Ladies and Gentlemen,
Despite all the glitter in the Singapore city skyline, the skyscrapers and the glass, the city state is literally a dictatorship. It's people have no human rights, a constitution ignored, the last 50 years under Lee Kuan Yew and recently under his son.
The government is run by Lee's son, assisted by handpicked government scholarship funded scholars who are fielded at elections every five years where the outcome is predetermined. They always win. The detractors are all destroyed through defamation lawsuits and contempt of court charges. The fear running down their spine of every islander in criticizing the dictatorship is real resulting in effectively shutting out any debate and dialogue on government by their people.
Government agencies such as Resident's Committees and Consultative Committees stage manage public debate. Recently a government organized project put forward various perceived ideas on the future of the country called OSC (Our Singapore Conversation). This is a fraud. Known government sympathizers were handpicked to take part and naturally gave predictable answers to questions. The state controlled media then publishes this nonsense as public feedback and the dictatorship go out and claim to redress the failings. Utter stupidity.
The majority of the population have no voice. They can write their grievances anonymously in the hope that the dictatorship will not know who they are. Beyond this, there is nothing more they can do. Every form of civil society debate or discussion is illegal. Free speech is illegal. Protests are illegal. Forming a society without a government license is illegal.
In the end we have in Singapore island, a dictatorship under Lee's son who do what they think is right. Since they feel they know everything, there is no need for any people consultation. They pay themselves any amount they want. And do what they want with the help of their corrupt multi million dollar ministers, the highest paid in the world. The people have no part in deciding how their country is run.
What you see in the island today, the skyscrapers, the schools, the roads, the telephones are entirely the doing of this dictatorship. As for the people, they simply sit back waiting for what more their dictatorship will do for them next.
As a result the people's only hope is to live from one dictatorship to the next. Now it is Lee Kuan Yew's son's turn. When or how long he will remain as dictator, no one knows. It is entirely up to him. Afterall he can do anything he wants. He may decide some time in the future to leave and appoint another dictator who will in turn select his ministers and assistants to run the island. Of course they will all be elected by destroying the opposition through their Kangaroo Courts.
Unfortunately for Singaporeans this sort of living from one dictatorship to another where they have no rights at all and are entirely at the mercy of any dictator that happens to be around is not just undesirable, it is dangerous. For stability and peaceful transition of governments, the people have to be empowered. There has to be elected representatives, the rule of law not Kangaroo
courts, and free and fair elections and last but not least human rights. They have to have a stake in their country. All these requirement of civil society is absent in the island.
If Singaporeans really wanted to save their island, the only thing they can do is to publicly protest and demand of this dictatorship for their rights to be restored which they have not known for 50 years. If they don't they are destined to live from one dictatorship to another and hope that their dictatorship will build the roads, ensure safe drinking water and the skyscrapers. The people unfortunately have no control over whether this will be done.
Singaporeans are nothing but "digits" as Lee Kuan Yew once called them. They are told to be silent and obey. The Allmighty Lee Kuan Yew's son knows what is best.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont, California, USA
Tel: 510 491 4375
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
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