Ladies and Gentlemen,
Singapore's state controlled newspaper the Straits Times, which Reporters Without Borders placed 157th position in the world for being almost the least free, has this story on Sept 29, 2009 on it's online edition "Institute to Groom Talent". This time, just as Lee's son's many previous grandiose castles in the air, he has started a new initiative to "bring together business schools, corporate universities and professional services firms devoted to leadership and talent development"!
As expected the article is very badly written (but what can you expect from a state controlled newspaper not much different from those in Burma?) obviously because they are unable to recruit good writers, but trying hard nevertheless to understand, it appears to be an attempt by him to nurture and advance business and leadership talent!
Unless the education and training is conducted entirely in Mandarin Chinese, I think it would be rather difficult to attract anyone to Singapore, let alone keep them there sufficiently to train them!
You see, anyone who can read English would very soon find out that such as political party known as the Singapore Democratic Party exists. They are also going to find out that it's leader Dr. Chee has been fined $400,000.00 this last time, not counting the earlier times, by a Singapore judge all because he criticized Singapore's leader Lee Kuan Yew. They are also going to find out that such a man known as Gopalan Nair was sent to jail for 3 months for, among other things, criticizing that same judge Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for corruption and bias in a court case.
And finding this out, however much Lee Kuan Yew or his son tried to keep this hidden, they will find out that Singapore has a corrupt judiciary, the politicians are corrupt and there is no human rights at all. And once they discovered that, they would be asking themselves what in Heavens are they doing in Singapore trying to improve on leadership and talent! They might as well be in Rangoon, Burma!
And once they find out the truth, not only will they leave Singapore as fast as they came, they will also turn out to become first class ambassadors for the bad news that Singapore is.
If Lee Kuan Yew's son, who his father handpicked for Prime Minister did not know, Singapore is losing it's talent at such a scale, it is already destroying the country. Not too long ago in a survey, 2 out of 3 young people said, if given a chance they would emigrate. Only 2 moths ago, Goh Chock Tong, teary eyed admitted that Singapore is losing it's talent at such a rate that 2 in 3 students who go abroad never return. And what is worse, the birth rate has shrunk to a level below replacement.
"Singapore Dissident" has been working hard to spread the truth about Singapore, which is, an authoritarian dictatorship that has no free press, free speech or an independent judiciary. And it is hoped that all those who come to Singapore by mistake, hoodwinked by the Singapore government that it is something else, will hopefully read this blog and the others and realize the truth.
The only alternative for this administration is to lure more and more Chinese speaking conformists and crawlers from mainland China to populate the country. Without the necessary qualities, they will be no real replacement for those Singaporeans with talent and an English education who have left.
And coming back to Lee Kuan Yew's son's Human Capital Summit, nothing will be heard about it anymore, as is the story of all his other plans.
Lee Kuan Yew's greatest mistake was to misuse the judiciary. This discredited the entire country. A country which has lost it's reputation for integrity will lose everything. It is no longer trustworthy.
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, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Singapore. Something very wrong about the whole place.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On a daily basis, Singapore's state controlled media comes up with various bright plans, new industries and other good news, as if Singapore is inexorably advancing. So good on paper, since you own it anyway. But is it really?
What Singapore's self appointed dictators do not realize is this. Blind acceptance of authority on the one hand and education on the other, are opposites and work against each other. They are not composites but opposites. You cannot expect any advancement while you dampen their spirit. As long as you instill fear into people demanding they behave in the way you want; not speak things you don't like and say things pleasing to you; you will never achieve greatness. And whatever outward success you see, will rapidly unravel and you will fall.
Singapore children continue to receive an education. The Internet is universal and everywhere. Information is available at the fingertip and instant. With this background, take one glaring issue, minister's salaries. Singapore ministers are paid no less than several millions every year far surpassing what several European and American presidents put together!
The normal reaction to this by any normal person would be to question the legality of these payments. Are they legitimate or are they illegal? Are they salaries or is this corruption? Should they be made to return these moneys or should they be allowed to keep them? Should they be put on trial for theft or should they be pardoned? Should there be a commission of enquiry or should there be naught?
Had this been happening in Europe or America, these questions would have been raised a long time ago, these ministers would have been held to account, the newspapers would have reported this on a daily basis and the Attorney Generals of these countries would have been considering whether charges would be brought. But you see, in Singapore nothing like this is happening. No one is questioning any of this, the newspapers have not reported anything and there have been no mass protests decrying this injustice.
You see, the Singapore citizen is required to behave in a very unusual way. Although he knows this is injustice, through fear, he does not question this openly; through fear the newspaper reporter does not say anything and through large monetary payments or bribes, the Singapore Attorney General does not question any of this.
This strained forced behavior of the Singapore citizen makes life very unpleasant. On the one hand, he knows something is wrong, but he cannot question it like the person in any other free country in the world. Since there is no free press, he is unable to raise the multitudinous other complaints he has, because the state owned press will not publish them. He lives in a world where his grievances will not see the light of day, living in a state of perpetual denial. The laws have been tightened so much that he cannot publicly protest to make his grievance heard, because he will be arrested. He cannot even commence a lawsuit because Judges like Belinda Ang Saw Ean, just like every other judge in Singapore, will deny him any justice if it is Lee Kuan Yew's pleasure.
I do not believe that the normal human being is satisfied with just room and board. Unlike animals, he is a living breathing human being, with a mind of his own, and with a sense of right and wrong. But what Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore expects is for him to completely forget his own beliefs and completely surrender to those of Lee Kuan Yew and his minions. In other words, for a happy life in Singapore, one has to believe that $5 million is a normal and justified salary for Lee Kuan Yew; a state controlled and owned press is a good thing for Singapore; that Singapore judges are all independent and upholding of the rule of law and that Dr. Chee Soon Juan and myself and Tang Liang Hong are all serial criminals, and lastly Singapore is the greatest country in the world.
It is not only difficult for me to accept this, but it is difficult for every normal human being in Singapore who can think.
So what happens is this. Many who have no integrity and self respect, that is those who are prepared to act unconscionably in exchange for large amounts of money (bribes) like Lee Kuan Yew's judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean, join the establishment. That is to say, they support Lee Kuan Yew's unjust laws and policies in return for money. That is why this judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean in blatant violation of the laws, denied Dr. Chee Soon Juan a fair trial in the law suit brought by Lee Kuan Yew and went on not only to order him to pay $400,000.00 but send him to jail as well.
Just as this judge, every one of his ministers, his civil servants and anyone associated with this government has to behave in such a manner. They have to act unconscionably. They have to abuse the rights of the citizens. They have to bend the law. They have to instill fear in their fellow citizens to make them conform under the will of the dictator. In sum total, the entire government is made up of men and women who have compromised their principles in order for money, a career and security.
And that leaves the rest of the population. There is the uneducated or the unthinking who are quite satisfied as long as they have a job and food on the table. They stay in Singapore and carry on with life as usual. But mostly these people are not educated and are incapable of assuming positions of leadership. You find people like these in the Singapore police force in junior positions and the several other uniformed government organizations. You also find them working in the government and large companies as junior clerks. Singapore will not change because of them and they try to live lives with as little excitement as possible.
That leaves the group who is able to think and is troubled by Lee Kuan Yew and his friends dampening their spirit and turning them into slaves. They do not like it one bit. Life in Singapore becomes miserable for them.
If there ever comes a moment in the life of a Singaporean when he feels he has to act regardless of the consequences, then life from that moment becomes very exciting. Take the case where he decides to join an opposition political party, by which I mean Dr. Chee's party, not the watered down version of the Workers Party or that of Chiam See Tong. Immediately he loses his job. His career prospects are terminated. He finds himself in all kinds of trouble and if he persists, like Dr. Chee Soon Juan, he too will be sued imprisoned and bankrupted. It should be quite obvious as to what happens to him. He will be destroyed.
Unfortunately there are not many who are prepared to suffer punishment of that magnitude. So what they do is to emigrate. They leave with their families to Australia, Canada or New Zealand. USA if they can.
So with the effluxion of time, more and more of the educated leave Singapore. At the same time, more and more Chinese nationals and others are brought in. These people have no loyalty or any reasonability for Singapore. They will be prepared to vote for a monkey if that is what it takes. Many of them are seconded to work for the Lee Kuan Yew administration to sing praises to him, as we have the others. Maybe they will stay, maybe they will not, only God knows.
I do not think this is a workable plan that Lee Kuan Yew has. Educating people and at the same time demanding that they accept the unacceptable is simply a wrong plan. Methinks it simply will not work. And as each day passes the island’s prospects for success are diminished, despite the Singapore state controlled press painting an ever glorious picture.
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.
On a daily basis, Singapore's state controlled media comes up with various bright plans, new industries and other good news, as if Singapore is inexorably advancing. So good on paper, since you own it anyway. But is it really?
What Singapore's self appointed dictators do not realize is this. Blind acceptance of authority on the one hand and education on the other, are opposites and work against each other. They are not composites but opposites. You cannot expect any advancement while you dampen their spirit. As long as you instill fear into people demanding they behave in the way you want; not speak things you don't like and say things pleasing to you; you will never achieve greatness. And whatever outward success you see, will rapidly unravel and you will fall.
Singapore children continue to receive an education. The Internet is universal and everywhere. Information is available at the fingertip and instant. With this background, take one glaring issue, minister's salaries. Singapore ministers are paid no less than several millions every year far surpassing what several European and American presidents put together!
The normal reaction to this by any normal person would be to question the legality of these payments. Are they legitimate or are they illegal? Are they salaries or is this corruption? Should they be made to return these moneys or should they be allowed to keep them? Should they be put on trial for theft or should they be pardoned? Should there be a commission of enquiry or should there be naught?
Had this been happening in Europe or America, these questions would have been raised a long time ago, these ministers would have been held to account, the newspapers would have reported this on a daily basis and the Attorney Generals of these countries would have been considering whether charges would be brought. But you see, in Singapore nothing like this is happening. No one is questioning any of this, the newspapers have not reported anything and there have been no mass protests decrying this injustice.
You see, the Singapore citizen is required to behave in a very unusual way. Although he knows this is injustice, through fear, he does not question this openly; through fear the newspaper reporter does not say anything and through large monetary payments or bribes, the Singapore Attorney General does not question any of this.
This strained forced behavior of the Singapore citizen makes life very unpleasant. On the one hand, he knows something is wrong, but he cannot question it like the person in any other free country in the world. Since there is no free press, he is unable to raise the multitudinous other complaints he has, because the state owned press will not publish them. He lives in a world where his grievances will not see the light of day, living in a state of perpetual denial. The laws have been tightened so much that he cannot publicly protest to make his grievance heard, because he will be arrested. He cannot even commence a lawsuit because Judges like Belinda Ang Saw Ean, just like every other judge in Singapore, will deny him any justice if it is Lee Kuan Yew's pleasure.
I do not believe that the normal human being is satisfied with just room and board. Unlike animals, he is a living breathing human being, with a mind of his own, and with a sense of right and wrong. But what Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore expects is for him to completely forget his own beliefs and completely surrender to those of Lee Kuan Yew and his minions. In other words, for a happy life in Singapore, one has to believe that $5 million is a normal and justified salary for Lee Kuan Yew; a state controlled and owned press is a good thing for Singapore; that Singapore judges are all independent and upholding of the rule of law and that Dr. Chee Soon Juan and myself and Tang Liang Hong are all serial criminals, and lastly Singapore is the greatest country in the world.
It is not only difficult for me to accept this, but it is difficult for every normal human being in Singapore who can think.
So what happens is this. Many who have no integrity and self respect, that is those who are prepared to act unconscionably in exchange for large amounts of money (bribes) like Lee Kuan Yew's judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean, join the establishment. That is to say, they support Lee Kuan Yew's unjust laws and policies in return for money. That is why this judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean in blatant violation of the laws, denied Dr. Chee Soon Juan a fair trial in the law suit brought by Lee Kuan Yew and went on not only to order him to pay $400,000.00 but send him to jail as well.
Just as this judge, every one of his ministers, his civil servants and anyone associated with this government has to behave in such a manner. They have to act unconscionably. They have to abuse the rights of the citizens. They have to bend the law. They have to instill fear in their fellow citizens to make them conform under the will of the dictator. In sum total, the entire government is made up of men and women who have compromised their principles in order for money, a career and security.
And that leaves the rest of the population. There is the uneducated or the unthinking who are quite satisfied as long as they have a job and food on the table. They stay in Singapore and carry on with life as usual. But mostly these people are not educated and are incapable of assuming positions of leadership. You find people like these in the Singapore police force in junior positions and the several other uniformed government organizations. You also find them working in the government and large companies as junior clerks. Singapore will not change because of them and they try to live lives with as little excitement as possible.
That leaves the group who is able to think and is troubled by Lee Kuan Yew and his friends dampening their spirit and turning them into slaves. They do not like it one bit. Life in Singapore becomes miserable for them.
If there ever comes a moment in the life of a Singaporean when he feels he has to act regardless of the consequences, then life from that moment becomes very exciting. Take the case where he decides to join an opposition political party, by which I mean Dr. Chee's party, not the watered down version of the Workers Party or that of Chiam See Tong. Immediately he loses his job. His career prospects are terminated. He finds himself in all kinds of trouble and if he persists, like Dr. Chee Soon Juan, he too will be sued imprisoned and bankrupted. It should be quite obvious as to what happens to him. He will be destroyed.
Unfortunately there are not many who are prepared to suffer punishment of that magnitude. So what they do is to emigrate. They leave with their families to Australia, Canada or New Zealand. USA if they can.
So with the effluxion of time, more and more of the educated leave Singapore. At the same time, more and more Chinese nationals and others are brought in. These people have no loyalty or any reasonability for Singapore. They will be prepared to vote for a monkey if that is what it takes. Many of them are seconded to work for the Lee Kuan Yew administration to sing praises to him, as we have the others. Maybe they will stay, maybe they will not, only God knows.
I do not think this is a workable plan that Lee Kuan Yew has. Educating people and at the same time demanding that they accept the unacceptable is simply a wrong plan. Methinks it simply will not work. And as each day passes the island’s prospects for success are diminished, despite the Singapore state controlled press painting an ever glorious picture.
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, September 25, 2009
Singapore. A stiff day in a stiff courtroom
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Appearing in court is not a pleasant occasion anywhere in the world, but in Singapore, the judges and lawyers take that additional effort to make it that much more unpleasant; I don't know why.
In California, the courts realize this and they try to make it a little friendlier, a few greetings thrown in here or there, so that the Defendant even though he is punished, keeps his dignity and goes away realizing that justice is there to help him, not demean him. The judge greets the Defendant with a Good Morning, addressing him as Mister. The Defendant has no problem speaking to the Judge and if he had a lawyer, the Defendant is seated next to him in a suit, unless of course he is in custody. And when the judge passes sentence, he explains fully in detail why he is imposing that particular sentence and none other. The Defendant knows why he is punished, had an opportunity to explain his case to the judge and the judge actually listened to him, looked him in the eye, and empathised with him. He treats the Defendant as a human being and so did the Defendant the judge; with mutual respect and mutual decency. This is California. This is a human place.
On the other hand, if you look at any Singapore judge's face in Court, it is as if he was suffering from an acute bout of indigestion or perhaps his wife had not been good to him last night. There is no smile, there is no humour, all you see is a stern face which hardly even looks you in the eye; as if you are not worthy even to be looked at! It is as if, Lee Kuan Yew had particularly given instructions to his judges that they have to always keep up the no nonsense look. Perhaps this is one way they hope to command respect; perhaps because they know they don't have any!
A trip to Court 26 Singapore Subordinate Court is worthwhile to study their judicial mentality. In it, numerous petty criminals in prison clothes, who were unable to get bail,are kept in a sort of enclosure in the court, in full view of everyone else, handcuffed to each other, like animals.
Those with bail sit in the court itself, waiting their turn. The entire atmosphere is intimidating. There is no good mornings, no smiles and no greetings at all. Before the court starts a Malay policeman barks out an order in the Singaporean accented English, a cross between the Hokkien singsong and English, known as Singlish, that cell phone have to be off and no talking! From that moment the courtroom turns as silent as the cemetery.
