Singapore leaders appear unsure of their reputations

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore's leaders are world famous for protecting their "reputations" as is evident by the numerous lawsuits and prosecutions against its critics both local and foreign. The slightest of criticism can land can result in court awarded damages of several hundred thousands; enough to impoverish you at one go. Or even to land you in jail for a long time.

JB Jeyaretnam was repeatedly sued bankrupted and jailed for criticism which would not have been actionable anywhere else. Dr. Chee Soon Juan another vocal critic of the superman was once sued just for telling Lee Kuan Yew's Minister Goh Chock Tong "you can run but you cannot hide". He had to pay, as you have rightly guessed unimaginable damages that bankrupted him at one stroke.

Even foreign newspapers were not spared. New York Times, Dow Jones, Time Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and you name another international newspaper, they have all been sued and damages extracted in the Singapore courts.

But one pattern appears very clear, that is, they only sue when they can get you. If not, no matter what you say, they leave you alone. The only ones they can get are those who live in Singapore or foreign newspapers who circulate in Singapore and therefore have a security deposit of money held by Singapore. So the plan is, if you are a local they abuse the law and finish you off. If you are a foreign paper, with a security deposit, they take your money which they hold.

But you notice they have not sued the Asia Sentinel a Hong Kong paper that has called the Singapore leaders a bunch of crooks and their judges a bunch of stooges. The International Bar Association has called the Singapore leaders no better, and so has the numerous respected international human rights organizations from Amnesty International to Freedom House. But none of them have been sued. You correctly guessed why, because none of them circulate within Singapore and have not put up any security deposits. Still every one of their articles can be read in Singapore through the Internet; therefore it makes no difference whether their papers actually circulate in the island.

I have called Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Lee Kuan Yew's judge a corrupt shameless women who abuses the law to please her master from the US in this blog, not once but repeatedly. I have pointed out the dishonesty and total lack of integrity on the part of Singapore’s highest legal officer, Chief Justice Chan Sek Seong. The Singapore Law Society has commenced proceedings to disbar me from practicing in Singapore about which I do not care. But the damage continues to be done with my continued criticism of this judge and others.

And this is where Lee Kuan Yew's claim that he sues and prosecutes his critics to protect his reputation sounds hollow and hypocritical. It appears that his reputation is only hurt when he can successfully sue and punish you through his compliant courts. His reputation will not be hurt no matter what you say, if you are beyond the jurisdiction of his corrupt courts.

And since he cannot get me, cannot victimize the International Bar Association or the various international human rights organizations worldwide who call him a tin pot dictator, he leaves us all alone.

And their hypocrisy is even more shameful when the result of the actions they wish to stop is no different if done from within or without Singapore. This blog Singapore Dissident is read within Singapore because they are either unable or unwilling to block it. So my criticisms of them continue to be read in Singapore but they take no action. However the same thing I did within Singapore in 2008 landed me in jail for 3 months. Where is the logic of this so called internationally respected island with the rule of law!

Same thing with international newspapers. Asia Sentinel and numerous other western newspapers from the world's capitals have said the same things. But no action whatsoever has been taken by the strongman.

And my question to him is this. Why is his reputation only hurt when someone whom he can victimize has said it and never so when said by someone aboard; even though the result is the same, because Singaporeans read it.

And Singapore’s refusal to sue in such cases appears even more cowardly because it is not that they have no recourse; they do. They can sue for defamation in a foreign court where the criticism was made, and if successful they will be awarded damages just like anywhere else. There are no legal impediments over forum or venue, as a foreigner has locus standi for a defamation action abroad just like anywhere else.

It is not that Lee Kuan Yew cannot sue abroad; it is simply because he will lose. And that is simply because Belinda Ang Saw Ean is indeed a corrupt and dishonest judge and he is none other than a tin pot tyrant.

And this double standards to misuse the legal system to silence criticism within Singapore continues to discredit the island resulting in increasing problems the dictatorship faces locally and abroad; massive emigration, declining investment, declining birthrate, insufficient entrants to civil service and the legal profession and a sizable section of Singapore’s educated population simply decoupling themselves from this discredited government.

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/

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