load roar each time when they came around hitting the water. I was lucky my boat was not pulled towards it, being so close, as that would have been the end of me.
Tired haggard bruised and famished I managed to beach the boat on shore. The time now was about 9 pm. On the beach with a large beer in hand, and pot belly, there a large Australian. I told him briefly what happened. You can imagine my irritation when he asked me whether the boat was all right! For heavens sake I nearly died!
Rider Haggard's King Solomon Mines has a dedication at the beginning which reads as follows:
This faithful but unpretended record of a remarkable adventure is hereby respectfully dedicated by the narrator Allan Quartermain to all the big and little boys who read it.
Truly some boys never really grow up. And that is the best life any boy can have, whether you are a big one or a small one.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Singapore. The worst place in the world for a worker to be given the pink slip
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I was listening to the BBC radio World Briefings today 2 pm California time. On the world wide layoffs, someone, an expert on employment was asked to name the worst place in the world to be given the pink slip, a term referring to lay off notice. Not surprisingly, his answer was Singapore. He was in Singapore about 2 months ago, and gave an example. The casino which was under construction suddenly came to a standstill because the company went bust, and 3,000 people suddenly lost their jobs. Since jobs are directly connected to a particular employer, they were immediately packed up and sent home. Today you have a job, and tomorrow you are repatriated. As simple as that.
Not to say that in the US, jobs are not related to particular employers. But at least here, the police do not pick you up the very next day and put you on a flight to your country. And what is worse in Singapore is this. If that worker is unable to return immediately and delays leaving, if he finally wants to leave the country, he is arrested at the airport, handed over to the police and imprisoned. If that is not enough, the poor man will be caned, or rather tortured as well. A totally inhuman way to treat human beings, to say the least!
The man was asked which country is the best for layoffs, his answer being Denmark. There people are helped in finding alternative employment, or retrained and somehow helped to remain in the country. That you see, is a civilized first world country, not Singapore.
My message to foreigners is this. Whether you are a low wage construction or manual worker or a high pay executive, stay away from Singapore. It is a heartless country that treats their people no better than animals. Even a dog is entitled to better treatment than this.
Local Singaporeans fare no better. The government makes a great hoo haa about retraining laid off workers and providing assistance. All this is a so much of drivel, nothing more. The state controlled press of Singapore can say anything they want. At the end of the day, the poor unemployed Singaporean is much worse than any foreigner. At least the foreigner can go back to his country and somehow make do. In Singapore the unemployed have to permanently suffer at the hands of this totalitarian government, which continues to rule through their propaganda machine, the state controlled press.
Coming back to the foreigner, the pain of layoffs is great. Very great. When I was in Singapore's Queenstown Prison from Sept 20 to Nov 20, 2008, Gopalan Nair Prisoner Number 101232008, for criticizing a judge, Belinda Ang Saw Ean for her bias in a politically motivated trial against dissident Dr. Chee Soon Juan, one of my cell mates was a Chinese national who worked illegally in Singapore for more than 2 years as a masseur. He told me he came to Singapore with a visit pass, not an employment pass and worked illegally. The reason was the agents in China were asking for $10,000.00 for him to work in Singapore. Since he did not have $10,000.00, he did the next best thing. He worked without a work permit. He told me he will be caned 6 times for the overstay and working illegally, a brutal, inhumane way to treat a human.
Assuming he had the $10,000.00, if he lost his job within a day of his arrival, he too will be sent home. These people have to sell their houses and borrow money from loan sharks for the privilege of working in Singapore. If they are sent home, they face not only poverty and intolerable indebtedness, but also physical harm or mortal danger for them and their families. Lee Kuan Yew has no worry treating these human beings this way. A country so uncaring, it is unimaginable.
In the US, there are people who overstay their visas and even work illegally. They do get punished in the sense of their not being able to receive visas in future. But at least they can go home if they want without being stopped at the airport and handed over to the police.
The USA is a country that treats humans the way they should. Not Singapore which is a police state which treats not only their own people but also foreigners no better than animals.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I was listening to the BBC radio World Briefings today 2 pm California time. On the world wide layoffs, someone, an expert on employment was asked to name the worst place in the world to be given the pink slip, a term referring to lay off notice. Not surprisingly, his answer was Singapore. He was in Singapore about 2 months ago, and gave an example. The casino which was under construction suddenly came to a standstill because the company went bust, and 3,000 people suddenly lost their jobs. Since jobs are directly connected to a particular employer, they were immediately packed up and sent home. Today you have a job, and tomorrow you are repatriated. As simple as that.
Not to say that in the US, jobs are not related to particular employers. But at least here, the police do not pick you up the very next day and put you on a flight to your country. And what is worse in Singapore is this. If that worker is unable to return immediately and delays leaving, if he finally wants to leave the country, he is arrested at the airport, handed over to the police and imprisoned. If that is not enough, the poor man will be caned, or rather tortured as well. A totally inhuman way to treat human beings, to say the least!
The man was asked which country is the best for layoffs, his answer being Denmark. There people are helped in finding alternative employment, or retrained and somehow helped to remain in the country. That you see, is a civilized first world country, not Singapore.
My message to foreigners is this. Whether you are a low wage construction or manual worker or a high pay executive, stay away from Singapore. It is a heartless country that treats their people no better than animals. Even a dog is entitled to better treatment than this.
Local Singaporeans fare no better. The government makes a great hoo haa about retraining laid off workers and providing assistance. All this is a so much of drivel, nothing more. The state controlled press of Singapore can say anything they want. At the end of the day, the poor unemployed Singaporean is much worse than any foreigner. At least the foreigner can go back to his country and somehow make do. In Singapore the unemployed have to permanently suffer at the hands of this totalitarian government, which continues to rule through their propaganda machine, the state controlled press.
Coming back to the foreigner, the pain of layoffs is great. Very great. When I was in Singapore's Queenstown Prison from Sept 20 to Nov 20, 2008, Gopalan Nair Prisoner Number 101232008, for criticizing a judge, Belinda Ang Saw Ean for her bias in a politically motivated trial against dissident Dr. Chee Soon Juan, one of my cell mates was a Chinese national who worked illegally in Singapore for more than 2 years as a masseur. He told me he came to Singapore with a visit pass, not an employment pass and worked illegally. The reason was the agents in China were asking for $10,000.00 for him to work in Singapore. Since he did not have $10,000.00, he did the next best thing. He worked without a work permit. He told me he will be caned 6 times for the overstay and working illegally, a brutal, inhumane way to treat a human.
Assuming he had the $10,000.00, if he lost his job within a day of his arrival, he too will be sent home. These people have to sell their houses and borrow money from loan sharks for the privilege of working in Singapore. If they are sent home, they face not only poverty and intolerable indebtedness, but also physical harm or mortal danger for them and their families. Lee Kuan Yew has no worry treating these human beings this way. A country so uncaring, it is unimaginable.
In the US, there are people who overstay their visas and even work illegally. They do get punished in the sense of their not being able to receive visas in future. But at least they can go home if they want without being stopped at the airport and handed over to the police.
The USA is a country that treats humans the way they should. Not Singapore which is a police state which treats not only their own people but also foreigners no better than animals.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A letter to President Barack Obama
To,
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20500
Jan 22, 2009 First Class Mail
Dear President Obama,
I would like to congratulate you in becoming the President of the United States. In your presidency, you carry the hope of many around the world who seek freedom. I believe that with your presidency, we can achieve a new age where freedom will be the bedrock upon which everything else will depend.
This letter is a plea to you to help the countless people in Singapore who are suffering under the crushing yoke of Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorship. One of his victims is myself.
I wish to tell you my story.
I am an American citizen, born in Singapore and formerly a Singapore citizen. I lived most of my life in Singapore, and was educated there. I then went to England to read law and was admitted to the English Bar. Thereafter I returned to Singapore, was admitted to the Singapore Bar, and practiced there law until 1991, when I came to the United States, obtained asylum for the persecution I suffered for my political beliefs. I was admitted to the California Bar and have been practicing law here ever since.
On May 26, 2008, I went to Singapore to observe a defamation of character trial in which the Minister Mentor of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew and his son, the Prime Minister were suing Dr. Chee Soon Juan and his sister Miss Chee Siok Chin who are opposition politicians, for having written an article critical of them.
Being a lawyer and someone personally involved in Singapore politics, this trial was of particular interest for me, especially since it was publicized that Dr. Chee Soon Juan and Chee Siok Chin will be cross examining Lee and his son. This particular hearing was to decide the quantum of damages the court will award to the Lees since they had already won this lawsuit earlier. This hearing was scheduled to be heard by Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean in the Singapore High Court from May 26, 2008 to May 28, 2008. I planned my trip to Singapore to last from May 26, 2008 to June 1, 2008, a period of 7 days to enable me to attend the trial as an observer and return after spending the remaining few days in Singapore.
I was in Justice Belinda Ang Saw Ean's court for all 3 days listening to the trial. Throughout the 3 days, this Judge was completely biased in favor of the Lees. She did not give the Defendant Dr. Chee Soon Juan or his sister Miss Chee Siok Chin any meaningful opportunity to defend themselves. Anyone who had observed the trial would have walked away with the same opinion. Full details of Judge Ang's complete abdication of her judicial responsibility is well documented in Dr. Chee Soon Juan blog, http://www.yoursdp.org/.
On the 29th of May, 2008 in Singapore, after the court hearing was over, I wrote a blog post on my blog "Singapore Dissident", http://www.singaporedissident.blogspot.com/ entitled Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang's Kangaroo Court in which I criticized her conduct in her judicial capacity during the 3 days of trial. I am attaching a copy of this blog post.
On Saturday May 31, 2008 at about 8.30 pm, while I was descending from my 7th Floor hotel room at Broadway Hotel, Serangoon Road, Singapore, I was arrested by 5 plain clothes policemen when the elevator door opened at the ground floor lobby. I was handcuffed, pushed back into the elevator, rode to the floor where my room was ransacked and my American passport and personal documents confiscated. I was then driven in their police car to Central Police Station where I was kept in solitary confinement for 6 days during which time I was repeatedly interrogated day and night and accused of having sent Emails to this judge and others, which I never did. I was charged for this. The charge read that I had insulted the judge in the Emails.
When I denied ever sending any Emails, I was charged under the Sedition Act of Singapore for having insulted this judge and told that I will be sentenced to a prison term of up to 3 years if convicted. Subsequently, they reverted back to the Email charge. Finally I was charged for having insulted this judge because I had written this blog post in my blog.
The Singapore Constitution has a provision like in most other constitutions of the world guaranteeing free speech, expression and assembly. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights guarantees this right to every person in this world regardless of race creed or religion. In my writing this blog post in criticism of this judge, I was acting just as any other human being is entitled to act.
After holding me in solitary confinement for 6 days, they officially charged me in court on June 5, 2008. I was then released on bail. My case was fixed for hearing before Judge Kan Ting Chiu on September 08, 2008. Although I had made several requests for my case to be heard sooner so that I can return to my law practice in California, the court simply refused. Two attempts for the court to release my passport to enable me to travel to the US in the interim to take care of business, even though supported by the American Embassy were also ignored.
This meant that I had to remain in Singapore throughout this period which will result in my suffering severe financial harm due to neglecting my practice this entire time of 6 months. I was not able to earn any income from my US practice as well as having to maintain myself to live in Singapore during these months.
Eventually the case came to trial. Judge Kan Ting Chiu was determined to send me to prison. No amount of argument by me in saying that writing a blog post was lawful criticism and a human right, made any difference to him. On the 17th of September 2008, he sentenced me to 3 months imprisonment, a sentence much harsher than even thieves and robbers receive.
On the 20th of November 2008, I was released from prison, allowed to remain in Singapore for 5 days until the 26th of November 2008 when I was permitted to leave Singapore. The Singapore Immigration Department has placed a condition that I am not allowed to enter Singapore again unless I have the written permission of the Singapore Immigration and Customs Authority. This effectively means that I am banned from ever returning to my country of birth.
Since my return to Fremont, California on November 26, 2008, I have been trying to rebuild my law practice which has been shattered. I have also been financially ruined by my forced stay in Singapore for 6 months, from which I am trying to recover.
