Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is no secret today that Lee Kuan Yew, the Singaporean ruler pays himself $3.7 million (or such similar figure) each year even though in his case he does nothing for it, 90 years old and in a wheelchair. In any case there is no doubt that he , as well as his entire family, including his son whom he appointed Prime Minister, are all the highest paid politicians in the world.
And this is in a tiny island not more that 710 square meters, with a population of no more than 5 million comprised mostly of recently arrived Chinese nationals.
In contract the average citizen earns approximately $2,000.00 (US$1,800 approximate) and has a hard time staying afloat and breathing in an island supposedly with the fourth highest cost of living in the world!
No one in the island has dared investigate the real wealth of the Lee family. Does he and his family have villas in San Tropez, the French Riviera and properties in New York and London? Should they be allowed to steal such amounts of state funds just because they rule the island? Why are not president Obama, or any other world leader doing this, except for the Lees? Why are they Gods? Are they not accountable to the people?
So far no one in the island has dared to question them since he uses his judges to destroy, jail and bankrupt anyone who dares to ask. His judges are nothing more than errand boys who are waiting to do his bidding. All he has to do is to point out his victim and the bully machinery grinds into action to declare the victim the vilest criminal and send him packing.
For most ordinary Singaporeans, it is not really worth going against the Lee family. You are simply powerless and you will lose everything. Against this hopeless odds, they simply remain silent, withdraw into their cocoons and mind their own business.
Then, there are Singaporeans who benefit from collaboration with the Lees. These are the judges who carry out his orders, top civil servants and ministers. As their job is by nature distasteful, since how could repressing their fellow citizens to please Lee ever be a pleasurable occupation, Lee pays them huge salaries too so that they will continue doing the dirty work. You could say, they have lost their conscience for money.
Then there are others who simply fell outraged. If they have the ability to get out, they will. This is why the island has the world's highest rate of brain drain in the world, mostly to Australia and Canada.
As we speak day by day, the numbers leaving continue to rise. As Lee needs workers for the burgeoning over extended economy, he has to bring in foreigners. So as not to appear as if the country is changing completely, he brings in Chinese from China who of course look just like the native Chinese of Singapore. The only difference is, they do not know anything about Singapore, let alone the language, customs, history and traditions. They are living in Singapore as if they are still in Chengdu, China. And like the morphing of the butterfly, the island changes from being Singapore to that of a Chinese city in China.
With the massive numbers of recently arrived new citizens from China who are there simply to earn a living for the moment, they have no concern whether Lee and his family take home $3.7 million a year each or even $37.00 million. If anyone takes objection, it has to be the local Singaporeans who feel cheated by these corrupt leaders. But then their numbers are diminishing and those remaining are too timid to ask any questions lest they end up in the local jail.
So the Lees have actually devised a perfect money making machine. They have devised a system, found nowhere in the world, where they can take any amount they want and there is no one who dares question them. I am sure Mobutu of the Congo who stole the diamonds would have slapped his own face and cursed himself and said, why the Hell didn't I think of that!
Don't get me wrong. I am not some kind of Kamikaze hero who is writing this without fear of being jailed and tortured. If I was physically within Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore I would need to drink an entire bottle of Scotch in one gulp to acquire the necessary courage to do it, and even then I am not sure. No I am not presently in Singapore island. I am writing this from Fremont, California USA which is, thank God, beyond the clutches of Lee's kangaroo judges. So if he wants to get me he will have to do it through the US courts. And this is where I have the distinct feeling that he is not so sure he will win. Which is why I can safely write this and go to bed at night.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont, California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
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10 comments:
All expats who come to Singapore already know that the Lee family treats its little fried rice paradise as one big ATM. The difference is that the Ang Mohs say so, whereas the Singaporeans do not dare to.
Thanks. For the sake of readers who do not know what "Ang Moh" means, it is Caucasian or White Man.
I think that countries with a dictator or despot who takes the money, that belongs to all people the same way, for himself are outdated. As you could see for example in Egypt, Tunisia, Lybia and in many other contries, one day the people noticed the injustice in their country, strated to protest and finally could reach a change in politics.
The question concerning all despots who are still in power is always the same: How much money do they own which does not belong to them and where is it hidden or invested right now?
It is an interesting question if the prices for housing and real estate in Singapore are currently justified or if everything is just overpriced.
Sometimes a hotel accomodation in Singapore can cost some hundred Sing-Dollar and be more expensive than a hotel room in a metropolis like London or New York.
If it is really a big bubble of speculation, then it can burst and explode at anytime like the bubble of the new economy did on the stock markets about one decade ago.
LOL!😆
What should The Founding Father of a tiny city state ( that was not meant to be ) be paid? He deserves every cent he was/ is paid. We are eternally grateful to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
To Audrey Tan,
What founding father? Seems you have got your history very wrong. From the 1950s right up to creation of Malaysia in 1963, British Singapore was a thriving port city, prosperous, safe and vibrant replete with 3 oil refineries and a thriving intrepot trade and raking in the money, all thanks to the British, not your tin pot tyrant Lee Kuan Yew. All he did was to step in and continue but instead he destroyed what the British had left, democracy, and replaced it with his bizarre Hitlerian ideas of dictatorship and Chinese racial superiority.
You may be grateful either through ignorance or through collaboration with the regime, but there are others who actually know something which happens to be very different from yours.
If you feel your little tin pot tyrant strutting prize rooster in his chicken coop is worth the millions he corruptly takes, that's entirely your prerogative. Unfortunately I disagree as you see in this post.
Hello, you are no better than lky! Chinese racial superiority?? You black ass think that Singapore should be black racial superiority?? He put your black dad as president but that black ass went to molest the air stewardess' backside! Lky was not racial but you are! We are glad you are out of the country because black people cause the most troubles in the world!! nair stands for no alcohol I resign! Your dirty old man was a disgraceful black alcoholic!!
Well it's an open secret to many of us who had seen how LKY, the PAP, did to discredit anyone who dares to go against this tyrannical ruler... he's very good at dividing and conquering, many had been brainwashed or threatened to speak no evil of him... now his son, LHL has also followed in his footsteps of suing the citizens and witholding their life's savings...
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