Ladies and Gentlemen,
What Singapore, a creation of Lee Kuan Yew of a one party state lacks is any real national political ideology, something that any country needs before anything else.
What is Singapore anyway? A fascist dictatorship or a democracy, it is nowhere clearly stated or understood.
In these elections, as has been the case for the last 50 years, candidates speak of seeking to curb immigration, to raise wages of workers, to improve living conditions, and so on and so forth, a litany of other specific issues. All very good.
But before you achieve any of these things, the fundamental requirement is to have an agreed system upon which all these things can come about. That is the Constitution which is the framework, the foundational structure of any political system. It decides how a society functions. And that is not only lacking, that is something which none of these candidates make any mention of.
It is no good curbing immigration when tomorrow a Minister not accountable to any rules or laws can simply reverse the policy at his whim. It is no good for a government today to say that there should be minimum wages set but tomorrow they could simply do away with it at will.
What Singapore needs before anything else is first the articulation of a political national philosophy. If it is to be a democracy, then the pillars of a democratic state should be established. Which is the constitutional right to free speech, expression and assembly. A free press and the rule of law. Today not only are these fundamental requirements absent in the one party state of Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, the sad fact is that none of the candidates standing for elections dare make any mention of them.
Singapore's elections today are simply farcical, a comedy, nothing more. You have a state controlled press which hasn't t given any coverage to the opposition for the last 50 years. The only ones who are mentioned daily are the government politicians. Now all of a sudden at these elections, you see people cropping up all over place claiming to want to improve wages, improve lives and bring about a paradise, and what is more, they intend to make laws on your behalf, a thoroughly intolerable situation. Why in Heavens would I want to allow Joe Blokes who has just propped up from nowhere and claims to want to improve wages, to be my representative and what is more, to make laws on my behalf!
Instead of simply appearing from the blue and wanting to represent me, a true leader would have at least some articulated political ideology about a certain political system. And having that conviction, he would have gone on to bring that about, through political speeches, peaceful protests and agitation. A leader would not be one, as we see in the last couple of days who now suddenly appears and wishes to be my representative, someone about whom I know nothing about, least of all his political ideology. What is he anyway, a fascist, a democrat, a libertarian or a just a dummy, we never know.
Singapore political awareness has alas been totally destroyed by the Lee Kuan Yew government. It not only has a population who are totally ignorant of societal government, but much worse, who have become so timid that they dare not appear to say anything political their entire lives, except during the few days that their totalitarian government allows them to be seen or heard.
I have no respect for even a single one of these opportune political aspirants as they don't appear to have any idea of what they are on about, least of all any modicum of courage or conviction that one would expect of a political leader. These are not leaders, these are artful dodgers who appear in a flash ever 5 years and claim to want to raise minimum wages.
A political leader for whom one can vote is a man whose political stand is known by all, not someone who has turned up yesterday with coverage in the state controlled press for the first time in his life, and claims to want to raise wages. Good for him if he wants to raise wages, but my question is, why should I vote for him just for that? Do I know anything more about him? Absolute zero.
Other countries do not have political systems this way. Leaders appear in society not because of any general elections, but because they believe in certain principles; who are men with a passion and a certain political ideology. They make speeches, they protest, they hold demonstrations, they have organizations, they speak in assemblies, they speak in the streets, their speeches are reported daily, and everyone knows that Mr. Joe Blokes stands for more trade, freedom, liberty and the rule of law. But what is more important, Joe Blokes is not deterred by any silly law that requires a license to make a speech or to speak in public. If Joe Blokes thinks it is tight, he will do it, and no law can stop him. Now that is a leader and that is someone I will vote for, not some Singaporean Ting Ting Ting Ting who works for a construction company who has suddenly appeared form the blue.j
Of course there are thinking people, courageous people who are well suited to be leaders. Problem is, they have all left the island and are living in Australia, US and Canada. They have all left in disgust of the system of a totalitarian one party state which is Singapore. Instead what you have left in the island today are men who have worked in a construction company, too afraid of Lee Kuan Yew and his son to even raise a whimper all their lives but suddenly picks up courage, once in 5 years for a span of 11 days, to claim a right to become Members of Parliament. These are not politicians, these are gamblers buying a lottery ticket.
There is of course one exception. He is Chee Soon Juan. Now here is the real thing. In the past I admired Chee tremendously. For one, he appeared to think exactly the way I did. He understood that until and unless you have fundamental rights of free speech expression and the rule of law, these fake elections every 5 years is not going to change anything. And what is more, Chee had courage. Men can respect a man like Chee. To put action where his mouth was, he deliberately broke these unjust laws that prohibited free speech and courted arrest and imprisonment. He was jailed 10 times for his beliefs. Now that is a man one can respect. However he appears to have changed. He is no longer the man he was. Despite his beliefs he appears to have given up on forcing the government to deliver on their Constitutional requirements. He no longer challenges the government openly on their denial of the people's Constitutional rights. But at least no one can deny that he has leadership, unlike any of these men who sprout from he woodwork.
I see no hope for the island, least of all with these elections. What will happen is that the flood of brain drain to the West will only increase, leaving the locals to be no better than the noodle seller in Ang Mo Kio market. In their place even more Chinese nationals from China would be brought in turning the island into a Chinese island republic. To run the more sophisticated industries, they would bring in even more unemployed (in their native countries) Caucasians to push the Singapore locals around in their menial jobs. Even more young men would refuse to do national service resulting in the army to totally collapse for lack of manpower. The birth rate would drop even further to leave only a handful babies being born in the entire island.
And on my part from California, I would make known the disastrous state of affairs in Lee Kuan Yew's island persuading a few more to the thousands who already leave for settlement abroad and refuse to do national service. That is my contribution to toppling this one party state.