I was there one morning as a result of one of my run in with "my good friend Lee Kuan Yew" in 2008. Before the court even started, when I was reading the Singapore state controlled paper the Straits Times, a Malay policeman barked at me with his insufficient English and said "No reading newspaper OK"! For one moment I had thought of questioning him on his order since the court had not yet started, but decided against it. In a country like Singapore, where the judges always defer to Lee's wishes and where obedience is the order of the day, it is usually pointless to argue with a policeman no matter how right you are.
A Malay or Indian woman court clerk, with a face completely devoid of any expression shouts out the name of the first defendant. A policeman barks out an order to him to stand up and behave. This expressionless clerk then reads out the charge, that on such and such date, he had got upset and punched a man thereby having violated such and such section of such and such Penal Code. She shouts "Guilty or Not guilty?"
If he has a lawyer, he stands up meekly and overly respectful, as if he was going to crawl at the feet of the judge that very minute, pleads guilty. The judge without even looking up asks a policeman about the Defendant's record which he reads out, in a thoroughly mechanical fashion, as if he didn't care one bit whether you heard or understood anything he said, since the judge himself had a copy. Next he turns to his lawyer who says the defendant is a family man with 3 children, that he is 24 years of age, the ages of his children, his highest education level, that he had aged grandparents whom he was supporting and that he was a Christian!
And the funny thing is, these lawyers, almost everyone of them, have almost the same thing to say about everyone of their clients regardless of the nature of the offense!
Naturally I was wondering why in Heaven's should his being 24 years old, being a family man with 3 children and supporting his aged grandparents and being a Christian has any mitigating qualities for his punching his victim in the nose! But you see, this is Singapore, and thats how it is done there!
After the poor lawyer fawning and crawling had said the few words which was supposed to be the plea in mitigation, there is a few minutes of total silence, while judge looking very stern, glances at his papers, while the poor defendant awaits his fate. He then looks up and says "$2000.00 fine or 2 months jail"; thats all! The court staff next to him scribbles something on a paper and hands it to him. End of case. The entire exercise takes no more than 5 minutes, when this whole procedure is repeated once more for the next Defendant.
He does not bother to say why he gave this sentence? Was it severe or lenient? Did he find anything the Defendant did particularly objectionable? Did the Defendant's lawyers plea have any impact on the sentence? Nothing at all! Just a total blank and the words "$2,000 or 2 months jail"!
Had you been I, witnessing this routine, you would have wondered why they bother to even have a judge siting there in the first place? Why not have a computer and feed the information into it, and 5 minutes later, you will get the verdict!
What you have are humourless individuals, lacking any emotion or human qualities sitting as judges in Singapore. I guess they are this way because this is how Lee Kuan Yew expects them to behave in his highly disciplined robotic Singapore island.
You know why they are this way? They are afraid of Lee Kuan Yew, and the Defendants are afraid of their judges in their island of fear.
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.
Appearing in court is not a pleasant occasion anywhere in the world, but in Singapore, the judges and lawyers take that additional effort to make it that much more unpleasant; I don't know why.
In California, the courts realize this and they try to make it a little friendlier, a few greetings thrown in here or there, so that the Defendant even though he is punished, keeps his dignity and goes away realizing that justice is there to help him, not demean him. The judge greets the Defendant with a Good Morning, addressing him as Mister. The Defendant has no problem speaking to the Judge and if he had a lawyer, the Defendant is seated next to him in a suit, unless of course he is in custody. And when the judge passes sentence, he explains fully in detail why he is imposing that particular sentence and none other. The Defendant knows why he is punished, had an opportunity to explain his case to the judge and the judge actually listened to him, looked him in the eye, and empathised with him. He treats the Defendant as a human being and so did the Defendant the judge; with mutual respect and mutual decency. This is California. This is a human place.
On the other hand, if you look at any Singapore judge's face in Court, it is as if he was suffering from an acute bout of indigestion or perhaps his wife had not been good to him last night. There is no smile, there is no humour, all you see is a stern face which hardly even looks you in the eye; as if you are not worthy even to be looked at! It is as if, Lee Kuan Yew had particularly given instructions to his judges that they have to always keep up the no nonsense look. Perhaps this is one way they hope to command respect; perhaps because they know they don't have any!
A trip to Court 26 Singapore Subordinate Court is worthwhile to study their judicial mentality. In it, numerous petty criminals in prison clothes, who were unable to get bail,are kept in a sort of enclosure in the court, in full view of everyone else, handcuffed to each other, like animals.
Those with bail sit in the court itself, waiting their turn. The entire atmosphere is intimidating. There is no good mornings, no smiles and no greetings at all. Before the court starts a Malay policeman barks out an order in the Singaporean accented English, a cross between the Hokkien singsong and English, known as Singlish, that cell phone have to be off and no talking! From that moment the courtroom turns as silent as the cemetery.
I was there one morning as a result of one of my run in with "my good friend Lee Kuan Yew" in 2008. Before the court even started, when I was reading the Singapore state controlled paper the Straits Times, a Malay policeman barked at me with his insufficient English and said "No reading newspaper OK"! For one moment I had thought of questioning him on his order since the court had not yet started, but decided against it. In a country like Singapore, where the judges always defer to Lee's wishes and where obedience is the order of the day, it is usually pointless to argue with a policeman no matter how right you are.
A Malay or Indian woman court clerk, with a face completely devoid of any expression shouts out the name of the first defendant. A policeman barks out an order to him to stand up and behave. This expressionless clerk then reads out the charge, that on such and such date, he had got upset and punched a man thereby having violated such and such section of such and such Penal Code. She shouts "Guilty or Not guilty?"
If he has a lawyer, he stands up meekly and overly respectful, as if he was going to crawl at the feet of the judge that very minute, pleads guilty. The judge without even looking up asks a policeman about the Defendant's record which he reads out, in a thoroughly mechanical fashion, as if he didn't care one bit whether you heard or understood anything he said, since the judge himself had a copy. Next he turns to his lawyer who says the defendant is a family man with 3 children, that he is 24 years of age, the ages of his children, his highest education level, that he had aged grandparents whom he was supporting and that he was a Christian!
And the funny thing is, these lawyers, almost everyone of them, have almost the same thing to say about everyone of their clients regardless of the nature of the offense!
Naturally I was wondering why in Heaven's should his being 24 years old, being a family man with 3 children and supporting his aged grandparents and being a Christian has any mitigating qualities for his punching his victim in the nose! But you see, this is Singapore, and thats how it is done there!
After the poor lawyer fawning and crawling had said the few words which was supposed to be the plea in mitigation, there is a few minutes of total silence, while judge looking very stern, glances at his papers, while the poor defendant awaits his fate. He then looks up and says "$2000.00 fine or 2 months jail"; thats all! The court staff next to him scribbles something on a paper and hands it to him. End of case. The entire exercise takes no more than 5 minutes, when this whole procedure is repeated once more for the next Defendant.
He does not bother to say why he gave this sentence? Was it severe or lenient? Did he find anything the Defendant did particularly objectionable? Did the Defendant's lawyers plea have any impact on the sentence? Nothing at all! Just a total blank and the words "$2,000 or 2 months jail"!
Had you been I, witnessing this routine, you would have wondered why they bother to even have a judge siting there in the first place? Why not have a computer and feed the information into it, and 5 minutes later, you will get the verdict!
What you have are humourless individuals, lacking any emotion or human qualities sitting as judges in Singapore. I guess they are this way because this is how Lee Kuan Yew expects them to behave in his highly disciplined robotic Singapore island.
You know why they are this way? They are afraid of Lee Kuan Yew, and the Defendants are afraid of their judges in their island of fear.
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, September 22, 2009
In terms of human qualities, Singapore is a total failure.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With the modern skyscrapers dotting the Singapore skyline, fancy cars on the streets (mind you they all belong to foreign money launderers),and a transportation system Lee Kuan Yew and his cronies stomp around the world claiming a miracle. But how do you judge a miracle. Is it these modern fixtures or is there more to it?
If a man were to consider the people as the most important possession of the country; the litmus test for a great nation, Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore fails miserably. A look at Singaporeans will tell you this. They are a people who are insecure, unduly afraid of even the slightest provocation, a people who lack any burning passion or love for anything except how to earn a buck, a generally effete and weak people, a people who cannot run jump or swim compared to anyone else in the free world and who judge their acceptance by the Lee Kuan Yew clique as their passport to success. This is not saying much, I confess, for my fellow Singaporeans. Of course I now live in California and had lived lived in Europe before then. I am therefore not, thank God, altogether a Singaporean.
Let me give you 2 examples on the complete lack of any adventure in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore "digits"; a term by which Lee Kuan Yew has called his citizens. Even though there are nearly 4.8 million Singaporeans, one third of them foreigners, there are no real sportsmen in the country. No Singaporean ran the mile in 2 minutes and never will.
But you recall only a few months ago, Singapore's state controlled press with great fanfare and drum beat announced that 2 Singaporeans were going to sail round the world! Imagine that! A feat indeed! But when you realise what happened, it wasn't like that at all. There were hardly any Singaporeans that knew how to sail, despite being surrounded by tropical waters, let alone around the world. In fact, Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore government went around and handpicked a couple of people, all expenses paid to crew on ocean going sailboats on a round the world itinerary! The skipper was a foreigner, the navigator was a foreigner and anyone who did any real sailing were all foreigners, not Singaporeans. The 2 miserable Singaporeans had to just stay on the boat, hopefully not getting sea sick, and pose for a few photos which were promptly printed on the front pages of the State Controlled Singapore Press, with the words, "Singaporeans sail the World". A desperate attempt to show a better side.
The same with Everest conquering Singapore housewives! The same nonsense yet again. Singapore housewives conquer Everest! My God, what a feat! But truly it was nothing like that. It was a publicity stunt. Lee Kun Yew and his Public Relations crew got around and persuaded a couple of housewives to climb the mountain all expenses paid. And climbing it from the North Face is not such a big deal anyway, supported by a gang of Sherpas who do everything possible for you, making it nothing more than a breeze. It would cost at least about $60,000.00 to do it, in Nepal permit fees and the salaries of more than a dozen Sherpas. Even Japanese housewives have done it but there is a difference. Those women really wanted to do it, and did it with their money. Not the stage managed , all expenses paid, Singapore version, involving hand picked reluctant housewives!
It would be entirely true to say, the average Singaporean lives in fear. And the fear stifles their development and their achievements. And this fear makes them less competitive, innovative and ultimately less happy. And not being happy it does not further the country's progress, and with a bunch like this, Singapore is a failure, not a success.
A country needs independent thinking citizens who follow their passion, not what Lee Kuan Yew says is good for them. It is the independent thinking people with novel ideas that propels any country to greatness. Not the I follow you in line type you find in Singapore.
Take the average Singapore parent. They live in fear of the Lee Kuan Yew government. They are afraid to protest the theft of government monies by the Ministers, several millions of dollars each year, for fear of being punished. They fear to criticize the lack of human rights that is denied them. They fear to speak against the lack of a free press. They fear everything. They fear their shadows.
And they make sure, for the safety of their children, lest Lee Kuan Yew is offended, that they too live in that fear. Their children are told not to say anything against the government with the proverbial "walls have ears" warning. So the children too grow up the fearful pathetic souls like their parents.
And the teachers too are no different. They tell their students to conform to remain politically correct at all times in accordance with the Singapore strongman's doctrine. Not to protest, to oppose or do anything for themselves that is out of the ordinary.
When I was a boy in a Singapore school I was no different. I was afraid to speak. Success meant passing exams and being as obscure and hidden as possible. And when you said anything, you said what was politically correct. The only reason why I am different today is because I managed to set myself free and leave the country altogether, thank God for it.
Children went to school and became lawyers doctors and engineers not because they wanted to help mankind, or even because they loved it. They went because it meant making money. It did not matter if it was the most boring thing in life. And once they qualified in their profession, the learning stopped completely. Not a single lawyer in that island has in his head, any literature, or anything else for that matter.
Compare an Australian boy. He grows up with an imagination. His teacher in school and parents support him with it. He looks up at the sky and wants to be pilot. And he does it. He hangs around flying clubs and helps around. He saves some money. He works 2 jobs saving up for his lessons. Eventually he gets a job as a crop duster but hangs in there for a lifetime. He achieves his dream and becomes a great aviator, or a professional cyclist or a world class entertainer or whatever. Or he might end up protesting outside the governor's house for his failure to protect the Kangaroos. The Australian boy is brave, he has courage and he is happy. Very happy. Such a boy loves his country and his country becomes great because it has great people behind it.
The Singapore boy is no match to the Aussie. The Aussie has what it takes. And he has it because he is not afraid.
It is the living in fear, that makes Singapore a very weak country and incapable of success. In this regard, Lee Kuan Yew has failed Singapore miserably. Instead of applause, he should be held to account. He has destroyed the most valuable asset the country needs, it's people.
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.
With the modern skyscrapers dotting the Singapore skyline, fancy cars on the streets (mind you they all belong to foreign money launderers),and a transportation system Lee Kuan Yew and his cronies stomp around the world claiming a miracle. But how do you judge a miracle. Is it these modern fixtures or is there more to it?
If a man were to consider the people as the most important possession of the country; the litmus test for a great nation, Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore fails miserably. A look at Singaporeans will tell you this. They are a people who are insecure, unduly afraid of even the slightest provocation, a people who lack any burning passion or love for anything except how to earn a buck, a generally effete and weak people, a people who cannot run jump or swim compared to anyone else in the free world and who judge their acceptance by the Lee Kuan Yew clique as their passport to success. This is not saying much, I confess, for my fellow Singaporeans. Of course I now live in California and had lived lived in Europe before then. I am therefore not, thank God, altogether a Singaporean.
Let me give you 2 examples on the complete lack of any adventure in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore "digits"; a term by which Lee Kuan Yew has called his citizens. Even though there are nearly 4.8 million Singaporeans, one third of them foreigners, there are no real sportsmen in the country. No Singaporean ran the mile in 2 minutes and never will.
But you recall only a few months ago, Singapore's state controlled press with great fanfare and drum beat announced that 2 Singaporeans were going to sail round the world! Imagine that! A feat indeed! But when you realise what happened, it wasn't like that at all. There were hardly any Singaporeans that knew how to sail, despite being surrounded by tropical waters, let alone around the world. In fact, Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore government went around and handpicked a couple of people, all expenses paid to crew on ocean going sailboats on a round the world itinerary! The skipper was a foreigner, the navigator was a foreigner and anyone who did any real sailing were all foreigners, not Singaporeans. The 2 miserable Singaporeans had to just stay on the boat, hopefully not getting sea sick, and pose for a few photos which were promptly printed on the front pages of the State Controlled Singapore Press, with the words, "Singaporeans sail the World". A desperate attempt to show a better side.
The same with Everest conquering Singapore housewives! The same nonsense yet again. Singapore housewives conquer Everest! My God, what a feat! But truly it was nothing like that. It was a publicity stunt. Lee Kun Yew and his Public Relations crew got around and persuaded a couple of housewives to climb the mountain all expenses paid. And climbing it from the North Face is not such a big deal anyway, supported by a gang of Sherpas who do everything possible for you, making it nothing more than a breeze. It would cost at least about $60,000.00 to do it, in Nepal permit fees and the salaries of more than a dozen Sherpas. Even Japanese housewives have done it but there is a difference. Those women really wanted to do it, and did it with their money. Not the stage managed , all expenses paid, Singapore version, involving hand picked reluctant housewives!
It would be entirely true to say, the average Singaporean lives in fear. And the fear stifles their development and their achievements. And this fear makes them less competitive, innovative and ultimately less happy. And not being happy it does not further the country's progress, and with a bunch like this, Singapore is a failure, not a success.
A country needs independent thinking citizens who follow their passion, not what Lee Kuan Yew says is good for them. It is the independent thinking people with novel ideas that propels any country to greatness. Not the I follow you in line type you find in Singapore.
Take the average Singapore parent. They live in fear of the Lee Kuan Yew government. They are afraid to protest the theft of government monies by the Ministers, several millions of dollars each year, for fear of being punished. They fear to criticize the lack of human rights that is denied them. They fear to speak against the lack of a free press. They fear everything. They fear their shadows.
And they make sure, for the safety of their children, lest Lee Kuan Yew is offended, that they too live in that fear. Their children are told not to say anything against the government with the proverbial "walls have ears" warning. So the children too grow up the fearful pathetic souls like their parents.
