Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Malays in Singapore have a lot to complain. They are Muslims. The tiny island in the middle of Malay South East Asia is theirs. The British came along and brought many Chinese from then Colonial China and Indians from British India to populate and economise the island. The island was just robbed from their real owners, the Malays.
But even if the British did that in Singapore which the British did in Jamaica with Indians or French Reunion Island with Indians, the immigrants in those places did not deprive the locals of their country as Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore has done.
With Lee's Singapore, the march to completely marginalize the original Malay owners and totally hand the island over to ethnic Chinese went ahead full steam ahead.
What then do you have in Singapore today. You have pig eating ethnic Chinese who are now the overwhelming majority in the island with the state forcing the Malays to live alongside them because racially motivated laws do not allow the Malays to live in their own separated housing blocks.
As a result the Malay Muslims have to smell the whiff of Pork roasting in the air next to their apartments only inches away everyday of their lives. They are required to eat at food stalls where pork is cooked and roasted at the very next stall from theirs. And to make matters worse, the flesh of the swine is the favorite meat of ethnic Chinese in Singapore island! It is what they eat every day, 3 times a day! Pork meat is everywhere in the island and in the faces of Malay Muslims every day of their lives. This is haram and an unacceptable sin for the Muslims.
Muslims in Singapore island are discriminated in jobs where pig eating Chinese openly tell the Muslims that they will not employ them and to go elsewhere. The Malays are in the lowest economic ladder while the recently arrived occupier Chinese have taken it all.
And then you have the problem of scantily clad Chinese girls who are determined to expose and show the public their entire legs thighs and hips as well, their bosoms, and their buttocks as if there is a dearth of fabric material that they have to walk around almost naked.
It appears to me Singapore Chinese women expose their bodies in this way, because they primarily have a problem with their faces, what with slit eyes and flat noises, their faces are not much to look at. I suppose if there is noting special about your face, you can at least take your clothes off and show off your body!
The Muslim Malays naturally find this nakedness among them offensive. Why should they have to look at half naked pig eating Chinese in their society which is supposed to be conservative. I am sure if they had a choice they would have politely told these leg showing Chinese women to do it elsewhere, but they cannot. The government itself belongs to the Chinese so there is nothing you can do.
ISIS, the terrorists by the way are fully aware of the injustice being done to their Muslim brethren, they are. We have seen recently in Nice France the truck driver terrorist mowing down hundreds of people in a crowded place killing scores. This method of murder by driving a car or truck over intended victims is not new, it has occurred many times in Palestine and Jerusalem.
What is there to stop a disgruntled radicalized Malay with some courage to say, this is it. Take me if you like but I am going to kill these leg showing pig eaters.
And if that happens in Singapore a sardine packed island with ethic Chinese, the numbers killed would be in the hundreds each time if not even thousands. Imagine driving a truck over Chinatown at lunch time when thousands cross the street each time the light turns green. Never mind Nice, in Singapore island, you can kill 500 at one go.
True the narrow channel of water separating Pulau Ubin Island in North Singapore from Malaysia, a stretch no more than perhaps 300 meters is monitored by the Singapore Marine police. I know because when I lived in the island I used to sail my Laser dinghy across from Changi sailing club towards Ubin island, round it from the east, over the northern side heading west and round it back eastwards. It doesn't take more than few hours. And a person from the northern side of the island can even swim the channel and reach Ubin in a few minutes, that's how narrow it is. And no one can say that a determined terrorist cannot smuggle a hundred pounds of explosive to Ubin and cross to Singapore shores. It only takes a few minutes.
And imagine that terrorist now armed with that bomb goes down the escalator to the underground train station at perhaps Raffles Place where there are so many people you can hardly move, and say this is my revenge and let off the explosive. This time not 500 hundred but 2,000 would die at one go.
The reason why I write this is not to encourage terrorism, I am against it. Why I write this is to tell these rather arrogant Chinese pork eating dictators in that island is perhaps they have to think again of their policies. Stop discriminating Muslim Malays. There may be one among them who is so angry, he may not be prepared to behave the way you want, which is to eat humble pie before the Chinese.
Once again ISIS in Rakka Syria, their cells in Paris and Belgium are fully aware what the Malays in the island are facing.
Since Singapore is one island where the dictators can do whatever they want, I suggest that denying drivers licenses to Muslim Malays is not the way to go. You will infuriate them even more that any remote possibility of such an occurrence would become a more immediate tragedy.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont, California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
The tiny island of Singapore, whose tiny island is it anyway
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The major problem that the island faces undoubtedly is the abysmally low birth rate, the lowest in the world. Perhaps all right for a large country like China but fatal catastrophe for the small tiny island of Singapore, a tiny island nation state both in size and population. In size it is a mere 26 miles East to West and just 16 miles North to South. In it is packed like sardines about 2 million "original" Singaporeans and "3 " million recent arrivals who have been given "instant" citizenship.