* Please no anonymous comments
Gopalan Nair
California, USA
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Singapore's charade of parlimentary elections in a fascist state
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Singapore is in essence a fascist state. All constitutional rights of citizens is non existent. To make a speech in public one needs a government permit which is never granted, unless it is in praise of the government. Similarly no right to assembly unless it is in support of the government. All newspapers are state controlled which gives no coverage to anyone who challenges the government line. The judges are selected and screened from government minions. Anyone who is opposed to the regime can be dismissed from his job.
Under these dismal state of affairs the Singapore regime conducts elections every 5 years. Every 5 years, Lee's ruling party produces their candidates for elections, like a magician pulls rabbits out of a hat. No one has ever heard of any of them before. They are either civil servants, executives in large government linked companies or from the police and military. The government's reason for choosing them is usually that they have volunteered in grassroots organizations and are responsible individuals. But whether it is true or not, no one knows. But even if it is true, why should anyone want to vote for someone they have never heard of before and worse, allow them to make laws or your behalf?
Because no one is allowed to make public speeches or organize political public protests, there are literally no real political leaders in the island to speak of. Moreover none of them have any independent political ideology of their own, if they do, we have not heard of it. Therefore the only assumption we can make is that they are all fascists like the government they support, which denies free speech, expression or assembly and denies a free press.
It is no different in the case of the self proclaimed opposition politicians. They too appear every 5 years to contest elections, like you pull out rabbits from a hat. They too don't appear to have any independent ideology. Therefor we can assume they too are fascists like the government candidates, as they make no complaint against the lack of any civil rights. We can therefore assume that they too support a system that denies free speech and expression, denies the right of public assembly or protest and are quite comfortable with the entire media being state controlled.
Therefore in Singapore, as far as the rights of individuals go, there is no difference whatsoever between the government and opposition political aspirants. They are both willing to accept living without any rights as they have done for the last 50 years.
The opposition candidates only engage in criticizing specific government policies such as the overwhelming numbers who immigrate to Singapore, the high cost of living and other specific issues relating to daily living. But as for the fact that they don't have any individual freedoms, is something they appear quite comfortable with. If they are not, they have never said so.
You may be wondering why opposition political candidates in Singapore elections never raise the fundamental question, far more important than any specific government policy, of human rights. The answer s simple. It is fear. The Singapore government's main instrument of governance is through denial of human rights. Without the suppression of human rights, the government is simply incapable of governance. Therefore anyone even raising such issues stands to be arrested and bankrupted through their Kangaroo courts because to them the empowerment of the people is an existential threat.
The average Singaporean under these circumstances is left with very little choice. If he demands freedom and the individual human rights, he has no alternative but to go out and break these laws by publicly protesting but doing this will result in his arrest and imprisonment.
Since public protest is impossible unless you are prepared to be a martyr, the citizen has to resign himself to a living without any rights. Having resigned himself to such a life, at the elections he has to decide whether to vote for this fascist government or any of these nascent opposition politicians who have just risen from the woodwork once in 5 years.
Although a thoroughly unattractive proposition, with no real choice the citizen would unfortunately be much better off voting for the government candidates.
Since it is the government that controls the civil service, builds the high rise buildings, creates employment and make the trains and buses run, it makes sense to vote for them.
These new opposition candidates who have just sprouted out from the blue have no control over the civil service or any other important government institutions.
The entire 50 years of Singapore's modern history has seen the present regime running the show and the opposition have no experience whatsoever in government. Under these circumstances, if I am only interested in living and working peacefully in Singapore, it makes more sense to vote for the government instead of the opposition.
This is of course a tragedy since this government is none other than a fascist state but a fascist state that can at least ensure my survival is better than opposition newcomers without any clout on the pillars of authority.
That is why the Singapore political scene is a tragedy. The government has silenced every form of political activity in the island except their own thereby monopolizing power in their own hands for the entire 50 years of the islands modern history. And since only they have the power and experience in governing the island the citizen is forced to vote for them since a fascist state is still better than no state at all.
According to the island's state controlled press which has been awash with news of impending elections, the 5 yearly elections charade is about to begin.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Singaporean by birth
Now American citizen
Fremont, California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebnook: www.facebook.com/singapore.dissident
Singapore is in essence a fascist state. All constitutional rights of citizens is non existent. To make a speech in public one needs a government permit which is never granted, unless it is in praise of the government. Similarly no right to assembly unless it is in support of the government. All newspapers are state controlled which gives no coverage to anyone who challenges the government line. The judges are selected and screened from government minions. Anyone who is opposed to the regime can be dismissed from his job.
Under these dismal state of affairs the Singapore regime conducts elections every 5 years. Every 5 years, Lee's ruling party produces their candidates for elections, like a magician pulls rabbits out of a hat. No one has ever heard of any of them before. They are either civil servants, executives in large government linked companies or from the police and military. The government's reason for choosing them is usually that they have volunteered in grassroots organizations and are responsible individuals. But whether it is true or not, no one knows. But even if it is true, why should anyone want to vote for someone they have never heard of before and worse, allow them to make laws or your behalf?
Because no one is allowed to make public speeches or organize political public protests, there are literally no real political leaders in the island to speak of. Moreover none of them have any independent political ideology of their own, if they do, we have not heard of it. Therefore the only assumption we can make is that they are all fascists like the government they support, which denies free speech, expression or assembly and denies a free press.
It is no different in the case of the self proclaimed opposition politicians. They too appear every 5 years to contest elections, like you pull out rabbits from a hat. They too don't appear to have any independent ideology. Therefor we can assume they too are fascists like the government candidates, as they make no complaint against the lack of any civil rights. We can therefore assume that they too support a system that denies free speech and expression, denies the right of public assembly or protest and are quite comfortable with the entire media being state controlled.
Therefore in Singapore, as far as the rights of individuals go, there is no difference whatsoever between the government and opposition political aspirants. They are both willing to accept living without any rights as they have done for the last 50 years.