And the teachers too are no different. They tell their students to conform to remain politically correct at all times in accordance with the Singapore strongman's doctrine. Not to protest, to oppose or do anything for themselves that is out of the ordinary.
When I was a boy in a Singapore school I was no different. I was afraid to speak. Success meant passing exams and being as obscure and hidden as possible. And when you said anything, you said what was politically correct. The only reason why I am different today is because I managed to set myself free and leave the country altogether, thank God for it.
Children went to school and became lawyers doctors and engineers not because they wanted to help mankind, or even because they loved it. They went because it meant making money. It did not matter if it was the most boring thing in life. And once they qualified in their profession, the learning stopped completely. Not a single lawyer in that island has in his head, any literature, or anything else for that matter.
Compare an Australian boy. He grows up with an imagination. His teacher in school and parents support him with it. He looks up at the sky and wants to be pilot. And he does it. He hangs around flying clubs and helps around. He saves some money. He works 2 jobs saving up for his lessons. Eventually he gets a job as a crop duster but hangs in there for a lifetime. He achieves his dream and becomes a great aviator, or a professional cyclist or a world class entertainer or whatever. Or he might end up protesting outside the governor's house for his failure to protect the Kangaroos. The Australian boy is brave, he has courage and he is happy. Very happy. Such a boy loves his country and his country becomes great because it has great people behind it.
The Singapore boy is no match to the Aussie. The Aussie has what it takes. And he has it because he is not afraid.
It is the living in fear, that makes Singapore a very weak country and incapable of success. In this regard, Lee Kuan Yew has failed Singapore miserably. Instead of applause, he should be held to account. He has destroyed the most valuable asset the country needs, it's people.
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.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Singapore. There has to be a mistake! Is it 3500 lawyers or 3600 part 2.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On Sept 19, 2009 I wrote the titled article about Singapore's Straits Times online edition newspaper of Sept 12, 2009 and it's Sept 13 edition with these stories "Help lawyers adjust" and "Help lawyers adjust. Law Society can be "thought leader" in dealing with the industry's liberalization!"
It refers to K Shanmugam, Singapore's Minister of Law's speech at the Singapore Law society annual dinner. One would feel sorry for him to make himself the fool the way he did.
Ever since he took office 2 years ago, the island's lawyer population has remained stagnant or declined, to an extent manifestly insufficient. Believe it or not it has either remained or declined from the figure of 3,500! And these are the grand total of lawyers in a country of 4.8 million specializing in banking insurance and international trade! Today it may be a world record for any country claiming to be first world international city, for the smallest number of lawyers relative to population size! And lawyers continue to leave the profession and the island altogether.
The reason why lawyers leave the profession and fail to join it is because there is no rule of law or judicial independence. This is public knowledge now. The International Bar Association's report 2 years ago on Singapore made this clear. No matter how much K Shanmugam tries to claim the rule of law in the island, the truth is out. Everybody now knows that the Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew uses the law to stifle his critics.
To increase the lawyer population he has tried many ways. He has increased the size of law faculties in colleges and ordered new colleges to teach the subject. He has stated through his state controlled press of new law students being given free trips to overseas countries, and several other perks. He has promised to increase salaries of government lawyers. He has promised a great career for aspiring lawyers. Yet no one is biting. And instead the profession has shrunk to an embarrassingly low number and declining even further by the day.
In the annual meeting speech for lawyers, he has repeatedly boasted that 4 out of the 10 world's biggest law firms have set up office in Singapore, as if it was some achievement. But we know it means nothing. 4 out of the 10 biggest law firms are also in Rangoon Burma, so are they in Tashkent Uzbekistan and every other remote capital around the world. They go there because there is profit to be made, because there is oil, because there are minerals and because there is money laundering, like in Singapore. Gaborone, Botswana has also the world's 10 biggest law firms. It also has diamonds.
K Shanmugam is not fooling anyone by saying the word's law firms are in Singapore. This is not a seal of approval of the legal system in Singapore, which is seen as a political tool of Lee Kuan Yew, bereft of any and all judicial independence.
K Shanmugam should be asked to resign. He is being paid far too much, literally millions, for doing nothing. He has not been able to improve the abysmally bad reputation of the law profession in Singapore one bit. And with a bad reputation for judicial independence, banking suffers, trade suffers and Singapore becomes another fascist island republic, without any natural resources, a double whammy.
Get out now, K Shanmugam. You are making a fool of yourself.
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.
On Sept 19, 2009 I wrote the titled article about Singapore's Straits Times online edition newspaper of Sept 12, 2009 and it's Sept 13 edition with these stories "Help lawyers adjust" and "Help lawyers adjust. Law Society can be "thought leader" in dealing with the industry's liberalization!"
It refers to K Shanmugam, Singapore's Minister of Law's speech at the Singapore Law society annual dinner. One would feel sorry for him to make himself the fool the way he did.
Ever since he took office 2 years ago, the island's lawyer population has remained stagnant or declined, to an extent manifestly insufficient. Believe it or not it has either remained or declined from the figure of 3,500! And these are the grand total of lawyers in a country of 4.8 million specializing in banking insurance and international trade! Today it may be a world record for any country claiming to be first world international city, for the smallest number of lawyers relative to population size! And lawyers continue to leave the profession and the island altogether.
The reason why lawyers leave the profession and fail to join it is because there is no rule of law or judicial independence. This is public knowledge now. The International Bar Association's report 2 years ago on Singapore made this clear. No matter how much K Shanmugam tries to claim the rule of law in the island, the truth is out. Everybody now knows that the Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew uses the law to stifle his critics.
To increase the lawyer population he has tried many ways. He has increased the size of law faculties in colleges and ordered new colleges to teach the subject. He has stated through his state controlled press of new law students being given free trips to overseas countries, and several other perks. He has promised to increase salaries of government lawyers. He has promised a great career for aspiring lawyers. Yet no one is biting. And instead the profession has shrunk to an embarrassingly low number and declining even further by the day.
In the annual meeting speech for lawyers, he has repeatedly boasted that 4 out of the 10 world's biggest law firms have set up office in Singapore, as if it was some achievement. But we know it means nothing. 4 out of the 10 biggest law firms are also in Rangoon Burma, so are they in Tashkent Uzbekistan and every other remote capital around the world. They go there because there is profit to be made, because there is oil, because there are minerals and because there is money laundering, like in Singapore. Gaborone, Botswana has also the world's 10 biggest law firms. It also has diamonds.
K Shanmugam is not fooling anyone by saying the word's law firms are in Singapore. This is not a seal of approval of the legal system in Singapore, which is seen as a political tool of Lee Kuan Yew, bereft of any and all judicial independence.
K Shanmugam should be asked to resign. He is being paid far too much, literally millions, for doing nothing. He has not been able to improve the abysmally bad reputation of the law profession in Singapore one bit. And with a bad reputation for judicial independence, banking suffers, trade suffers and Singapore becomes another fascist island republic, without any natural resources, a double whammy.
Get out now, K Shanmugam. You are making a fool of yourself.
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, September 19, 2009
Singapore. What, nothing so far about my disbarment from the island's roll of lawyers!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Had there been the Internet in 1934, Adolf Hitler's claims of the great Germany would have been debunked the next day. But even then, we did finally know the truth of what it really was. And what angers dictators, like Lee Kuan Yew, the most is when their lies, cleverly crafted and packaged are exposed and the rot underneath revealed. This is how, I am sure, Lee Kuan Yew feels.
Take for instance my fast approaching disbarment from the Roll of Lawyers in Singapore. For me to predict with certainty such an eventuality is itself a disgrace to a so called independent legal system, which the island's government claims.
You see, today it is no longer a secret. The Singapore Law Society, the professional organization for lawyers in Singapore, despite all it's attempts to claim independence, has over the years been exposed as a important organ of the Singapore government, an instrument of repression which the Singapore strongman uses to punish and disbar lawyers who question his authority.
Examples of this are too many over decades. JB Jeyaretnam was disbarred and kept from practicing law. So was Tang Liang Hong. So was Francis Seow. So was I, suspended from practicing for 2 years all for writing a letter to the Attorney General questioning his claims. And so was countless other lawyers in that island imprisoned and disbarred for no other offense other than criticism.
2 weeks ago, my picture was prominently displayed, as it was on numerous occassions in the past, in Singapore's state controlled press with the news that Singapore's Law Society has decided to empanel a disciplinary tribunal to look into my possible misconduct, which included my writing a blog post in this blog on May 29, 2008 about Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean's abuse of the law.
I think Lee Kuan Yew and other Singapore strongmen have been angered beyond control to what I am doing. It must be extraordinary for any lawyer in any other country in the world to not only be completely unconcerned by any discipline, but what is worse, actually mock whatever action they are taking!
For instance, an escaped North Korean lawyer would similary not be concerned at all if the People's Law Society of Pyonyang had decided to disbar him for not bowing low enough when facing the supreme leader Kim Jong Il.
Of course Singapore lawyers and Singaporeans would know what I am about to say, but let me say it for the benefit of those who are not so privy. Despite their attempts to deny it, the Singapore Law Society is not an independent body at all. It is an extension of the Singapore government. At present the Law Society is not looking into my case independently at all. I expect Lee Kuan Yew's handpicked Minister for Law and his Attorney General and even perhaps the Singapore Commissioner of Police have had numerous meetings about my case. They are all looking into how best to stage manage this difficult exercise, especially with the difficult factor thrown in of my remaining unrepentant!
But since I don't care 2 hoots as to what they do, it remains a mystery as to what possible advantage they will get out it. I am sure when I am disbarred, publicity will be generated around the world as to my case. And as to the charges, I will of course be blogging about each of their accusations. And in the end, I would predictably be disbarred. And after my disbarment from the Bar in that island, I would continue blogging even more, since I would have that much more to talk about.
And I will continue to be a critic of the Singapore Establishment's abuse of the rights of it's citizens, so as people not only in Singapore but all over the world can benefit from my inside knowledge of that country.
And mind you, Lee Kuan Yew's recently handpicked Minister for Law, Singapore's K Shanmugam, Singapore's Attorney General Walter Woon, Singapore's Law Society President Sydney Michael Hwang (like the city in Australia, fancy name for a Chinese gentleman)and others among them are reading every word that I write on every page in this blog and, I suppose, fuming at the mouth with anger! As all fascists are prone to do.
It is a wonderful life, is it not?
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.
Had there been the Internet in 1934, Adolf Hitler's claims of the great Germany would have been debunked the next day. But even then, we did finally know the truth of what it really was. And what angers dictators, like Lee Kuan Yew, the most is when their lies, cleverly crafted and packaged are exposed and the rot underneath revealed. This is how, I am sure, Lee Kuan Yew feels.
Take for instance my fast approaching disbarment from the Roll of Lawyers in Singapore. For me to predict with certainty such an eventuality is itself a disgrace to a so called independent legal system, which the island's government claims.
You see, today it is no longer a secret. The Singapore Law Society, the professional organization for lawyers in Singapore, despite all it's attempts to claim independence, has over the years been exposed as a important organ of the Singapore government, an instrument of repression which the Singapore strongman uses to punish and disbar lawyers who question his authority.
Examples of this are too many over decades. JB Jeyaretnam was disbarred and kept from practicing law. So was Tang Liang Hong. So was Francis Seow. So was I, suspended from practicing for 2 years all for writing a letter to the Attorney General questioning his claims. And so was countless other lawyers in that island imprisoned and disbarred for no other offense other than criticism.
2 weeks ago, my picture was prominently displayed, as it was on numerous occassions in the past, in Singapore's state controlled press with the news that Singapore's Law Society has decided to empanel a disciplinary tribunal to look into my possible misconduct, which included my writing a blog post in this blog on May 29, 2008 about Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean's abuse of the law.
I think Lee Kuan Yew and other Singapore strongmen have been angered beyond control to what I am doing. It must be extraordinary for any lawyer in any other country in the world to not only be completely unconcerned by any discipline, but what is worse, actually mock whatever action they are taking!
For instance, an escaped North Korean lawyer would similary not be concerned at all if the People's Law Society of Pyonyang had decided to disbar him for not bowing low enough when facing the supreme leader Kim Jong Il.
Of course Singapore lawyers and Singaporeans would know what I am about to say, but let me say it for the benefit of those who are not so privy. Despite their attempts to deny it, the Singapore Law Society is not an independent body at all. It is an extension of the Singapore government. At present the Law Society is not looking into my case independently at all. I expect Lee Kuan Yew's handpicked Minister for Law and his Attorney General and even perhaps the Singapore Commissioner of Police have had numerous meetings about my case. They are all looking into how best to stage manage this difficult exercise, especially with the difficult factor thrown in of my remaining unrepentant!
But since I don't care 2 hoots as to what they do, it remains a mystery as to what possible advantage they will get out it. I am sure when I am disbarred, publicity will be generated around the world as to my case. And as to the charges, I will of course be blogging about each of their accusations. And in the end, I would predictably be disbarred. And after my disbarment from the Bar in that island, I would continue blogging even more, since I would have that much more to talk about.
And I will continue to be a critic of the Singapore Establishment's abuse of the rights of it's citizens, so as people not only in Singapore but all over the world can benefit from my inside knowledge of that country.
And mind you, Lee Kuan Yew's recently handpicked Minister for Law, Singapore's K Shanmugam, Singapore's Attorney General Walter Woon, Singapore's Law Society President Sydney Michael Hwang (like the city in Australia, fancy name for a Chinese gentleman)and others among them are reading every word that I write on every page in this blog and, I suppose, fuming at the mouth with anger! As all fascists are prone to do.
It is a wonderful life, is it not?
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.
Singapore tourism advisory. Advice to visitors.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is hoped that visitors to Singapore read this message.
On arrival at Singapore, you will see skyscrapers on the waterfront, manicured lawns, streets lined with flowers and shrubbery and clean and efficient transportation system and infra structure.
You will also be given various literature on the socio political and governmental system in Singapore, claiming it to be a Constitutional Parliamentary Democracy not dissimilar to a Western Country. This is where you are being fooled.
If you took the trouble to speak to the average citizen of the country you will quickly discover the truth. For instance, any attempt to enquire on fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, taken for granted in other western democracies, will draw a blank. You will find people only interested in going about the daily work with interest in nothing else.
The Government's claim to be a constitutional democracy is completely false. The handful of government critics who dare to speak against the government are repeatedly jailed and bankrupted. The fear of criticizing the government is so real and so rampant that the Singapore individual is almost incapable of questioning authority. The long years of psychological control over the people has made sure of this.
There is no rule of law in the courts. A trip either to the Supreme Court (what a name in a country that denies it's people their basic rights), in High Street or the Subordinate Court in Havelock Road will give you the impression that Singapore has a respected legal system. There are numerous items of free literature distributed, and the walls are draped with long histories of the courts and the great judges and luminaries that graced those buildings. But again, this is another very cleverly thought out gimmick. There is no impartiality in the judgements of the men and women there who claim to be judges. They work at the behest of Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew and his son. They are there to punish criminals and to persecute and silence government critics by imprisoning them and bankrupting them. A reading of the International Bar Association's report on Singapore as well as that of the New York Bar Association and other respected organizations will make this clear.
There are no free and independent newspapers in the island. They are all owned and controlled by the government through a company called Singapore Press Holdings. Similarly the radio and TV is also owned and controlled by the Singapore government.
The government literature would also claim another untruth, that there is racial equality in the island. Today, Malays and Indians are not only discriminated in jobs and housing in Government provided apartment units called the HDB, disproportionately large numbers of people from mainland China who neither speak English, Malay or Tamil are brought in so as to turn it into an even more pronounced Chinese island. This was not the plan of the early founders of Singapore in 1955.
Malays and Indians, the minorities, are denied the right to freedom to live anywhere they chose in the island, in the government owned HDB flats. Muslims are particularly discriminated against due to a fear that they may be sympathetic to Malaysia and Indonesia, both Muslim countries, Singapore's traditional adversaries. Malays who are predominately Muslims suffer most under this discrimination. They are for instance prohibited from being fighter pilots in the Singapore Air Force due to fear that instead of bombing either Malaysia or Indonesia in the event of hostilities, they may instead bomb Singapore's Chinatown or Lee Kuan Yew's residence instead! This might appear facetious on my part but truly, this is a genuine fear that disallows them from flying fighter aircraft. As confirmation, a quick survey by any visitor in Singapore will confirm this.
