Lee Kuan Yew's government's open indifference to the people causes increasing disaffection

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There are many things terribly wrong with Singapore island, and it is indeed surprising that the government gets away with it.

For one thing, it is unacceptable for any ruler of a tiny island such as Singapore with a tiny population to openly admit that he takes $3.7 million a year and a lot more in bonuses and get away with it, but he does.

This is corruption.

In any other place there would have been a revolution and Lee Kuan Yew and his son would have been behind bars. But not in Singapore.

Singapore's leaders are no longer afraid to be openly be corrupt in this way. Over the years, they know that Singaporeans are so afraid of their government that they can simply do anything they want. In any other country, they wouldn't dare.

Then there are the other blatant violations of the Constitution. No free press, no freedom of speech, no right to peaceful assembly, rigged elections and no rule of law. Yet the people simply accept it lying down.

There are no revolutions but it does not mean that the people accept it. Native Singaporeans thanks to the Internet today are completely aware of these injustices. If they do not revolt, it is because Lee and his Son, the Prime Minister will arrest and jail them and throw away the key. They are afraid, naturally so; so they are quiet. But they viscerally hate this father and son government, no doubt about it.

What happens in Singapore is exactly what happens in North Korea or Cuba. There too the people hate their regime, but as in Singapore, they would be arrested and jailed for any resurrection. So they, like Singaporeans remain quiet and accept the servility under which they live.

But there is one big difference between North Korea, Cuba and Singapore; it is impossible to escape from North Korea and with great difficulty from Cuba because you cannot get an exit permit or a passport. If indeed North Koreans could leave, everyone there would have escaped and the country would be empty.

In North Korea and Cuba, although the people hate the dictatorships under which they live, where Kin Jong Un, like Lee Kuan Yew, who we reckon is probably richer than Bill Gates, also pays himself millions and drinks Hennesy out of golden cups, there is nothing they can do. They cannot leave North Korea and neither can they revolt. They simply live as best they can under the dictatorship.

But Singapore is different. For Singaporeans who despise Lee Kuan Yew and his son for their corruption in making millions and millions off their people, and denying them their rights under the Constitution, there is an avenue out. They can leave if they want. The Singapore passport is a very welcome piece of paper. They can go nearly anywhere they want almost entirely visa free.

This gives Singaporeans an alternative and a clear advantage. If you don't want to live in a country whose rulers are openly corrupt and pay themselves millions, deny you your rights and arrest you and jail you if you question them, you can leave.

You can pack up and leave with your family to Australia, the US, Canada or any other Western country which will take you where you don't have to live under a corrupt regime and where you are treated as human beings with rights.

And this is exactly what is happening now. As long as the government does not bring in legislation to stop people leaving, hundreds of thousands have already left and will continue to leave. Compared to it's small population size, there is a large and growing Singapore diaspora in Australia and other Western countries and growing fast.

Alarmed by the huge numbers leaving, in the recent decades we have seen repeated trips of senior Singapore ministers as well as his son visiting the main cities of Australia and the West begging Singaporeans to return to serve Singapore, appealing to their conscience and loyalty, but it appears they have decided to stop doing this for obvious reasons.

Singaporeans once having left it seems, do not want to go back. To quote Martin Luther King, I suppose Singaporeans have seen the light.

It appears they have had it with their former country and it is quite obvious why. For one thing, if you are determined to be corrupt and pay yourself millions but cannot tolerate anyone complaining by putting them in jail, I doubt anyone would want to come back.

The Australian government does not behave like this. I know two countries that do; North Korea and Singapore.

The consequence of this: the native Singaporean population continues to shrink. Although it is impossible to get the figures, native Singaporeans, by which I mean Singaporeans who are born in the island as well as their parents, should hardly amount to 1.5 million today or even less. This is occasioned by mounting emigration, rock bottom reproduction rates and an ageing population. And even this  number continues to shrink into extinction.

In the past the government used to make a great deal of fuss about this; but it seems today they are silent. They no longer discuss the issue of diminishing native Singaporeans. I suppose there is nothing they can do, and it serves no purpose to discuss it anymore.

To replace them, the island government is dishing out citizenship to foreigners of Chinese ancestry at breakneck speed. Hundreds and thousands of Malaysian Chinese and a huge number of Chinese from Communist China are being brought in in planeloads and given citizenship.

Problem is, most of them are illiterate in English and are only capable of Mandarin Chinese. Lee Kuan Yew prefers Chinese immigration over other races because he believes that Chinese are a superior race to Malays or Indians.

Lately you must have noticed, 90 year old ethnic Chinese Lee Kuan Yew who is in a wheel chair is always seen in the Ming Emperor's robes costume.

Since the recently arrived instant citizen from China is probably a noodle seller or a Chinese organ grinder, he is unlikely to have heard anything about Plato's democracy, let alone the Constitution or worse the Magna Carta or the Bill of Rights.

As far as he is concerned Singapore is probably better than living in Chengdu, China or the outer reaches at the border of Mongolia. So he comes here for a bit more money and perhaps an education or the sort you get under teachers afraid of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore.

At elections, he will dutifully vote for the Lee Kuan Yew's son and his PAP since they are the ones who brought him here, and as far s he is concerned, he cares 2 hoots whether Lee Kuan Yew pays himself $3 million a year or $35 million or whether you have human rights to speak or whether newspapers are free and independent or state owned.

Since the Lee Kuan Yew's recent arrival noodle seller from China has nothing too much in his head in the way of theories relating to freedoms or human rights, one way or another, he shouldn't worry about living in a democracy or otherwise. After all he didn't have any rights in his Communist China from which he came.

You can see the situation now. There are 2 huge torrent flows of people, one which are the native English speaking native Singaporeans out to the West and the other, the Chinese from China comprised of the noodle seller and Chinese organ grinder into the island.

Today, although there are no solid facts on the ground, at the rate at which the island has been morphing from a Singaporean one to a Communist Chinese one, Singapore island has probably completely changed. Singapore's culture, social norms, mannerisms, traditions and ethos molded after 50 years since independence is gone.

Today Singapore is a Chinese society similar to any Chinese city in China. I have never been to China, but Singaporeans would attest to the fact that it has changed. It must. If you change the population entirely from one people to another, it has to happen.

But the consequences are dire. Lee Kuan Yew and his son would probably not have any trouble continuing to be corrupt and pay themselves the $3.7 million year since these new Singaporeans or neo Peoples Republic of China Chinese are not going to complain.

Most of them are here for the opportunity, not because they are jingoistic or have any burning loyalty to the island. I suppose after a while, once they have made enough, they too will leave and be replaced by a fresh bunch of noodle sellers and Chinese organ grinders.

And in a few years, except for a handful of what I call native Singaporeans, you would have an entirely Communist China Singapore speaking Mandarin with a Chengdu accent. As for elections, I think Lee and his son have nothing to fear. All of them would vote for the Lee government or anyone else who happens to be around.

Finally the quality, and global competitiveness  of Singaporeans will collapse. It's connection with England, other free developed countries, and the freedoms which Singaporeans were promised under the Constitution would become a dead letter.

An island like this may survive as sidekick to Communist China but it is not going to be anywhere as attractive as a place to live. It is going to the dogs.

The only reason why I can write this and not be instantly arrested and jailed is because I am physically in the USA. If I were to be write this from within Singapore, I would be, like in North Korea, instantly arrested.

Being in America I can speak my mind. A Singaporean within Singapore cannot do that. One obvious reason why he leaves.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont, California, USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email:nair.gopalan@yahoo.com