The opposition candidates only engage in criticizing specific government policies such as the overwhelming numbers who immigrate to Singapore, the high cost of living and other specific issues relating to daily living. But as for the fact that they don't have any individual freedoms, is something they appear quite comfortable with. If they are not, they have never said so.
You may be wondering why opposition political candidates in Singapore elections never raise the fundamental question, far more important than any specific government policy, of human rights. The answer s simple. It is fear. The Singapore government's main instrument of governance is through denial of human rights. Without the suppression of human rights, the government is simply incapable of governance. Therefore anyone even raising such issues stands to be arrested and bankrupted through their Kangaroo courts because to them the empowerment of the people is an existential threat.
The average Singaporean under these circumstances is left with very little choice. If he demands freedom and the individual human rights, he has no alternative but to go out and break these laws by publicly protesting but doing this will result in his arrest and imprisonment.
Since public protest is impossible unless you are prepared to be a martyr, the citizen has to resign himself to a living without any rights. Having resigned himself to such a life, at the elections he has to decide whether to vote for this fascist government or any of these nascent opposition politicians who have just risen from the woodwork once in 5 years.
Although a thoroughly unattractive proposition, with no real choice the citizen would unfortunately be much better off voting for the government candidates.
Since it is the government that controls the civil service, builds the high rise buildings, creates employment and make the trains and buses run, it makes sense to vote for them.
These new opposition candidates who have just sprouted out from the blue have no control over the civil service or any other important government institutions.
The entire 50 years of Singapore's modern history has seen the present regime running the show and the opposition have no experience whatsoever in government. Under these circumstances, if I am only interested in living and working peacefully in Singapore, it makes more sense to vote for the government instead of the opposition.
This is of course a tragedy since this government is none other than a fascist state but a fascist state that can at least ensure my survival is better than opposition newcomers without any clout on the pillars of authority.
That is why the Singapore political scene is a tragedy. The government has silenced every form of political activity in the island except their own thereby monopolizing power in their own hands for the entire 50 years of the islands modern history. And since only they have the power and experience in governing the island the citizen is forced to vote for them since a fascist state is still better than no state at all.
According to the island's state controlled press which has been awash with news of impending elections, the 5 yearly elections charade is about to begin.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Singaporean by birth
Now American citizen
Fremont, California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebnook: www.facebook.com/singapore.dissident
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Singapore Lee Kuan Yew's quick fix miracle island hides serious faults
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Can you imagine a country island city state where everyone publicly proclaims loyalty to a country, where it's ministers corruptly and shamelessly pay themselves each an official salary of $3.7 million a year and much more besides without complaining?
A country where the constitutional rights of free speech, expression and assembly are completely abrogated? A country where the laws deny any free press to exist? A country where it's judges are Kangaroos who openly abuse laws to destroy anyone who dissents?
And the handful who are brave enough or stupid enough, depending on your point of view are either repeatedly persecuted, either silenced and join the masses who have been subjugated or go into exile.
And can you imagine a totalitarian police state with a state controlled press which pretends in it's state controlled pages to be a free and liberal society as if it were London or Sydney?
That country is like East Germany under Communism, Singapore today.
In Singapore, in order to succeed, one has to be a card carrying Lee Kuan Yew party member. Anyone even remotely trying to make it a success in the island is bound to fail, if he does not show party loyalty. It was the same in Adolf Hitler's Germany. Without Nazi party membership, you stood no chance. It was the same in all other fascist countries of the past, Mussolini's Italy, Franco's Spain or today's North Korea.
Lee Kuan Yew did this through not only his party but also his numerous grassroots organizations, the Peoples Association, Residents Committees, Citizens Consultative Committees and the multitude of other organizations linked to his government party, now run by his son.
Although Lee's Singapore would claim it does this for stability and progress, noble reasons, the real reason for this is the same as in all Fascist countries, the dictatorship's insecurity and avarice. They fear if open debate is allowed, they would surely lose control and what is more important, they would lose the means to continue their on-going corruption in the millions.
The political leaning of the entire citizenry is monitored through the numerous intelligence organizations in the island, the principle one being the Internal Security Department, like the Staci of the former East Germany . Official and free lance agents operate throughout the island to report on their citizens, to reward those who support the regime and punish those who don't.
At any one time, one does not know who is your friend or who is your informer.
Political opponents receive no coverage in the state controlled press. The only ones given any coverage in those shameful pages are government minions who lecture to their helpless subjects on what is going to happen next.
The result is of course is disastrous to any free thinking individual. No matter how much you hate this sort of government where men are reduced to 10 year old kids waiting for their nannies to tell them what to do, if you want to continue living in the island, you are forced to conform. And conforming under these circumstances is simply unacceptable. But a large section of the population do.
Who are these people then who accept this sheepish way of life without complaint? First you have the masses who have no understanding of what freedom is, the Chinese noodle seller in the local market, who cares only for a bit of money in his pocket and be left alone as much as possible. Ideas such as freedom and the importance of living free is something he does not understand and something he does not care.
And then you have the others who are aware of their miserable lives but submit anyway since resistance is painful whilst emigration is impossible. Then you have another growing section of the public who are foreign workers who sojourn in the island and care less whether they are living in North Korea or Timbuktu. After all it is not their country.
There are many like me who simply cannot accept living under these conditions. In their case, they simply leave. Most of them do so quietly and not much is heard of them. According to the government some years ago, as many as 1000 leave the island every year, mostly highly skilled and educated professionals and academics. I expect this number to be much more now but the government does not say. 1000 may be an insignificant number for a normal sized country but it is a debilitating number for a small island with a small population.
