Singapore. The makings of fascism.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Reading "Blurring of state and party lines" an article by Seah Chiang Nee in The Star Online of Feb 20, 2010, a Malaysian newspaper, http://thestar.com.my/ is alarming.

It talks of 30,000 Singaporeans who are now active members of Lee Kuan Yew's national grassroots organizations, organizations such as the RCs (Residents Committees, CCCs (Citizens Consultative Committees) and CCs (Community Clubs) all funded with tax payers money and run by his People's Action Party (PAP).

These organizations are in direct touch with almost every citizen in the city state spread across the government housing estates (HDB) where 90% of Singaporeans live. One cannot therefore avoid these organizations even if one wants to.

Membership and active participation in these organizations is seen as a sign of your support for Lee Kuan Yew and his political party the PAP. This support is seen as a requirement to advance one's career and business; since the vast majority of Singaporeans work in the government or in government linked companies, which are by far the largest employers in the city state. Tumasek and the GIC are the 2 largest government linked employers who between themselves control the vast majority of local businesses.

One cannot escape the need to be a member these grassroots organizations by joining foreign multinationals, as they too are closely monitored by Lee Kuan Yew to see who is and who is not his side; with government supporters being given an advantage in jobs and career prospects while those who are stupid enough to either oppose him, God forbid, or remain independent are disadvantaged and even punished.

Today throughout the island city state, the message has clearly sunk in. To advance your career and your lives, join the PAP and praise the Dear Leader Lee Kuan Yew, if you knew what was good for you. Only an dummy would fail to see the light.

In fact Lee Kuan Yew and his government make no apologies for this. You have seen Lee Kuan Yew's judiciary making repeated statements in court in the rare civil disobedience cases, that Singapore does not allow peaceful protests (Judge VK Rajah in punishing peaceful protesters) and the repeated jailing of Dr. Chee Soon Juan and members of his party for having done nothing more than exercising their rights under the Constitution by peaceful protest.

With the press entirely controlled by Lee Kuan Yew's PAP, it is impossible to know the truth about anything, but anecdotal evidence clearly points to numerous cases of civil servants demoted and even fired for failing to join these PAP grassroots organizations and government connected individuals either not charged for crimes or let off lightly while those who are unconnected having to suffer harsh sentences.

As an example you would recall not too long ago about the Chinese woman editor of one of Lee Kuan Yew's newspapers who had killed a motorcycle pillion rider while talking on her cell phone while driving, and running a redlight, at the junction of Adam Road and Bukit Timah Road. Apparently she was late for a government function! No suprise to anyone in Lee's Singapore that she was given a small fine and let off! After all she was a card carrying member or indirectly so of Lee Kuan Yew's PAP.

Another instance more recently was the case of a female doctor, the sister of the Singaporean actor Lim Kay Tong. By the way, I used to know Lim Kay Tong when he was studying English and Drama at Hull University, UK, while I was studying law there. She was alleged to have been seated in the driver’s seat in the early morning hours of a car in the middle lane of a freeway, with her lights switched off, dead drunk! You rightly guessed again that she too did not have to suffer any real punishment; just a small fine and a driving suspension!

In Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, had anyone else had the misfortune of either of this case, Lee Kuan Yew would have sent him to jail and thrown the key away.

Which reminds one of the classic fascist states of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Singapore is beginning to look more and more like these states, when there too everything depended on being card carrying members of the Fascist Party. Jobs, security, protection, a livelihood, promotions and careers all depended on who you are.

In Hitler's Nazi Germany one could not get anywhere in life without being a card carrying member of the Nazi Party. In fact it was compulsory for every German to be one, with only Jews, Gypsies and such like prohibited from joining.

In Lee Kuan yew's Singapore, he has not yet made membership of the PAP a requisite for jobs and housing but he need not do it. Anyone who knows which side of the bread is buttered would be silly not to join. It only makes sense while in Singapore to praise and support Lee Kuan Yew just as in the proverbial Rome you would do as the Romans do.

But Singapore was not meant to be a Fascist state, according to the framers of the Constitution in 1959 and not the adulterated Lee Kuan Yew version which we have today. The framers of the Constitution, as you would have guessed, expected Singapore to be a democracy which is what my father and I expected while in Singapore. Instead, Lee Kuan Yew is hijacking the entire island and turning it into something it was not supposed to be and into something bad, simply bad.

And just as the right thinking Germans did nothing from 1933 to 1939 under Hitler, watching Germany deteriorate into a ghastly monster of a state under Hitler, I fear right thinking Singaporeans today are sitting idly by and doing nothing more than complaining while Singapore is being destroyed before their very eyes.

Any student of history in Singapore should have seen the writing on the wall long ago. And history, alas, is repeating itself with Singaporeans wise enough to understand, sadly sitting idly by.

It is impossible to stop Lee Kuan Yew turning Singapore into a complete Fascist state through the elections. This much must be obvious. The only way to stop the rot is through peaceful protests demanding an end to this. It is your Singapore and you remain silent at your peril.

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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