Singapore had about 3 million people who were real or "original" Singaporeans. By this I mean Singaporeans who are not only born in Singapore but whose parents were also born in Singapore or at least had lived many years in the island. These people can be considered Singaporeans and carry the culture, ethos, traditions and way of life of the island which had developed over decades or even centuries. Every country develops a culture, way of life and traditions of its own and Singapore is no different.
Singapore island as you know was British. It laws and government were based on the British model and English was the lingua franca in the island. The use of the English language alone directly and indirectly made people think the European way together with the system of government in Europe.
But all that changed with our "hero" who came along in 1959, Lee Kuan Yew. He thought he knew we best better than anyone else. Never mind the dominance in the world of Western civilization and democracy, he decided, since he knew best that the Chinese Communist way was the best for the island, never mind what anyone in this tiny island thought, and never mind there were sizable numbers of Malays and Indians who were not even ethnic Chinese.
Slowly but surely, since 1959 he slowly dismantled Western style democracy and introduced Communist Chinese style government, in fact an exact replica of what China is today. He abolished the right to free speech, expression and assembly. The island's police can arrest anyone they want, probable cause or no. The judges are all carefully selected to deliver government approved verdicts. The entire media is state controlled and there is no independent media. In order to get a job or succeed, you have to be a government supporter. Government critics are arrested and jailed on trumped up charges and destroyed. These are exactly the same things you see today in Communist China. And these are exactly the same things you saw in the former Soviet Union.
But unfortunately for dictators all over the world, their predictions always prove wrong in the end. The truth lies in a human beings right to self determination and not in forced submission. The human spirit will not be forced to obey what goes against the truth. As a result dictatorships always fail in the end.
And this is the problem that Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore is facing today. A people who are not allowed to speak freely, assemble or peacefully protest are not a happy people. Not being happy, they are not productive. They refuse to marry and have children and given a chance they don't want even to live in that depressing island preferring instead to emigrate.
As a result the island has the lowest birth rate in the world. Last year it was 1.24, below even the replacement rate. Malays and Indians are trying the leave the island en masse, Malays to Malaysia and Indonesia and Indians to India or wherever else would take them. As a result they are literally becoming extinct in the island. Even the Western educated ethnic Singapore "original" Chinese are opting to move to Australia and any Western country that will take them.
As the low birth rate and en masse emigration to the West continues, the island's dictatorial government has no choice but to bring in people from the outside; otherwise who will do the work to run the country to make more money for the dictators? You cannot bring in hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians and Albanians to the island since this would be glaringly incongruous in the middle of South East Asia. Moreover the Bulgars and Albanians would not perhaps be willing to run around like poodles at each command of Lee Kuan Yew's son the present Prime Minister and today's island dictator. So who else to bring in the plane loads than Communist Chinese, who are the perfect fit. Communist Chinese in China have no rights, can be arrested anytime at the whims of the Chinese politburo and are quite happy to do as they are told. So who better than the Communist Chinese to populate the island. Best thing of all, no one would even know the difference since they are both Chinese and no one can tell the difference.
As a result Singapore today has completely lost any connection whatsoever to its original idea of a democracy based on the British model. There are no real debates in Parliament, which is nothing but a theatrical performance. There is no criticism. There is simply the word of the masters and the total obedience of the islanders. The culture and way of life of the former British colony of the island of Singapore is no longer that of Britain. Today it is that of Communist China.
I wouldn't want to live in Communist China today even if you paid me. Neither would I want to live in Singapore which is just like living in China.
Which begs the question, whose island is it anyway, Communist Chinese or Singaporeans?
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.giopalan@yahoo.com
The major problem that the island faces undoubtedly is the abysmally low birth rate, the lowest in the world. Perhaps all right for a large country like China but fatal catastrophe for the small tiny island of Singapore, a tiny island nation state both in size and population. In size it is a mere 26 miles East to West and just 16 miles North to South. In it is packed like sardines about 2 million "original" Singaporeans and "3 " million recent arrivals who have been given "instant" citizenship.
Singapore had about 3 million people who were real or "original" Singaporeans. By this I mean Singaporeans who are not only born in Singapore but whose parents were also born in Singapore or at least had lived many years in the island. These people can be considered Singaporeans and carry the culture, ethos, traditions and way of life of the island which had developed over decades or even centuries. Every country develops a culture, way of life and traditions of its own and Singapore is no different.
Singapore island as you know was British. It laws and government were based on the British model and English was the lingua franca in the island. The use of the English language alone directly and indirectly made people think the European way together with the system of government in Europe.
But all that changed with our "hero" who came along in 1959, Lee Kuan Yew. He thought he knew we best better than anyone else. Never mind the dominance in the world of Western civilization and democracy, he decided, since he knew best that the Chinese Communist way was the best for the island, never mind what anyone in this tiny island thought, and never mind there were sizable numbers of Malays and Indians who were not even ethnic Chinese.