The government can imprison anyone without trial on the pretext that they are a threat to national security, under Singapore's dreaded Internal Security Act. In fact, over the years, vast majority of those imprisoned under this Act, some for decades, were people who have done nothing worse than criticizing the Singapore government.
Without rule of law, and without fundamental human rights, Singapore is nothing more than a dictatorship. As a result thousands of native born educated Singaporeans leave Singapore to settle in western democracies abroad. This is something the government has been unable to prevent.
A word of warning to intending visitors to Singapore. In your visiting Singapore you would be indirectly helping the government to continue repressing it's citizens. The Singapore government relies heavily on tourism to continue their repressive regime in the island.
Through fear, the citizens are unable to resist. There has been a popular and growing effort among many visitors who are aware of the abuses of other dictatorial regimes in the region, like Burma, to make a deliberate effort to stay away from them, as a sign of their protest against the human rights abuses in these countries.
I would ask readers of this blog as well as travel writers such as Lonely Planet and other publications to take note of the repression that goes on in Singapore and to warn intending visitors of the unintended consequence of their buttressing the Singapore regime.
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.
It is hoped that visitors to Singapore read this message.
On arrival at Singapore, you will see skyscrapers on the waterfront, manicured lawns, streets lined with flowers and shrubbery and clean and efficient transportation system and infra structure.
You will also be given various literature on the socio political and governmental system in Singapore, claiming it to be a Constitutional Parliamentary Democracy not dissimilar to a Western Country. This is where you are being fooled.
If you took the trouble to speak to the average citizen of the country you will quickly discover the truth. For instance, any attempt to enquire on fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, taken for granted in other western democracies, will draw a blank. You will find people only interested in going about the daily work with interest in nothing else.
The Government's claim to be a constitutional democracy is completely false. The handful of government critics who dare to speak against the government are repeatedly jailed and bankrupted. The fear of criticizing the government is so real and so rampant that the Singapore individual is almost incapable of questioning authority. The long years of psychological control over the people has made sure of this.
There is no rule of law in the courts. A trip either to the Supreme Court (what a name in a country that denies it's people their basic rights), in High Street or the Subordinate Court in Havelock Road will give you the impression that Singapore has a respected legal system. There are numerous items of free literature distributed, and the walls are draped with long histories of the courts and the great judges and luminaries that graced those buildings. But again, this is another very cleverly thought out gimmick. There is no impartiality in the judgements of the men and women there who claim to be judges. They work at the behest of Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew and his son. They are there to punish criminals and to persecute and silence government critics by imprisoning them and bankrupting them. A reading of the International Bar Association's report on Singapore as well as that of the New York Bar Association and other respected organizations will make this clear.
There are no free and independent newspapers in the island. They are all owned and controlled by the government through a company called Singapore Press Holdings. Similarly the radio and TV is also owned and controlled by the Singapore government.
The government literature would also claim another untruth, that there is racial equality in the island. Today, Malays and Indians are not only discriminated in jobs and housing in Government provided apartment units called the HDB, disproportionately large numbers of people from mainland China who neither speak English, Malay or Tamil are brought in so as to turn it into an even more pronounced Chinese island. This was not the plan of the early founders of Singapore in 1955.
Malays and Indians, the minorities, are denied the right to freedom to live anywhere they chose in the island, in the government owned HDB flats. Muslims are particularly discriminated against due to a fear that they may be sympathetic to Malaysia and Indonesia, both Muslim countries, Singapore's traditional adversaries. Malays who are predominately Muslims suffer most under this discrimination. They are for instance prohibited from being fighter pilots in the Singapore Air Force due to fear that instead of bombing either Malaysia or Indonesia in the event of hostilities, they may instead bomb Singapore's Chinatown or Lee Kuan Yew's residence instead! This might appear facetious on my part but truly, this is a genuine fear that disallows them from flying fighter aircraft. As confirmation, a quick survey by any visitor in Singapore will confirm this.
The government can imprison anyone without trial on the pretext that they are a threat to national security, under Singapore's dreaded Internal Security Act. In fact, over the years, vast majority of those imprisoned under this Act, some for decades, were people who have done nothing worse than criticizing the Singapore government.
Without rule of law, and without fundamental human rights, Singapore is nothing more than a dictatorship. As a result thousands of native born educated Singaporeans leave Singapore to settle in western democracies abroad. This is something the government has been unable to prevent.
A word of warning to intending visitors to Singapore. In your visiting Singapore you would be indirectly helping the government to continue repressing it's citizens. The Singapore government relies heavily on tourism to continue their repressive regime in the island.
Through fear, the citizens are unable to resist. There has been a popular and growing effort among many visitors who are aware of the abuses of other dictatorial regimes in the region, like Burma, to make a deliberate effort to stay away from them, as a sign of their protest against the human rights abuses in these countries.
I would ask readers of this blog as well as travel writers such as Lonely Planet and other publications to take note of the repression that goes on in Singapore and to warn intending visitors of the unintended consequence of their buttressing the Singapore regime.
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, September 18, 2009
Singapore's sham democracy
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It was gratifying to read the article on Singapore Democratic Party's Website, Singapore Democrats "From strength to democratic strength" of Thursday, 17 September 2009. Gratifying to read their strength in numbers has increased.
But I am sure, they, just like me, are fully aware that these numbers don't mean much by themselves. It has to be acted upon.
Being a Singapore native, born and raised there, and having spent an entire 6 months there last year, thanks to Lee Kuan Yew's hospitality, speaking with tongue in cheek of course, I have come to an opinion.
Singapore today has a sufficient number of people who are prepared to do whatever is necessary for the good of their country. To be precise, for democracy in their country. And a look at this Singapore Democrats article confirms this.
But one unfortunate reality which everyone has to understand is Lee Kuan Yew's unwillingness to allow for a democratic change of government. This means the elections will be rigged, voters would be intimidated, threats would be made against those who dared to oppose and in the end you will have the same of what you have been having for the last 50 years; perpetuation of the dictatorial rule.
And it would be a waste of time for anyone to raise their expectations into thinking anything else.
The only way for a change to come about is for these growing supporters of the Singapore Democratic Party to show Lee Kuan Yew and friends that they are standing up to him. That they are not afraid. That they are willing to show their faces and be counted.
Activists have to stand at street corners distributing leaflets and dropping them in the HDB flats, protests have to be held openly challenging Lee to arrest them, there has to be constant and visible agitation throughout the island. This would attract and embolden others to do the same. Hopefully there will be the beginning of a serious protest movement throughout the island.
Those in the movement should not be pandering to the tastes of the masses. I get the impression that because of a perception, perceived or imaginary I do not know, that Singaporeans are averse to protests, many in the movement are reluctant to do it. It is my view that public perception be damned. Men have to do what is right. And in the end others will realize the truth and join you. Therefore it must be done.
I fear, and I hope I am proved wrong, that this election is going to be no different than any other. There is going to be just more of the same. The same 2 willing horses, Chiam See Tong and Low Thia Khiang will continue the theatricals, the same lies will be repeatedly told to you all over again, and you will continue the lives of slaves that you now lead.
Unless you realize that something different has to be done, it is going to be the same boring place for a while yet. I am hoping you will do something different.
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.
It was gratifying to read the article on Singapore Democratic Party's Website, Singapore Democrats "From strength to democratic strength" of Thursday, 17 September 2009. Gratifying to read their strength in numbers has increased.
But I am sure, they, just like me, are fully aware that these numbers don't mean much by themselves. It has to be acted upon.
Being a Singapore native, born and raised there, and having spent an entire 6 months there last year, thanks to Lee Kuan Yew's hospitality, speaking with tongue in cheek of course, I have come to an opinion.
Singapore today has a sufficient number of people who are prepared to do whatever is necessary for the good of their country. To be precise, for democracy in their country. And a look at this Singapore Democrats article confirms this.
But one unfortunate reality which everyone has to understand is Lee Kuan Yew's unwillingness to allow for a democratic change of government. This means the elections will be rigged, voters would be intimidated, threats would be made against those who dared to oppose and in the end you will have the same of what you have been having for the last 50 years; perpetuation of the dictatorial rule.
And it would be a waste of time for anyone to raise their expectations into thinking anything else.
The only way for a change to come about is for these growing supporters of the Singapore Democratic Party to show Lee Kuan Yew and friends that they are standing up to him. That they are not afraid. That they are willing to show their faces and be counted.
Activists have to stand at street corners distributing leaflets and dropping them in the HDB flats, protests have to be held openly challenging Lee to arrest them, there has to be constant and visible agitation throughout the island. This would attract and embolden others to do the same. Hopefully there will be the beginning of a serious protest movement throughout the island.
Those in the movement should not be pandering to the tastes of the masses. I get the impression that because of a perception, perceived or imaginary I do not know, that Singaporeans are averse to protests, many in the movement are reluctant to do it. It is my view that public perception be damned. Men have to do what is right. And in the end others will realize the truth and join you. Therefore it must be done.
I fear, and I hope I am proved wrong, that this election is going to be no different than any other. There is going to be just more of the same. The same 2 willing horses, Chiam See Tong and Low Thia Khiang will continue the theatricals, the same lies will be repeatedly told to you all over again, and you will continue the lives of slaves that you now lead.
Unless you realize that something different has to be done, it is going to be the same boring place for a while yet. I am hoping you will do something different.
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, September 17, 2009
Singapore. There has to be a mistake! Is it 3500 lawyers or 3600!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Not unlike the state controlled papers of the old Soviet Union under Stalin whose statistics can change as required; the figure on the number of lawyers in Singapore quoted by it's similarly controlled newspapers appear to fluctuate by the day!
Singapore's Straits Times online edition of Sept 12, 2009 has this story "Help lawyers adjust". The first line of the story has these words "Law Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday night threw down the gauntlet to the Law Society: Help it's 3,500 member lawyers adjust to the liberalization of the legal industry".
Further down the page there is this "These challenges will stretch the society's leadership role as the self regulatory body for the 3,500 practicing lawyers here, he noted at a speech at the Society's annual dinner and dance".
The next day, Sept 13, 2009, not only in the same newspaper but also written by the same reporter has this story "Help lawyers adjust. Law Society can be "thought leader" in dealing with the industry's liberalization!" It's first line says "Law Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday night threw down the gauntlet to the Law Society: Help it's 3,600 member lawyers adjust to the liberalization of the legal industry!"
Are we to assume that even though the number of lawyers has stagnated over several years at about 3500 or less(this figure is disputed, the true figure may be much lower) suddenly over a day, the number of lawyers appears to have jumped from 3,500 to 3,600? Has the profession which has been shunned by almost everyone for lacking independence or the rule of law, suddenly rebounded miraculously!
Or is it really another statistic which the Singapore government and their state controlled bodies such as the Law Society churn out as and when convenient!
You can see the ruse here, I am sure. It is very easy for anyone anywhere to quote an exact figure. At this moment of time, it is possible to state definitely that there are x number of members in the State Bar of California to the last man or woman. But in Singapore it is always "about 3,500" or is it "about 3,600" when convenient! Why is it not possible for the Singapore authorities or the Singapore Law Society to state that there are 3561 members, for instance or any other exact number?
In fact, if you read my post earlier in this blog, the Law Society of Singapore simply refused to answer my question, period, on the number of lawyers there!
You want my guess on why they do this, which is this. They are ashamed to quote the figure. The number of lawyers did not jump from 3500 on Sept 12, 2009 to 3600 on Sept 13, 2009, an increase of 100. In fact the number may have declined to less than 3,000. Embarrassing for them to admit this in a so called first world country that deals with banking and international commerce! So they carry on with the usual number of "about 3,500" or "about 3,600" or whatever other round number that comes to mind.
You can understand why, of course. The legal profession of Singapore has been disgraced. Singapore's judges have been disgraced. The International Bar Association has said so. The New York Bar Association had said so. So has every other respectable international monitor of democracy. They have been seen shamelessly abusing the law to protect Singapore's strong man, Lee Kuan Yew, his family and his government. It is public knowledge now for many years. When they repeatedly punished an innocent JB Jeyaretnam. When they repeatedly bankrupted and imprisoned a citizen Dr. Chee Soon Juan for no crime or reason. When the did the same to Francis Seow, to Tang Liang Hong, and to me, the world was watching. So were the Singaporeans. Mr. K Shanmugam, Lee Kuan Yew's recently handpicked Minister of Law can make as many grandiose speeches as he wants in the state controlled press; which now gets their figures wrong as well.
The fault lies in Lee Kuan Yew and his men taking Singaporeans as a bunch of imbeciles. That is what is wrong.
You see, it is like fitting a square peg into a round hole. On the one hand you ask law students to study subjects like the Constitution and the Bill of Rights which are mandatory subjects. As you know this tells us of our individual human rights which we are expected to have. Second, we learn it in the English language,not in Chinese, or North Korean or Burmese, which means that you could read John Stuart Mill's "On liberty" as well. And after having passed the exams, the student is required to take the lawyer's oath that he will uphold the Constitution of Singapore. And after all that, you punish him if he dared to exercise the very right he was supposed to have, if he spoke his mind!
This sort of logic simply doesn't work. More simply put "No can do".
This is crazy. I know it. And so does every other young man contemplating a career. If he had any sense, he won't go into it. And if by mistake he had, he will drop out of it. That is why the Law Society of Singapore is ashamed of the figures and that is why K Shanmugam cannot make up his mind whether there are 3500 or 3600 lawyers in the lawyer deficient country.
And even if this figure were correct, which it is not; whether 3500 or 3600, it is still totally insufficient for a country of 4.8 million people, a so-called international city state with banking commerce and international trade! For a country such as this to function normally, it needs 20 times that number, at least!
If he wants lawyers who will merely do as they are told, he should be making them study it in Communist China in Mandarin and not in English. That way he will have as many lawyers as he wants, the type you will find in the People's Court in downtown Beijing.
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.
Not unlike the state controlled papers of the old Soviet Union under Stalin whose statistics can change as required; the figure on the number of lawyers in Singapore quoted by it's similarly controlled newspapers appear to fluctuate by the day!
Singapore's Straits Times online edition of Sept 12, 2009 has this story "Help lawyers adjust". The first line of the story has these words "Law Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday night threw down the gauntlet to the Law Society: Help it's 3,500 member lawyers adjust to the liberalization of the legal industry".
Further down the page there is this "These challenges will stretch the society's leadership role as the self regulatory body for the 3,500 practicing lawyers here, he noted at a speech at the Society's annual dinner and dance".
The next day, Sept 13, 2009, not only in the same newspaper but also written by the same reporter has this story "Help lawyers adjust. Law Society can be "thought leader" in dealing with the industry's liberalization!" It's first line says "Law Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday night threw down the gauntlet to the Law Society: Help it's 3,600 member lawyers adjust to the liberalization of the legal industry!"
Are we to assume that even though the number of lawyers has stagnated over several years at about 3500 or less(this figure is disputed, the true figure may be much lower) suddenly over a day, the number of lawyers appears to have jumped from 3,500 to 3,600? Has the profession which has been shunned by almost everyone for lacking independence or the rule of law, suddenly rebounded miraculously!
Or is it really another statistic which the Singapore government and their state controlled bodies such as the Law Society churn out as and when convenient!
You can see the ruse here, I am sure. It is very easy for anyone anywhere to quote an exact figure. At this moment of time, it is possible to state definitely that there are x number of members in the State Bar of California to the last man or woman. But in Singapore it is always "about 3,500" or is it "about 3,600" when convenient! Why is it not possible for the Singapore authorities or the Singapore Law Society to state that there are 3561 members, for instance or any other exact number?
In fact, if you read my post earlier in this blog, the Law Society of Singapore simply refused to answer my question, period, on the number of lawyers there!
You want my guess on why they do this, which is this. They are ashamed to quote the figure. The number of lawyers did not jump from 3500 on Sept 12, 2009 to 3600 on Sept 13, 2009, an increase of 100. In fact the number may have declined to less than 3,000. Embarrassing for them to admit this in a so called first world country that deals with banking and international commerce! So they carry on with the usual number of "about 3,500" or "about 3,600" or whatever other round number that comes to mind.
