Ladies and Gentlemen,
The latest lamb to the slaughter in the one party state Singapore is the Singaporean Oxford History professor Thum Ping Tjin.
The pattern in that dictatorship island is tragically predictable. In their quest to tighten the laws even further to silence dissent, a select committee was formed to legislate "fake news" laws.
When Professor Thum correctly, at the Singapore hearing, pointed out it was the government themselves who were the main "fake news" culprits, routinely arresting and imprisoning political critics throughout the entire island history, by labelling them communists, it naturally attracted their wrath once again, and the destruction machinery went into action.
This claim by Professor Thum is, to anyone who knows Singapore, completely accurate because the only crimes of those imprisoned was that they were critics of the government. It was the same old case of "give a dog a bad name and hang him".
Just as in Stalinist Russia, in Singapore, the real truth never matters. The truth is what they say it is. Once the decision is made to destroy the opponent, a series of articles are immediately released in their state controlled press attacking not only what Thum said but also attacking his reputation. Their news smear sheets questions his credentials as professor, that he never was a professor at Oxford, that all his claims were lies and even worse, he is a traitor to Singapore despite incontrovertible proof recently released by British archives that none of these people were even remotely Communist! They were all arrested according to British archival reports only because they were political threats to Lee Kuan Yew and his government.
The consequence of the state action against Thum is for him, sadly, dire. He is for all purposes, finished. He himself has become, pardon the pun, history, like the subject he specializes. The result is he will never be employed in that island, he will never be allowed any privilege either by the government or by anyone. He will not be granted any license, any teaching position. In other words, he is henceforth condemned.
This Singapore one party state are total Machiavellians. Once you cross them, you are forever condemned. There is no hope of rehabilitation. Thum is condemned for life. Perhaps if he crawls licks their boots and begs for mercy, perhaps, but unlikely.
This is what befalls any open critic of that one party state. And it is easy for the state like Singapore island to do this. It is a small place. The state controls everything and everybody, the press, the government, TV stations, radio, all government offices, through threats and intimidation all private companies, teachers, schools, employers, citizens, everyone! Thum has no chance whatsoever.
The message is very clear and everyone knows this. If you want to survive in Singapore mind your own business. If you stick out like a nail, you will be hammered. Thum has by daring to openly criticize Singapore government not only hurt himself, he has become a example for Singapore to warn everyone else not to be like him under pain of total destruction.
Here are the salient examples in the island's shameful history. You will see primarily the choice of punishment is defamation of action lawsuits in their Kangaroo courts.
J B Jeyaretnam was lawyer and the most prominent of opposition critics from the 1970s to the 1980s. A lawyer, he spoke the truth and strove for democracy. His fate, being struck off the Bar repeatedly sued for defamation, made to pay all his money to Lee Kuan Yew, the then Prime Minister and Son, jailed and bankrupted and made penniless. He died in 2008.
Chee Soon Juan, also a former professor is presently living in Singapore. Because he challenged this government, he was as expected, thrown out of his professorship, repeatedly sued for defamation, repeatedly jailed and bankrupted. Now he is jobless and penniless, his career wasted.
Teo Soh Lung was a lawyer and opposition critic. She too was victimized, jailed, defamed and discredited resulting in her having to give up her law practice.
I was a lawyer and former opposition politician in Singapore. I was repeatedly harassed, disciplined by the Singapore legal profession on trumped up charges, convicted of criminal offenses. Instead of living in the island to be victimized even further I left for permanent settlement in California USA where I now live and practice law.
Besides the victims above of this one party island dictatorship, there are several thousands more who were abused and punished all because of their opposition to this regime. Some continue to live in the island in obscurity. Thousands have left the island.
Of course it hurts those who have the courage to stand up for their country. They are the best among citizens because only they despite calamitous consequences of losing their livelihoods and being reduced to a life of poverty did what they did to stand up against this dictatorship. This shows courage and integrity.
But I believe that the ones who suffer more are this island dictatorship itself. Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew's son and his dictatorship are literally shooting themselves in the foot.
Firstly every Singaporean who knows that persecuting these heroes is wrong, would develop a deep hatred against this regime, like I did. They would also lose respect for all the state institutions. Each time the island's Kangaroo courts destroys an innocent political opponent, respect for the legal system and courts is lost. Each time the Prime Minister, the late Lee Kuan Yew's son sues his opponent in court, he is despised, mocked and ridiculed. He loses all credibility. The newspapers in the island are made fun of, as nothing but propaganda. In the end, the entire present government, their police, their courts is ridiculed and loses respect.
I am a England trained barrister, formerly practicing in Singapore. When I wrote a post in 2008 in this blog criticizing a shameless woman judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for "prostituting herself and her office as a judge" while presiding over the Chee Soon Juan defamation case, I was criminally charged for "insulting a civil servant" and sent to jail. But there was no insult at all since the English word "to prostitute" also means abusing ones office, in her case judicial office, which she clearly did.
I had left Singapore much earlier in 1991 because I had lost all respect or confidence in this regime. It is impossible to live a normal human life if you have to live in fear. Today every Singaporean lives in fear of the government, making sure they are not seen as openly and publicly criticizing the government because at the slightest, he can be hauled up and destroyed.
Thousands of Singaporeans who do not wish to live this way emigrate to the West where they can hope to live normal lives without fear. Parents send their children abroad in the hope that they can develop normal thinking minds instead of being brainwashed in the island. This mounting brain drain to the West is hurting this regime at its very foundation. The only who are leaving are like me, educated intelligent thinking individuals. I have taken my skills, and experience and use it for the betterment of the society where I live now, California USA instead of Singapore. I think this massive emigration of educated Singaporeans is the biggest threat to this dictatorial regime.
I am sure these dictators in the island are fully aware of the loss they are suffering, losing the very best in their society through emigration. But unfortunately for them, they are unable to do anything about it. For one, as the island relies on foreign investment for survival, a society with a helpless workforce like in Singapore with no worker rights are, alas, is attractive to foreign companies. Secondly a society with no rights whatsoever ensures the dictators continue to remain in power. This one party state is therefore willing to accept the fact that its best citizens will leave the island thereby reducing the quality of its people as a necessary evil which they can temporarily overcome through importing foreign labor and giving instant citizenship. Unfortunately these foreign imports are no match for the highly skilled courageous committed and honest Singapore citizens who leave, as they usually do not know English, have little skills in comparison and have no clue about their island to which they have recently come. They have no loyalty or interest in the island. Their only purpose is to be able to earn a few dollars more than what their impoverished home countries of China India Bangladesh Philippines or Burma can provide.
Tiny Singapore island cannot survive if all its best citizens pack up and leave its shores.
My advice for those who want to see the fall of the Singapore dictatorship like I do is to emigrate. This is the best way you can hurt this regime. Although this method will not reap immediate results, in the competition among countries, the productivity and ingenuity of its citizens matter.
The best Singaporeans who leave the island will be positively contributing to the societies to which they go, like Australia. I have been living in California USA since 1991 and am a valuable member of my society here.
By their abuse of power and authority, by which they have discredited themselves, they have lost one of their citizens, me. I think you can hurt this regime quite well. All you have to do is to pack up and emigrate to the free world. This way, you not only benefit yourself, you also effectively hurt this regime. In the long run, with a constant loss of local Singaporean talent, they would be hard pressed to succeed or compete with other countries whose citizens on the other hand have respect for their countries and governments.
An Australian is proud of Australia, proud of its democracy, its rule of law, its freedom. An average Singaporean is ashamed of Singapore.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
San Francisco Fremont California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
If you like what I write please disseminate this blog across the island and world. Thank you.
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