Despite Lee Kuan Yew's attempts to show Singapore as a democracy, it is far from it. Today, Singaporeans live in mortal fear of their government. The constitution is completely ignored. Singapore Parliament is merely a rubber stamp, the country being run entirely on the dictates of this one man, Lee Kuan Yew. Although the constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression, the law requires permits to engage in such activity and permits are never granted. With one party rule, the people have no legal means to voice their dissent. Dr. Chee Soon Juan and other activists have engaged in peaceful protests for which they have been repeatedly charged and sent to prison. At this very moment, Singapore human rights activists, Dr. Chee Soon Juan, Gandhi Ambalam, Chee Siok Chin and Yap Keng Ho are undergoing a trial for having engaged in a peaceful assembly, one of the many they have suffered.
In Singapore today, there is no free press. Every single newspaper and news media is controlled by the government. The judiciary is entirely politicized and they invariably abuse the law to punish political opponents. The Internal Security Act, giving the government the right to detain people without trial is being used. There are a number of people presently detained in Singapore under this law. The police force is being used as Lee Kuan Yew's private army to arrest detain and charge his political opponents.
Dear President, you have said it is your intention to try to uplift people oppressed under the yoke of dictators. You have said you believe strongly in the right of people to achieve their self determination, to live as men and not slaves. This letter that I write carries the hopes of thousands of Singaporeans yearning to be free, to live as free men and women endowed with the human rights they rightly deserve.
Singapore unlike other countries has no hinterland, no farmland, no place where people can survive without government recognition. It is a concrete island where one has no choice but to submit to Lee's dictates, because inviting the wrath of Lee Kuan Yew would mean being destitute. There are people who are able to emigrate leaving Singapore for a freer life elsewhere. But for the vast majority, leaving Singapore is impossible. They have nowhere else to go. And so they live in submission and fear of Lee Kuan Yew's rule.
You have also said you intend to look into tax havens and money laundering centers where foreigners invest to avoid paying taxes in their own countries. It is very well documented that Singapore banks maintain large investments belonging to Burmese drug lords. The US has placed sanctions against the Burmese government. By Singapore permitting these assets from Burma to remain in Singapore, it is clearly hurting the purpose of the US sanctions. American and European businessmen, in order to avoiding taxes in their own countries also bank their moneys there. I hope your office will look into this and demand that Singapore comply with international standards of financial responsibility and stop profiting from illegal funds.
A free and democratic Singapore is a boon for the US, not a bane. Trade between the US and Singapore will increase, not decrease if Singapore becomes a democracy. Nothing is lost and everything is gained by this.
Even though I am an American citizen, Singapore is dear to my heart. It was the place where I was born. I hope to see Singaporeans proud and free, standing up tall as men and women, not the sheepish lives they live now. Dear President, please do what you can for the people of Singapore. Our hopes ride with you.
Thank you Mr. President.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20500
Jan 22, 2009 First Class Mail
Dear President Obama,
I would like to congratulate you in becoming the President of the United States. In your presidency, you carry the hope of many around the world who seek freedom. I believe that with your presidency, we can achieve a new age where freedom will be the bedrock upon which everything else will depend.
This letter is a plea to you to help the countless people in Singapore who are suffering under the crushing yoke of Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorship. One of his victims is myself.
I wish to tell you my story.
I am an American citizen, born in Singapore and formerly a Singapore citizen. I lived most of my life in Singapore, and was educated there. I then went to England to read law and was admitted to the English Bar. Thereafter I returned to Singapore, was admitted to the Singapore Bar, and practiced there law until 1991, when I came to the United States, obtained asylum for the persecution I suffered for my political beliefs. I was admitted to the California Bar and have been practicing law here ever since.
On May 26, 2008, I went to Singapore to observe a defamation of character trial in which the Minister Mentor of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew and his son, the Prime Minister were suing Dr. Chee Soon Juan and his sister Miss Chee Siok Chin who are opposition politicians, for having written an article critical of them.
Being a lawyer and someone personally involved in Singapore politics, this trial was of particular interest for me, especially since it was publicized that Dr. Chee Soon Juan and Chee Siok Chin will be cross examining Lee and his son. This particular hearing was to decide the quantum of damages the court will award to the Lees since they had already won this lawsuit earlier. This hearing was scheduled to be heard by Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean in the Singapore High Court from May 26, 2008 to May 28, 2008. I planned my trip to Singapore to last from May 26, 2008 to June 1, 2008, a period of 7 days to enable me to attend the trial as an observer and return after spending the remaining few days in Singapore.
I was in Justice Belinda Ang Saw Ean's court for all 3 days listening to the trial. Throughout the 3 days, this Judge was completely biased in favor of the Lees. She did not give the Defendant Dr. Chee Soon Juan or his sister Miss Chee Siok Chin any meaningful opportunity to defend themselves. Anyone who had observed the trial would have walked away with the same opinion. Full details of Judge Ang's complete abdication of her judicial responsibility is well documented in Dr. Chee Soon Juan blog, http://www.yoursdp.org/.
On the 29th of May, 2008 in Singapore, after the court hearing was over, I wrote a blog post on my blog "Singapore Dissident", http://www.singaporedissident.blogspot.com/ entitled Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang's Kangaroo Court in which I criticized her conduct in her judicial capacity during the 3 days of trial. I am attaching a copy of this blog post.
On Saturday May 31, 2008 at about 8.30 pm, while I was descending from my 7th Floor hotel room at Broadway Hotel, Serangoon Road, Singapore, I was arrested by 5 plain clothes policemen when the elevator door opened at the ground floor lobby. I was handcuffed, pushed back into the elevator, rode to the floor where my room was ransacked and my American passport and personal documents confiscated. I was then driven in their police car to Central Police Station where I was kept in solitary confinement for 6 days during which time I was repeatedly interrogated day and night and accused of having sent Emails to this judge and others, which I never did. I was charged for this. The charge read that I had insulted the judge in the Emails.
When I denied ever sending any Emails, I was charged under the Sedition Act of Singapore for having insulted this judge and told that I will be sentenced to a prison term of up to 3 years if convicted. Subsequently, they reverted back to the Email charge. Finally I was charged for having insulted this judge because I had written this blog post in my blog.
The Singapore Constitution has a provision like in most other constitutions of the world guaranteeing free speech, expression and assembly. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights guarantees this right to every person in this world regardless of race creed or religion. In my writing this blog post in criticism of this judge, I was acting just as any other human being is entitled to act.
After holding me in solitary confinement for 6 days, they officially charged me in court on June 5, 2008. I was then released on bail. My case was fixed for hearing before Judge Kan Ting Chiu on September 08, 2008. Although I had made several requests for my case to be heard sooner so that I can return to my law practice in California, the court simply refused. Two attempts for the court to release my passport to enable me to travel to the US in the interim to take care of business, even though supported by the American Embassy were also ignored.
This meant that I had to remain in Singapore throughout this period which will result in my suffering severe financial harm due to neglecting my practice this entire time of 6 months. I was not able to earn any income from my US practice as well as having to maintain myself to live in Singapore during these months.
Eventually the case came to trial. Judge Kan Ting Chiu was determined to send me to prison. No amount of argument by me in saying that writing a blog post was lawful criticism and a human right, made any difference to him. On the 17th of September 2008, he sentenced me to 3 months imprisonment, a sentence much harsher than even thieves and robbers receive.
On the 20th of November 2008, I was released from prison, allowed to remain in Singapore for 5 days until the 26th of November 2008 when I was permitted to leave Singapore. The Singapore Immigration Department has placed a condition that I am not allowed to enter Singapore again unless I have the written permission of the Singapore Immigration and Customs Authority. This effectively means that I am banned from ever returning to my country of birth.
Since my return to Fremont, California on November 26, 2008, I have been trying to rebuild my law practice which has been shattered. I have also been financially ruined by my forced stay in Singapore for 6 months, from which I am trying to recover.
Despite Lee Kuan Yew's attempts to show Singapore as a democracy, it is far from it. Today, Singaporeans live in mortal fear of their government. The constitution is completely ignored. Singapore Parliament is merely a rubber stamp, the country being run entirely on the dictates of this one man, Lee Kuan Yew. Although the constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression, the law requires permits to engage in such activity and permits are never granted. With one party rule, the people have no legal means to voice their dissent. Dr. Chee Soon Juan and other activists have engaged in peaceful protests for which they have been repeatedly charged and sent to prison. At this very moment, Singapore human rights activists, Dr. Chee Soon Juan, Gandhi Ambalam, Chee Siok Chin and Yap Keng Ho are undergoing a trial for having engaged in a peaceful assembly, one of the many they have suffered.
In Singapore today, there is no free press. Every single newspaper and news media is controlled by the government. The judiciary is entirely politicized and they invariably abuse the law to punish political opponents. The Internal Security Act, giving the government the right to detain people without trial is being used. There are a number of people presently detained in Singapore under this law. The police force is being used as Lee Kuan Yew's private army to arrest detain and charge his political opponents.
Dear President, you have said it is your intention to try to uplift people oppressed under the yoke of dictators. You have said you believe strongly in the right of people to achieve their self determination, to live as men and not slaves. This letter that I write carries the hopes of thousands of Singaporeans yearning to be free, to live as free men and women endowed with the human rights they rightly deserve.
Singapore unlike other countries has no hinterland, no farmland, no place where people can survive without government recognition. It is a concrete island where one has no choice but to submit to Lee's dictates, because inviting the wrath of Lee Kuan Yew would mean being destitute. There are people who are able to emigrate leaving Singapore for a freer life elsewhere. But for the vast majority, leaving Singapore is impossible. They have nowhere else to go. And so they live in submission and fear of Lee Kuan Yew's rule.
You have also said you intend to look into tax havens and money laundering centers where foreigners invest to avoid paying taxes in their own countries. It is very well documented that Singapore banks maintain large investments belonging to Burmese drug lords. The US has placed sanctions against the Burmese government. By Singapore permitting these assets from Burma to remain in Singapore, it is clearly hurting the purpose of the US sanctions. American and European businessmen, in order to avoiding taxes in their own countries also bank their moneys there. I hope your office will look into this and demand that Singapore comply with international standards of financial responsibility and stop profiting from illegal funds.
A free and democratic Singapore is a boon for the US, not a bane. Trade between the US and Singapore will increase, not decrease if Singapore becomes a democracy. Nothing is lost and everything is gained by this.
Even though I am an American citizen, Singapore is dear to my heart. It was the place where I was born. I hope to see Singaporeans proud and free, standing up tall as men and women, not the sheepish lives they live now. Dear President, please do what you can for the people of Singapore. Our hopes ride with you.
Thank you Mr. President.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Leave of absence
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I will not be blogging in the near future because of having to take care of work related business, after which I will return to blogging as usual. Lee Kuan Yew's agents, the Singapore Government cybersquad have been writing to me almost daily , of course not disclosing who they are, telling me to stop writing this blog. It is obvious this blog is hurting Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorial government, as is my intention. I have no intention to stop exposing the dictatorial regime in Singapore. This work will go on, after a time.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I will not be blogging in the near future because of having to take care of work related business, after which I will return to blogging as usual. Lee Kuan Yew's agents, the Singapore Government cybersquad have been writing to me almost daily , of course not disclosing who they are, telling me to stop writing this blog. It is obvious this blog is hurting Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorial government, as is my intention. I have no intention to stop exposing the dictatorial regime in Singapore. This work will go on, after a time.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Singapore. The right to live normal lives.
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Unlike normal people all over the world, Singaporeans are unable to express themselves openly. The Lee Kuan Yew government have laws in place to prevent anyone ever openly challenging them. Laws prohibit public speaking and public assembly. With the one party state, the government can enact any legislation, any law, any policy they want. Regardless how you may feel, how much you suffer, you have to suffer in silence.
This sort of a life is fit only for caged animals. Not human beings. How could you, as human beings, accept to live such lives? Why do you do it? Why do you suffer in silence?
Public Entertainments Act, an odd name for activities totally unrelated to entertainment, requires those wishing to speak in public or assemble in public to obtain prior permission from the Singapore Police. In the application, you have to state your reasons, and if it happens to be relating to criticism of government policies or laws, it is automatically denied. What this means is that regardless of what Lee Kuan Yew's government does to you, with his one party rule, there is no avenue available to you to publicly express your dissatisfaction. No avenue open to you to try to persuade them to change their policies.
There are 2 opposition members out of 82 government members in Parliament. These 2 opposition members have been bought over by Lee Kuan Yew and therefore they are just like the other 82 members who only sing Lee Kuan Yew's song. They cannot help the people.