Let me give you my own example. I was born in Singapore, an England educated lawyer and practiced law in Lee's Singapore from 1981. From 1984 when I openly joined the Workers Party under the late JB Jeyaretnam and contested elections, the government started a sustained campaign to silence me. There were numerous trumped up law related disciplinary charges to have me disbarred. I was charged for contempt of court and made to pay a hefty fine. I was suspended from law practice for 2 years for questioning the Attorney General on a politically motivated case against the late Jeyaretnam. The entire intent of these series of cases against me was to make me stop being a government critic and accept the life quietly under this totalitarian regime. In my case it did not work for them. Instead of submitting, I simply packed up and left for the Untied States from where I continue to criticize their regime.
Successfully brainwashing an entire island population has serious consequences to it's progress. If people can only think in one way, it prevents innovative thinking, it prevents people from forming new ideas, new ways of living and new ways of political thinking. This divergence of ideas is good for any country because new ideas means progress, and only one uniform island wide idea means stagnation and regression.
The moment I publicly announced my opposition to the regime, they made sure that in my law practice I lost all my cases before their Kangaroo judges. Through their 5th column and intelligence agents, they made sure that I got no more clients. Had I remained in the island and continued in opposition, I would simply be an unemployed lawyer and an unemployable pauper. This is the choice the Lee government gives you. Either conform and survive or oppose and perish.
The vast majority of Singaporeans who submit to the totalitarian regime today live their lives somewhat on these lines. They go to work making sure they never show any alternative views other than the party line. In addition to work they attend government party meetings and gatherings at the Peoples Association and the other various state organizations. On holidays, they go on outings with other Lee's political party members to the beach or frequently to trips abroad usually to China or Taiwan. They publish their happy photos with other ruling party members on these holidays on social media. The Lee government appreciates their support and they can expect secure career prospects in return. The government takes care of them and in return they happily support this totalitarian regime. They can expect to live happy uneventful lives under their caring appreciative Singapore totalitarian police state.
You can see striking similarities with a previous regime, that of Adolf Hitler. Germans happily supported the regime, attended Nazi party meetings, joined Hitler Youth, joined the numerous Nazi grassroots organizations, went on holidays with their other Nazi party members. In return Hitler took good care of them, made sure they have good jobs and made sure they succeeded in their careers. Like Singapore, in Germany there was only one idea, that of Nazism, and one leader Hitler. Oppositionists had no place in society. Like Singapore, anyone with divergent ideas were punished and brought to heel. Like Singapore, thousands of Germans who refused to conform simply left, mainly the United States.
Germany under Hitler enjoyed tremendous economic success just like Singapore today. But even without the war, that success would not have lasted. Demanding that everyone submit to one idea may have brought progress for some time, but the lack of diversity in ideas would have ultimately meant stagnation and would have destroyed Germany just as the straight jacket Singapore society's temporary success would inevitably fail for lack of free and independent thinking.
Lee's Singapore is clearly in a quandary. If they ever allowed democracy and freedom to take root, they will be overthrown. On the other hand if they continued with their totalitarian police state of today, the lack of new ideas and new thinking will slowly bring Singapore down. The way it is going in Lee's Singapore, I can see no hope in the long run.
And these pages in the Singapore Dissident would continue to write about it.
* I will not publish comments which do not identify the writer.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean by birth
Now American citizen
Fremont, California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/singapore.dissident
Can you imagine a country island city state where everyone publicly proclaims loyalty to a country, where it's ministers corruptly and shamelessly pay themselves each an official salary of $3.7 million a year and much more besides without complaining?
A country where the constitutional rights of free speech, expression and assembly are completely abrogated? A country where the laws deny any free press to exist? A country where it's judges are Kangaroos who openly abuse laws to destroy anyone who dissents?
And the handful who are brave enough or stupid enough, depending on your point of view are either repeatedly persecuted, either silenced and join the masses who have been subjugated or go into exile.
And can you imagine a totalitarian police state with a state controlled press which pretends in it's state controlled pages to be a free and liberal society as if it were London or Sydney?
That country is like East Germany under Communism, Singapore today.
In Singapore, in order to succeed, one has to be a card carrying Lee Kuan Yew party member. Anyone even remotely trying to make it a success in the island is bound to fail, if he does not show party loyalty. It was the same in Adolf Hitler's Germany. Without Nazi party membership, you stood no chance. It was the same in all other fascist countries of the past, Mussolini's Italy, Franco's Spain or today's North Korea.
Lee Kuan Yew did this through not only his party but also his numerous grassroots organizations, the Peoples Association, Residents Committees, Citizens Consultative Committees and the multitude of other organizations linked to his government party, now run by his son.
Although Lee's Singapore would claim it does this for stability and progress, noble reasons, the real reason for this is the same as in all Fascist countries, the dictatorship's insecurity and avarice. They fear if open debate is allowed, they would surely lose control and what is more important, they would lose the means to continue their on-going corruption in the millions.
The political leaning of the entire citizenry is monitored through the numerous intelligence organizations in the island, the principle one being the Internal Security Department, like the Staci of the former East Germany . Official and free lance agents operate throughout the island to report on their citizens, to reward those who support the regime and punish those who don't.
At any one time, one does not know who is your friend or who is your informer.
Political opponents receive no coverage in the state controlled press. The only ones given any coverage in those shameful pages are government minions who lecture to their helpless subjects on what is going to happen next.
The result is of course is disastrous to any free thinking individual. No matter how much you hate this sort of government where men are reduced to 10 year old kids waiting for their nannies to tell them what to do, if you want to continue living in the island, you are forced to conform. And conforming under these circumstances is simply unacceptable. But a large section of the population do.
Who are these people then who accept this sheepish way of life without complaint? First you have the masses who have no understanding of what freedom is, the Chinese noodle seller in the local market, who cares only for a bit of money in his pocket and be left alone as much as possible. Ideas such as freedom and the importance of living free is something he does not understand and something he does not care.
And then you have the others who are aware of their miserable lives but submit anyway since resistance is painful whilst emigration is impossible. Then you have another growing section of the public who are foreign workers who sojourn in the island and care less whether they are living in North Korea or Timbuktu. After all it is not their country.
