Sunday, March 24, 2013

Singapore, from a Colonial Democracy to a Lee Kuan Yew Dictatorship

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the early days of the 20th Century, Singapore was a British Colony. But it was also a democracy. In the 1950s and 1960s, Singapore had a fair and independent judiciary, a criminal jury system, a free press, free and independent trade unions, social security and unemployment benefits and above all, fundamental human rights.

My father came to British Singapore from India because it was a democracy under British rule. He would not have come were it a dictatorship.

Once Lee Kuan Yew took over in independent Singapore, the people literally went from good to bad. Steadily and progressively throughout his one party rule up till today, he systematically dismantled the democracy which the British had set up. But even worse he made sure that he systematically brainwashed Singaporeans into accepting a life in perpetual fear of the government, and making them believe that any form of resistance against them is not only bad, but illegal as well. This is how it has gone on up till today, with Lee Kuan Yew's glittering skyscrapers shooting into the equatorial sky with modern roads and amenities but leaving the people totally bereft of freedom, any fundamental rights and an island almost emptied out of its educated and skilled who have all left for settlement abroad.

What is amazing is either his inability to understand or his deliberately ignoring the fact that educated and discerning human beings will not be satisfied just with tall buildings and good roads, they also need some self respect.

Totally ignoring this fact, he went along deliberately and openly abusing the legal system by turning the judiciary into nothing better than Kangaroo judges in their Kangaroo courts, totally denying a free and independent press, criminalizing free speech and expression and openly being corrupt by paying themselves millions of dollars as salary. And worst of all, he made it very clear through deliberate victimization of any politic critic through defamation actions and dismissals from employment that he will not tolerate any criticism whatsoever.

After doing this, what did Lee Kuan Yew expect? Did he expect educated professionals and their families to eat humble pie and merely sing along with him in his island?

Today, not only have I left, almost everyone else I knew in my school Raffles Institution have all probably left. And I mean the majority, not just a few. I don't know where they are over the globe, but I expect many are in Australia, New Zealand and the other English speaking western countries.

The ones who have stayed behind are those who did not have an education or skills enabling them to emigrate, or those unable to see the depths to which their lives and spirit has descended. They are either foreigners for whom such things as democracy and human rights do not really  matter since they are not going to be there for long, and those who are ignorant and of course not to forget the bootlickers and sycophants who surround him like leeches for the good life he provides.

Lee Kuan Yew while building his skyscrapers has managed to deplete the island completely of its intelligentsia and professionals and today relies entirely on expatriate temporary workers and his cronies to run the show.

With this change, the true Singaporean way of life and its original character and culture has all disappeared, leaving Singapore as just an island peopled by some disparate foreigners who are there to make a buck as long as the going is good.

As for the true capable and thinking Singaporeans, they have simply said goodbye long ago.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California
Tel: 510 491 4375
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

"So, when I heard Dr Tan Cheng Bock, I decided I would stand up and tell him he’s wrong…you have to decide whether you think he knows more or I know more. You have to decide whether he will give you the answer to Singapore’s future — or that I am likely to give you the better road to the future."

Then SM Lee arrogantly rebuked Dr Tan Cheng Bock, then MP for Ayer Rajah, who urged the Government to tone down its calls for the recruitment of foreign talent and reassure Singaporeans that they came first

Anonymous said...

"If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it."

Lee Kuan Yew endorsing the Tiananmen massacre, Straits Times, 17 August 2004

Anonymous said...

Lee Kuan Yew's policies have caused irreparable damage to Singapore, that even a unlikely change of government in 2016 can fix. I doubt if Singaporeans have the courage to challenge LKY. Just look at the last protest - a mere 3,000 people turned up to protest the White Paper.

2016 is still a long way away and enough time for LKY and his son to shove their policies down people's throat. The prognosis is not good.

But we should still reveal his evil and stupid deeds for the world to see.
His legacy will be tarnished.

Instead of being revered like the Tunku in Malaysia, Ho Chih Minn in Vietnam, Mao in China, Harry Lee Kuan Yew will become reviled by many Singaporeans.




Gopalan Nair said...

To Anonymous who said

"Instead of being revered like the Tunku in Malaysia, Ho Chih Minn in Vietnam, Mao in China, Harry Lee Kuan Yew will become reviled by many Singaporeans."

I would add, provided there are any left!

Anonymous said...

Nick D'Aloisio.
Australian 17 year old living in England sells his company to Yahoo. Finishing high school and wants to study philosophy in Oxford.

LKY's education system never seems to produce the Nick D'Aloisios, or Gates, or Jobs, or Jack Ma (Alibiba-China) or N. R. Narayana Murthy (Infosys-India).