Lee Kuan Yew's one party state has citizen consultation sessions every week in housing estates for people to consult their members of Parliament with their issues. But these elected representatives are not truly representative of their constituents. The parliamentary elections are rigged in such a way that no one truly representative of their people can ever win political office. They are immediately sued, charged in court with trumped up charges and eliminated, leaving only Lee Kuan Yew's agents as political candidates. They are not responsible to the people. Their job is only to please Lee Kuan Yew and his government. In return these government lackeys, pretending to be politicians are rewarded handsomely.
When you cannot seek redress from your elected representatives, and when you have no other means to express your opposition to government laws and policies, there is nothing you can do but to suffer in silence.
With Singapore press entirely owned and controlled by the state, the true grievances of the people are kept under wraps; with the people not knowing what suffering their fellow citizens endure. The papers which serve Lee Kuan Yew and his government do not serve the people. The people are kept unaware of the dire reality on the ground.
The police are used to arrest and prosecute anyone who dares challenge these unjust laws. The police have turned out to be the enemy of the people. The people both fear and hate the police, who see them as instruments of Lee Kuan Yew to suppress their fundamental human rights.
Recently Lee Kuan Yew has stepped up his repression. His Attorney General whose job is to protect and preserve Lee Kuan Yew's rule has arrested more and more people who have challenged these unjust laws. They have been convicted and sent to jail for speaking or assembling in public. Yesterday, the Minister for Home Affairs has announced that the laws against civil disobedience are going to be tightened even further. One such new law will permit the police to arrest possible peaceful protesters even before they begin their protest. Exactly how this will be done is not explained but a guess would be for the police to enter people's homes or to arrest them en route to the protest location, when intelligence of a possible protest is received. In tandem, I expect the punishments to become harsher with lengthy jail terms and possible caning for protesters.
These unjust laws have permitted the Lee Kuan Yew administration to continue so far through fear. For instance Singapore law requires a person to be caned, a very cruel and excruciatingly painful punishment, for those who put up posters or slogans on walls or other surfaces. The idea is to prevent citizens from venting their anger by writing slogans such as "Down with Lee Kuan Yew". That is why, unlike any other normal country, a visitor never sees any anti government signs or posters in Singapore. Whereas, the government posters and signs are all over the country. Lee Kuan Yew and his government are allowed to do it. Whereas you as a private citizen cannot. It is one law for Lee and his government. Another law for you.
It is like Lee Kuan Yew, saying to you, "You shut up and do your work, or else".
Have you ever thought to yourself that you are taxpayers? Don't you realize that it is your money that goes to pay this man Lee Kuan Yew and all his minions the outrageous salary, or theft, of $3.7 million each a year. And since it is your money that pays them, are they not accountable to you? Why is it then, that you are not allowed to peacefully protest your grievances?
The people are suffering in many ways. Jobs are being lost, yet the government does not help those in need, but at the same time, these ministers continue to pay themselves these outrageous salaries, which I call call theft. People are not being permitted to draw on their retirement savings, because they have none. Astronomical rents for government housing has depleted their savings from the fund. The government refuses to say how much money they have as assets. The people are not told how of the assets is being siphoned off and stolen by these ministers. Old people in their 80s are forced to work at food stalls cleaning tables when they should be given help to retire in dignity. Ang Pao's, or money handouts are being given only to selected friends and relatives of those in power and the truly needy do not get help if they are not politically connected.
And to top it all, if you print or publish anything against these injustices, Lee Kuan Yew's corrupt judges find you guilty of defaming his character, resulting in your having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to him, and not being able to pay, you are bankrupted.
Never mind the country for a moment. Just being humans, you should not tolerate this. Not for yourselves and not for your children. These laws are wrong. They prevent you from living normal lives. There is no pleasure in living lives this way. It is not good for your soul.
Singapore is now effectively a police state. Anyone can be arrested anytime for any reason. The police are permitted to get away with anything, as long as it is on the orders of Lee Kuan Yew and his government. This situation is no different from Burma where the police are permitted to arrest anyone suspected of opposition to the military junta. The police remain immune from prosecution for their actions as along as it is done at the behest of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.
I ask Singapore policemen and women to stop hurting their fellow citizens by obeying these unjust laws and orders. Refuse to obey. Tell Lee Kuan Yew that as a human being and a police officer, you are not prepared to victimize your fellow citizens. Singaporeans who have friends in the dreaded Singapore Police Force should tell them they are doing wrong. It is wrong to unjustly hurt your fellow citizen merely because he holds contrary opinions.
If you have friends who are judges, tell them the same thing. Stop abusing the law to please Lee
Kuan Yew.
And as for the people, stand up and say no to these unjust laws. Stand your ground. Break these unjust laws. They have no legal basis and are unconstitutional. You cannot allow Lee to get away with this anymore.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Unlike normal people all over the world, Singaporeans are unable to express themselves openly. The Lee Kuan Yew government have laws in place to prevent anyone ever openly challenging them. Laws prohibit public speaking and public assembly. With the one party state, the government can enact any legislation, any law, any policy they want. Regardless how you may feel, how much you suffer, you have to suffer in silence.
This sort of a life is fit only for caged animals. Not human beings. How could you, as human beings, accept to live such lives? Why do you do it? Why do you suffer in silence?
Public Entertainments Act, an odd name for activities totally unrelated to entertainment, requires those wishing to speak in public or assemble in public to obtain prior permission from the Singapore Police. In the application, you have to state your reasons, and if it happens to be relating to criticism of government policies or laws, it is automatically denied. What this means is that regardless of what Lee Kuan Yew's government does to you, with his one party rule, there is no avenue available to you to publicly express your dissatisfaction. No avenue open to you to try to persuade them to change their policies.
There are 2 opposition members out of 82 government members in Parliament. These 2 opposition members have been bought over by Lee Kuan Yew and therefore they are just like the other 82 members who only sing Lee Kuan Yew's song. They cannot help the people.
Lee Kuan Yew's one party state has citizen consultation sessions every week in housing estates for people to consult their members of Parliament with their issues. But these elected representatives are not truly representative of their constituents. The parliamentary elections are rigged in such a way that no one truly representative of their people can ever win political office. They are immediately sued, charged in court with trumped up charges and eliminated, leaving only Lee Kuan Yew's agents as political candidates. They are not responsible to the people. Their job is only to please Lee Kuan Yew and his government. In return these government lackeys, pretending to be politicians are rewarded handsomely.
When you cannot seek redress from your elected representatives, and when you have no other means to express your opposition to government laws and policies, there is nothing you can do but to suffer in silence.
With Singapore press entirely owned and controlled by the state, the true grievances of the people are kept under wraps; with the people not knowing what suffering their fellow citizens endure. The papers which serve Lee Kuan Yew and his government do not serve the people. The people are kept unaware of the dire reality on the ground.
The police are used to arrest and prosecute anyone who dares challenge these unjust laws. The police have turned out to be the enemy of the people. The people both fear and hate the police, who see them as instruments of Lee Kuan Yew to suppress their fundamental human rights.
Recently Lee Kuan Yew has stepped up his repression. His Attorney General whose job is to protect and preserve Lee Kuan Yew's rule has arrested more and more people who have challenged these unjust laws. They have been convicted and sent to jail for speaking or assembling in public. Yesterday, the Minister for Home Affairs has announced that the laws against civil disobedience are going to be tightened even further. One such new law will permit the police to arrest possible peaceful protesters even before they begin their protest. Exactly how this will be done is not explained but a guess would be for the police to enter people's homes or to arrest them en route to the protest location, when intelligence of a possible protest is received. In tandem, I expect the punishments to become harsher with lengthy jail terms and possible caning for protesters.
These unjust laws have permitted the Lee Kuan Yew administration to continue so far through fear. For instance Singapore law requires a person to be caned, a very cruel and excruciatingly painful punishment, for those who put up posters or slogans on walls or other surfaces. The idea is to prevent citizens from venting their anger by writing slogans such as "Down with Lee Kuan Yew". That is why, unlike any other normal country, a visitor never sees any anti government signs or posters in Singapore. Whereas, the government posters and signs are all over the country. Lee Kuan Yew and his government are allowed to do it. Whereas you as a private citizen cannot. It is one law for Lee and his government. Another law for you.
It is like Lee Kuan Yew, saying to you, "You shut up and do your work, or else".
Have you ever thought to yourself that you are taxpayers? Don't you realize that it is your money that goes to pay this man Lee Kuan Yew and all his minions the outrageous salary, or theft, of $3.7 million each a year. And since it is your money that pays them, are they not accountable to you? Why is it then, that you are not allowed to peacefully protest your grievances?
The people are suffering in many ways. Jobs are being lost, yet the government does not help those in need, but at the same time, these ministers continue to pay themselves these outrageous salaries, which I call call theft. People are not being permitted to draw on their retirement savings, because they have none. Astronomical rents for government housing has depleted their savings from the fund. The government refuses to say how much money they have as assets. The people are not told how of the assets is being siphoned off and stolen by these ministers. Old people in their 80s are forced to work at food stalls cleaning tables when they should be given help to retire in dignity. Ang Pao's, or money handouts are being given only to selected friends and relatives of those in power and the truly needy do not get help if they are not politically connected.
And to top it all, if you print or publish anything against these injustices, Lee Kuan Yew's corrupt judges find you guilty of defaming his character, resulting in your having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to him, and not being able to pay, you are bankrupted.
Never mind the country for a moment. Just being humans, you should not tolerate this. Not for yourselves and not for your children. These laws are wrong. They prevent you from living normal lives. There is no pleasure in living lives this way. It is not good for your soul.
Singapore is now effectively a police state. Anyone can be arrested anytime for any reason. The police are permitted to get away with anything, as long as it is on the orders of Lee Kuan Yew and his government. This situation is no different from Burma where the police are permitted to arrest anyone suspected of opposition to the military junta. The police remain immune from prosecution for their actions as along as it is done at the behest of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.
I ask Singapore policemen and women to stop hurting their fellow citizens by obeying these unjust laws and orders. Refuse to obey. Tell Lee Kuan Yew that as a human being and a police officer, you are not prepared to victimize your fellow citizens. Singaporeans who have friends in the dreaded Singapore Police Force should tell them they are doing wrong. It is wrong to unjustly hurt your fellow citizen merely because he holds contrary opinions.
If you have friends who are judges, tell them the same thing. Stop abusing the law to please Lee
Kuan Yew.
And as for the people, stand up and say no to these unjust laws. Stand your ground. Break these unjust laws. They have no legal basis and are unconstitutional. You cannot allow Lee to get away with this anymore.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Singapore. The noose of repression tightens.
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Singapore state controlled newspaper the Straits Times report of Jan 16, 2009 has this article, "Review of Public Laws".
It says "the government is reviewing existing public laws and may craft new legislation to deal with civil disobedience acts such as illegal protests. In the works could be a new law to give police pre-emptive powers, for instance, to act earlier to prevent people from congregating in certain places, such as Parliament House and the Istana"
In other words, the government is going to enact even harsher laws to stop anyone from protesting publicly against government actions.
As it is, the government is already violating the Constitution in several ways, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression, by demanding that people wishing to protest or speak publicly require a police permit; denying them each time they apply. Constitutionally, the requirement for permits is itself illegal and ultra vires the Constitution. And worse, each time citizens apply for it, it is routinely denied.
Recently you have seen increasing numbers of people deliberately breaking these unjust laws by protesting without permits and being jailed as a result. John Tan, Shafi and Izrizal had been jailed for 15 days and 10 days each respectively by judge Judith Prakash a month ago for wearing T-shirts emblazoned with pictures of Kangaroos in judicial robes at a trial where Lee Kuan Yew was engaging in his usual pastime of suing opposition politicians for defamation of character, the victim being Dr. Chee Soon Juan.
Only a few days ago, a government Member of Parliament suffered the unusual attack at the hands of an unhappy citizen, of being doused with kerosene and set alight. I understand his whole body was on fire for several minutes before the flames were subdued. He is now in a Singapore hospital having suffered serious burns all over his body.
The same man was attacked some time ago, when another Singaporean punched his face at the meet the people session of the government.
Only yesterday, Mr. Koh Chan Meng aged 47 was charged for 3 counts of vandalism for writing the words "Go sue me Lee Kuan Yew" and "Hi, Harry Lee, I love you" on a brick wall outside Singapore Parliament. Although, the government may call him a vandal, he too was exercising his right to freedom of speech by showing his disgust at the ruling party and Singapore’s dictator Lee Kuan Yew.