There are many like me who simply cannot accept living under these conditions. In their case, they simply leave. Most of them do so quietly and not much is heard of them. According to the government some years ago, as many as 1000 leave the island every year, mostly highly skilled and educated professionals and academics. I expect this number to be much more now but the government does not say. 1000 may be an insignificant number for a normal sized country but it is a debilitating number for a small island with a small population.
Let me give you my own example. I was born in Singapore, an England educated lawyer and practiced law in Lee's Singapore from 1981. From 1984 when I openly joined the Workers Party under the late JB Jeyaretnam and contested elections, the government started a sustained campaign to silence me. There were numerous trumped up law related disciplinary charges to have me disbarred. I was charged for contempt of court and made to pay a hefty fine. I was suspended from law practice for 2 years for questioning the Attorney General on a politically motivated case against the late Jeyaretnam. The entire intent of these series of cases against me was to make me stop being a government critic and accept the life quietly under this totalitarian regime. In my case it did not work for them. Instead of submitting, I simply packed up and left for the Untied States from where I continue to criticize their regime.
Successfully brainwashing an entire island population has serious consequences to it's progress. If people can only think in one way, it prevents innovative thinking, it prevents people from forming new ideas, new ways of living and new ways of political thinking. This divergence of ideas is good for any country because new ideas means progress, and only one uniform island wide idea means stagnation and regression.
The moment I publicly announced my opposition to the regime, they made sure that in my law practice I lost all my cases before their Kangaroo judges. Through their 5th column and intelligence agents, they made sure that I got no more clients. Had I remained in the island and continued in opposition, I would simply be an unemployed lawyer and an unemployable pauper. This is the choice the Lee government gives you. Either conform and survive or oppose and perish.
The vast majority of Singaporeans who submit to the totalitarian regime today live their lives somewhat on these lines. They go to work making sure they never show any alternative views other than the party line. In addition to work they attend government party meetings and gatherings at the Peoples Association and the other various state organizations. On holidays, they go on outings with other Lee's political party members to the beach or frequently to trips abroad usually to China or Taiwan. They publish their happy photos with other ruling party members on these holidays on social media. The Lee government appreciates their support and they can expect secure career prospects in return. The government takes care of them and in return they happily support this totalitarian regime. They can expect to live happy uneventful lives under their caring appreciative Singapore totalitarian police state.
You can see striking similarities with a previous regime, that of Adolf Hitler. Germans happily supported the regime, attended Nazi party meetings, joined Hitler Youth, joined the numerous Nazi grassroots organizations, went on holidays with their other Nazi party members. In return Hitler took good care of them, made sure they have good jobs and made sure they succeeded in their careers. Like Singapore, in Germany there was only one idea, that of Nazism, and one leader Hitler. Oppositionists had no place in society. Like Singapore, anyone with divergent ideas were punished and brought to heel. Like Singapore, thousands of Germans who refused to conform simply left, mainly the United States.
Germany under Hitler enjoyed tremendous economic success just like Singapore today. But even without the war, that success would not have lasted. Demanding that everyone submit to one idea may have brought progress for some time, but the lack of diversity in ideas would have ultimately meant stagnation and would have destroyed Germany just as the straight jacket Singapore society's temporary success would inevitably fail for lack of free and independent thinking.
Lee's Singapore is clearly in a quandary. If they ever allowed democracy and freedom to take root, they will be overthrown. On the other hand if they continued with their totalitarian police state of today, the lack of new ideas and new thinking will slowly bring Singapore down. The way it is going in Lee's Singapore, I can see no hope in the long run.
And these pages in the Singapore Dissident would continue to write about it.
* I will not publish comments which do not identify the writer.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean by birth
Now American citizen
Fremont, California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/singapore.dissident
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Singaporeans should understand a simple truth. Without fundamental freedoms there is no democracy
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Singaporeans are going to the polls in the near future, according to the island's state controlled newspapers. The entire media in the island is state controlled. Like North Korea it is illegal to print or publish any independent news.
But polls and elections would do no good, if democracy is what Singaporeans want.
Every country which claims to be a democracy has a set of rules known as the Constitution. It is this document that lays down and enshrines the rights of the individual and the duties of the government. Every law that is enacted requires compliance to the Constitution failing which it should be struck down. The idea is the fundamental belief that the government is accountable to the people, and it is the will of the people that decides laws. The idea also is that human beings have a right to think and formulate opinions and it is through a clash of ideas that a country moves from strength to strength. Where ideas are tested by debate in the open where the superior one defeats the others thereby improving society in the march of time.
For Singapore on the other hand, this has not been the case. Lee Kuan Yew for the last 50 years had his own ideas of government. The Constitution to him was irrelevant. He and his colleagues were the know alls and the end alls of governance. It is he that will decide and the people are not qualified to even think. You can imagine a dictatorship or autocracy where the leaders lead and the people just obey.
Such things as the right to free speech and expression, if allowed, would mean that the people can question him. Since this does not fit into his world view of governance, he simply removed these constitutional guarantees. Since the Constitution allowed the amendment of the Constitution on a 2/3 majority in Parliament since he had 2/3, he simply abrogated all those fundamental rights.
In fact, the very basis of his managing to get 2/3s was itself fraudulent. Lee Kuan Yew never held free and fair elections in the island. Every single election was rigged to ensure only his men can win. This is done through intimidation of voters, threats, defamation actions, spying, surveillance and loss of livelihood to those who dared challenge him.
Therefore having obtained the 2/3 majority in Parliament through fraud, he then goes ahead and amends the Constitution to deny every single fundamental right.
Today it is illegal to make a public speech or hold a peaceful assembly except in a small square of grass no more than 100 meters square in a secluded part of down town Singapore. Government police cameras monitor every speaker's move and speech and one has to register to speak with the police and if any proposed speech is not to their liking, they simply arbitrarily deny it. If you went ahead and spoke anyway, you are arrested and brought before Kangaroo judges who are waiting to please the Lee Kuan Yew government by throwing the book at you.