You can understand why, of course. The legal profession of Singapore has been disgraced. Singapore's judges have been disgraced. The International Bar Association has said so. The New York Bar Association had said so. So has every other respectable international monitor of democracy. They have been seen shamelessly abusing the law to protect Singapore's strong man, Lee Kuan Yew, his family and his government. It is public knowledge now for many years. When they repeatedly punished an innocent JB Jeyaretnam. When they repeatedly bankrupted and imprisoned a citizen Dr. Chee Soon Juan for no crime or reason. When the did the same to Francis Seow, to Tang Liang Hong, and to me, the world was watching. So were the Singaporeans. Mr. K Shanmugam, Lee Kuan Yew's recently handpicked Minister of Law can make as many grandiose speeches as he wants in the state controlled press; which now gets their figures wrong as well.
The fault lies in Lee Kuan Yew and his men taking Singaporeans as a bunch of imbeciles. That is what is wrong.
You see, it is like fitting a square peg into a round hole. On the one hand you ask law students to study subjects like the Constitution and the Bill of Rights which are mandatory subjects. As you know this tells us of our individual human rights which we are expected to have. Second, we learn it in the English language,not in Chinese, or North Korean or Burmese, which means that you could read John Stuart Mill's "On liberty" as well. And after having passed the exams, the student is required to take the lawyer's oath that he will uphold the Constitution of Singapore. And after all that, you punish him if he dared to exercise the very right he was supposed to have, if he spoke his mind!
This sort of logic simply doesn't work. More simply put "No can do".
This is crazy. I know it. And so does every other young man contemplating a career. If he had any sense, he won't go into it. And if by mistake he had, he will drop out of it. That is why the Law Society of Singapore is ashamed of the figures and that is why K Shanmugam cannot make up his mind whether there are 3500 or 3600 lawyers in the lawyer deficient country.
And even if this figure were correct, which it is not; whether 3500 or 3600, it is still totally insufficient for a country of 4.8 million people, a so-called international city state with banking commerce and international trade! For a country such as this to function normally, it needs 20 times that number, at least!
If he wants lawyers who will merely do as they are told, he should be making them study it in Communist China in Mandarin and not in English. That way he will have as many lawyers as he wants, the type you will find in the People's Court in downtown Beijing.
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.
Letter from a reader on Lee Kuan Yew's corruption, Oxley Rise and Cavanagh Road properties
Gopalan Nair's Note: Oxley Rise is a street in Singapore where Lee Kuan Yew lives. Cavanagh Road is where his son lives in the Palace. The Palace is known as the Istana. Beside both the father's house and the son's Palace, there are high rise buildings, higher than the father's house and the son's palace. It would be easy for a marksman assassin to kill both father and son with a high powered rifle fitted with telescopic lens from the higher floors of the buildings. Fearing for their lives, both father and son evicted the lawful owners of these properties and sold them to his cronies or kept them themselves.
According to the writer this is not only a violation of the Land Acquisition Act, it is also theft of the properties of the rightful owners and unjust enrichment.
In Singapore both father and son are above the law and they can do willy nilly anything they want.
LAND ACQUISITION ACT Thursday, September 17, 2009 1:46 PM
17 Sept 09
Dear Gopalan
Below extract taken from WP website and extract of article was dated June 1976. I believe it was initially printed in the WP newspaper , Hammer.
A clear example of the Government using the law for a purpose not intended i.e. abuse of the law, was the acquisition by this Government of the properties in Oxley Road some years ago and lately last year of the properties in Cavenagh Road known as Town Apartments.
The properties were acquired under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act which empower the President to acquire any land needed for a public purpose or for any work which is for the public benefit or where it is needed, and here it must mean needed for public use, for any residential, commercial or industrial purpose.
The properties in question were acquired under this act only to be sold to selected buyers. This was flagrant abuse of the law by the Government.
To add insult to injury, the owners of the properties were not paid the market prices but were paid compensations applicable to acquisitions made under the Land Acquisition Act which are well below market prices.
There is nothing, however, to prevent the Government from selling the acquired properties to the selected buyers at market prices so that in all likelihood the Government has made a handsome profit.
We do not know because like much else in Singapore today, the public were not told the prices at which the properties were re-sold by the Government. The acquisitions therefore are not only unlawful but also unethical.
The fact that the properties had to be acquired for the security of the Prime Minister is no excuse. In any democratic society the acquisitions would have been a public scandal.
My comment - flagrant abuse of land law since 1975 . It explains why LKY is able to live so long - when all mythical threats to his life is removed.
Have a good day
Regards
Sept 5
According to the writer this is not only a violation of the Land Acquisition Act, it is also theft of the properties of the rightful owners and unjust enrichment.
In Singapore both father and son are above the law and they can do willy nilly anything they want.
LAND ACQUISITION ACT Thursday, September 17, 2009 1:46 PM
17 Sept 09
Dear Gopalan
Below extract taken from WP website and extract of article was dated June 1976. I believe it was initially printed in the WP newspaper , Hammer.
A clear example of the Government using the law for a purpose not intended i.e. abuse of the law, was the acquisition by this Government of the properties in Oxley Road some years ago and lately last year of the properties in Cavenagh Road known as Town Apartments.
The properties were acquired under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act which empower the President to acquire any land needed for a public purpose or for any work which is for the public benefit or where it is needed, and here it must mean needed for public use, for any residential, commercial or industrial purpose.
The properties in question were acquired under this act only to be sold to selected buyers. This was flagrant abuse of the law by the Government.
To add insult to injury, the owners of the properties were not paid the market prices but were paid compensations applicable to acquisitions made under the Land Acquisition Act which are well below market prices.
There is nothing, however, to prevent the Government from selling the acquired properties to the selected buyers at market prices so that in all likelihood the Government has made a handsome profit.
We do not know because like much else in Singapore today, the public were not told the prices at which the properties were re-sold by the Government. The acquisitions therefore are not only unlawful but also unethical.
The fact that the properties had to be acquired for the security of the Prime Minister is no excuse. In any democratic society the acquisitions would have been a public scandal.
My comment - flagrant abuse of land law since 1975 . It explains why LKY is able to live so long - when all mythical threats to his life is removed.
Have a good day
Regards
Sept 5
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Singapore. Let me know of cases where the law is abused
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is necessary to inform the international community of the dangers of commercial and banking transactions in Singapore due to a corrupt judiciary, an example being the case of Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd about which I reported in my last blog.
I would grateful to receive from readers any information you may have where the Singapore courts have abused the law to profit themselves. This would slowly dispel the myth that Lee Kuan Yew only abuses criminal law and the human rights of Singaporeans but leaves alone commercial law. This is not true and it would be good to expose this myth.
I would be able to publish this in my blog for the benefit of all.
Thanks again.
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.
It is necessary to inform the international community of the dangers of commercial and banking transactions in Singapore due to a corrupt judiciary, an example being the case of Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd about which I reported in my last blog.
I would grateful to receive from readers any information you may have where the Singapore courts have abused the law to profit themselves. This would slowly dispel the myth that Lee Kuan Yew only abuses criminal law and the human rights of Singaporeans but leaves alone commercial law. This is not true and it would be good to expose this myth.
I would be able to publish this in my blog for the benefit of all.
Thanks again.
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, September 15, 2009
Singapore Courts abuse the law to favor the Lee Kuan Yew family in a commercial case. Skandinaviska, Mizuho, Bayerische, Sumitomo vs APBS
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Singapore Law Watch, a Singapore Law Report, www.singaporelawwatch.sg, of August 31, 2009 has this judgment in the case of four foreign banks, Plaintiffs, against the Singapore company Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Defendant. The four Plaintiff foreign banks were Skandanaviska Enskilda Banken, Mizuho Corporation Bank, Bayerische Hypo Und Vereinsbank Aktiengesellschaft and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
The case involved the four banks suing the Asia Pacific Breweries for over a $100 million for moneys lent to it, through it's Finance Manager Chia Teck Leng who made off with it.
Anyone who knows Singapore would have been able to accurately predict the outcome of this lawsuit merely looking at Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte Ltd. A search on it's website www.apb.com shows it is joint venture with Fraser and Neave Ltd and Heineken. For anyone who knows Singapore, a search on Fraser and Neave's website www.fraserandneave.com would have given the answer away immediately. It's director is none other than Lee Hsien Yang, the son of Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew. No prizes for the right answer here! Asia Pacific Breweries won. The banks lost.
There are many outside Singapore, who wrongly think that Lee Kuan Yew only abuses the law in human rights cases; that in commercial cases there is impartiality. Singaporeans of course know better. This case clearly shows that not only in human rights cases, as if it is not bad enough, but in every type of case, the entire Singapore judiciary is corrupt to the core. They always favor the Lee Kuan Yew family or the Singapore government against everyone else.
In this case, giving the case to the foreigh banks would mean Lee Kuan Yew's son's company losing over a $100 million. Sucn an eventuality is unacceptable in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, never mind where justice lies.
And let this case be a warning to all foreigners; foreign banks, foreign companies and foreigners with money in Singapore. The Singapore legal system is corrupt. The Singapore's courts will shamelessly abuse the law to favor Lee Kuan Yew or the Singapore government against anyone else. It is impossible to get justice in the island when you are facing either the Lee family and their interests, or the Singapore government. And keep in mind, the Lee family and the government's interests stretch throughout Singapore and in every industry you can think of. Therefore beware your money and your interests in Singapore. In a dispute, there is no guarantee that you will see justice, as this case so clearly shows.
And what is more, the judge in this case was Belinda Ang Saw Ean, the same judge about whom I wrote which landed me in a Singapore jail last year. Need we say more? You of course know that in that case of defamation, she had ordered Dr. Chee Soon Juan to pay Lee Kuan Yew more than $400,000.00; as if money grows on trees; merely for criticizing him in a newsletter. Not just that, she refused to allow Dr. Chee Soon Juan to introduce any witnesses at his trial, deciding the case in her private chambers instead!
Another tell tale sign to predict the winner in this case are the lawyers. Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore was represented by Davinder Singh and Hri Kumar, Lee Kuan Yew's favorite lawyers and the favorite law firm to boot.
Belinda's judgement in this case is very long, 110 pages to be exact. But there is no need to read it all. The first few facts would be good enough to tell anyone that the banks should have won, not Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore). Chia Teck Leng was the Finance Manager lawfully employed by the Asia Breweries. He also happened to be a habitual gambler. He was at all times working for the company. The company's documents acknowledged that he was the Finance Manager. The company's documents authorized him to make bank loans. In every way he had, what one would expect, the powers of a Finance Manger of a company.
These four banks, one Scandinavian, one German and 2 Japanese had no way of knowing that Chia was dishonest. And as expected of any bank, they took the normal precautions of ensuring that the company passed resolutions for each loan, that the articles and memorandum indicated he was still the Finance Manager and other routine documents for security. From the entire judgement, there is nothing to indicate that these banks had acted in any way improper or negligent.
Even a boy can tell you this. Asia Breweries was entirely responsible for their actions of it's Finance Manager. If he happened to be a crook, it is they who were responsible. These 4 foreign banks were entirely innocent, as they did not know Chia was a crook. How could they? They were an innocent contracting party.
But you see, everything changes in Singapore when Lee Kuan Yew or any of his family members are involved. In Singapore, the Lee Family never loses. How could this judge allow these foreign banks to win even if she wanted to. But knowing what she did to Dr. Chee Soon Juan when Lee Kuan yew sued him for defamation, we know also know that she is corrupt to the core.
This is how Belinda Ang, Lee Kuan Yew's judge twists the law and the evidence to favor her master Lee Kuan Yew. Her 110 page judgement starts off with the sentence "Chia Teck Leng was an inveterate gambler who unremittingly resorted to cheating and forgery in order to fuel and sustain his gambling addiction". Thoughout the long judgement she makes repeated reference to his dishonesty, trying very hard to justify her decision which clearly goes against the grain. And her reason for giving the case to Lee Kuan Yew's son's company, believe it or not,was to say that the banks had not used due dilingence when giving the loans, when nothing in the evidence indicates that! It is simply a biased judgment written by a baised judge.
Singapore's Minister for Law, K Shanmugam, and others in this government have been trying very hard to throw a veil over the real goings on there, arguing that there is rule of law in Singapore. For anyone who knows Singapore will tell you, nothing can be further from the truth. Your transactions and assets in Singapore are not safe and you may lose everything if you are not careful, as these four foreign banks have realized.
It is not just criminal law and the law of human rights that Lee Kuan Yew abuses in Singapore. And it is not just Singaporeans whom he abuses. Foreigners fare no better in Lee Kuan Yew's courts. Caution is prudent.
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.
Singapore Law Watch, a Singapore Law Report, www.singaporelawwatch.sg, of August 31, 2009 has this judgment in the case of four foreign banks, Plaintiffs, against the Singapore company Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Defendant. The four Plaintiff foreign banks were Skandanaviska Enskilda Banken, Mizuho Corporation Bank, Bayerische Hypo Und Vereinsbank Aktiengesellschaft and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
The case involved the four banks suing the Asia Pacific Breweries for over a $100 million for moneys lent to it, through it's Finance Manager Chia Teck Leng who made off with it.
Anyone who knows Singapore would have been able to accurately predict the outcome of this lawsuit merely looking at Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte Ltd. A search on it's website www.apb.com shows it is joint venture with Fraser and Neave Ltd and Heineken. For anyone who knows Singapore, a search on Fraser and Neave's website www.fraserandneave.com would have given the answer away immediately. It's director is none other than Lee Hsien Yang, the son of Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew. No prizes for the right answer here! Asia Pacific Breweries won. The banks lost.
There are many outside Singapore, who wrongly think that Lee Kuan Yew only abuses the law in human rights cases; that in commercial cases there is impartiality. Singaporeans of course know better. This case clearly shows that not only in human rights cases, as if it is not bad enough, but in every type of case, the entire Singapore judiciary is corrupt to the core. They always favor the Lee Kuan Yew family or the Singapore government against everyone else.
In this case, giving the case to the foreigh banks would mean Lee Kuan Yew's son's company losing over a $100 million. Sucn an eventuality is unacceptable in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, never mind where justice lies.
And let this case be a warning to all foreigners; foreign banks, foreign companies and foreigners with money in Singapore. The Singapore legal system is corrupt. The Singapore's courts will shamelessly abuse the law to favor Lee Kuan Yew or the Singapore government against anyone else. It is impossible to get justice in the island when you are facing either the Lee family and their interests, or the Singapore government. And keep in mind, the Lee family and the government's interests stretch throughout Singapore and in every industry you can think of. Therefore beware your money and your interests in Singapore. In a dispute, there is no guarantee that you will see justice, as this case so clearly shows.
And what is more, the judge in this case was Belinda Ang Saw Ean, the same judge about whom I wrote which landed me in a Singapore jail last year. Need we say more? You of course know that in that case of defamation, she had ordered Dr. Chee Soon Juan to pay Lee Kuan Yew more than $400,000.00; as if money grows on trees; merely for criticizing him in a newsletter. Not just that, she refused to allow Dr. Chee Soon Juan to introduce any witnesses at his trial, deciding the case in her private chambers instead!
Another tell tale sign to predict the winner in this case are the lawyers. Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore was represented by Davinder Singh and Hri Kumar, Lee Kuan Yew's favorite lawyers and the favorite law firm to boot.
Belinda's judgement in this case is very long, 110 pages to be exact. But there is no need to read it all. The first few facts would be good enough to tell anyone that the banks should have won, not Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore). Chia Teck Leng was the Finance Manager lawfully employed by the Asia Breweries. He also happened to be a habitual gambler. He was at all times working for the company. The company's documents acknowledged that he was the Finance Manager. The company's documents authorized him to make bank loans. In every way he had, what one would expect, the powers of a Finance Manger of a company.
These four banks, one Scandinavian, one German and 2 Japanese had no way of knowing that Chia was dishonest. And as expected of any bank, they took the normal precautions of ensuring that the company passed resolutions for each loan, that the articles and memorandum indicated he was still the Finance Manager and other routine documents for security. From the entire judgement, there is nothing to indicate that these banks had acted in any way improper or negligent.
Even a boy can tell you this. Asia Breweries was entirely responsible for their actions of it's Finance Manager. If he happened to be a crook, it is they who were responsible. These 4 foreign banks were entirely innocent, as they did not know Chia was a crook. How could they? They were an innocent contracting party.