Also a few days ago, it was reported in Straits Times that Seelan Pallay and Kai Xiong, 2 young activists had mounted a protest outside the Singapore Ministry of Manpower to show their solidarity with Burmese workers in Singapore who were being deported to Burma for engaging in peaceful protests. The Burmese face executions or decades of imprisonment at the hands of the Junta. Seelan and Kai Xiong are being charged for criminal trespass even though there was nothing criminal or trespass in their actions.
In September of last year, I was imprisoned for 3 months for allegedly insulting a judge, Belinda Ang even though I merely wrote a criticism of her in her conduct of a trial in this blog. The Wall Street Asia about the same time was convicted of contempt of court for writing a criticism of the weird goings on in there. Another reason for their conviction was because the article referred also to my case.
Trials are now going on in Singapore courts against Gandhi Ambalam, Chee Siok Chin and Dr. Chee Soon Juan for distributing flyers at the WTO meeting 2 years ago.
While all this repression goes on, the Singapore economy is fast declining with massive job losses and even more on the way.
The writing is on the wall and Lee Kuan Yew has seen it. The people are prepared to challenge these laws and suffer the consequences of imprisonment and financial suffering. Lee Kuan Yew anticipates that even more will brazenly break these unjust laws that deny them their constitutional rights. The problem is worsening with more job losses in a country that does not provide any safety net for the people suffering financial woes. So Lee Kuan Yew acts in the only way he knows; enact even harsher laws to punish those who dare question the government.
What Lee Kuan Yew fears the most is public protests, or people power. He realizes that the people are prepared now to challenge these unjust laws in increasing numbers. He remembers what happened in the Philippines when people power, mass protests, brought down the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He knows that such protests in Singapore, a crowded island state, will have devastating effects. He also knows that he will die very soon and his minions cannot save his dictatorship.
Of course he knows the already bad world opinion of him and his island state will diminish even further. All international human rights bodies including the US State Department condemn the human rights violations in Singapore.
Singapore’s economy relies today principally on money laundering for Burmese drug lords and Indonesian businessmen. Even this business, a dirty one, is also going to end with the US and the European Union demanding more transparency for banking transactions of clients who have avoided American and European tax.
This increasing bad publicity for Singapore, making it a pariah state, will have devastating effects of every other sector of Singapore business. Foreign universities will shun Singapore in their search for foreign campuses. Even more people would emigrate, more than what they are already doing. Tourism will decline further. Foreign businesses who care for their reputation will loathe having dealings with a disgraced country. Lee Kuan Yew will be facing gloom from every angle if he indeed goes ahead with his plan to enact even more harsh and illegal laws to muzzle dissent.
But with the impossible situation that Lee Kuan Yew faces today in his fast declining country, I think he will go ahead as he threatens. I expect longer prison sentences for those who dare challenge him. Maybe even the brutal caning. Perhaps they will also be ordered to pay the legal costs of the government running into several thousand dollars each time. Perhaps the law will permit the right to enter homes without warrants each time to seize and arrest people and property of suspected protestors.
I hope the people will not be deterred by these laws and do what is right, by protesting. Your actions may be wrong in the law of Singapore but I can assure you that in the law of natural justice, in morality and truth, you are not committing any crime. You are in fact heroes willing to stand up for the rights of your countrymen.
Lee Kuan Yew relies on his corrupt judges and his police force to do his dirty work. If these judges and these policemen refuse, then he is powerless. I hope these men and women who are made to do these bad things ask themselves the question whether it is just. And I am sure, with time, even the policemen and judges would one day say, enough is enough. I will not lend my hand to hurt innocent citizens. And once they begin to jib, Lee Kuan Yew will be powerless to hurt his people anymore. To them I say, search your conscience. And do the right thing, for heaven sake.
Have no fear. As some great man had said, it is better to die a free man than to live a coward. The very fact that Lee Kuan Yew is coming up with these laws means only one thing. The cause of freedom is winning and he is losing. Take advantage of the momentum. Capitalize on your victories. And show Lee Kuan Yew that in the end, the truth must triumph.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Singapore state controlled newspaper the Straits Times report of Jan 16, 2009 has this article, "Review of Public Laws".
It says "the government is reviewing existing public laws and may craft new legislation to deal with civil disobedience acts such as illegal protests. In the works could be a new law to give police pre-emptive powers, for instance, to act earlier to prevent people from congregating in certain places, such as Parliament House and the Istana"
In other words, the government is going to enact even harsher laws to stop anyone from protesting publicly against government actions.
As it is, the government is already violating the Constitution in several ways, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression, by demanding that people wishing to protest or speak publicly require a police permit; denying them each time they apply. Constitutionally, the requirement for permits is itself illegal and ultra vires the Constitution. And worse, each time citizens apply for it, it is routinely denied.
Recently you have seen increasing numbers of people deliberately breaking these unjust laws by protesting without permits and being jailed as a result. John Tan, Shafi and Izrizal had been jailed for 15 days and 10 days each respectively by judge Judith Prakash a month ago for wearing T-shirts emblazoned with pictures of Kangaroos in judicial robes at a trial where Lee Kuan Yew was engaging in his usual pastime of suing opposition politicians for defamation of character, the victim being Dr. Chee Soon Juan.
Only a few days ago, a government Member of Parliament suffered the unusual attack at the hands of an unhappy citizen, of being doused with kerosene and set alight. I understand his whole body was on fire for several minutes before the flames were subdued. He is now in a Singapore hospital having suffered serious burns all over his body.
The same man was attacked some time ago, when another Singaporean punched his face at the meet the people session of the government.
Only yesterday, Mr. Koh Chan Meng aged 47 was charged for 3 counts of vandalism for writing the words "Go sue me Lee Kuan Yew" and "Hi, Harry Lee, I love you" on a brick wall outside Singapore Parliament. Although, the government may call him a vandal, he too was exercising his right to freedom of speech by showing his disgust at the ruling party and Singapore’s dictator Lee Kuan Yew.
Also a few days ago, it was reported in Straits Times that Seelan Pallay and Kai Xiong, 2 young activists had mounted a protest outside the Singapore Ministry of Manpower to show their solidarity with Burmese workers in Singapore who were being deported to Burma for engaging in peaceful protests. The Burmese face executions or decades of imprisonment at the hands of the Junta. Seelan and Kai Xiong are being charged for criminal trespass even though there was nothing criminal or trespass in their actions.
In September of last year, I was imprisoned for 3 months for allegedly insulting a judge, Belinda Ang even though I merely wrote a criticism of her in her conduct of a trial in this blog. The Wall Street Asia about the same time was convicted of contempt of court for writing a criticism of the weird goings on in there. Another reason for their conviction was because the article referred also to my case.
Trials are now going on in Singapore courts against Gandhi Ambalam, Chee Siok Chin and Dr. Chee Soon Juan for distributing flyers at the WTO meeting 2 years ago.
While all this repression goes on, the Singapore economy is fast declining with massive job losses and even more on the way.
The writing is on the wall and Lee Kuan Yew has seen it. The people are prepared to challenge these laws and suffer the consequences of imprisonment and financial suffering. Lee Kuan Yew anticipates that even more will brazenly break these unjust laws that deny them their constitutional rights. The problem is worsening with more job losses in a country that does not provide any safety net for the people suffering financial woes. So Lee Kuan Yew acts in the only way he knows; enact even harsher laws to punish those who dare question the government.
What Lee Kuan Yew fears the most is public protests, or people power. He realizes that the people are prepared now to challenge these unjust laws in increasing numbers. He remembers what happened in the Philippines when people power, mass protests, brought down the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He knows that such protests in Singapore, a crowded island state, will have devastating effects. He also knows that he will die very soon and his minions cannot save his dictatorship.
Of course he knows the already bad world opinion of him and his island state will diminish even further. All international human rights bodies including the US State Department condemn the human rights violations in Singapore.
Singapore’s economy relies today principally on money laundering for Burmese drug lords and Indonesian businessmen. Even this business, a dirty one, is also going to end with the US and the European Union demanding more transparency for banking transactions of clients who have avoided American and European tax.
This increasing bad publicity for Singapore, making it a pariah state, will have devastating effects of every other sector of Singapore business. Foreign universities will shun Singapore in their search for foreign campuses. Even more people would emigrate, more than what they are already doing. Tourism will decline further. Foreign businesses who care for their reputation will loathe having dealings with a disgraced country. Lee Kuan Yew will be facing gloom from every angle if he indeed goes ahead with his plan to enact even more harsh and illegal laws to muzzle dissent.
But with the impossible situation that Lee Kuan Yew faces today in his fast declining country, I think he will go ahead as he threatens. I expect longer prison sentences for those who dare challenge him. Maybe even the brutal caning. Perhaps they will also be ordered to pay the legal costs of the government running into several thousand dollars each time. Perhaps the law will permit the right to enter homes without warrants each time to seize and arrest people and property of suspected protestors.
I hope the people will not be deterred by these laws and do what is right, by protesting. Your actions may be wrong in the law of Singapore but I can assure you that in the law of natural justice, in morality and truth, you are not committing any crime. You are in fact heroes willing to stand up for the rights of your countrymen.
Lee Kuan Yew relies on his corrupt judges and his police force to do his dirty work. If these judges and these policemen refuse, then he is powerless. I hope these men and women who are made to do these bad things ask themselves the question whether it is just. And I am sure, with time, even the policemen and judges would one day say, enough is enough. I will not lend my hand to hurt innocent citizens. And once they begin to jib, Lee Kuan Yew will be powerless to hurt his people anymore. To them I say, search your conscience. And do the right thing, for heaven sake.
Have no fear. As some great man had said, it is better to die a free man than to live a coward. The very fact that Lee Kuan Yew is coming up with these laws means only one thing. The cause of freedom is winning and he is losing. Take advantage of the momentum. Capitalize on your victories. And show Lee Kuan Yew that in the end, the truth must triumph.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Singapore, a third world country with barbaric laws
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The state controlled Singapore paper the Straits Times (all Singapore media are both owned and controlled by the government), of Jan 15, 2009 has the report "Charged with Vandalism". If you did not know Singapore well, you might have thought what the big deal was. People write graffiti all over the world and they do get punished for it. Perhaps a fine, some remedial classes, restitution and even perhaps the suspension of their drivers licence for 6 months.
But Singapore is not any other country. It is Lee Kuan Yew's country where he tailors the laws to guarantee his rule. The following is the law section under the Singapore Penal Code:
Penalty for acts of vandalism.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other written law, any person who commits any act of vandalism or attempts to do any such act or causes any such act to be done shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years, and shall also, subject to section 231 of the Criminal Procedure Code, be punished with caning with not less than 3 strokes and not more than 8 strokes:
Provided that the punishment of caning shall not be imposed on a first conviction under this Act in the case of any act falling within —
(a) paragraph (a) (i) of the definition of “act of vandalism” in section 2, if the writing, drawing, mark or inscription is done with pencil, crayon, chalk or other delible substance or thing and not with paint, tar or other indelible substance or thing;
What this means, believe it or not is this. If you write something on any wall, other than your own of course, you can be sent to jail for 3 years. If this were not bad enough, Lee Kuan Yew's laws demand that you are caned at least 3 times but not more than 8 times.
Again for the benefit for those not privy to this brutality, let me explain what caning is. You would be excused if you thought, like any other normal human being that caning means a mere paddling on your backside to shame you. No this is not what it is. Caning is plain and simply is sheer brutality that is more befitting medieval times. Times where people where hung on stakes, where limbs were torn apart and where people were first tortured before being executed.
Caning is Singapore is like this. In prison, the victim is made to strip naked. His arms and legs, set apart, are then strapped to a wooden trestle. The man selected to administer this brutality is a specially trained prison officer. In the presence of a prison doctor, such as Dr. Lim Jeng Min in my earlier post, the prisoner is beaten on his bare buttocks with a thin rattan cane the length of perhaps 6 feet. Let us not make any mistake here. The object of the person who beats the prisoner is to inflict maximum pain, and because of his training in beating, he certainly achieves his aim. In fact the purpose of the beater, is to to draw blood if possible at each beating. The cane being thin flexible rattan, which is soaked in water the previous night to make it supple, is best suited for the diabolical purpose. The doctor is present to make sure the man does not die or faint.