The frequent and repeated defamation actions against anyone who criticizes the government leaves the ordinary citizen terrified of open criticism, lest the police get you and you are bankrupted by the Kangaroo judges as so often happens.
In this atmosphere of fear which the Lees have successfully ingrained in the minds of the ordinary citizen, the ordinary Singaporean today is unable to ask the question whether it is right and the courage to go ahead and do it if it is right. They have been terrified into submission.
In the end, unless the ordinary Singaporean is prepared to use his head and ask the question "What is wrong if I make a public speech in downtown Singapore away from that stupid designated patch of grass? Who am I hurting if I did this? What right has this government to make such stupid laws to say that the only spot that I can make a speech is at the government designated piece of grass patch? "
If the answers to these questions are in the negative, then one has to do it because it is right. And if this repressive regime wants to arrest me, they can go ahead and do it. And what is more, I should be willing to make repeated speeches in violation of their silly laws challenging to repeatedly arrest you.
Until and unless the average citizen is willing to do this and reclaim his right to free speech, expression and assembly, Singaporeans are simply wasting their time in going in for these useless elections. They should remember that any government would want to retain these powers because it is easiest to rule this way, just as Adolf Hitler ruled with ease this way over his Germans.
The first thing to do is not argue about issues such as an influx of immigration, high cost of living and overcrowding. The first thing to do is to demand your fundamental rights because without it, you will never see democracy.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont California USA
A Singaporean by birth
Now American citizen
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/singapore.dissident
Singaporeans are going to the polls in the near future, according to the island's state controlled newspapers. The entire media in the island is state controlled. Like North Korea it is illegal to print or publish any independent news.
But polls and elections would do no good, if democracy is what Singaporeans want.
Every country which claims to be a democracy has a set of rules known as the Constitution. It is this document that lays down and enshrines the rights of the individual and the duties of the government. Every law that is enacted requires compliance to the Constitution failing which it should be struck down. The idea is the fundamental belief that the government is accountable to the people, and it is the will of the people that decides laws. The idea also is that human beings have a right to think and formulate opinions and it is through a clash of ideas that a country moves from strength to strength. Where ideas are tested by debate in the open where the superior one defeats the others thereby improving society in the march of time.
For Singapore on the other hand, this has not been the case. Lee Kuan Yew for the last 50 years had his own ideas of government. The Constitution to him was irrelevant. He and his colleagues were the know alls and the end alls of governance. It is he that will decide and the people are not qualified to even think. You can imagine a dictatorship or autocracy where the leaders lead and the people just obey.
Such things as the right to free speech and expression, if allowed, would mean that the people can question him. Since this does not fit into his world view of governance, he simply removed these constitutional guarantees. Since the Constitution allowed the amendment of the Constitution on a 2/3 majority in Parliament since he had 2/3, he simply abrogated all those fundamental rights.
In fact, the very basis of his managing to get 2/3s was itself fraudulent. Lee Kuan Yew never held free and fair elections in the island. Every single election was rigged to ensure only his men can win. This is done through intimidation of voters, threats, defamation actions, spying, surveillance and loss of livelihood to those who dared challenge him.
Therefore having obtained the 2/3 majority in Parliament through fraud, he then goes ahead and amends the Constitution to deny every single fundamental right.
Today it is illegal to make a public speech or hold a peaceful assembly except in a small square of grass no more than 100 meters square in a secluded part of down town Singapore. Government police cameras monitor every speaker's move and speech and one has to register to speak with the police and if any proposed speech is not to their liking, they simply arbitrarily deny it. If you went ahead and spoke anyway, you are arrested and brought before Kangaroo judges who are waiting to please the Lee Kuan Yew government by throwing the book at you.
The frequent and repeated defamation actions against anyone who criticizes the government leaves the ordinary citizen terrified of open criticism, lest the police get you and you are bankrupted by the Kangaroo judges as so often happens.
In this atmosphere of fear which the Lees have successfully ingrained in the minds of the ordinary citizen, the ordinary Singaporean today is unable to ask the question whether it is right and the courage to go ahead and do it if it is right. They have been terrified into submission.
In the end, unless the ordinary Singaporean is prepared to use his head and ask the question "What is wrong if I make a public speech in downtown Singapore away from that stupid designated patch of grass? Who am I hurting if I did this? What right has this government to make such stupid laws to say that the only spot that I can make a speech is at the government designated piece of grass patch? "
If the answers to these questions are in the negative, then one has to do it because it is right. And if this repressive regime wants to arrest me, they can go ahead and do it. And what is more, I should be willing to make repeated speeches in violation of their silly laws challenging to repeatedly arrest you.
Until and unless the average citizen is willing to do this and reclaim his right to free speech, expression and assembly, Singaporeans are simply wasting their time in going in for these useless elections. They should remember that any government would want to retain these powers because it is easiest to rule this way, just as Adolf Hitler ruled with ease this way over his Germans.
The first thing to do is not argue about issues such as an influx of immigration, high cost of living and overcrowding. The first thing to do is to demand your fundamental rights because without it, you will never see democracy.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont California USA
A Singaporean by birth
Now American citizen
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/singapore.dissident
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore's five yearly fake elections about to begin
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Every five years the island conducts what appears to be parliamentary elections. But in reality it is nothing of the sort. It is just an island wide carnival atmosphere where both the ruling PAP party and the so-called opposition are allowed to stand on make shift wooden structures to make their speeches to the boos and cheers of their helpless islanders. They are simply allowed let off steam. This celebration like the Rio Carnival goes on for a few days, after which the election is held and Lee Kuan Yew's son and his long standing ruling party the PAP would of course naturally win and dictate over your lives for another 5 years. And then you go through another such gala carnival and then another 5 years of the same.