But you see, everything changes in Singapore when Lee Kuan Yew or any of his family members are involved. In Singapore, the Lee Family never loses. How could this judge allow these foreign banks to win even if she wanted to. But knowing what she did to Dr. Chee Soon Juan when Lee Kuan yew sued him for defamation, we know also know that she is corrupt to the core.
This is how Belinda Ang, Lee Kuan Yew's judge twists the law and the evidence to favor her master Lee Kuan Yew. Her 110 page judgement starts off with the sentence "Chia Teck Leng was an inveterate gambler who unremittingly resorted to cheating and forgery in order to fuel and sustain his gambling addiction". Thoughout the long judgement she makes repeated reference to his dishonesty, trying very hard to justify her decision which clearly goes against the grain. And her reason for giving the case to Lee Kuan Yew's son's company, believe it or not,was to say that the banks had not used due dilingence when giving the loans, when nothing in the evidence indicates that! It is simply a biased judgment written by a baised judge.
Singapore's Minister for Law, K Shanmugam, and others in this government have been trying very hard to throw a veil over the real goings on there, arguing that there is rule of law in Singapore. For anyone who knows Singapore will tell you, nothing can be further from the truth. Your transactions and assets in Singapore are not safe and you may lose everything if you are not careful, as these four foreign banks have realized.
It is not just criminal law and the law of human rights that Lee Kuan Yew abuses in Singapore. And it is not just Singaporeans whom he abuses. Foreigners fare no better in Lee Kuan Yew's courts. Caution is prudent.
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.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Singapore's state controlled press does not report Dr. Chee Soon Juan's conviction and imprisonment.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Singapore Democratic Party's online website Singapore Democrat, www.yoursdp.org, of Sunday Sept 06, 2009 has this story, "Judge fines Chee Soon Juan $10,000 for speaking in public". The story is about the Singapore courts abusing the constitution once again by convicting and sentencing him to 10 weeks jail or $10,000.00 on Sept 04, 2009, merely for distributing copies of his newspaper the New Democrat during his election campaign in 2006.
What is unusual in this case is not that he was unjustly punished for an activity which was completely lawful under the Constitution of Singapore, which is freedom of speech and assembly. And it is not unusual once again in Singapore that the fundamental human rights of opposition sympathisers as in this case was being denied. And it is also not unusual in Singapore for this sort of illegality being carried out shamelessly by the fascist regime of the 86 year old octogenarian Lee Kuan Yew, his family and friends.
But what is unusual is this. For the first time, none of the Singapore's state controlled newspapers reported this story!
Lee Kuan Yew's style of repression against his people has always been for the last 50years, one of abusing the law to unjustly silence his political victims in his courts and at the same time give it full publicity and coverage in his newspapers on a daily basis, with full page pictures of his victims, so as to intimidate and terrorize all others into fear silence and submission. And it has all along worked very well to become the state of Singaporeans as it is today; an entire generation of people living in fear of Lee Kuan Yew and what he will do if you dared to criticize.
You see, it is the age old trick of killing a chicken to frighten the monkeys, the monkeys being timid Singaporeans and the chicken being Dr. Chee Soon Juan.
Not his time, however. Now for the first time, Lee Kuan Yew has ordered his newspapers not to print this story of punishing his favorite political victim. It is impossible to know exactly why he decided against publication in his state controlled newspapers but we can guess.
I think he has finally begun to realize that just as anything else, punishing a helpless political victim beyond a limit may turn out to be counter productive. Instead of the expected desired result of intimidating and silencing the population, it may in fact anger them, embolden them and turn them against you. I think he thinks that point has now been reached. And I think he reckons that publicizing his abuse of the law to punish innocent people may result in the people turning against him.
But being pushed in a corner, Lee Kuan Yew finds that he has no choice but to proceed with these illegal prosecutions of his victims since any attempt to leave them alone would make him look weak, which he cannot accept. At the same time, he cannot make it public either for fear of the people turning against him. So he tries to keep this unjust abuse of the law against his helpless victims secret.
So he continues to abuse the law as he always done using his corrupt judges. But at the same time, he hopes no one hears about it.
Lee Kuan Yew, the 86 year old octogenarian is in a bind, don't you think? Poor man.
And can we expect that all future prosecutions agaisnt Dr. Chee Soon Juan, of which there are many, will all no longer be reported in his newpspers? Will this now be the new trend? Has he finally got the jitters?
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.
The Singapore Democratic Party's online website Singapore Democrat, www.yoursdp.org, of Sunday Sept 06, 2009 has this story, "Judge fines Chee Soon Juan $10,000 for speaking in public". The story is about the Singapore courts abusing the constitution once again by convicting and sentencing him to 10 weeks jail or $10,000.00 on Sept 04, 2009, merely for distributing copies of his newspaper the New Democrat during his election campaign in 2006.
What is unusual in this case is not that he was unjustly punished for an activity which was completely lawful under the Constitution of Singapore, which is freedom of speech and assembly. And it is not unusual once again in Singapore that the fundamental human rights of opposition sympathisers as in this case was being denied. And it is also not unusual in Singapore for this sort of illegality being carried out shamelessly by the fascist regime of the 86 year old octogenarian Lee Kuan Yew, his family and friends.
But what is unusual is this. For the first time, none of the Singapore's state controlled newspapers reported this story!
Lee Kuan Yew's style of repression against his people has always been for the last 50years, one of abusing the law to unjustly silence his political victims in his courts and at the same time give it full publicity and coverage in his newspapers on a daily basis, with full page pictures of his victims, so as to intimidate and terrorize all others into fear silence and submission. And it has all along worked very well to become the state of Singaporeans as it is today; an entire generation of people living in fear of Lee Kuan Yew and what he will do if you dared to criticize.
You see, it is the age old trick of killing a chicken to frighten the monkeys, the monkeys being timid Singaporeans and the chicken being Dr. Chee Soon Juan.
Not his time, however. Now for the first time, Lee Kuan Yew has ordered his newspapers not to print this story of punishing his favorite political victim. It is impossible to know exactly why he decided against publication in his state controlled newspapers but we can guess.
I think he has finally begun to realize that just as anything else, punishing a helpless political victim beyond a limit may turn out to be counter productive. Instead of the expected desired result of intimidating and silencing the population, it may in fact anger them, embolden them and turn them against you. I think he thinks that point has now been reached. And I think he reckons that publicizing his abuse of the law to punish innocent people may result in the people turning against him.
But being pushed in a corner, Lee Kuan Yew finds that he has no choice but to proceed with these illegal prosecutions of his victims since any attempt to leave them alone would make him look weak, which he cannot accept. At the same time, he cannot make it public either for fear of the people turning against him. So he tries to keep this unjust abuse of the law against his helpless victims secret.
So he continues to abuse the law as he always done using his corrupt judges. But at the same time, he hopes no one hears about it.
Lee Kuan Yew, the 86 year old octogenarian is in a bind, don't you think? Poor man.
And can we expect that all future prosecutions agaisnt Dr. Chee Soon Juan, of which there are many, will all no longer be reported in his newpspers? Will this now be the new trend? Has he finally got the jitters?
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, September 9, 2009
Ave Caesar morituri te salutant (Hail, Caesar, Those who are about to die, salute you!)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Now since it is confirmed in the state controlled Singapore newspapers, the Straits Times that Singapore Law Society has commenced disciplinary proceedings against me as a lawyer in Singapore, you can now correctly predict that I am now, as good as disbarred. Once Lee Kuan Yew has his sights on you, you are as good as dead, disbarred or whatever. You are, so to speak, history.
Retribution is swift and certain. In this case, as the severest punishment is disbarment, we can all be certain of that. I am for all intents an purposes, now a disbarred lawyer in Singapore's bizarre legal system, where Lee Kuan Yew reigns supreme in the law and everything else.
And since it is now the end of the line for me, as regards any prospects in that line of work there,(not that I ever had any aspirations in that direction in the first place) it brings to mind the cry of the Roman gladiators in the arena just about to be devoured by the lions for Caesar's pleasure "Hail Caesar, those who about to die salute you!" or in my case here "Hail, Lee Kuan Yew, Gopalan Nair just about to be disbarred, salutes you!" Well what other choice does either the poor gladiator or I have anyway, in his case he is going to be the lion's supper, and in my case, I am going to be struck off the Singapore Rolls of lawyers!
And for those who are wondering what terrible crimes I committed to deserve being disbarred, let me tell you. In 1984, I joined the opposition political party in Singapore. One can argue, in Uniquely Singapore, that that by itself was crime number one. In 1988 I wrote a letter to the then Attorney General as to why he had falsely claimed that the Privy council of England and Wales had not given him an opportunity to appear at the hearing in London in the case of JB Jeyaretnam vs the Law Society of Singapore, Crime number 2. In 1991 at an election rally in Bukit Merah where I stood as a candidate in the 1991 Parliamentary elections, I made a speech to the public that the practice of Subordinate Court Judges being under the Legal Service Commission gave the impression of lack of impartiality, crime number 3. In 1988 when I had written to various foreign embassies and consulates in Singapore about the injustice meted to my client by the Singapore HDB who was unjustly thrown out from his apartment, crime number 4. Last year when I criticized Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for her bias against Dr. Chee Soon Juan in the defamation case, crime number 5. Verbally abusing police officers along Bukit Timah Road, which I never did, crime number 6. And I guess the biggest crime of all, writing this blog without let up, crime number 7. In Lee Kuan Yew's unique legal system, which he claims, believe it or not to be the best in the world, I am the worst incorrigible criminal and deserve to be disbarred for life!
I have wondered, as you might have guessed by now, why all this is happening anyway! I had left Singapore for good in 1991, 18 years ago. I have never renewed my lawyer's practicing certificate there all these years. I am no longer a citizen of Singapore. I have never had any desire to practice law in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore! And what caps it all, I am prohibited from even entering Singapore! In these circumstances, I am sure, like me, you too would have wondered the point of this exercise!
If the purpose is to stop me from criticizing Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore for the lack of the rule of law there, surely that is not going to happen. If it is designed to punish me, surely that is not possible either since I live in a democracy. If it is designed to depict me in bad light, that plan has not worked and turned out counter productive.
I guess we will just have to leave Lee Kuan Yew's motive as another instance of Singapore's unique practices; perhaps intended to drive away even more right thinking Singaporeans away from it's shores. We already have been told that as many as 1000 Singaporeans give up their citizenship's for that of other countries annually.
Now since I have given the customary salutation to the supreme ruler Lee Kuan Yew as the condemned gladiators of Rome did to Caesar, let me come to this article which I intend to write; which is something about Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore Law Society, who in this instance are my accusers; who are of course doing it at the behest of Lee Kuan Yew himself, just as everything else in Singapore is.
Truly, I had only contempt for that body. I had gone to England to read law hoping to return to Singapore to practice it. The problem was I never truly knew what the Singapore Law Society, the professional body of lawyers of which I had to be a member, was. Just as anyone else, not privy to it's secrets, I thought, just as anyone else would have believed, that it was a body of lawyers, who know the law and who work to advance the interests of their client according to law. And the law, on paper was a democracy, based on the rule of law, with fundamental rights of freedom, free speech and assembly and a free press. And with an independent impartial judiciary to uphold the rights of it's people.
In Singapore, within a couple of years of my practicing law, I discovered that all this was untrue. It was not a democracy. There was no rule of law. Lawyers were incapable of furthering the interests of their clients because they have no rights and the judiciary was working not to protect individual rights but that of the Lee Kuan Yew family.
I also discovered that the way to success at the Singapore Bar, is not through hard work and constant study. It was by joining Lee Kuan Yew's Peoples Action Party and being his loyal supporter. This would mean your employment with a government connected law firm like Drew and Napier which receives the bulk of legal work there in government contracts. It would also mean you would very likely win all your cases as the judges are careful not to go against government connected firms like this.
You see, I was not like that. I could not compromise my principles. I was brought up by my parents believing honor and integrity is worth more than all the riches in the world. Honesty, integrity, compassion and a desire to do good for society was placed higher than the mere acquisition of wealth through dishonest means, like the lawyers in firms such as Drew ands Napier live their lives.
And because of the way I felt, very soon I was thoroughly discouraged by my whole purpose there as a lawyer. The Law Society, I discovered were a castrated bunch who were afraid to speak up for the law. And it's president like the present ethnic Chinese man, Michael Sydney Hwang (fancy name indeed) is the chief eunuch, if you could call him that, running Lee Kuan Yew's errands rather than upholding the law, which he should be doing. Afraid of Lee Kuan Yew and what he might do to them if they criticized, the Law Society of Singapore is a completely gutless powerless organization. It is Lee Kuan Yew who decides what the law should be, what rights you can or cannot have and how you will live your lives; not the Law Society. Truly, it made no difference one way or another whether the Law Society existed or not. In fact like in this case against me, one of the principle Law Society's duties is to punish anyone who criticized Lee Kuan Yew and his government; that is, it became an instrument of repression against the people, rather than their champion.
The legal profession in Hitler's Third Reich and that of Mussolini were no different. The state apparatus in these countries too used their legal professions to silence government critics and tighten the laws to serve their rulers.
The Law Society of Singapore is a disgraceful organization, consumed by fear and powerless to do any good. There are no regrets in being disbarred from it. In fact, for any self respecting upstanding individual, being a member of it would be an insult by itself.
As for now, I wait to hear their charges.
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.
Now since it is confirmed in the state controlled Singapore newspapers, the Straits Times that Singapore Law Society has commenced disciplinary proceedings against me as a lawyer in Singapore, you can now correctly predict that I am now, as good as disbarred. Once Lee Kuan Yew has his sights on you, you are as good as dead, disbarred or whatever. You are, so to speak, history.
Retribution is swift and certain. In this case, as the severest punishment is disbarment, we can all be certain of that. I am for all intents an purposes, now a disbarred lawyer in Singapore's bizarre legal system, where Lee Kuan Yew reigns supreme in the law and everything else.
And since it is now the end of the line for me, as regards any prospects in that line of work there,(not that I ever had any aspirations in that direction in the first place) it brings to mind the cry of the Roman gladiators in the arena just about to be devoured by the lions for Caesar's pleasure "Hail Caesar, those who about to die salute you!" or in my case here "Hail, Lee Kuan Yew, Gopalan Nair just about to be disbarred, salutes you!" Well what other choice does either the poor gladiator or I have anyway, in his case he is going to be the lion's supper, and in my case, I am going to be struck off the Singapore Rolls of lawyers!
And for those who are wondering what terrible crimes I committed to deserve being disbarred, let me tell you. In 1984, I joined the opposition political party in Singapore. One can argue, in Uniquely Singapore, that that by itself was crime number one. In 1988 I wrote a letter to the then Attorney General as to why he had falsely claimed that the Privy council of England and Wales had not given him an opportunity to appear at the hearing in London in the case of JB Jeyaretnam vs the Law Society of Singapore, Crime number 2. In 1991 at an election rally in Bukit Merah where I stood as a candidate in the 1991 Parliamentary elections, I made a speech to the public that the practice of Subordinate Court Judges being under the Legal Service Commission gave the impression of lack of impartiality, crime number 3. In 1988 when I had written to various foreign embassies and consulates in Singapore about the injustice meted to my client by the Singapore HDB who was unjustly thrown out from his apartment, crime number 4. Last year when I criticized Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for her bias against Dr. Chee Soon Juan in the defamation case, crime number 5. Verbally abusing police officers along Bukit Timah Road, which I never did, crime number 6. And I guess the biggest crime of all, writing this blog without let up, crime number 7. In Lee Kuan Yew's unique legal system, which he claims, believe it or not to be the best in the world, I am the worst incorrigible criminal and deserve to be disbarred for life!
I have wondered, as you might have guessed by now, why all this is happening anyway! I had left Singapore for good in 1991, 18 years ago. I have never renewed my lawyer's practicing certificate there all these years. I am no longer a citizen of Singapore. I have never had any desire to practice law in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore! And what caps it all, I am prohibited from even entering Singapore! In these circumstances, I am sure, like me, you too would have wondered the point of this exercise!
If the purpose is to stop me from criticizing Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore for the lack of the rule of law there, surely that is not going to happen. If it is designed to punish me, surely that is not possible either since I live in a democracy. If it is designed to depict me in bad light, that plan has not worked and turned out counter productive.