I was in imprisoned in Singapore from Sept 20, 2008 to November 20, 2008 merely for writing a blog post in this blog dated May 29, 2008 for criticizing a Singapore judge Belinda Ang. Please see my earlier blog, travesty of justice, no doubt. While there I heard from my cell mates that a prisoner who is caned even once will cause his entire posterior to swell, turning black. He will not be able to lie on his back for at least a month. He will not be able to relieve himself in the toilet. And during this time, the doctor who was present watching his beating treats his injuries; what cruel irony. And the beating leaves a scar for life. This is what goes on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore.
The newspaper report states that Mr. Koh Chan Meng aged 47 faces 3 counts of vandalism for writing the words "Go sue me Lee Kuan Yew" and "Hi, Harry Lee, I love you" Harry being the Christian name of the Singapore dictator, Lee Kuan Yew, on a wall outside Singapore Parliament. As the law only exempts anyone above the age of 50 being subjected to this brutality, since there are 3 counts, and if each count is treated a separate conviction, then this poor man will certainly suffer caning. He is only 47.
This law is a fall back from British colonial times to deter people writing on walls slogans against colonial rule, which were commonplace in countries seeking independance. We can all agree that many colonial laws are unjust, intended to perpetuate foreign rule. But that was 70 years ago. But Lee Kuan Yew, the Singapore strongman keeps this law in place now for the same reason. It will not serve him well if people go around writing on walls "Down with Lee Kuan Yew", a legitimate political activity, although punishable under the law. He intends to stay in power and the only way he can do it, is by brutalizing his people into fearing him.
And even if you did not actually write anything on the wall, it would still be vandalism even to hang a bunting on a wall with the same words as the following shows:
(i) writing, drawing, painting, marking or inscribing on any public property or private property any word, slogan, caricature, drawing, mark, symbol or other thing;
(ii) affixing, posting up or displaying on any public property or private property any poster, placard, advertisement, bill, notice, paper or other document; or
(iii) hanging, suspending, hoisting, affixing or displaying on or from any public property or private property any flag, bunting, standard, banner or the like with any word, slogan, caricature, drawing, mark, symbol or other thing; or
What this means is, in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, even if you did not damage any property at all but merely hung a sign on a wall, you are still subjected to this brutality if it was your second conviction! The intent should be very clear. This is a law to deter Singaporeans from expressing their anger against Lee Kuan Yew's rule. This is plain and simply what it is.
I not only sympathize, I also applaud Mr. Koh Chan Meng's courage. I am sure he is an educated man, well aware of the tyranny imposed by this man, Lee Kuan Yew. He must have felt a burning desire to tell this tyrant what he truly felt. And in a moment of anger, he must have done what he did.
A punishment should befit the crime. Although this brutality should not be permissible for any crime in this day and age, it should especially not be applicable in an infraction such as this. Mr. Koh has not committed any violence against anyone. No one has been hurt by his actions. Yes, the wall in front of Lee Kuan Yew's Parliament may have been defaced. If so, Mr. Koh could be made to pay for it. What need is there to inflict such excruciating pain? What need is there to perpetrate such brutality? What need is there to draw blood? What is achieved by this?
I tell you what Lee Kuan Yew achieves by this. He sends a fearsome signal to every Singaporean that they should not write anything on any wall criticizing his dictatorship. So even if the writing did not refer to him personally, the prisoner should still be caned, so as to give the impression that this law is not in the books merely to perpetuate his rule.
Mr. Koh, in suffering this punishment is a hero to many Singaporeans including me. He is hero because he had the courage to tell Lee Kuan Yew, in a manner of speaking, what he was; which is a tyrant no more, no less. Yes, he will suffer the punishment like Joan of Arc, who was burnt at the stake for her belief in God. In her time too, such action was unlawful, but she willingly accepts the final punishment, death. In a way, Mr. Koh did the same. Unlike many Singaporeans who fear, he had shown that he had none. He had to tell Lee Kuan Yew what he really was, that is, a tyrant through and through. And like a man, he suffers. He is a martyr for his people.
Mr. Koh has furthered the cause of freedom in Singapore in many ways. One of which is to expose to the whole world what Lee Kuan Yew really is, the tyrant that he is. And by his actions, instead of causing other Singaporeans to fear him, I think it will embolden others, not to commit vandalism, but to engage in peaceful protests against this tyrannical rule in the country and force the collapse of this regime.
I would like this to say to Mr. Koh. You have my admiration. You have done good for your country, Singapore. You have helped to tell the world the brutality that goes on in the name of the law, in Singapore, that shamelessly tries to portray itself as a first world country.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107 Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The state controlled Singapore paper the Straits Times (all Singapore media are both owned and controlled by the government), of Jan 15, 2009 has the report "Charged with Vandalism". If you did not know Singapore well, you might have thought what the big deal was. People write graffiti all over the world and they do get punished for it. Perhaps a fine, some remedial classes, restitution and even perhaps the suspension of their drivers licence for 6 months.
But Singapore is not any other country. It is Lee Kuan Yew's country where he tailors the laws to guarantee his rule. The following is the law section under the Singapore Penal Code:
Penalty for acts of vandalism.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other written law, any person who commits any act of vandalism or attempts to do any such act or causes any such act to be done shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years, and shall also, subject to section 231 of the Criminal Procedure Code, be punished with caning with not less than 3 strokes and not more than 8 strokes:
Provided that the punishment of caning shall not be imposed on a first conviction under this Act in the case of any act falling within —
(a) paragraph (a) (i) of the definition of “act of vandalism” in section 2, if the writing, drawing, mark or inscription is done with pencil, crayon, chalk or other delible substance or thing and not with paint, tar or other indelible substance or thing;
What this means, believe it or not is this. If you write something on any wall, other than your own of course, you can be sent to jail for 3 years. If this were not bad enough, Lee Kuan Yew's laws demand that you are caned at least 3 times but not more than 8 times.
Again for the benefit for those not privy to this brutality, let me explain what caning is. You would be excused if you thought, like any other normal human being that caning means a mere paddling on your backside to shame you. No this is not what it is. Caning is plain and simply is sheer brutality that is more befitting medieval times. Times where people where hung on stakes, where limbs were torn apart and where people were first tortured before being executed.
Caning is Singapore is like this. In prison, the victim is made to strip naked. His arms and legs, set apart, are then strapped to a wooden trestle. The man selected to administer this brutality is a specially trained prison officer. In the presence of a prison doctor, such as Dr. Lim Jeng Min in my earlier post, the prisoner is beaten on his bare buttocks with a thin rattan cane the length of perhaps 6 feet. Let us not make any mistake here. The object of the person who beats the prisoner is to inflict maximum pain, and because of his training in beating, he certainly achieves his aim. In fact the purpose of the beater, is to to draw blood if possible at each beating. The cane being thin flexible rattan, which is soaked in water the previous night to make it supple, is best suited for the diabolical purpose. The doctor is present to make sure the man does not die or faint.
I was in imprisoned in Singapore from Sept 20, 2008 to November 20, 2008 merely for writing a blog post in this blog dated May 29, 2008 for criticizing a Singapore judge Belinda Ang. Please see my earlier blog, travesty of justice, no doubt. While there I heard from my cell mates that a prisoner who is caned even once will cause his entire posterior to swell, turning black. He will not be able to lie on his back for at least a month. He will not be able to relieve himself in the toilet. And during this time, the doctor who was present watching his beating treats his injuries; what cruel irony. And the beating leaves a scar for life. This is what goes on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore.
The newspaper report states that Mr. Koh Chan Meng aged 47 faces 3 counts of vandalism for writing the words "Go sue me Lee Kuan Yew" and "Hi, Harry Lee, I love you" Harry being the Christian name of the Singapore dictator, Lee Kuan Yew, on a wall outside Singapore Parliament. As the law only exempts anyone above the age of 50 being subjected to this brutality, since there are 3 counts, and if each count is treated a separate conviction, then this poor man will certainly suffer caning. He is only 47.
This law is a fall back from British colonial times to deter people writing on walls slogans against colonial rule, which were commonplace in countries seeking independance. We can all agree that many colonial laws are unjust, intended to perpetuate foreign rule. But that was 70 years ago. But Lee Kuan Yew, the Singapore strongman keeps this law in place now for the same reason. It will not serve him well if people go around writing on walls "Down with Lee Kuan Yew", a legitimate political activity, although punishable under the law. He intends to stay in power and the only way he can do it, is by brutalizing his people into fearing him.
And even if you did not actually write anything on the wall, it would still be vandalism even to hang a bunting on a wall with the same words as the following shows:
(i) writing, drawing, painting, marking or inscribing on any public property or private property any word, slogan, caricature, drawing, mark, symbol or other thing;
(ii) affixing, posting up or displaying on any public property or private property any poster, placard, advertisement, bill, notice, paper or other document; or
(iii) hanging, suspending, hoisting, affixing or displaying on or from any public property or private property any flag, bunting, standard, banner or the like with any word, slogan, caricature, drawing, mark, symbol or other thing; or
What this means is, in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, even if you did not damage any property at all but merely hung a sign on a wall, you are still subjected to this brutality if it was your second conviction! The intent should be very clear. This is a law to deter Singaporeans from expressing their anger against Lee Kuan Yew's rule. This is plain and simply what it is.
I not only sympathize, I also applaud Mr. Koh Chan Meng's courage. I am sure he is an educated man, well aware of the tyranny imposed by this man, Lee Kuan Yew. He must have felt a burning desire to tell this tyrant what he truly felt. And in a moment of anger, he must have done what he did.
A punishment should befit the crime. Although this brutality should not be permissible for any crime in this day and age, it should especially not be applicable in an infraction such as this. Mr. Koh has not committed any violence against anyone. No one has been hurt by his actions. Yes, the wall in front of Lee Kuan Yew's Parliament may have been defaced. If so, Mr. Koh could be made to pay for it. What need is there to inflict such excruciating pain? What need is there to perpetrate such brutality? What need is there to draw blood? What is achieved by this?
I tell you what Lee Kuan Yew achieves by this. He sends a fearsome signal to every Singaporean that they should not write anything on any wall criticizing his dictatorship. So even if the writing did not refer to him personally, the prisoner should still be caned, so as to give the impression that this law is not in the books merely to perpetuate his rule.
Mr. Koh, in suffering this punishment is a hero to many Singaporeans including me. He is hero because he had the courage to tell Lee Kuan Yew, in a manner of speaking, what he was; which is a tyrant no more, no less. Yes, he will suffer the punishment like Joan of Arc, who was burnt at the stake for her belief in God. In her time too, such action was unlawful, but she willingly accepts the final punishment, death. In a way, Mr. Koh did the same. Unlike many Singaporeans who fear, he had shown that he had none. He had to tell Lee Kuan Yew what he really was, that is, a tyrant through and through. And like a man, he suffers. He is a martyr for his people.
Mr. Koh has furthered the cause of freedom in Singapore in many ways. One of which is to expose to the whole world what Lee Kuan Yew really is, the tyrant that he is. And by his actions, instead of causing other Singaporeans to fear him, I think it will embolden others, not to commit vandalism, but to engage in peaceful protests against this tyrannical rule in the country and force the collapse of this regime.
I would like this to say to Mr. Koh. You have my admiration. You have done good for your country, Singapore. You have helped to tell the world the brutality that goes on in the name of the law, in Singapore, that shamelessly tries to portray itself as a first world country.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107 Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Brain washing young children. Lee Kuan Yew's Hitler youth.
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, great effort was spent in brainwashing young children to support the dictatorship by extolling the virtues of total obedience to his dictates. This was done by rewriting history and crediting Hitler with every achievement in Germany. And with this brainwashing and brute force, he managed to bring to heel an entire people.
Reading George Orwell's 1984, which I read twice over while in Lee Kuan Yew's prison, it becomes clear how powerful this tool is. If history can be re-written the way you want, then it becomes easy to justify your actions at any one point of time. So history is constantly re-written to suit the prevailing situation holding at any one time.
For instance, Big Brother is credited with having invented the aeroplane, even though most people who have lived long enough would know that aeroplanes were in existence long before the creation of Oceania, that country. Yet, it did not matter in the least what people really thought, since every record of the invention of aeroplanes were completely destroyed and the date of the creation is adjusted to the time when Big Brother took office. In this situation it would have been pointless for anyone to argue otherwise, since you could not prove it because no records existed.