The kids in Singapore have all forms of innovation 'beaten' out of them by LKY's systems. While many do well in exams and get scholarships to go to top universities, not a single one of them has become a Nick, Jack or Murthy.

LKY's systems can only produce scholars who come up with flawed policies: stop at two; 6.9 million; speak Mandarin; graduate mother eugenics, ...

The most successful entrepreneur in Singapore is Sim Wong Hoo of Creative Labs, a Poly graduate.

The Southern Chinese who came to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were creative and entrepreneurial fellows and built great empires.

In Singapore, thanks to LKY and now his son, the children of these Chinese have been reduced to second class citizens - viewed as docile, not creative. They are simply LKY's DIGITS, easily replaced by coolies from China and managers from India.

Oh, LKY, what has thee wrought on this Island. Curse you and your ilk.



http://www.canberratimes.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/teens-multimilliondollar-yahoo-payday-before-18th-birthday-20130326-2gqvg.html

Anonymous said...

Is Singapore’s scholar system outdated?

The system's architect, ex-PM Lee [Kuan Yew] believes that academic excellence is the best tangible assessment of human intelligence and leadership potential. If you are intelligent, you can shine in any work or position after some training.

the new global economy requires innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship more than straight As that show up in exam grades.

But, no one has the b*lls to tell the Emperor LKY that he is wrong. So, the system continues like the Titanic heading to it doom.



http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/singapore-scholar-system-outdated-033716654.html

Irene Puah said...

In order to be innovative, you need to have an inquisitive mind and not be afraid to question anything and everything. For starters, no Singaporean school kids are encouraged to question anything and everything around them, lest they begin to question the political situation and the often questionable position the Singaporean government has on certain issues. If at all necessary, all and everything has been explained by pointing out the economic success of our fried rice paradise. However, we now have the Portcullis debacle which will, no doubt, lead to further negative coverage in the global press with the result that Singapore will no longer be able to appear to be a respectable place to bank your money.

Gopalan Nair said...

To Irene Puah who said

"However, we now have the Portcullis debacle which will, no doubt, lead to further negative coverage in the global press with the result that Singapore will no longer be able to appear to be a respectable place to bank your money".

I agree. In fact the best tax havens are those who respect the rule of law and has a free press. With Lee Kuan Yew openly flaunting the law as a tool for political dominance and absolutely no press freedom, no serious foreign investor would dare to stake his money in the island. Of course you have some who come in, but by and large it is the respectable European democracies which have the lions share. Suprisingly the US is itself and very successful off shore tax haven; why because it has the rule of law and a proud free and independent media.

Anonymous said...

The old man may have outlived ah meng but he cannot live forever and when he goes his son will not be able to instill fear nor confidence, I believe those who have been wronged will come back to reclaim their Singapore. The tinder box is full and all it takes is the catalyst. Margaret Thatcher died, if the iron lady can die so to can the tin pot tyrant as Gopolan has indicated. Patience is a virtue and those who have bit their tongues for many decades will be rewarded.

Gopalan Nair said...

To Anonymous who said

"The old man may have outlived ah meng but he cannot live forever and when he goes his son will not be able to instill fear nor confidence, I believe those who have been wronged will come back to reclaim their Singapore."

What I fear is this. When the old man dies, there will undoubtedly be some chaos. He knows that too. Which is why he continues his ethnic cleansing replacing the huge numbers of Singaporeans leaving with new immigrants from China, and given citizenship who will now form the majority of Singaporeans. Not knowing anything about Singapore and with the old man's sustained and determined propaganda campaign of re-writing history to make him the one who founded and created Singapore literally out of thin air, these recent arrivals are unlikely to vote for anyone else in future elections.

I hope what you say is true but sometimes I think it is just too late.

And the fault lies as much with Singaporeans indifference over decades as with this dictatorship.

Tim said...

You said,

"island almost emptied out of its educated and skilled who have all left for settlement abroad".

Sorry Mr Nair, you need a reality check.

Gopalan Nair said...

To Tim, who said

""island almost emptied out of its educated and skilled who have all left for settlement abroad"".

Sorry Mr Nair, you need a reality check."

I am not sure whether it is you or I who needs a "reality check". Do you know how many Singaporeans live in Melbourne, Sydney, Vancouver and California? And do you know how many educated Singaporeans are leaving as we speak for these very places?

I suppose you want to stay behind and serve a dictatorship. Perhaps you don't have the courage or the enterprise to venture into distant lands. But realize not everyone is like you. And you are the very type that Lee Kuan Yew needs in his island, who will do his job without protest whatsoever.

And you must agree that if you are a Singaporean native, you find yourself midst more and more Chinese national foreigners, as more and more local Singaporeans leave.