Slowly but surely, since 1959 he slowly dismantled Western style democracy and introduced Communist Chinese style government, in fact an exact replica of what China is today. He abolished the right to free speech, expression and assembly. The island's police can arrest anyone they want, probable cause or no. The judges are all carefully selected to deliver government approved verdicts. The entire media is state controlled and there is no independent media. In order to get a job or succeed, you have to be a government supporter. Government critics are arrested and jailed on trumped up charges and destroyed. These are exactly the same things you see today in Communist China. And these are exactly the same things you saw in the former Soviet Union.
But unfortunately for dictators all over the world, their predictions always prove wrong in the end. The truth lies in a human beings right to self determination and not in forced submission. The human spirit will not be forced to obey what goes against the truth. As a result dictatorships always fail in the end.
And this is the problem that Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore is facing today. A people who are not allowed to speak freely, assemble or peacefully protest are not a happy people. Not being happy, they are not productive. They refuse to marry and have children and given a chance they don't want even to live in that depressing island preferring instead to emigrate.
As a result the island has the lowest birth rate in the world. Last year it was 1.24, below even the replacement rate. Malays and Indians are trying the leave the island en masse, Malays to Malaysia and Indonesia and Indians to India or wherever else would take them. As a result they are literally becoming extinct in the island. Even the Western educated ethnic Singapore "original" Chinese are opting to move to Australia and any Western country that will take them.
As the low birth rate and en masse emigration to the West continues, the island's dictatorial government has no choice but to bring in people from the outside; otherwise who will do the work to run the country to make more money for the dictators? You cannot bring in hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians and Albanians to the island since this would be glaringly incongruous in the middle of South East Asia. Moreover the Bulgars and Albanians would not perhaps be willing to run around like poodles at each command of Lee Kuan Yew's son the present Prime Minister and today's island dictator. So who else to bring in the plane loads than Communist Chinese, who are the perfect fit. Communist Chinese in China have no rights, can be arrested anytime at the whims of the Chinese politburo and are quite happy to do as they are told. So who better than the Communist Chinese to populate the island. Best thing of all, no one would even know the difference since they are both Chinese and no one can tell the difference.
As a result Singapore today has completely lost any connection whatsoever to its original idea of a democracy based on the British model. There are no real debates in Parliament, which is nothing but a theatrical performance. There is no criticism. There is simply the word of the masters and the total obedience of the islanders. The culture and way of life of the former British colony of the island of Singapore is no longer that of Britain. Today it is that of Communist China.
I wouldn't want to live in Communist China today even if you paid me. Neither would I want to live in Singapore which is just like living in China.
Which begs the question, whose island is it anyway, Communist Chinese or Singaporeans?
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.giopalan@yahoo.com
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Ladies and Gentlemen, I need your help on Singapore island.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I need your help in sending my articles in Singapore Dissident to as many of your friends news organizations, foreign governments, non profit agencies, democracy movements and anyone you think might be interested in what is happening in Singapore. The Singapore government is a fascist totalitarian one party dictatorship which denies its citizens their human rights and prevents any effort on the part of anyone to nurture and introduce democracy in the island of Singapore.
I started my blog Singapore Dissident in 2006. Ever since then the readership of this blog has grown and there is no doubt that it has been able to tell many who did not know what Singapore is, it's dark side which this government cleverly keeps hidden. Even so with Singapore Dissident and numerous other blogs, the arrests of democracy activists, opposition politicians, the world is slowly beginning to understand what the island really is; nothing but a classic fascist Leninist state.
There is no doubt that my arrests, disbarment from practicing law in Singapore, jailing and repeated harassment by this Singapore administration from 1984 till date has hurt this administration badly. From about 1984, since the abuse of the law to destroy the late JB Jeyaretnam and others including me, many educated professionals not wanting anything to do with this regime have left the island in disgust, primarily to Australia.
And each time they abuse the rights of any other democracy activist in the island, it drives away even more bright and intelligent people from the island. The brain drain continues to mount as they continue to unjustly jail and punish innocent citizens whose only fault was to speak up.
For every action there is a reaction, an axiom equally true in science as well as in life. As the Singapore government uses its muscle to silence legitimate dissent more people are repulsed and leave the island. What is left are people incapable of leaving for various reasons or those so stupid as not to know that they have a right to be free.
This Singaporean fascist government is already hurting. I am told that Scandinavian governments and people have been so offended by the actions of this regime that they refuse to have any investments in the island. Many western companies are now finding that their young sophisticated worldly local customers would prefer goods manufactured in democratic countries regardless of the pricing. Slowly but surely it is clear that that this regime is hurting, thanks to this blog as well as you for making the world know the truth.
There are so many educated Singaporeans who are leaving the island that their only alternative is to import Communist Chinese from the Peoples Republic of China to replace them, a poor choice since most of them do not speak any English.
The island's military is so starved of young men because almost everyone tries to avoid national service. The dearth of men is so severe, caused primarily by the rock bottom low birth rate, that it has now become a national security emergency. Their birth rate is so low that in a decade or less there won't be anymore real native Singaporeans left. The only ones left would be the recently arrived Communist Chinese who have been given instant citizenship.