The same believe it or not is happening in Singapore. History is being re-written in praise of Lee Kuan Yew. It is being done to young Singapore children. They will grow up believing that everything that Singapore achieved is because one man, Lee Kuan Yew. And their minds being permanently programmed into believing this lie, they would then, when adults work to perpetuate his dictatorship. That is the plan.
In Singapore's state controlled newspaper the Straits Times, like all the other newspapers in Singapore, an article appears "Little Red Dot packs a punch" Jan 05, 2009. Bertha Henson, a journalist who works for this propaganda machine, is in charge of putting together a 16 page weekly publication called the "Little Red Dot". In it, the newspaper article states "there is an increased focus on national education. Singapore's historical sites and people who have made an impact (on Singapore) are featured weekly in Big Chances and Big Heroes". If you guessed that "Big Heroes" and "people who have made an impact" would probably prominently feature Lee Kuan Yew, you are absolutely right.
You and I know what Lee Kuan Yew is. He is a man who ruthlessly grabbed power from his colleagues. A man who controls the entire press. A man who has completely politicized the judiciary and made them his servants. A man who has completely politicized the civil service to do his bidding any time he wants. A man who uses the police force not for legitimate law enforcement but to arrest torture and destroy his political opponents. A man who remains in power by instilling fear in his people. A thoroughly corrupt individual who pays himself and his minions $3.7 million a year, which he shamelessly calls a salary, not counting the several more millions he siphons off from state coffers. Yes a thoroughly corrupt individual.
Such a man, in my books is a corrupt tyrant. But Bertha Henson will paint a totally different picture. Young children in her "Little Red Dot" will be told that Lee Kuan Yew single handedly created this Singapore we have, that Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law, and that we should all worship him as a Godsend and she will finish off with the rhetorical question as to what would we do without such a great man.
If parents of young children are reading this, they should be aware that their children are now being subjected to brainwashing, like Hitler's children, like Stalin's children and like the brainwashing that children in all past dictatorships suffered. I am not a psychologist and cannot definitely state what damage this does to their minds. But personally I believe this brainwashing is harmful resulting in their growing up with a completely warped sense of history. The problem is aggravated by the fact that Lee Kuan Yew does not allow literature that is critical of him to circulate in Singapore, leaving the people without much opportunity to see the other side of the coin. Francis Seow's books on Lee Kuan Yew just as many other books are banned in Singapore. This leaves most people including young children with no alternative but accepting the falsities put out by Lee Kuan Yew's agents such as this woman, Bertha Henson.
Parents no doubt would find themselves in a quandary. How do they tell the children who have been subjected to this brainwashing in school not to accept what is told them? And if they did, would not the children find themselves in the most unenviable situation not knowing whom to believe, their teacher or their parents?
If parents dare, they should demand of the teachers to stop this dirty practice. If not, perhaps they should leave the country to save their children. This is a difficult proposition one way or the other, in this fear ridden Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorship.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, great effort was spent in brainwashing young children to support the dictatorship by extolling the virtues of total obedience to his dictates. This was done by rewriting history and crediting Hitler with every achievement in Germany. And with this brainwashing and brute force, he managed to bring to heel an entire people.
Reading George Orwell's 1984, which I read twice over while in Lee Kuan Yew's prison, it becomes clear how powerful this tool is. If history can be re-written the way you want, then it becomes easy to justify your actions at any one point of time. So history is constantly re-written to suit the prevailing situation holding at any one time.
For instance, Big Brother is credited with having invented the aeroplane, even though most people who have lived long enough would know that aeroplanes were in existence long before the creation of Oceania, that country. Yet, it did not matter in the least what people really thought, since every record of the invention of aeroplanes were completely destroyed and the date of the creation is adjusted to the time when Big Brother took office. In this situation it would have been pointless for anyone to argue otherwise, since you could not prove it because no records existed.
The same believe it or not is happening in Singapore. History is being re-written in praise of Lee Kuan Yew. It is being done to young Singapore children. They will grow up believing that everything that Singapore achieved is because one man, Lee Kuan Yew. And their minds being permanently programmed into believing this lie, they would then, when adults work to perpetuate his dictatorship. That is the plan.
In Singapore's state controlled newspaper the Straits Times, like all the other newspapers in Singapore, an article appears "Little Red Dot packs a punch" Jan 05, 2009. Bertha Henson, a journalist who works for this propaganda machine, is in charge of putting together a 16 page weekly publication called the "Little Red Dot". In it, the newspaper article states "there is an increased focus on national education. Singapore's historical sites and people who have made an impact (on Singapore) are featured weekly in Big Chances and Big Heroes". If you guessed that "Big Heroes" and "people who have made an impact" would probably prominently feature Lee Kuan Yew, you are absolutely right.
You and I know what Lee Kuan Yew is. He is a man who ruthlessly grabbed power from his colleagues. A man who controls the entire press. A man who has completely politicized the judiciary and made them his servants. A man who has completely politicized the civil service to do his bidding any time he wants. A man who uses the police force not for legitimate law enforcement but to arrest torture and destroy his political opponents. A man who remains in power by instilling fear in his people. A thoroughly corrupt individual who pays himself and his minions $3.7 million a year, which he shamelessly calls a salary, not counting the several more millions he siphons off from state coffers. Yes a thoroughly corrupt individual.
Such a man, in my books is a corrupt tyrant. But Bertha Henson will paint a totally different picture. Young children in her "Little Red Dot" will be told that Lee Kuan Yew single handedly created this Singapore we have, that Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law, and that we should all worship him as a Godsend and she will finish off with the rhetorical question as to what would we do without such a great man.
If parents of young children are reading this, they should be aware that their children are now being subjected to brainwashing, like Hitler's children, like Stalin's children and like the brainwashing that children in all past dictatorships suffered. I am not a psychologist and cannot definitely state what damage this does to their minds. But personally I believe this brainwashing is harmful resulting in their growing up with a completely warped sense of history. The problem is aggravated by the fact that Lee Kuan Yew does not allow literature that is critical of him to circulate in Singapore, leaving the people without much opportunity to see the other side of the coin. Francis Seow's books on Lee Kuan Yew just as many other books are banned in Singapore. This leaves most people including young children with no alternative but accepting the falsities put out by Lee Kuan Yew's agents such as this woman, Bertha Henson.
Parents no doubt would find themselves in a quandary. How do they tell the children who have been subjected to this brainwashing in school not to accept what is told them? And if they did, would not the children find themselves in the most unenviable situation not knowing whom to believe, their teacher or their parents?
If parents dare, they should demand of the teachers to stop this dirty practice. If not, perhaps they should leave the country to save their children. This is a difficult proposition one way or the other, in this fear ridden Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorship.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
If they knew what is good for them, they should be packing.
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The first thing to do in a battle, is to soften the ground, before the attack. Artillery fire, rockets and mortar. And when the enemy is weakened, you launch the attack. This is no different in politics, and this is exactly what Dr. Chee Soon Juan is doing now.
In a sustained concerted and concentrated effort, he demolishes Lee Kuan Yew by exposing his repression, his dirty tricks, his abuse of the law through his blog, through his actions in court and through the punishment he takes at the hands of his oppressor. And slowly and surely, day after day, more and more Singaporeans become aware of the lack of justice and fairness in their country. And progressively Lee Kuan Yew loses all moral authority to rule. People become aware that Singapore is a morally bankrupt country, a country where the laws are abused at will to destroy critics, where the government is corrupt paying themselves millions while the poor teeter on the poverty line, and where human rights are literally non existent.
And as time progresses, as more and more people begin to hate Lee Kuan Yew and his millionaire ministers, the country becomes ripe for change. There is a simmering of discontent under the surface only to erupt when the time is right.
And the right time is when Lee Kuan Yew dies. He is presently 85 and is kept alive with a battery powered pacemaker next to his heart. It was reported that he is suffering from irregular heartbeat. I saw him in Judge Belinda Ang's court in Singapore from May 26, 2008 to May 28, 2008 which resulted in my unexpected arrest and imprisonment for criticizing her conduct. He appeared very weak, with some difficulty walked from the courtroom door to the witness box, with some effort sat down. He did not appear very sound in health.
With his death, something has to give, there is no doubt about it. I think he knows it too. His greatest mistake is to have chosen the sort of ministers presently with him. His son, he appoints prime minister, an obedient child who obeyed his father, passed all his exams and selected first as the highest ranking officer in the army and immediately thereafter, Prime Minister. He has not been leader of anything, not accomplished anything and no one knows anything about him except that he is the Prime Ministers son.
Law Minister Shanmugam was not too long ago, a lawyer in Allen and Gledhill, after which we were told that he is now Minister for Law. No one had any say in it and no one cares. Had he been selling Indian pancakes in a dhoti in Serangoon Road, no one would have cared either. I suppose he loves no one, and no one loves him either.
All of Lee Kuan Yew's ministers are handpicked men whose principle qualification is to do exactly what he tells them. We have no idea as to their principles, convictions and philosophy. Very probably they have none of those. They are there for only one reason, because the pay is good, and because there is Lee Kuan Yew, the 85 year old octogenarian to protect them.
But everything will change when Lee Kuan Yew dies. Lee knows this too. And that is why his many references to the secrets of longevity, clearly shows that he fears what will happen when he dies. So his desperate efforts to keep living one extra day at a time. But this fear of death, will itself cause him to die sooner than later. The obsession to stay alive will itself turn into a killer. So I expect him to be saying goodbye very soon.
And that is why I say they should be packing. Judge Belinda Ang, if she knew what was best for her, should pack her suitcases and leave. If she does not, the people might want to know why she deliberately abuses the law to punish Lee's critics. And knowing what she has done, it will be difficult to come up with an answer satisfactory to the people. Not knowing whether Lee Kuan Yew will live one week or one year, his days are numbered and the time of reckoning is also numbered for Judge Belinda Ang.
Judge Judith Prakash, Judge Kan Ting Chiu, DSP Mohamed Hassan, ASP Abdul Razak Zakaria, Judge VK Rajah, Kalaselvi d/o Rengasamy of the Bankruptcy office and the list goes on. If I were them, I would ask myself one question. Is it safe? Is it safe to continue misusing the law to please Lee Kuan Yew, when he is just about to die. Will the people hold men and women who oppress their fellow citizens to account when the time comes? These men and women who please Lee Kuan Yew for money should, if they were smart, start thinking about their actions, and whether it is safe to go on as they have done so far.
And in the meantime, as Lee Kuan Yew takes one more step to his grave, Dr. Chee Soon Juan and the other brave activists continue to spread the message throughout the island that Lee Kuan Yew is nothing but one corrupt dictator, who is propped up by minions such as Judge Belinda Ang, who do it for money.
I expect, with his death, there to be protests. The people's anger kept bottled up will erupt. The protests may be small in the beginning. But with the expected irrational actions of this government, we expect the minions of the dead Lee Kuan Yew to arrest them. This will result in even larger protests which will attract even harsher retaliation from this government. This in turn will cause even more people to hate them, and with mass protests, massive outflow of people, capital and investment, the present staus quo will change forever. And we never know, with Lee Kuan Yew's son in the decision making chair, he may, like his father suggested, even shoot at unarmed Singaporeans.
All this is very likely to happen in Singapore where everything depends on one man, Lee Kuan Yew. It is pity he did not think of this before.
Ahmad Ben Bella's famous words to the French troops in Algeria nearing the end of the civil war was "Choose. The suitcase or the coffin". Judge Belinda Ang is lucky that Singaporeans are a gentle people. Perhaps they would not insist that she get into a coffin. But I don't think they will let her go scot free either.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The first thing to do in a battle, is to soften the ground, before the attack. Artillery fire, rockets and mortar. And when the enemy is weakened, you launch the attack. This is no different in politics, and this is exactly what Dr. Chee Soon Juan is doing now.
In a sustained concerted and concentrated effort, he demolishes Lee Kuan Yew by exposing his repression, his dirty tricks, his abuse of the law through his blog, through his actions in court and through the punishment he takes at the hands of his oppressor. And slowly and surely, day after day, more and more Singaporeans become aware of the lack of justice and fairness in their country. And progressively Lee Kuan Yew loses all moral authority to rule. People become aware that Singapore is a morally bankrupt country, a country where the laws are abused at will to destroy critics, where the government is corrupt paying themselves millions while the poor teeter on the poverty line, and where human rights are literally non existent.
And as time progresses, as more and more people begin to hate Lee Kuan Yew and his millionaire ministers, the country becomes ripe for change. There is a simmering of discontent under the surface only to erupt when the time is right.