I guess we will just have to leave Lee Kuan Yew's motive as another instance of Singapore's unique practices; perhaps intended to drive away even more right thinking Singaporeans away from it's shores. We already have been told that as many as 1000 Singaporeans give up their citizenship's for that of other countries annually.
Now since I have given the customary salutation to the supreme ruler Lee Kuan Yew as the condemned gladiators of Rome did to Caesar, let me come to this article which I intend to write; which is something about Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore Law Society, who in this instance are my accusers; who are of course doing it at the behest of Lee Kuan Yew himself, just as everything else in Singapore is.
Truly, I had only contempt for that body. I had gone to England to read law hoping to return to Singapore to practice it. The problem was I never truly knew what the Singapore Law Society, the professional body of lawyers of which I had to be a member, was. Just as anyone else, not privy to it's secrets, I thought, just as anyone else would have believed, that it was a body of lawyers, who know the law and who work to advance the interests of their client according to law. And the law, on paper was a democracy, based on the rule of law, with fundamental rights of freedom, free speech and assembly and a free press. And with an independent impartial judiciary to uphold the rights of it's people.
In Singapore, within a couple of years of my practicing law, I discovered that all this was untrue. It was not a democracy. There was no rule of law. Lawyers were incapable of furthering the interests of their clients because they have no rights and the judiciary was working not to protect individual rights but that of the Lee Kuan Yew family.
I also discovered that the way to success at the Singapore Bar, is not through hard work and constant study. It was by joining Lee Kuan Yew's Peoples Action Party and being his loyal supporter. This would mean your employment with a government connected law firm like Drew and Napier which receives the bulk of legal work there in government contracts. It would also mean you would very likely win all your cases as the judges are careful not to go against government connected firms like this.
You see, I was not like that. I could not compromise my principles. I was brought up by my parents believing honor and integrity is worth more than all the riches in the world. Honesty, integrity, compassion and a desire to do good for society was placed higher than the mere acquisition of wealth through dishonest means, like the lawyers in firms such as Drew ands Napier live their lives.
And because of the way I felt, very soon I was thoroughly discouraged by my whole purpose there as a lawyer. The Law Society, I discovered were a castrated bunch who were afraid to speak up for the law. And it's president like the present ethnic Chinese man, Michael Sydney Hwang (fancy name indeed) is the chief eunuch, if you could call him that, running Lee Kuan Yew's errands rather than upholding the law, which he should be doing. Afraid of Lee Kuan Yew and what he might do to them if they criticized, the Law Society of Singapore is a completely gutless powerless organization. It is Lee Kuan Yew who decides what the law should be, what rights you can or cannot have and how you will live your lives; not the Law Society. Truly, it made no difference one way or another whether the Law Society existed or not. In fact like in this case against me, one of the principle Law Society's duties is to punish anyone who criticized Lee Kuan Yew and his government; that is, it became an instrument of repression against the people, rather than their champion.
The legal profession in Hitler's Third Reich and that of Mussolini were no different. The state apparatus in these countries too used their legal professions to silence government critics and tighten the laws to serve their rulers.
The Law Society of Singapore is a disgraceful organization, consumed by fear and powerless to do any good. There are no regrets in being disbarred from it. In fact, for any self respecting upstanding individual, being a member of it would be an insult by itself.
As for now, I wait to hear their charges.
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.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew misuses the law to punish Dr. Chee Soon Juan
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Singapore Democrats, the newspaper of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, www.yoursdp.org, of Sunday Sept 06, 2009, has this article "Judge fines Chee Soon Juan $10,000 for speaking in public". This is yet another disgraceful example of Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew misusing the law to silence his political opponents, in this case, his favorite victim, Dr. Chee Soon Juan.
This misuse of the law by Singapore's courts is so shamelessly egregious, so incredible, so ridiculous and so blatant; as in the long litany of such misuse of the law in the island against political opponents; each time this is done, it is as if it is taken directly from the pages of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Nowhere else in the world can you see the law being so brazenly abused as here?
Dr. Chee Soon Juan the foremost opposition politician of Singapore and his colleagues had in the run up to the 2006 parliamentary elections in Singapore as part of his political campaign, distributed his party newspaper “The New Democrat” to the public and urged them to support his party at the impending elections. This is all that he did. He did not assault anyone, kill anyone or even as much as hurt a fly. To repeat again, all he did was to distribute his newspaper to the public and speak in favor of his political party. That's all.
Now, if you were from any other normal country in the world and if you were an ordinary human being you would not have even remotely imagined that Dr. Chee Soon Juan had committed any crime here.
But sorry, you are wrong. You are wrong because you are in Singapore. And in Singapore if you are a government critic, like Dr. Chee Soon Juan is, you will suddenly find that Singapore not only has some very strange laws, but that they will be used against you like a sledgehammer and you will be floored, silenced, imprisoned and bankrupted. Terrible calamity will befall you in Singapore if you dared to criticize Lee Kuan Yew and his government! Like in this story.
On Friday, Sept 04, 2009, in Singapore’s Subordinate Courts, Judge Thian Yee Sze, did what her job requires her to do in Singapore, which is not only punishing the regular law breakers but also persecuting Lee Kuan Yew's political opponents and thereby keep her job and advance her career. In this dirty work, which by the way is undertaken willingly by every other judge in that island, she convicted him of 2 counts under the strangely titled Public Entertainments and Meetings Act and fined him Singapore $10,000 or else 10 weeks in jail. And his "crimes" were, to remind you of the outrage of it all, selling his newspaper, the New Democrat and talking to the public!
Needless to say this is a disgraceful misuse of the law. In any other normal country, it is not a crime to sell a newspaper or talk to the public. And just for doing this in Singapore, this man is fined $10,000 and in default will have to spend 10 weeks in jail. Tell me what kind of crazy justice is this.
And what is worse, the irony is, Dr. Chee Soon Juan is in fact lawfully allowed to do this, under the Constitution of Singapore which guarantees him freedom of speech and expression. But by misusing the law, Lee Kuan Yew, has amended the Constitution thereby making completely innocuous acts such as this, punishable; which he can use as and when he needs to silence a political opponent.
Article 14 of the Constitution of Singapore specifically guarantees freedom of speech and expression. It says, Every Citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression/ every citizen has the right to assemble peacefully and without arms.
Everyone knows the Constitution is the supreme law of Singapore. It is what all other laws have to abide by. Any law that violates the constitution is by itself illegal and without force.
Having said this much, you would have thought that was the end of the matter. It is crystal clear Dr. Chee Soon Juan is not guilty. He had the right to speak freely and distribute his paper. He is protected by article 14.
Not so fast. You have Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s dictator to contend with. And what he did was to conveniently ignore the constitution altogether whenever an opposition politician has to be put away.
And this is how the dirty work is done. First, he prevents any other political party members to win at elections by rigging the vote or by suing and bankrupting them. In this way he makes sure that except for a couple of opposition members of parliament, the vast majority to the man are members of his political party. And with 2/3 majority in Parliament, which by the way he managed by fraud in the first place, he amends the Constitution to whittle down your rights.
And he does this by adding an addendum to the article which states that his Parliament can make laws to restrict your rights of freedom of speech and assembly. And immediately thereafter, he passes another law whose title makes no sense "the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act" which requires anyone to obtain a police permit before they can make any speech in public. This law which requires a permit is illegal on its face since it is in direct violation of your constitutional right of free speech! But since he had put into place that illegal amendment to the constitution which permits him to deny your rights; he denies you the right of free speech by this odd sounding Entertainments Act.
And what is worse, Dr. Chee Soon Juan did not provide any entertainment to anyone. Distributing a newspaper and talking to the public is surely not entertainment!
As if this is not bad enough, there is more to it. At this time, the police had been keeping surveillance over him at that particular location, on 10 separate occasions speaking and distributing the paper and therefore they charged him with 10 counts. Any lawyer will tell you that similar charges of this nature at the same transaction have to be tried together. That is one trial for the 10 charges in one courtroom.
Not so in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore when the job is to destroy an opposition politician. Lee Kuan Yew's judges had ruled, against common decency and general principles that Dr. Chee is to have 10 separate trials, the purpose of course is to repeatedly punish him against and again for the each count separately.
So what is happening is this. Dr. Chee is brought to trial for one charge involving the selling of the paper, for instance on Monday morning, for which he is sentenced to say 20 days in jail. After this trial is over, he is brought back to court again to be tried for what he did perhaps in Monday afternoon, for which he is again punished with perhaps a 30 day jail sentence. After this trial he is brought back to court again to be tried for what he did at that same location on Tuesday morning, and sentenced yet again, and so on and so on until the entire 10 charges have been dealt with and he is put away in jail repeatedly, again and again.
And all for distributing his political newspaper and telling people to vote for his party at the 2006 elections! And this is Singapore for you! A country that Lee Kuan Yew claims is a first world country. Surely these are not first world laws in Lee Kuan Yew’s “first world country”!
Recently Lee Kuan Yew's handpicked Minister for Law, K Shanmugam, on one of his grandiose wishful thinking sessions, proclaimed that he is going to make Singapore a legal hub where lawyers and judges and litigants from all over the world will concentrate for legal research, arbitration and what not. He hopes of course that none of those people will come to know the real state of justice in Singapore.
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.
The Singapore Democrats, the newspaper of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, www.yoursdp.org, of Sunday Sept 06, 2009, has this article "Judge fines Chee Soon Juan $10,000 for speaking in public". This is yet another disgraceful example of Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew misusing the law to silence his political opponents, in this case, his favorite victim, Dr. Chee Soon Juan.
This misuse of the law by Singapore's courts is so shamelessly egregious, so incredible, so ridiculous and so blatant; as in the long litany of such misuse of the law in the island against political opponents; each time this is done, it is as if it is taken directly from the pages of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Nowhere else in the world can you see the law being so brazenly abused as here?
Dr. Chee Soon Juan the foremost opposition politician of Singapore and his colleagues had in the run up to the 2006 parliamentary elections in Singapore as part of his political campaign, distributed his party newspaper “The New Democrat” to the public and urged them to support his party at the impending elections. This is all that he did. He did not assault anyone, kill anyone or even as much as hurt a fly. To repeat again, all he did was to distribute his newspaper to the public and speak in favor of his political party. That's all.
Now, if you were from any other normal country in the world and if you were an ordinary human being you would not have even remotely imagined that Dr. Chee Soon Juan had committed any crime here.
But sorry, you are wrong. You are wrong because you are in Singapore. And in Singapore if you are a government critic, like Dr. Chee Soon Juan is, you will suddenly find that Singapore not only has some very strange laws, but that they will be used against you like a sledgehammer and you will be floored, silenced, imprisoned and bankrupted. Terrible calamity will befall you in Singapore if you dared to criticize Lee Kuan Yew and his government! Like in this story.
On Friday, Sept 04, 2009, in Singapore’s Subordinate Courts, Judge Thian Yee Sze, did what her job requires her to do in Singapore, which is not only punishing the regular law breakers but also persecuting Lee Kuan Yew's political opponents and thereby keep her job and advance her career. In this dirty work, which by the way is undertaken willingly by every other judge in that island, she convicted him of 2 counts under the strangely titled Public Entertainments and Meetings Act and fined him Singapore $10,000 or else 10 weeks in jail. And his "crimes" were, to remind you of the outrage of it all, selling his newspaper, the New Democrat and talking to the public!
Needless to say this is a disgraceful misuse of the law. In any other normal country, it is not a crime to sell a newspaper or talk to the public. And just for doing this in Singapore, this man is fined $10,000 and in default will have to spend 10 weeks in jail. Tell me what kind of crazy justice is this.
And what is worse, the irony is, Dr. Chee Soon Juan is in fact lawfully allowed to do this, under the Constitution of Singapore which guarantees him freedom of speech and expression. But by misusing the law, Lee Kuan Yew, has amended the Constitution thereby making completely innocuous acts such as this, punishable; which he can use as and when he needs to silence a political opponent.
Article 14 of the Constitution of Singapore specifically guarantees freedom of speech and expression. It says, Every Citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression/ every citizen has the right to assemble peacefully and without arms.
Everyone knows the Constitution is the supreme law of Singapore. It is what all other laws have to abide by. Any law that violates the constitution is by itself illegal and without force.
Having said this much, you would have thought that was the end of the matter. It is crystal clear Dr. Chee Soon Juan is not guilty. He had the right to speak freely and distribute his paper. He is protected by article 14.
Not so fast. You have Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s dictator to contend with. And what he did was to conveniently ignore the constitution altogether whenever an opposition politician has to be put away.
And this is how the dirty work is done. First, he prevents any other political party members to win at elections by rigging the vote or by suing and bankrupting them. In this way he makes sure that except for a couple of opposition members of parliament, the vast majority to the man are members of his political party. And with 2/3 majority in Parliament, which by the way he managed by fraud in the first place, he amends the Constitution to whittle down your rights.
And he does this by adding an addendum to the article which states that his Parliament can make laws to restrict your rights of freedom of speech and assembly. And immediately thereafter, he passes another law whose title makes no sense "the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act" which requires anyone to obtain a police permit before they can make any speech in public. This law which requires a permit is illegal on its face since it is in direct violation of your constitutional right of free speech! But since he had put into place that illegal amendment to the constitution which permits him to deny your rights; he denies you the right of free speech by this odd sounding Entertainments Act.
And what is worse, Dr. Chee Soon Juan did not provide any entertainment to anyone. Distributing a newspaper and talking to the public is surely not entertainment!
As if this is not bad enough, there is more to it. At this time, the police had been keeping surveillance over him at that particular location, on 10 separate occasions speaking and distributing the paper and therefore they charged him with 10 counts. Any lawyer will tell you that similar charges of this nature at the same transaction have to be tried together. That is one trial for the 10 charges in one courtroom.
Not so in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore when the job is to destroy an opposition politician. Lee Kuan Yew's judges had ruled, against common decency and general principles that Dr. Chee is to have 10 separate trials, the purpose of course is to repeatedly punish him against and again for the each count separately.
So what is happening is this. Dr. Chee is brought to trial for one charge involving the selling of the paper, for instance on Monday morning, for which he is sentenced to say 20 days in jail. After this trial is over, he is brought back to court again to be tried for what he did perhaps in Monday afternoon, for which he is again punished with perhaps a 30 day jail sentence. After this trial he is brought back to court again to be tried for what he did at that same location on Tuesday morning, and sentenced yet again, and so on and so on until the entire 10 charges have been dealt with and he is put away in jail repeatedly, again and again.
And all for distributing his political newspaper and telling people to vote for his party at the 2006 elections! And this is Singapore for you! A country that Lee Kuan Yew claims is a first world country. Surely these are not first world laws in Lee Kuan Yew’s “first world country”!
Recently Lee Kuan Yew's handpicked Minister for Law, K Shanmugam, on one of his grandiose wishful thinking sessions, proclaimed that he is going to make Singapore a legal hub where lawyers and judges and litigants from all over the world will concentrate for legal research, arbitration and what not. He hopes of course that none of those people will come to know the real state of justice in Singapore.
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, September 5, 2009
Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore now wants me disbarred! Should I be concerned?
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Singapore's state owned and controlled newspaper the Straits Times of Sept 5, 2009, has this article about me, "Law Society acts against Gopalan Nair". Normally such news from any other country (other than Uniquely Singapore) would have made the subject of the impending punishment undoubtedly concerned. Surely after having spent many years studying for the Bar and qualifying as a lawyer, disbarment would have meant a total waste, not forgetting the shame and embarrassment of being known as a disbarred lawyer.
But you see, sadly for Lee Kuan Yew and his Singapore Judiciary, which is nothing but toothless body of terrified and intimidated yes men and women, masquerading as judges to do nothing more than please him; not surprisingly I don't feel any emotion at all, except perhaps humor.
I know as well as everyone else that Singapore is now not much different from a North Korea which periodically goes about making all sorts of threats against its opponents about which no one outside the country really cares. In the case of North Korea, whenever they get upset of something or other, they fire a few missiles into the air, which all immediately drop back to earth with faulty engines. In the case of Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, when they get upset about someone or other in the free world whom they are unable to silence; I guess they go about bringing disciplinary actions! I can tell you this much. It is quite clear, these theatrical disciplinary proceedings which will undoubtedly disbar me, is intended more to intimidate the Singapore lawyers, as if they were not already sufficiently intimidated! As for me, I don't care one way or other what Singapore does. Surely even an imbecile can understand that.