The character and way of life of what was once Singapore is already dead. Today's Singapore is just a satellite city of Communist China but located some thousands of miles away in South East Asia. The character of Singapore island is perhaps that of Chengdu China, not real Singapore.
The handful of Indians and Malay Singaporeans now feel as if they are living in Communist China in Singapore, not in the Singapore island they once knew.
Singapore relies today on Communist China almost entirely, while the influence of the West continues to decline. Communist Chinese bank cheats, embezzlers and money launderers gamble at Singapore casinos, they buy luxury goods at high end stores in Orchard Road, they buy expensive condominiums in the island, they flaunt their wealth in Ferraris and Lamborghinis along the island's streets while all the locals can do is to gawk at them with envy. Besides the Communist Chinese connection, the island has nothing else.
Except for Communist Chinese tourists, the island's tourist industry is as good as dead. After all what is there to see in that concrete jungle, except glass towers?
It appears there is little likelihood of a revolution for democracy in the island, because anyone who dares such an action will be as good as dead. That leaves the only other way to bring this administration to its knees is to expose to the world what sort of administration it really is. And I think we are succeeding in this regard, by all reckoning. And you the reader can help us in this endeavor by spreading this message around the world to educate even more on the dark side of this island and why we should resist and shun this fascist island.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California USA
Telephone: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
I need your help in sending my articles in Singapore Dissident to as many of your friends news organizations, foreign governments, non profit agencies, democracy movements and anyone you think might be interested in what is happening in Singapore. The Singapore government is a fascist totalitarian one party dictatorship which denies its citizens their human rights and prevents any effort on the part of anyone to nurture and introduce democracy in the island of Singapore.
I started my blog Singapore Dissident in 2006. Ever since then the readership of this blog has grown and there is no doubt that it has been able to tell many who did not know what Singapore is, it's dark side which this government cleverly keeps hidden. Even so with Singapore Dissident and numerous other blogs, the arrests of democracy activists, opposition politicians, the world is slowly beginning to understand what the island really is; nothing but a classic fascist Leninist state.
There is no doubt that my arrests, disbarment from practicing law in Singapore, jailing and repeated harassment by this Singapore administration from 1984 till date has hurt this administration badly. From about 1984, since the abuse of the law to destroy the late JB Jeyaretnam and others including me, many educated professionals not wanting anything to do with this regime have left the island in disgust, primarily to Australia.
And each time they abuse the rights of any other democracy activist in the island, it drives away even more bright and intelligent people from the island. The brain drain continues to mount as they continue to unjustly jail and punish innocent citizens whose only fault was to speak up.
For every action there is a reaction, an axiom equally true in science as well as in life. As the Singapore government uses its muscle to silence legitimate dissent more people are repulsed and leave the island. What is left are people incapable of leaving for various reasons or those so stupid as not to know that they have a right to be free.
This Singaporean fascist government is already hurting. I am told that Scandinavian governments and people have been so offended by the actions of this regime that they refuse to have any investments in the island. Many western companies are now finding that their young sophisticated worldly local customers would prefer goods manufactured in democratic countries regardless of the pricing. Slowly but surely it is clear that that this regime is hurting, thanks to this blog as well as you for making the world know the truth.
There are so many educated Singaporeans who are leaving the island that their only alternative is to import Communist Chinese from the Peoples Republic of China to replace them, a poor choice since most of them do not speak any English.
The island's military is so starved of young men because almost everyone tries to avoid national service. The dearth of men is so severe, caused primarily by the rock bottom low birth rate, that it has now become a national security emergency. Their birth rate is so low that in a decade or less there won't be anymore real native Singaporeans left. The only ones left would be the recently arrived Communist Chinese who have been given instant citizenship.
The character and way of life of what was once Singapore is already dead. Today's Singapore is just a satellite city of Communist China but located some thousands of miles away in South East Asia. The character of Singapore island is perhaps that of Chengdu China, not real Singapore.
The handful of Indians and Malay Singaporeans now feel as if they are living in Communist China in Singapore, not in the Singapore island they once knew.
Singapore relies today on Communist China almost entirely, while the influence of the West continues to decline. Communist Chinese bank cheats, embezzlers and money launderers gamble at Singapore casinos, they buy luxury goods at high end stores in Orchard Road, they buy expensive condominiums in the island, they flaunt their wealth in Ferraris and Lamborghinis along the island's streets while all the locals can do is to gawk at them with envy. Besides the Communist Chinese connection, the island has nothing else.
Except for Communist Chinese tourists, the island's tourist industry is as good as dead. After all what is there to see in that concrete jungle, except glass towers?