And the right time is when Lee Kuan Yew dies. He is presently 85 and is kept alive with a battery powered pacemaker next to his heart. It was reported that he is suffering from irregular heartbeat. I saw him in Judge Belinda Ang's court in Singapore from May 26, 2008 to May 28, 2008 which resulted in my unexpected arrest and imprisonment for criticizing her conduct. He appeared very weak, with some difficulty walked from the courtroom door to the witness box, with some effort sat down. He did not appear very sound in health.
With his death, something has to give, there is no doubt about it. I think he knows it too. His greatest mistake is to have chosen the sort of ministers presently with him. His son, he appoints prime minister, an obedient child who obeyed his father, passed all his exams and selected first as the highest ranking officer in the army and immediately thereafter, Prime Minister. He has not been leader of anything, not accomplished anything and no one knows anything about him except that he is the Prime Ministers son.
Law Minister Shanmugam was not too long ago, a lawyer in Allen and Gledhill, after which we were told that he is now Minister for Law. No one had any say in it and no one cares. Had he been selling Indian pancakes in a dhoti in Serangoon Road, no one would have cared either. I suppose he loves no one, and no one loves him either.
All of Lee Kuan Yew's ministers are handpicked men whose principle qualification is to do exactly what he tells them. We have no idea as to their principles, convictions and philosophy. Very probably they have none of those. They are there for only one reason, because the pay is good, and because there is Lee Kuan Yew, the 85 year old octogenarian to protect them.
But everything will change when Lee Kuan Yew dies. Lee knows this too. And that is why his many references to the secrets of longevity, clearly shows that he fears what will happen when he dies. So his desperate efforts to keep living one extra day at a time. But this fear of death, will itself cause him to die sooner than later. The obsession to stay alive will itself turn into a killer. So I expect him to be saying goodbye very soon.
And that is why I say they should be packing. Judge Belinda Ang, if she knew what was best for her, should pack her suitcases and leave. If she does not, the people might want to know why she deliberately abuses the law to punish Lee's critics. And knowing what she has done, it will be difficult to come up with an answer satisfactory to the people. Not knowing whether Lee Kuan Yew will live one week or one year, his days are numbered and the time of reckoning is also numbered for Judge Belinda Ang.
Judge Judith Prakash, Judge Kan Ting Chiu, DSP Mohamed Hassan, ASP Abdul Razak Zakaria, Judge VK Rajah, Kalaselvi d/o Rengasamy of the Bankruptcy office and the list goes on. If I were them, I would ask myself one question. Is it safe? Is it safe to continue misusing the law to please Lee Kuan Yew, when he is just about to die. Will the people hold men and women who oppress their fellow citizens to account when the time comes? These men and women who please Lee Kuan Yew for money should, if they were smart, start thinking about their actions, and whether it is safe to go on as they have done so far.
And in the meantime, as Lee Kuan Yew takes one more step to his grave, Dr. Chee Soon Juan and the other brave activists continue to spread the message throughout the island that Lee Kuan Yew is nothing but one corrupt dictator, who is propped up by minions such as Judge Belinda Ang, who do it for money.
I expect, with his death, there to be protests. The people's anger kept bottled up will erupt. The protests may be small in the beginning. But with the expected irrational actions of this government, we expect the minions of the dead Lee Kuan Yew to arrest them. This will result in even larger protests which will attract even harsher retaliation from this government. This in turn will cause even more people to hate them, and with mass protests, massive outflow of people, capital and investment, the present staus quo will change forever. And we never know, with Lee Kuan Yew's son in the decision making chair, he may, like his father suggested, even shoot at unarmed Singaporeans.
All this is very likely to happen in Singapore where everything depends on one man, Lee Kuan Yew. It is pity he did not think of this before.
Ahmad Ben Bella's famous words to the French troops in Algeria nearing the end of the civil war was "Choose. The suitcase or the coffin". Judge Belinda Ang is lucky that Singaporeans are a gentle people. Perhaps they would not insist that she get into a coffin. But I don't think they will let her go scot free either.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Have they no shame at all?
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I really wonder about this. Have they no shame at all? I am referring to Singapore's Chief Justice, Chan Sek Kiong, Singapore's Attorney General Walter Woon and Singapore's Minister for Law, Shanmugam.
I am referring to the report that appears in Singapore Democratic Party's website http://www.sdp.org/ Tuesday Jan 06, 2009 Chee responds to CJ, AG and Law Minister which squarely knocks down the stupid nonsense put out by them on the rule of law. I am also referring to my article in this blog, Singapore's state controlled newspaper Straits of Jan 03, 2009 where I too publicly exposed their chicanery.
Surely they know that Singaporeans read this. Anyone with even the slightest shame should find it difficult even walking out in public with their faces exposed after they have been made to look such fraudsters. Do they walk around then, wearing masks, because any self respecting human being, after such embarrassment, should find it difficult even walking out in public.
Had it been me, I would have died of shame. These are astonishing characters, really.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I really wonder about this. Have they no shame at all? I am referring to Singapore's Chief Justice, Chan Sek Kiong, Singapore's Attorney General Walter Woon and Singapore's Minister for Law, Shanmugam.
I am referring to the report that appears in Singapore Democratic Party's website http://www.sdp.org/ Tuesday Jan 06, 2009 Chee responds to CJ, AG and Law Minister which squarely knocks down the stupid nonsense put out by them on the rule of law. I am also referring to my article in this blog, Singapore's state controlled newspaper Straits of Jan 03, 2009 where I too publicly exposed their chicanery.
Surely they know that Singaporeans read this. Anyone with even the slightest shame should find it difficult even walking out in public with their faces exposed after they have been made to look such fraudsters. Do they walk around then, wearing masks, because any self respecting human being, after such embarrassment, should find it difficult even walking out in public.
Had it been me, I would have died of shame. These are astonishing characters, really.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Singapore's state controlled newspaper Straits Times of Jan 4, 2009 reports "Law Won't tolerate attacks"
Readers of this blog who are unfamiliar with the goings on in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, may think reading the comments that there are many who think Singapore is a democracy based on the rule of law. The reader is warned that they may be Singapore government employees whose job is to discredit those who criticize Lee Kuan Yew's authoritarian rule. Please use your discretion as to how much weight you will give these comments.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The headline news of Singapore’s state controlled newspaper Straits Times June 4, 2008 reads "Law won’t tolerate attacks". In Burma too, I am sure the law won't tolerate any attacks. And neither would any attacks be tolerated in North Korea.
One thing is clear to me. That is, just as they do in Burma, Singapore finds itself in governance by one thing and one thing alone; that is fear. This front page article in Singapore's state controlled newspaper has one purpose and one purpose alone. To intimidate and frighten the pants off every Singaporean from criticizing the judges no matter what they do. They are free to abuse the law any which way they want, but no one should dare so much as raise a whimper.
And this clearly shows one thing. They are clutching at straws. They know the winds are changing. They know the people want more accountability from their courts. They know the disaffection among the people against the abuse of the law. And they are determined to do the one thing which they know, which is, punish any critic, any dissenter, who complains.
Such desperation may work in societies like Burma where impoverished peasants have no means to resist. The country declines into poverty but the military junta remain in power through illegal drug money. This is not something that will work in Singapore where the people are better able to fend for themselves, with education, skills and money. This desperate act on their part will turn counter productive. With open borders unlike Burma, the skilled are able to leave, which they are already doing now. The sooner they realize this, the better not only for them, but for the people of Singapore.
The Chief Justice and the Attorney General in the report based on their speech at the opening of the legal year had said "they would not brook any attacks on the courts here". And why not? Surely the Law Courts exist on Singapore taxpayer’s money, don't they? And if so, why should not a citizen have the right to "attack" a judge when there is misuse of the law? No one should be intimidated by this arrogance of these judges. Everyone has a right to criticize the judiciary or any other branch of the government. This is what free speech is all about. And I will do it as many times as I want.
The Chief Justice, Chan Sek Keong says that "the mission of the courts requires that its authority be respected by all". But how can anyone respect it if throughout its history under Lee Kuan Yew it has been nothing more than a tool to silence and punish those who oppose him. What about the numerous cases against the late JB Jeyaretnam where the courts systematically abused the law to bankrupt him and kick him out of Parliament and his law practice for merely engaging in legitimate criticisms? How does one respect such a judiciary? And what about Dr. Chee Soon Juan, hounded and bankrupted for doing what any citizen of any democratic country is entitled to do, that is to criticize? How is it possible to respect it? And how is it possible for me to respect it when they sent me to jail for 3 months, for doing just that; criticism? Can I put it this way? I respect the institution of the judiciary. But I have no iota of respect for the individuals who hold that office in Singapore. They are one corrupt lot, and they should be told exactly that.
He then goes on to say that the governance of the country and the rule of law require that no one should be allowed to scandalize the judiciary. My dear Chan Sek Keong, let us not play with words here. Lee Kuan Yew has abused the Constitution and whittled it down to such an extent that Singapore in effect has no Constitution at all. Let's face it, my dear Chan Sek Keong. And let me tell you what I am saying. The Singapore Constitution guarantees free speech. And therefore illegal laws which Lee Kuan Yew has in place which requires a permit to speak publicly is void and illegal. Any first year law student should be able to tell you that. No one has made any false or scandalous allegations here. All we are doing is to call a rat by its true name, which is a rat.
I should tell Chan Sek Keong this. What you are doing is to defend the indefensible. Plain and simply put, your laws relating to defamation of character, contempt of court and the laws that require permits for public speaking and public assembly are plain and simply wrong. And what you are doing is to continue in your abuse of the law by convicting people who are engaging in nothing more than their constitutional rights.
The report refers to Walter Woon the Attorney General speaking about the need to protect the legal system. My question to him is this. If the legal system has lost all integrity, what is left to protect?
He then goes on to say that there is a campaign both in Singapore and abroad to attack the integrity and independence of the judiciary. What made him think that? As far as one can see, foreign newspapers and myself have only reported on what we saw, which is that Singapore’s judges have become corrupt and are using the law to prop up the rule of Lee Kuan Yew. And punishing someone who says it, which is entirely true, cannot amount to anything illegal.
He then says that critics of the Singapore judiciary have been charged for undermining the judiciary for political and ideological reasons. I don't know where he got the idea, but in any case, there is nothing wrong in attacking the courts either for political or ideological reasons. Democracy is a political or ideological cause. And democracy demands that the judges are fair and just, not stooges of Lee Kuan Yew. Dictatorship is also a political or ideological cause and I am entitled to resist a judicial system which is determined to further such an ideology as in Singapore, a dictatorship.
Singapore's Attorney General refers to an instance where activists had gone to his office and refused to leave until their possessions which were illegally seized by the police were returned to them. What happened is this. Peaceful protestors had assembled before Singapore Parliament demanding that the government show some concern for the plight of ordinary Singaporeans who were in poverty. As they did not have any permits to assemble, since the police would not give it to them, the police arrested them for not having permits. In the process the police in their usual high handed manner seized the cell phones of several protestors. It is quite clear that seizure of their personal belongings was clearly illegal. Their cell phones had no evidentiary value in the alleged offence of assembling without a permit. So naturally they went to his office to demand the return of the items. I am sorry to hear that they left the premises. They should have refused to go until their personal possessions were returned. The Singapore Attorney General was clearly abusing the law and the people have to right to complain.
He then refers to the Kangaroo T shirt case where 3 activists, John Tan, Shafi and Izrizal were charged and convicted and sent to jail for wearing T shirts with the image of a kangaroo in judicial robes to the court case where Lee Kuan Yew, the Singapore strongman was suing Dr. Chee Soon Juan before the government stooge Judge Belinda Ang. There was nothing wrong in their actions, simply because their implying that Judge Ang was biased and corrupt was completely true, as anyone in court that day, like I was will confirm. In any case, this was a clear exercise of one's right to freedom of speech.
And then there was the reference to me. He says that I had sent various Emails to various people in Singapore stating that Judge Belinda Ang, the offending judge, in the case of Lee Kuan Yew against Dr. Chee Soon Juan had "prostituted herself" in those proceedings. A state owned and controlled newspaper like Pravda or the Singapore Straits Times is free to report anything they want, since they are only accountable to Lee Kuan Yew and no one else. Let me tell you that Singapore Attorney General is not being truthful when he said this. In fact, what is worse, it is probably he himself or his agent under his instruction that sent any Emails to anyone, if in fact they were sent.