Reading the newspapers in the island today, you may get the impression, provided you are not someone like me who knows the game they play, to go away thinking that you are witnessing the real thing. But of course, it is a game they play. One thing has to be understood. Lee Kuan Yew's PAP has to rule forever and that is that.
Singaporeans simply have no democracy. They have no control over their who will rule them. They are allowed to simply live to do what to do now and what to do next. Nothing more and nothing less.
Despite the island's Constitution which gives rights, in reality the people have none. There is a the right of free speech but which requires a police permit which by the way is never granted. There is the right to assembly which similarly requires a permit which is never granted. By law newspapers are all state controlled and there is no freedom of expression. Judges are carefully selected to ensure that decisions are always in line with what the rulers desire.
The style of government of the island is exactly what you see in the Peoples Republic of China. There are no elections there and the Communist Party is by law the only government of the land. The people in China minus the right to vote have no control of who will be their rulers. This is decided by the Communist Party and all you have to do is just accept. The rights of the Chinese people only go the extent of petitioning for better living conditions, better wages and a better life to these rulers who have been decided for them. The Communist party is like a monarchy. The miserable peasant can beg for better living conditions. But accept heir monarch, they must.
Singapore is a carbon copy of Communist China. In Singapore it is Lee Kuan Yew's PAP that will rule over you, something that you have to accept. You are allowed like the Chinese masses, to request better living conditions, which the PAP will or will not give you. That is the extent of your rights.
As a result the people of the island appear to have actually accepted this. They, including those who are standing as opposition electoral candidates, have it appears self regulated the extent to which they can plead for their lives. They are not allowed to speak of such things as human rights, the lack of free speech, expression or assembly and they have accepted this. Opposition candidates can be heard speaking of the unacceptable levels of immigration that is displacing the local citizens, the lowering of wages and the growing income divide. But not the right to free speech and expression or the fundamentals of liberty.
There is a reason for this. The PAP will not allow you to speak freely or assemble freely as this they see as a threat to their domination. But they have no problems with you complaining of the immigration policy since that by itself does not threaten their hegemony and control.
The PAP government knows that you are completely at their mercy. If you speak or agitate, they will unleash their police, have you arrested and dispensed with through their Kangaroo judges. This overwhelming fear ensures that people remain in line and never threaten PAP rule. Otherwise, your livelihood, your liberty and future is on the line.
The opposition candidates are a watered down subjugated lot who pretend for democracy but who have so such illusions. Through self censorship they rein themselves in to squeal about this problem or that. But never will they dare to state that the judges are Kangaroos, that they demand their right to speech expression and assembly nor the demand for an independent press. They are like men who confront a poisonous snake. They skirt around it in fear but not the guts to take it by the neck.
Singapore is a boring bland island which will continue as it is, with the PAP doing whatever they want and the people obedient. If by chance a few of these reluctant oppositionists enter Parliament, they can always be removed by fake criminal charges or defamation lawsuits and removed at the PAP's will. This ensures that even if they enter Parliament, they will continue as the meek souls that they are now.
Any real change can only be brought about by the educated who desire democracy, as the common man is not aware of this. But in Singapore, the educated have already been sufficiently subjugated, they are no better than sheep. So without leadership who desire a democratic island you are not going to have any real participatory parliamentary democracy in the island, not now or ever. Until and unless leaders appear who believe in the virtues of democracy, it is doomed to continue as it is, a PAP dictatorship, or a nanny state. Singaporeans like helpless children should do as their told by their nanny.
Today the opposition Workers Party have a number of seats. But unlike any other democracy, they are incapable of doing anything different from the PAP. The Workers Party have no separate ideology of their own. They are simply the PAP with another name. For the last 2 decades or so while they have been in Parliament, not one inch has democracy advanced. Their main role has been running their local community which the ruling PAP can equally do if not even better. One would have hoped that as an opposition party, they would have independent ideas on how a society should be run, like democracy for instance, bit they don't.
Low Thia Khiang, the leader of the Workers Party is a Chinese educated businessman. He has no idea of democracy, let alone the virtues of it. His job it appears is to go to Parliament and complain of the immigration policy and the PAP's job is to deny it. After which both he and his PAP opponent goes home and comes back tomorrow to complain of the congestion in the local subways. At other times he, like the PAP leaders, run their own communities.
With leaders like this, what hope do the islanders have to live as free men, none whatsoever.
This sort of permanent total control both helps and hurts the PAP. For one, this totally helpless society is a boon to American and Western companies to invest in the island, with no strikes, no wage demands and totally obedient workforce. On the other hand it hurts them by increasing numbers of thinking educated people simply leaving for settlement in the West, not wanting anything to do with a bland boring cemetery like society. Losing the educated also means importing even more immigrants to replace them, thus destroying the very identity of what Singapore is.
With the Internet and bloggers like myself exposing what the island really is, matters are coming or will come to a head, sooner if not later. It is hoped, sooner or later the submissive subservient nature of the ethnic Chinese island population will change or they may lose control over the actions of the overwhelming numbers of foreigners who may not necessarily eat humble pie like their dwindling local fellow citizens.
This problem is exasperated by the fact that the island's population is abysmally shrinking with the lowest fertility rate in the world, the growing seniority of the population with deaths far exceeding childbirths.
This sort of "you listen to me or else" style of government cannot last in the long run. And for a tiny island like Singapore, the long run may be even just a decade if not less.
Note: If you wish to comment please state who you are. I will not post comments from people who want to say something but are afraid to identity themselves. If you are afraid, please don't say anything.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont, California USA
Singaporean by birth
Now American citizen
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Singapore.dissident
Every five years the island conducts what appears to be parliamentary elections. But in reality it is nothing of the sort. It is just an island wide carnival atmosphere where both the ruling PAP party and the so-called opposition are allowed to stand on make shift wooden structures to make their speeches to the boos and cheers of their helpless islanders. They are simply allowed let off steam. This celebration like the Rio Carnival goes on for a few days, after which the election is held and Lee Kuan Yew's son and his long standing ruling party the PAP would of course naturally win and dictate over your lives for another 5 years. And then you go through another such gala carnival and then another 5 years of the same.