It appears there is little likelihood of a revolution for democracy in the island, because anyone who dares such an action will be as good as dead. That leaves the only other way to bring this administration to its knees is to expose to the world what sort of administration it really is. And I think we are succeeding in this regard, by all reckoning. And you the reader can help us in this endeavor by spreading this message around the world to educate even more on the dark side of this island and why we should resist and shun this fascist island.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California USA
Telephone: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Fear, distrust, helplessness and boredom the hallmarks of Singaporean society
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I was born in Singapore and spent a great part of my adult life in Singapore. I practiced law in Singapore. I was also deeply involved in Singapore society being part of Singaporean politics from the 1980s to 1990s in the opposition Singapore Workers Party, contested 2 general elections in 1984 and 1991. I could therefore confidently say that I understand Lee Kuan Yew's totalitarian island of Singapore.
The main problem with the island of Singapore is this. The Lee family first by Lee Kuan Yew Senior who has died and now by his son, whom the deceased father placed as Prime Minister want to ensure that they alone will rule that island forever. And in order to do so, every criticism, every obstacle, every opposition against them has to be rooted out and destroyed, for fear of being toppled.
As a result firstly, the legal system and the judiciary has to be completely purged of any opposition whatsoever. Judges are carefully selected not for their legal ability, independence or competence at law, but by a total guarantee that they will always punish anyone who is seem to be against the rulers. For decades now, a long line of citizens who have shown the courage to stand up against them have been jailed fined and bankrupted. The first was JB Jeyaretnam a lawyer who stood against Lee at the elections. He was repeatedly fined in amounts clearly totaling over 1.5 million dollars, jailed and repeatedly bankrupted. He has since died. The same fate befell Chee Soon Juan except he is till alive. And then there was a string of bloggers, artists and even a cartoonist who have all suffered the same fate.
When this regime orders their Kangaroo judges to go after their opponents they do this with full publicity in the state controlled press. Lest you may think there is an independent press, beside the state controlled one, as well in the island, you are wrong. The entire press and media in the island is state controlled, period.
They give this periodic lynching of their opponents full publicity in the island principally because they want to teach a lesson to every other Singaporean not to be so stupid as these characters in standing up for the truth. And their purpose works very well. Today the island is virtually without anyone who dares to speak. Their purpose of intimidating the entire citizenry has been a total success.
It is a strange society rather like Alice in Wonderland. Characteristics such as heroism, courage and standing up to the truth and against tyrants are not considered virtues in Singapore island. They are looked upon as stupid and criminals. On the other hand praising their leaders as great men, even though you know they are corrupt are considered virtues worthy of high office!
And then you have the lawyers in the island, a totally intimidated lot. Although by their training they are aware that every single bit of the Constitution and human rights are simply ignored, they dare not do anything least their backsides too are on the line. They willingly accept the breaches of the law, go through the motions of being a lawyer and like a hypocrite, collect their fees and go quietly home.
It is true the island has a Constitution. It is also true that it is a worthless piece of paper good enough only perhaps in the toilet. There are provisions in it for freedom of speech expression assembly and the rule of law. But every one of these fundamental rights have been abrogated by the requirement of police permits which by the way are never given. So in effect Singaporeans do not have any rights at all.
What is worst of all is the corruption by these rulers. Each of them pay themselves officially $3 million a year which they conveniently call a salary. Even Obama, the President of the United States does not get that much. As if such theft on such a grand scale is not enough, they pay themselves an equal amount in secret which they call yearly bonuses, directors fees and sometimes straight embezzlement. The people of Singapore island are well aware of this corruption by their leaders. Yet if you dared to utter one syllable about it, you are immediately sued and brought before the Kangaroo judges who are ordered to impose a penalty of perhaps a million dollars which they know you do not have. Once you are made a bankrupt, you are prevented from running a business, obtaining a passport or even getting a job. The only reason why I can write this in safety is because I live in California United States. To sue me, they would have to do it here before US Federal Courts. And I believe they are not confident of the outcome if they did.
So what then happens to a man who grows up in such a society? Firstly he has no respect for the government, the entire political system and is overwhelmed with fear as to what will happen to him if he speaks his mind.
Such a society can only create a stupid society, because only a stupid people would live a life where it is better not to think too much and better to simply obey. As a result, Singapore's model citizen is a quiet individual, who passes his exams in school, finds a job, works hard to please his master, does everything his master wants in the hope to be promoted to a higher level, a better pay and better career. And so goes the hierarchy. In this higher position, if he has a superior above him, he will do the same with the hope of the same better prospects. Those below him will try to please him and in this manner the society goes on. Silence, total obedience and a complete lack of individual thinking are the hallmarks of a model citizen in Lee Kuan Yew's creation of Singapore island.
And while our model citizen quietly carries on in his lifelong pursuit of pleasing his master, in himself, he has no respect whatsoever for his rulers and the entire system, which he considers no better than crooks and bullies. He knows that Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew's son of the Lee family is corrupt and so are all his cronies and minions. But he is helpless to do anything about it. He can't say anything either. So he suffers in silence.
He knows his judges are a bunch of Kangaroos who shamelessly do the bidding of their masters. He has no respect for them nor the entire legal system which he knows are as afraid of the rulers as he is. Yet he can do nothing about it and simply remains quiet. As far as possible he stays away from the courts.