Let me remind the reader of what happened. On the 29th of May 2008, after I had attended the shameful spectacle of a trial between Lee Kuan Yew and Dr. Chee Soon Juan where Judge Belinda Ang appeared no longer in her role as a judge but as an employee of Lee Kuan Yew and his son, permitting them to get away with whatever they wanted, I wrote a blog post in this blog saying among other things that "she prostituted her position as a judge" see Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang's Kangaroo Court. This is factually correct. On May 31, 2008, I was arrested by a party of police led by ASP Abdul Razak Zakaria from Central Police Station. At the time of arrest, he confiscated a note book from my hotel room in which there was my Email password for my Email nair.gopalan@yahoo.com. He then charges me with sending Emails to various people including this judge. Since I did not send any Emails to anyone, it was very probably the Attorney General himself who had the conduct of my arrest who sent these Emails. I never sent any emails to anyone. I wrote the blog. If he is the one who actually sent these Emails himself, and now publicly claims that I did, he shows an ability to stoop lower than even perhaps Adolf Hitler could. Of course, he can say anything he wants and Singapore’s state controlled press will report any lie that he utters.
And then he correctly says that I had re-posted the articles from the US but does not say which they are. As to the blog post Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang's Kangaroo Court , for which I was charged, this was never deleted by me. So there was no question of re-posting as it was always up on my blog. There were 2 other blog posts which I had deleted which referred to my other case where I was falsely accused of disorderly behavior by the Attorney General, which I had deleted on orders of the judge. I had no intention of keeping my undertaking to judiciary which is devoid of all integrity and thus my re-posting them the moment I stepped foot on American soil.
At one point he refers to an attempt by activists to change the laws by extra judicial means. Well, Mr. Attorney General, you are both right and wrong. Yes, I am trying to change Singapore's laws, but wrong when you say it is by extra judicial means. Peaceful protest and criticism are lawful means to bring about change. It is a right enshrined in the Constitution. Nothing extra judicial about it at all.
He refers to a deliberate attempt to force change in the law. Yes you are right. Dr. Chee Soon Juan, the activists, I and anyone else who knows Singapore understands that as matters rest, it is impossible to remove the dictatorship and restore democracy in Singapore through the ballot box. Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Than Swe of Burma, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and you the Attorney General know that if you give your people their constitutional rights, you would no longer be in power. So Mugabe and Than Swe use brute force to bring their people to heel. You do the same thing, except that you do it by abusing the law.
You then use that very law you abuse and insist that the people should obey the law. What law, Mr. Attorney general? It is a law stood on its head. It is not a law that anyone should obey. It is not just a right but the duty of every Singaporean to break it and break it with pride.
Let me say finally to your Chief Justice, to you Attorney General and to the newly appointed Minister for Law, Shanmugam, that there are just laws and unjust laws. Just laws must be followed and unjust laws should be broken. And that is the duty of every man woman and child in that island.
And this blog is inspiring many in Singapore to do just that. I know of more than one young man who have said enough is enough and joined the growing number of Singaporean activists to stand up to this railroading over them. And it is my hope that many more will realize this hogwash being purveyed by Lee Kuan Yew and stand up to what is right.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The headline news of Singapore’s state controlled newspaper Straits Times June 4, 2008 reads "Law won’t tolerate attacks". In Burma too, I am sure the law won't tolerate any attacks. And neither would any attacks be tolerated in North Korea.
One thing is clear to me. That is, just as they do in Burma, Singapore finds itself in governance by one thing and one thing alone; that is fear. This front page article in Singapore's state controlled newspaper has one purpose and one purpose alone. To intimidate and frighten the pants off every Singaporean from criticizing the judges no matter what they do. They are free to abuse the law any which way they want, but no one should dare so much as raise a whimper.
And this clearly shows one thing. They are clutching at straws. They know the winds are changing. They know the people want more accountability from their courts. They know the disaffection among the people against the abuse of the law. And they are determined to do the one thing which they know, which is, punish any critic, any dissenter, who complains.
Such desperation may work in societies like Burma where impoverished peasants have no means to resist. The country declines into poverty but the military junta remain in power through illegal drug money. This is not something that will work in Singapore where the people are better able to fend for themselves, with education, skills and money. This desperate act on their part will turn counter productive. With open borders unlike Burma, the skilled are able to leave, which they are already doing now. The sooner they realize this, the better not only for them, but for the people of Singapore.
The Chief Justice and the Attorney General in the report based on their speech at the opening of the legal year had said "they would not brook any attacks on the courts here". And why not? Surely the Law Courts exist on Singapore taxpayer’s money, don't they? And if so, why should not a citizen have the right to "attack" a judge when there is misuse of the law? No one should be intimidated by this arrogance of these judges. Everyone has a right to criticize the judiciary or any other branch of the government. This is what free speech is all about. And I will do it as many times as I want.
The Chief Justice, Chan Sek Keong says that "the mission of the courts requires that its authority be respected by all". But how can anyone respect it if throughout its history under Lee Kuan Yew it has been nothing more than a tool to silence and punish those who oppose him. What about the numerous cases against the late JB Jeyaretnam where the courts systematically abused the law to bankrupt him and kick him out of Parliament and his law practice for merely engaging in legitimate criticisms? How does one respect such a judiciary? And what about Dr. Chee Soon Juan, hounded and bankrupted for doing what any citizen of any democratic country is entitled to do, that is to criticize? How is it possible to respect it? And how is it possible for me to respect it when they sent me to jail for 3 months, for doing just that; criticism? Can I put it this way? I respect the institution of the judiciary. But I have no iota of respect for the individuals who hold that office in Singapore. They are one corrupt lot, and they should be told exactly that.
He then goes on to say that the governance of the country and the rule of law require that no one should be allowed to scandalize the judiciary. My dear Chan Sek Keong, let us not play with words here. Lee Kuan Yew has abused the Constitution and whittled it down to such an extent that Singapore in effect has no Constitution at all. Let's face it, my dear Chan Sek Keong. And let me tell you what I am saying. The Singapore Constitution guarantees free speech. And therefore illegal laws which Lee Kuan Yew has in place which requires a permit to speak publicly is void and illegal. Any first year law student should be able to tell you that. No one has made any false or scandalous allegations here. All we are doing is to call a rat by its true name, which is a rat.
I should tell Chan Sek Keong this. What you are doing is to defend the indefensible. Plain and simply put, your laws relating to defamation of character, contempt of court and the laws that require permits for public speaking and public assembly are plain and simply wrong. And what you are doing is to continue in your abuse of the law by convicting people who are engaging in nothing more than their constitutional rights.
The report refers to Walter Woon the Attorney General speaking about the need to protect the legal system. My question to him is this. If the legal system has lost all integrity, what is left to protect?
He then goes on to say that there is a campaign both in Singapore and abroad to attack the integrity and independence of the judiciary. What made him think that? As far as one can see, foreign newspapers and myself have only reported on what we saw, which is that Singapore’s judges have become corrupt and are using the law to prop up the rule of Lee Kuan Yew. And punishing someone who says it, which is entirely true, cannot amount to anything illegal.
He then says that critics of the Singapore judiciary have been charged for undermining the judiciary for political and ideological reasons. I don't know where he got the idea, but in any case, there is nothing wrong in attacking the courts either for political or ideological reasons. Democracy is a political or ideological cause. And democracy demands that the judges are fair and just, not stooges of Lee Kuan Yew. Dictatorship is also a political or ideological cause and I am entitled to resist a judicial system which is determined to further such an ideology as in Singapore, a dictatorship.
Singapore's Attorney General refers to an instance where activists had gone to his office and refused to leave until their possessions which were illegally seized by the police were returned to them. What happened is this. Peaceful protestors had assembled before Singapore Parliament demanding that the government show some concern for the plight of ordinary Singaporeans who were in poverty. As they did not have any permits to assemble, since the police would not give it to them, the police arrested them for not having permits. In the process the police in their usual high handed manner seized the cell phones of several protestors. It is quite clear that seizure of their personal belongings was clearly illegal. Their cell phones had no evidentiary value in the alleged offence of assembling without a permit. So naturally they went to his office to demand the return of the items. I am sorry to hear that they left the premises. They should have refused to go until their personal possessions were returned. The Singapore Attorney General was clearly abusing the law and the people have to right to complain.
He then refers to the Kangaroo T shirt case where 3 activists, John Tan, Shafi and Izrizal were charged and convicted and sent to jail for wearing T shirts with the image of a kangaroo in judicial robes to the court case where Lee Kuan Yew, the Singapore strongman was suing Dr. Chee Soon Juan before the government stooge Judge Belinda Ang. There was nothing wrong in their actions, simply because their implying that Judge Ang was biased and corrupt was completely true, as anyone in court that day, like I was will confirm. In any case, this was a clear exercise of one's right to freedom of speech.
And then there was the reference to me. He says that I had sent various Emails to various people in Singapore stating that Judge Belinda Ang, the offending judge, in the case of Lee Kuan Yew against Dr. Chee Soon Juan had "prostituted herself" in those proceedings. A state owned and controlled newspaper like Pravda or the Singapore Straits Times is free to report anything they want, since they are only accountable to Lee Kuan Yew and no one else. Let me tell you that Singapore Attorney General is not being truthful when he said this. In fact, what is worse, it is probably he himself or his agent under his instruction that sent any Emails to anyone, if in fact they were sent.
Let me remind the reader of what happened. On the 29th of May 2008, after I had attended the shameful spectacle of a trial between Lee Kuan Yew and Dr. Chee Soon Juan where Judge Belinda Ang appeared no longer in her role as a judge but as an employee of Lee Kuan Yew and his son, permitting them to get away with whatever they wanted, I wrote a blog post in this blog saying among other things that "she prostituted her position as a judge" see Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang's Kangaroo Court. This is factually correct. On May 31, 2008, I was arrested by a party of police led by ASP Abdul Razak Zakaria from Central Police Station. At the time of arrest, he confiscated a note book from my hotel room in which there was my Email password for my Email nair.gopalan@yahoo.com. He then charges me with sending Emails to various people including this judge. Since I did not send any Emails to anyone, it was very probably the Attorney General himself who had the conduct of my arrest who sent these Emails. I never sent any emails to anyone. I wrote the blog. If he is the one who actually sent these Emails himself, and now publicly claims that I did, he shows an ability to stoop lower than even perhaps Adolf Hitler could. Of course, he can say anything he wants and Singapore’s state controlled press will report any lie that he utters.
And then he correctly says that I had re-posted the articles from the US but does not say which they are. As to the blog post Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang's Kangaroo Court , for which I was charged, this was never deleted by me. So there was no question of re-posting as it was always up on my blog. There were 2 other blog posts which I had deleted which referred to my other case where I was falsely accused of disorderly behavior by the Attorney General, which I had deleted on orders of the judge. I had no intention of keeping my undertaking to judiciary which is devoid of all integrity and thus my re-posting them the moment I stepped foot on American soil.
At one point he refers to an attempt by activists to change the laws by extra judicial means. Well, Mr. Attorney General, you are both right and wrong. Yes, I am trying to change Singapore's laws, but wrong when you say it is by extra judicial means. Peaceful protest and criticism are lawful means to bring about change. It is a right enshrined in the Constitution. Nothing extra judicial about it at all.
He refers to a deliberate attempt to force change in the law. Yes you are right. Dr. Chee Soon Juan, the activists, I and anyone else who knows Singapore understands that as matters rest, it is impossible to remove the dictatorship and restore democracy in Singapore through the ballot box. Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Than Swe of Burma, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and you the Attorney General know that if you give your people their constitutional rights, you would no longer be in power. So Mugabe and Than Swe use brute force to bring their people to heel. You do the same thing, except that you do it by abusing the law.
You then use that very law you abuse and insist that the people should obey the law. What law, Mr. Attorney general? It is a law stood on its head. It is not a law that anyone should obey. It is not just a right but the duty of every Singaporean to break it and break it with pride.
Let me say finally to your Chief Justice, to you Attorney General and to the newly appointed Minister for Law, Shanmugam, that there are just laws and unjust laws. Just laws must be followed and unjust laws should be broken. And that is the duty of every man woman and child in that island.
And this blog is inspiring many in Singapore to do just that. I know of more than one young man who have said enough is enough and joined the growing number of Singaporean activists to stand up to this railroading over them. And it is my hope that many more will realize this hogwash being purveyed by Lee Kuan Yew and stand up to what is right.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
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