Reading the newspapers in the island today, you may get the impression, provided you are not someone like me who knows the game they play, to go away thinking that you are witnessing the real thing. But of course, it is a game they play. One thing has to be understood. Lee Kuan Yew's PAP has to rule forever and that is that.
Singaporeans simply have no democracy. They have no control over their who will rule them. They are allowed to simply live to do what to do now and what to do next. Nothing more and nothing less.
Despite the island's Constitution which gives rights, in reality the people have none. There is a the right of free speech but which requires a police permit which by the way is never granted. There is the right to assembly which similarly requires a permit which is never granted. By law newspapers are all state controlled and there is no freedom of expression. Judges are carefully selected to ensure that decisions are always in line with what the rulers desire.
The style of government of the island is exactly what you see in the Peoples Republic of China. There are no elections there and the Communist Party is by law the only government of the land. The people in China minus the right to vote have no control of who will be their rulers. This is decided by the Communist Party and all you have to do is just accept. The rights of the Chinese people only go the extent of petitioning for better living conditions, better wages and a better life to these rulers who have been decided for them. The Communist party is like a monarchy. The miserable peasant can beg for better living conditions. But accept heir monarch, they must.
Singapore is a carbon copy of Communist China. In Singapore it is Lee Kuan Yew's PAP that will rule over you, something that you have to accept. You are allowed like the Chinese masses, to request better living conditions, which the PAP will or will not give you. That is the extent of your rights.
As a result the people of the island appear to have actually accepted this. They, including those who are standing as opposition electoral candidates, have it appears self regulated the extent to which they can plead for their lives. They are not allowed to speak of such things as human rights, the lack of free speech, expression or assembly and they have accepted this. Opposition candidates can be heard speaking of the unacceptable levels of immigration that is displacing the local citizens, the lowering of wages and the growing income divide. But not the right to free speech and expression or the fundamentals of liberty.
There is a reason for this. The PAP will not allow you to speak freely or assemble freely as this they see as a threat to their domination. But they have no problems with you complaining of the immigration policy since that by itself does not threaten their hegemony and control.
The PAP government knows that you are completely at their mercy. If you speak or agitate, they will unleash their police, have you arrested and dispensed with through their Kangaroo judges. This overwhelming fear ensures that people remain in line and never threaten PAP rule. Otherwise, your livelihood, your liberty and future is on the line.
The opposition candidates are a watered down subjugated lot who pretend for democracy but who have so such illusions. Through self censorship they rein themselves in to squeal about this problem or that. But never will they dare to state that the judges are Kangaroos, that they demand their right to speech expression and assembly nor the demand for an independent press. They are like men who confront a poisonous snake. They skirt around it in fear but not the guts to take it by the neck.
Singapore is a boring bland island which will continue as it is, with the PAP doing whatever they want and the people obedient. If by chance a few of these reluctant oppositionists enter Parliament, they can always be removed by fake criminal charges or defamation lawsuits and removed at the PAP's will. This ensures that even if they enter Parliament, they will continue as the meek souls that they are now.
Any real change can only be brought about by the educated who desire democracy, as the common man is not aware of this. But in Singapore, the educated have already been sufficiently subjugated, they are no better than sheep. So without leadership who desire a democratic island you are not going to have any real participatory parliamentary democracy in the island, not now or ever. Until and unless leaders appear who believe in the virtues of democracy, it is doomed to continue as it is, a PAP dictatorship, or a nanny state. Singaporeans like helpless children should do as their told by their nanny.
Today the opposition Workers Party have a number of seats. But unlike any other democracy, they are incapable of doing anything different from the PAP. The Workers Party have no separate ideology of their own. They are simply the PAP with another name. For the last 2 decades or so while they have been in Parliament, not one inch has democracy advanced. Their main role has been running their local community which the ruling PAP can equally do if not even better. One would have hoped that as an opposition party, they would have independent ideas on how a society should be run, like democracy for instance, bit they don't.
Low Thia Khiang, the leader of the Workers Party is a Chinese educated businessman. He has no idea of democracy, let alone the virtues of it. His job it appears is to go to Parliament and complain of the immigration policy and the PAP's job is to deny it. After which both he and his PAP opponent goes home and comes back tomorrow to complain of the congestion in the local subways. At other times he, like the PAP leaders, run their own communities.
With leaders like this, what hope do the islanders have to live as free men, none whatsoever.
This sort of permanent total control both helps and hurts the PAP. For one, this totally helpless society is a boon to American and Western companies to invest in the island, with no strikes, no wage demands and totally obedient workforce. On the other hand it hurts them by increasing numbers of thinking educated people simply leaving for settlement in the West, not wanting anything to do with a bland boring cemetery like society. Losing the educated also means importing even more immigrants to replace them, thus destroying the very identity of what Singapore is.
With the Internet and bloggers like myself exposing what the island really is, matters are coming or will come to a head, sooner if not later. It is hoped, sooner or later the submissive subservient nature of the ethnic Chinese island population will change or they may lose control over the actions of the overwhelming numbers of foreigners who may not necessarily eat humble pie like their dwindling local fellow citizens.
This problem is exasperated by the fact that the island's population is abysmally shrinking with the lowest fertility rate in the world, the growing seniority of the population with deaths far exceeding childbirths.
This sort of "you listen to me or else" style of government cannot last in the long run. And for a tiny island like Singapore, the long run may be even just a decade if not less.
Note: If you wish to comment please state who you are. I will not post comments from people who want to say something but are afraid to identity themselves. If you are afraid, please don't say anything.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont, California USA
Singaporean by birth
Now American citizen
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Singapore.dissident
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