He knows that he has no rights at all. He knows that the Constitution is just a piece of toilet paper. Yet there is nothing he can do and he suffers in silence.
Those who can manage to leave the country do. In fact as many as two thousand Singaporeans leave the island for settlement abroad each year and the numbers continue to climb. The reason for this is the fact that increasing numbers of Singaporeans are aware of how the people live in democratic countries. They are allowed to speak and they do not have to live in fear and this fact continues to draw thousands upon thousands abroad.
The question is, can such an island such as this where people have to live such miserable lives in fear succeed? I think not. One has to respect one's country to do one's best in it. One has to know that the state would not use unfair means to punish you. One has to have confidence in one's judges. One has to know that their rulers are not corrupt thieves. This is not the case in the island of Singapore.
A Californian, unlike the ordinary Singapore islander, has a sense of confidence about him. He respects his state institutions. He respects his judicial system and believes that he will get justice if his cause is right. He has freedom of speech and expression and knows that he will not be sued, arrested and bankrupted if he criticized the government. He also knows that his picture will not be sprawled across the daily newspapers on a daily basis simply because he was critical of his rulers. He knows that he will not be victimized by the entire state apparatus and everyone in the state just because he is seen as a critic. In this heathy society of free ideas and expression and respect, he has a reason to do his best and advance himself. He respects his country. He is judged by his ideas and his competence, not by his loyalty to the corrupt rulers. In the end, he knows that if he tries hard the sky is the limit, not because Lee Kuan Yew's son appreciates him.
Which is why I am certain that the island of Singapore has run out of ideas for any improvement. What is holding them back is the mentality of their own citizens. And other countries are catching up fast and they are being left behind. For instance, they have the Singapore port authority which they flaunt to be the busiest. It is no longer so today. Malaysian and Mainland Chinese ports have overtaken and Singapore would slide even further behind. In fact they are far more efficient than Singapore's.
Then they used to proclaim Singapore Airlines as number one. Today it is no longer so. It is now fourth and sliding further behind. It has really nothing to offer which others cannot. Once they used to insult Singapore women flight attendants by advertising the slogan "Fly the Singapore girl" as if they were sex objects to be "ridden". With all the complaints from around the world (not by the Singapore flight attendants themselves who are naturally helpless and intimidated) they have stopped insulting the feminine race. Today Emirates flight attendants are far more attractive and younger than any of these ethnic Chinese anorexic half starved Singapore women.
That is why the Singaporean workforce which has the lowest productivity in any workforce in the world will continue to slide downwards. They have no motivation except to be recognized by the rulers and rewarded for their loyalty. There is no incentive to excel in their work since excellence is not the yardstick for advancement but obedience to the regime. In such a society you will never get independent thinking nor confidence to do one's best because that itself may be dangerous and result in your imprisonment, being sued and bankruptcy. In Lee's society it is far better to keep your mouth shut and do as you are told in silence. You don't want to be another JB Jeyaretam or Chee Soon Juan or the long list of other citizens who thought they have a right to their own minds and had their pictures published in the state controlled press.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
I was born in Singapore and spent a great part of my adult life in Singapore. I practiced law in Singapore. I was also deeply involved in Singapore society being part of Singaporean politics from the 1980s to 1990s in the opposition Singapore Workers Party, contested 2 general elections in 1984 and 1991. I could therefore confidently say that I understand Lee Kuan Yew's totalitarian island of Singapore.
The main problem with the island of Singapore is this. The Lee family first by Lee Kuan Yew Senior who has died and now by his son, whom the deceased father placed as Prime Minister want to ensure that they alone will rule that island forever. And in order to do so, every criticism, every obstacle, every opposition against them has to be rooted out and destroyed, for fear of being toppled.
As a result firstly, the legal system and the judiciary has to be completely purged of any opposition whatsoever. Judges are carefully selected not for their legal ability, independence or competence at law, but by a total guarantee that they will always punish anyone who is seem to be against the rulers. For decades now, a long line of citizens who have shown the courage to stand up against them have been jailed fined and bankrupted. The first was JB Jeyaretnam a lawyer who stood against Lee at the elections. He was repeatedly fined in amounts clearly totaling over 1.5 million dollars, jailed and repeatedly bankrupted. He has since died. The same fate befell Chee Soon Juan except he is till alive. And then there was a string of bloggers, artists and even a cartoonist who have all suffered the same fate.
When this regime orders their Kangaroo judges to go after their opponents they do this with full publicity in the state controlled press. Lest you may think there is an independent press, beside the state controlled one, as well in the island, you are wrong. The entire press and media in the island is state controlled, period.
They give this periodic lynching of their opponents full publicity in the island principally because they want to teach a lesson to every other Singaporean not to be so stupid as these characters in standing up for the truth. And their purpose works very well. Today the island is virtually without anyone who dares to speak. Their purpose of intimidating the entire citizenry has been a total success.
It is a strange society rather like Alice in Wonderland. Characteristics such as heroism, courage and standing up to the truth and against tyrants are not considered virtues in Singapore island. They are looked upon as stupid and criminals. On the other hand praising their leaders as great men, even though you know they are corrupt are considered virtues worthy of high office!