Any action in Singapore truly has no effect on me whatsoever. Although technically still on the Rolls of lawyers in Singapore, I had permanently left the island for America in 1991 and ever since then have not renewed my practicing certificate. I am still on the Rolls of the English Bar as well as the Bar of California where I have been in active practice for the last 13 years.
Although ordinarily any attorney discipline of this nature in another respected democratic country such as the UK, Canada or Australia would result in disciplinary proceedings being instituted against the attorney in California; Singapore now has such a bad reputation for lacking any democracy or the rule of law, that any attempt to go after me in California would make them look even more silly than they already are.
Perhaps that explains why despite my string of "crimes", according to the Singapore dictatorship from 1984 till today, they had not made a single attempt to have me disciplined here or in England. United States and California are places which pride in the rule of law. In these circumstances, it would be impossible for Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore to convince them that Gopalan Nair, their political opponent, needs to be punished for among other things declaiming that Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean had prostituted her office as a judge while she sat in judgment over Dr. Chee Soon Juan last year in defamation proceedings on behalf of her boss Lee Kuan Yew.
In fact, if I am disbarred from the Singapore Bar, instead of being disappointed about it; it would in effect be a badge of honor, elevating me to the position of other formidable opponents of Lee Kuan Yew who have been similarly punished for their standing up to injustice.
Dr. Chee Soon Juan lost his job as a lecturer at the NUS and was bankrupted. Mr. Tang Liang Hong lost millions of dollars and went into exile in Australia. Francis Seow had to escape and seek refuge in Boston. JB Jeyaretnam was disbarred and bankrupted but eventually reinstated because he paid the fine. Tan Wah Piow had to run to England. And now Gopalan Nair is disbarred from practicing law in Singapore, even though I had no intention to do it anyway.
But I do concede one thing. The brave men and women above have paid a much greater price than I ever had. Their suffering was much more real than mine. While in Singapore, I was fined $8,000.00 in 1991 for something that I said at an election rally in Bukit Merah by elections. Suspended for 2 years from practice which had no effect on me whatsoever, since I was already in California by that time. Last year, I was not permitted to leave Singapore for 6 months which effected my practice in California financially from which I have already recovered. I was sent to Singapore's Queenstown Jail for 3 months, which turned out to be a tremendous adventure and paid $3,000 fine to the Singapore court when I was falsely accused by Lee's policemen of being disorderly. The trial took 18 days of which I enjoyed every minute grilling the lying Singaporean policemen, who were forced to make the most incredible statements imaginable. On the whole, it has been fun all around. And I am able to live and practice law in California which I enjoy every minute. Truly, Lee Kuan Yew has not managed to hurt me as much as he would have liked; that much is certain.
There should be no doubt about it. Any punishment from the Singapore Bar now, for what I did last year in Singapore and years before, would be another badge of honor on me, proudly worn and proudly proclaimed. Thank you.
Let me make some corrections and clarifications to this article from Singapore's state controlled press. As expected of any state controlled propaganda sheet, Singapore's Straits Times being no different, there are many convenient inaccuracies either to tell downright lies about Gopalan Nair, or to make Lee Kuan Yew's political enemy depicted in bad light. This is nothing new.
The article says he has not worked here for several years. This is partially true but the language is inaccurate. I had not practiced law in Singapore since 1991, which was 18 years ago.
The article states that the 2 man tribunal is looking into whether "I had brought the legal profession into disrepute by my actions as a member of the Singapore Bar". Let me make this very clear. I have all along believed that Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s dictator has brought the legal profession into disrepute by using the Singapore police, the Singapore judiciary and the Attorney General's Chambers for a dishonest purpose; which is to destroy his political opponents to perpetuate himself and his family and political party in power. This is an illegal use of the law and he has to be stopped for the sake of Singapore. I have all along been writing to point this out, that is, Singapore’s judges are corrupt and beholden to the Lee Kuan Yew family. My purpose in writing these blogs is expose this to the world and to encourage and persuade Singaporeans and others to fight against this misuse of power in the interests of Singapore. What I am doing is for the good of Singapore, so that Singapore can sooner than later become a democracy as it should have been all along.
In other words, the Singapore judiciary has brought themselves into disrepute. I am merely trying to point it out.
And then the article says I could be fined $20,000.00, prevented from applying to practice in Singapore for 5 years or suspended all together. Let me tell them this. Frankly it would have made no difference if the Singapore justice system had ordered that I be skinned alive. None at all. I live in California. If they did come up with whatever punishment and expected me to undergo it, they would have to enforce it in California. And as I said, it would be difficult for them to do that, since all my actions are not just permissible in California, they are actually respected. In California, my actions would command respect and admiration. We don’t care how they look at it in Singapore.
The article says that according to sources in Singapore, any action in Singapore against me would have little bearing on my California practice. As I said, this is not true. California just as any other state in the US requires lawyers to uphold the law, not only in California but anywhere else. Any crime or misconduct anywhere in the world would render me liable to discipline in California. But in this case I will not be liable for anything in California simply because whatever I did was not a crime or misconduct. It may be in Singapore but who cares about a country with unjust laws and without the rule of law.
The article accuses me of lowering the Singapore legal profession's esteem in the eyes of the public. I am not trying to "lower" its esteem. Singapore legal profession’s esteem, especially that of the Singapore judiciary, is already rock bottom. I am merely trying to make that widely known.
I have never been in contempt of Singapore’s courts as the article states. Pointing out that Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Lee Kuan Yew's judge had shamelessly prostituted her office by her bias for him, was not contempt or an insult. It is an accurate statement which needs to be made for public knowledge and public interest.
As for the allegation of abusing police officers, I never did that and have denied it all along, which I was able to successfully establish after the 18 day trial. Since the court hearing it was biased and beholden to Lee Kuan Yew to destroy his opponents, with Judge James Leong (he has some other Chinese names as well) commissioned to carry out that dirty job, there was no way I could win.
There is an inaccuracy where the article refers to "these judges presided over cases against 3 men who were convicted of mocking the court". If it is referring to the Kangaroo T shirt case involving John Tan, Izrizal and Shafi being sent to jail for 3 months for wearing T shirts with a picture of a Kangaroo, I did not write anything about it while in Singapore as I was about to be deported from the country at that time.
It makes reference to my having apologized unreservedly just before my release from prison. This is what happened. I was in Queenstown Jail and was due for release on the 26th of November 2008. One week before release, the police came to see me in prison and tendered fresh charges, this time for contempt of court. It referred to the earlier disorderly behavior trial before James Leong. During that trial I had made statements in court to the effect that "I had no confidence in the impartiality of the court" which happens to be true. The police now brought contempt charges for my having made statements like this in that court.
Frankly by that time I would have been prepared to say anything they wanted to hear. My practice in California had already suffered very badly and I had to get back. In any case, whatever promise I made to a court such as this, for which I had no respect whatsoever, could easily be withdrawn after I returned to America. In Singapore, I was dealing with a bunch of thugs, Lee Kuan Yew and his friends, and there was no need to stand on niceties there. So the best thing to do not to prolong my unjust incarceration was to say anything they wanted to hear. So I did apologize which I retracted the moment I landed in San Francisco.
And for your assurance these writings will continue.
And finally, I am sure the Singapore authorities will use this blog post to enhance any punishment they had in mind for me. So let me tell this to the very Lee Kuan Yew compliant Chief Justice of Singapore, Chan Sek Kiong. Go ahead; give me 5 life terms in prison without parole and throw away the key! It won’t make the slightest difference to me!
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.
Singapore's state owned and controlled newspaper the Straits Times of Sept 5, 2009, has this article about me, "Law Society acts against Gopalan Nair". Normally such news from any other country (other than Uniquely Singapore) would have made the subject of the impending punishment undoubtedly concerned. Surely after having spent many years studying for the Bar and qualifying as a lawyer, disbarment would have meant a total waste, not forgetting the shame and embarrassment of being known as a disbarred lawyer.
But you see, sadly for Lee Kuan Yew and his Singapore Judiciary, which is nothing but toothless body of terrified and intimidated yes men and women, masquerading as judges to do nothing more than please him; not surprisingly I don't feel any emotion at all, except perhaps humor.
I know as well as everyone else that Singapore is now not much different from a North Korea which periodically goes about making all sorts of threats against its opponents about which no one outside the country really cares. In the case of North Korea, whenever they get upset of something or other, they fire a few missiles into the air, which all immediately drop back to earth with faulty engines. In the case of Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, when they get upset about someone or other in the free world whom they are unable to silence; I guess they go about bringing disciplinary actions! I can tell you this much. It is quite clear, these theatrical disciplinary proceedings which will undoubtedly disbar me, is intended more to intimidate the Singapore lawyers, as if they were not already sufficiently intimidated! As for me, I don't care one way or other what Singapore does. Surely even an imbecile can understand that.
Any action in Singapore truly has no effect on me whatsoever. Although technically still on the Rolls of lawyers in Singapore, I had permanently left the island for America in 1991 and ever since then have not renewed my practicing certificate. I am still on the Rolls of the English Bar as well as the Bar of California where I have been in active practice for the last 13 years.
Although ordinarily any attorney discipline of this nature in another respected democratic country such as the UK, Canada or Australia would result in disciplinary proceedings being instituted against the attorney in California; Singapore now has such a bad reputation for lacking any democracy or the rule of law, that any attempt to go after me in California would make them look even more silly than they already are.
Perhaps that explains why despite my string of "crimes", according to the Singapore dictatorship from 1984 till today, they had not made a single attempt to have me disciplined here or in England. United States and California are places which pride in the rule of law. In these circumstances, it would be impossible for Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore to convince them that Gopalan Nair, their political opponent, needs to be punished for among other things declaiming that Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean had prostituted her office as a judge while she sat in judgment over Dr. Chee Soon Juan last year in defamation proceedings on behalf of her boss Lee Kuan Yew.
In fact, if I am disbarred from the Singapore Bar, instead of being disappointed about it; it would in effect be a badge of honor, elevating me to the position of other formidable opponents of Lee Kuan Yew who have been similarly punished for their standing up to injustice.
Dr. Chee Soon Juan lost his job as a lecturer at the NUS and was bankrupted. Mr. Tang Liang Hong lost millions of dollars and went into exile in Australia. Francis Seow had to escape and seek refuge in Boston. JB Jeyaretnam was disbarred and bankrupted but eventually reinstated because he paid the fine. Tan Wah Piow had to run to England. And now Gopalan Nair is disbarred from practicing law in Singapore, even though I had no intention to do it anyway.
But I do concede one thing. The brave men and women above have paid a much greater price than I ever had. Their suffering was much more real than mine. While in Singapore, I was fined $8,000.00 in 1991 for something that I said at an election rally in Bukit Merah by elections. Suspended for 2 years from practice which had no effect on me whatsoever, since I was already in California by that time. Last year, I was not permitted to leave Singapore for 6 months which effected my practice in California financially from which I have already recovered. I was sent to Singapore's Queenstown Jail for 3 months, which turned out to be a tremendous adventure and paid $3,000 fine to the Singapore court when I was falsely accused by Lee's policemen of being disorderly. The trial took 18 days of which I enjoyed every minute grilling the lying Singaporean policemen, who were forced to make the most incredible statements imaginable. On the whole, it has been fun all around. And I am able to live and practice law in California which I enjoy every minute. Truly, Lee Kuan Yew has not managed to hurt me as much as he would have liked; that much is certain.
There should be no doubt about it. Any punishment from the Singapore Bar now, for what I did last year in Singapore and years before, would be another badge of honor on me, proudly worn and proudly proclaimed. Thank you.
Let me make some corrections and clarifications to this article from Singapore's state controlled press. As expected of any state controlled propaganda sheet, Singapore's Straits Times being no different, there are many convenient inaccuracies either to tell downright lies about Gopalan Nair, or to make Lee Kuan Yew's political enemy depicted in bad light. This is nothing new.
The article says he has not worked here for several years. This is partially true but the language is inaccurate. I had not practiced law in Singapore since 1991, which was 18 years ago.
The article states that the 2 man tribunal is looking into whether "I had brought the legal profession into disrepute by my actions as a member of the Singapore Bar". Let me make this very clear. I have all along believed that Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s dictator has brought the legal profession into disrepute by using the Singapore police, the Singapore judiciary and the Attorney General's Chambers for a dishonest purpose; which is to destroy his political opponents to perpetuate himself and his family and political party in power. This is an illegal use of the law and he has to be stopped for the sake of Singapore. I have all along been writing to point this out, that is, Singapore’s judges are corrupt and beholden to the Lee Kuan Yew family. My purpose in writing these blogs is expose this to the world and to encourage and persuade Singaporeans and others to fight against this misuse of power in the interests of Singapore. What I am doing is for the good of Singapore, so that Singapore can sooner than later become a democracy as it should have been all along.
In other words, the Singapore judiciary has brought themselves into disrepute. I am merely trying to point it out.
And then the article says I could be fined $20,000.00, prevented from applying to practice in Singapore for 5 years or suspended all together. Let me tell them this. Frankly it would have made no difference if the Singapore justice system had ordered that I be skinned alive. None at all. I live in California. If they did come up with whatever punishment and expected me to undergo it, they would have to enforce it in California. And as I said, it would be difficult for them to do that, since all my actions are not just permissible in California, they are actually respected. In California, my actions would command respect and admiration. We don’t care how they look at it in Singapore.
The article says that according to sources in Singapore, any action in Singapore against me would have little bearing on my California practice. As I said, this is not true. California just as any other state in the US requires lawyers to uphold the law, not only in California but anywhere else. Any crime or misconduct anywhere in the world would render me liable to discipline in California. But in this case I will not be liable for anything in California simply because whatever I did was not a crime or misconduct. It may be in Singapore but who cares about a country with unjust laws and without the rule of law.
The article accuses me of lowering the Singapore legal profession's esteem in the eyes of the public. I am not trying to "lower" its esteem. Singapore legal profession’s esteem, especially that of the Singapore judiciary, is already rock bottom. I am merely trying to make that widely known.
I have never been in contempt of Singapore’s courts as the article states. Pointing out that Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Lee Kuan Yew's judge had shamelessly prostituted her office by her bias for him, was not contempt or an insult. It is an accurate statement which needs to be made for public knowledge and public interest.
As for the allegation of abusing police officers, I never did that and have denied it all along, which I was able to successfully establish after the 18 day trial. Since the court hearing it was biased and beholden to Lee Kuan Yew to destroy his opponents, with Judge James Leong (he has some other Chinese names as well) commissioned to carry out that dirty job, there was no way I could win.
There is an inaccuracy where the article refers to "these judges presided over cases against 3 men who were convicted of mocking the court". If it is referring to the Kangaroo T shirt case involving John Tan, Izrizal and Shafi being sent to jail for 3 months for wearing T shirts with a picture of a Kangaroo, I did not write anything about it while in Singapore as I was about to be deported from the country at that time.
It makes reference to my having apologized unreservedly just before my release from prison. This is what happened. I was in Queenstown Jail and was due for release on the 26th of November 2008. One week before release, the police came to see me in prison and tendered fresh charges, this time for contempt of court. It referred to the earlier disorderly behavior trial before James Leong. During that trial I had made statements in court to the effect that "I had no confidence in the impartiality of the court" which happens to be true. The police now brought contempt charges for my having made statements like this in that court.
Frankly by that time I would have been prepared to say anything they wanted to hear. My practice in California had already suffered very badly and I had to get back. In any case, whatever promise I made to a court such as this, for which I had no respect whatsoever, could easily be withdrawn after I returned to America. In Singapore, I was dealing with a bunch of thugs, Lee Kuan Yew and his friends, and there was no need to stand on niceties there. So the best thing to do not to prolong my unjust incarceration was to say anything they wanted to hear. So I did apologize which I retracted the moment I landed in San Francisco.
And for your assurance these writings will continue.
And finally, I am sure the Singapore authorities will use this blog post to enhance any punishment they had in mind for me. So let me tell this to the very Lee Kuan Yew compliant Chief Justice of Singapore, Chan Sek Kiong. Go ahead; give me 5 life terms in prison without parole and throw away the key! It won’t make the slightest difference to me!
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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