And then you have the lawyers in the island, a totally intimidated lot. Although by their training they are aware that every single bit of the Constitution and human rights are simply ignored, they dare not do anything least their backsides too are on the line. They willingly accept the breaches of the law, go through the motions of being a lawyer and like a hypocrite, collect their fees and go quietly home.
It is true the island has a Constitution. It is also true that it is a worthless piece of paper good enough only perhaps in the toilet. There are provisions in it for freedom of speech expression assembly and the rule of law. But every one of these fundamental rights have been abrogated by the requirement of police permits which by the way are never given. So in effect Singaporeans do not have any rights at all.
What is worst of all is the corruption by these rulers. Each of them pay themselves officially $3 million a year which they conveniently call a salary. Even Obama, the President of the United States does not get that much. As if such theft on such a grand scale is not enough, they pay themselves an equal amount in secret which they call yearly bonuses, directors fees and sometimes straight embezzlement. The people of Singapore island are well aware of this corruption by their leaders. Yet if you dared to utter one syllable about it, you are immediately sued and brought before the Kangaroo judges who are ordered to impose a penalty of perhaps a million dollars which they know you do not have. Once you are made a bankrupt, you are prevented from running a business, obtaining a passport or even getting a job. The only reason why I can write this in safety is because I live in California United States. To sue me, they would have to do it here before US Federal Courts. And I believe they are not confident of the outcome if they did.
So what then happens to a man who grows up in such a society? Firstly he has no respect for the government, the entire political system and is overwhelmed with fear as to what will happen to him if he speaks his mind.
Such a society can only create a stupid society, because only a stupid people would live a life where it is better not to think too much and better to simply obey. As a result, Singapore's model citizen is a quiet individual, who passes his exams in school, finds a job, works hard to please his master, does everything his master wants in the hope to be promoted to a higher level, a better pay and better career. And so goes the hierarchy. In this higher position, if he has a superior above him, he will do the same with the hope of the same better prospects. Those below him will try to please him and in this manner the society goes on. Silence, total obedience and a complete lack of individual thinking are the hallmarks of a model citizen in Lee Kuan Yew's creation of Singapore island.
And while our model citizen quietly carries on in his lifelong pursuit of pleasing his master, in himself, he has no respect whatsoever for his rulers and the entire system, which he considers no better than crooks and bullies. He knows that Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew's son of the Lee family is corrupt and so are all his cronies and minions. But he is helpless to do anything about it. He can't say anything either. So he suffers in silence.
He knows his judges are a bunch of Kangaroos who shamelessly do the bidding of their masters. He has no respect for them nor the entire legal system which he knows are as afraid of the rulers as he is. Yet he can do nothing about it and simply remains quiet. As far as possible he stays away from the courts.
He knows that he has no rights at all. He knows that the Constitution is just a piece of toilet paper. Yet there is nothing he can do and he suffers in silence.
Those who can manage to leave the country do. In fact as many as two thousand Singaporeans leave the island for settlement abroad each year and the numbers continue to climb. The reason for this is the fact that increasing numbers of Singaporeans are aware of how the people live in democratic countries. They are allowed to speak and they do not have to live in fear and this fact continues to draw thousands upon thousands abroad.
The question is, can such an island such as this where people have to live such miserable lives in fear succeed? I think not. One has to respect one's country to do one's best in it. One has to know that the state would not use unfair means to punish you. One has to have confidence in one's judges. One has to know that their rulers are not corrupt thieves. This is not the case in the island of Singapore.
A Californian, unlike the ordinary Singapore islander, has a sense of confidence about him. He respects his state institutions. He respects his judicial system and believes that he will get justice if his cause is right. He has freedom of speech and expression and knows that he will not be sued, arrested and bankrupted if he criticized the government. He also knows that his picture will not be sprawled across the daily newspapers on a daily basis simply because he was critical of his rulers. He knows that he will not be victimized by the entire state apparatus and everyone in the state just because he is seen as a critic. In this heathy society of free ideas and expression and respect, he has a reason to do his best and advance himself. He respects his country. He is judged by his ideas and his competence, not by his loyalty to the corrupt rulers. In the end, he knows that if he tries hard the sky is the limit, not because Lee Kuan Yew's son appreciates him.
Which is why I am certain that the island of Singapore has run out of ideas for any improvement. What is holding them back is the mentality of their own citizens. And other countries are catching up fast and they are being left behind. For instance, they have the Singapore port authority which they flaunt to be the busiest. It is no longer so today. Malaysian and Mainland Chinese ports have overtaken and Singapore would slide even further behind. In fact they are far more efficient than Singapore's.
Then they used to proclaim Singapore Airlines as number one. Today it is no longer so. It is now fourth and sliding further behind. It has really nothing to offer which others cannot. Once they used to insult Singapore women flight attendants by advertising the slogan "Fly the Singapore girl" as if they were sex objects to be "ridden". With all the complaints from around the world (not by the Singapore flight attendants themselves who are naturally helpless and intimidated) they have stopped insulting the feminine race. Today Emirates flight attendants are far more attractive and younger than any of these ethnic Chinese anorexic half starved Singapore women.
That is why the Singaporean workforce which has the lowest productivity in any workforce in the world will continue to slide downwards. They have no motivation except to be recognized by the rulers and rewarded for their loyalty. There is no incentive to excel in their work since excellence is not the yardstick for advancement but obedience to the regime. In such a society you will never get independent thinking nor confidence to do one's best because that itself may be dangerous and result in your imprisonment, being sued and bankruptcy. In Lee's society it is far better to keep your mouth shut and do as you are told in silence. You don't want to be another JB Jeyaretam or Chee Soon Juan or the long list of other citizens who thought they have a right to their own minds and had their pictures published in the state controlled press.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Friday, July 15, 2016
7 reasons why Thailand should not extradite Canadian bank robber to Singapore
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On July 7th 2016 something never heard of had happened. In a sheepish island, Singapore where everyone does as he is told, terrified of their government, a Canadian had the temerity to rob a bank, the Standard Chartered Bank.
Since such a thing has never happened in living memory in that obedient island, of course the security was not anywhere near the level in any other bank in any other normal country.
It seems all he had to do was to write a note with the words "give me the money", hand it to the teller, to which the tellers happily obeyed and since there was no security guard there to do anything, this young Canadian David James Roach 26, took a leisurely walk with $30,000 out of the bank in full view of everyone and disappeared into oblivion.
He appeared immediately thereafter in Bangkok Thailand and on the information of the Singapore police, who were clueless of his escape, got the Bangkok police to have him arrested. Now Singapore wants them to send him to Singapore while the Canadians who have got wind of their citizen in Bangkok have asked that he be sent instead to Canada.
I would ask Thailand not to send him to Singapore because the law is against such an action.
1. Singapore has laws which render Roach to be caned in addition to a jail term for this offense. As Canada does not have laws that permit caning which is universally considered cruel and unusual punishment, a law which one could expect only in perhaps repressive North Korea, Canada has a right to insist that their citizen should not be subject to such inhumane punishment and therefore the proper forum should be Canada, not Singapore.
2. Another reason for not sending him to Singapore is the lack of the rule of law. It is well known that Singapore has judges who are selected by the ruling government purely for their obedience, which does not ascribe to Constitutional rights for its citizens and uses the courts as a political tool to silence criticism. For decades now critics of the government have been routinely jailed sued for defamation and bankrupted to ensure that no one criticizes the government. Since Singapore judges allow themselves to be used in this disgraceful way, it is certain that in order to discourage any more bank robberies, the state would most certainly instruct the judge to render a overly harsh punishment of perhaps decades in jail and severe beatings in the form of judicial caning. Canada should strenuously object to this happening.
3. An example of another country which has refused to allow their citizen to be returned to Singapore is Romania. A few years ago, a Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionesciu was charged with drunken driving which resulted in deaths of pedestrians in the island. After he had managed to escape to Romania while on bail, Singapore made numerous attempts to have him returned. I and many others around the world had written to the Romanian authorities pointing out the flawed legal system in the Singapore dictatorship and they correctly decided not to send him to Singapore. It was a slap in the face for Singapore and I know it is not going to be the last.
4. Thailand has its reputation to take care of. By sending Roach to Singapore they would indirectly be sending a message to the world that they are in cohorts with this pariah state which denies their citizens the rule of law or even fundamental human rights and therefore they are no better than that disgraced island. They would be in advantage if they were seen to side with a proud and respected democracy such as Canada instead.
5. Thailand does not have an extradition treaty with Singapore. whereas they have one with Canada. The reason why Singapore has to date refused to sign a treaty with Thailand is because they want to shelter Thai criminals who have embezzled banks in Thailand to park their money in the island. It is profitable for them not to have a treaty. They similarly have refused to sign a treaty with Indonesia for similar reasons which is why they will not receive any assistance from Indonesia whatsoever. Singapore leaders are mere pipsqueak tin pot tyrants who think they are too big for their shoes. It is time to bring them down to sea level and this is an opportunity for Thailand to do so.
6. Although Thailand does not have an extradition treaty with Singapore, it does not mean that they cannot accede to a request for repatriation. I concede that. However as they have never shown any willingness to co-operate with the Thais in the past unless it does not concern their interests, Thailand should not co-operate with the island which refuses to co-operate with them.
7. Had Roach been apprehended within Singapore, of course Singapore has full jurisdiction. But when the suspect is found instead in a third country, several other considerations come into play. One his nationality, second comity of criminal jurisprudence, third the interests of the country that he is now found in. On balance if all these considerations as looked at, clearly Canada should be the forum and venue, not Singapore.
I would urge everyone who loves freedom around the world to write to the Canadian and Thai governments to urge them to repatriate Roach to Canada, not Singapore.
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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