Ladies and Gentlemen,
I don’t think I am too different from most other people who have a decent amount of education. As education enables people to think, with ideas and opinions beneficial to society; they would want to contribute politically and socially for the betterment of their society; engage in matters of national interest, public debate and controversy. In other words a desire to put their education to good use to make their country a better place. That is what an education is for.
Unfortunately for such people with an education; Singapore is a very distasteful place to live in. Distasteful, because Lee Kuan Yew and his family wish to selfishly hold on to power. Therefore, they find the need to suppress any opinion in the country which threatens their hold on power; even if that contrary opinion was in Singapore's best interests. For Lee Kuan Yew and his family that rule Singapore, all that matters is their personal interests, even if Singapore is destroyed.
And this is what Lee Kuan Yew is doing. Deliberately destroying Singapore.
Education as we know is empowering. With education, one knows that with or without Lee Kuan Yew, you can survive. Your skills will be accepted in any country in the world, and especially because you speak English. Throughout the world from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, the world atlas alphabet, an educated person knows that he is welcome anywhere where his skills are needed.
And education tells us that first world countries are democratic. Where each person is respected. Where each voice counts. Where one can advance by one's ability; and not by one's sycophancy like the case in dictatorial regimes; North Korea where one advances with the patronage of Kim Jong Il, in Burma with the patronage of General Than Swe and in Singapore with the patronage of Lee Kuan Yew. Those who succeed in Singapore with Lee's support live as slaves. You are paid huge salaries to parrot Lee’s orders.
On the other hand, in first world democratic countries, one advances because one has skills and abilities which are in demand, not because George Bush likes them.
Many Singaporeans presently view Singapore’s support, assistance and succor for the brutal Burmese military junta totally unacceptable. They are aware of massive Singapore investments in Burma. They are aware that Singapore sells arms to them. They are aware that it is these very weapons which have been used to shoot at innocent protestors. Yet they can do nothing to compel Lee Kuan Yew and his government to account for their actions.
In the case of Dr. Chee Soon Juan who felt the need to publicly protest, Lee Kuan Yew's answer is to arrest, prosecute and imprison him. The government is not open to contrary opinion. Educated people find this life of submission intolerable. Therefore they pack their bags and leave for more civilized counties where their opinions matter.
Take the fact that Singapore media is owned and controlled by the Lee family. The fact that news in Singapore is censored. The fact that there is no free flow of opinion. One is unable to read the Far Eastern Review because it is banned. You are compelled to read the government propaganda churned out in the government printing presses. An educated man would want to know the truth. Not propaganda. It is not necessary; indeed distasteful and shameful to humbly accept only propaganda. So they leave for countries where they can get the truth. They go to the UK the USA Britain Australia and New Zealand.
The daily working lives of Singapore citizens; if they are educated, is distressing and shameful. A civil servant, no matter how much he personally hates the dictatorial regime of Lee Kuan Yew, has to openly praise the administration in public; lest some government informer informs on him to his superiors, resulting in his career being jeopardized. As he needs the job and the income, he openly praises the government; yet when he goes home to his family he curses the government to high Heaven. In other words; for survival, he has to be a disgusting chameleon, living a double life.
I can take a bet with you that every civil servant, every government lawyer, every worker in government controlled companies, every taxi driver and almost everyone detests Lee Kuan Yew and authoritarian government. Yet they feel they have no choice but to go along with whatever is told to them, because there is nothing else they could do the change the system. They are aware that in Singapore Lee decides what next; and the people just go along with the flow. They feel helpless. They have no choice.
Those in high positions, do it for the money. They are prepared, for the money to trumpet the government’s position, even if they personally find doing what they do distasteful and shameful. A very unsatisfactory situation; not only for them, but for the future of Singapore. You have an entire country of reluctant workers.
This sort of government where it is Lee's laws and nothing else; makes educated people very uncomfortable in Singapore. They are not prepared to live like slaves, because they need not. They can go anywhere in the world they want.
So, the educated leave. They leave in droves. They leave Singapore as I write this blog. There is an ongoing brain drain. This is damaging for Singapore. Singapore needs their educated. But Lee, because of his arrogance, forces them to leave. To replace them, Singapore tries to bring in foreigners to take their places. But their places are not being filled. A highly educated Singapore doctor who goes to Canada is being replaced by a Chinese sausage maker from Hunan who does not even speak English. A skilled native Singaporean born lawyer, who emigrates to Melbourne, is being replaced by a Chinese cook from Guangdong China.
Both the Hunan sausage maker and the Guangdong cook speak only Chinese. No English at all. Before coming to Singapore, they used to live in abject poverty in China. Needless to say, neither of them have read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and neither have they ever heard of such a thing as the Constitution of Singapore. They were almost slaves in China. They have come to Singapore to be Lee's slaves. They are happy that way. Both of them will never see the need to challenge the rule of Lee Kuan Yew. Lee Kuan Yew is happy to have them. But people like them, with very little education or ability are destroying Singapore. Not making Singapore great.
The ones who can make Singapore great are the ones Lee Kuan Yew is chasing from the island. Lee's actions are deliberately causing this massive and continuing brain drain. And this brain drain is destroying Singapore. And Lee is responsible for it.
Lee is aware of this serious brain drain from Singapore. He is aware that those coming into Singapore from the nearby third world Asian countries cannot match the skills and abilities of Singaporeans who are leaving. He is aware that Singapore’s main asset is it's people, and without good and capable people, Singapore is slowly declining to become another Asian backwater. He is aware that he is destroying Singapore.
That is why we see him going to various Australian, US and Canadian cities, speaking to overseas Singaporeans and begging that they return to Singapore. He has set up, at public expense organizations such as the Singapore Overseas Unit trying to make Singaporeans return. But we have seen that all his efforts have come to zero. The fact is that educated people have more capability and self respect and they need not return to Singapore island to be told by Lee Kuan Yew what to think and how they should live their lives.
The sooner he realizes this fact the better.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Singapore. The government's dilemna with protestors.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dr. Chee and his protesters are yet again being investigated by Tanglin Police Station for yet another protest, the Burma protests. Regardless of whether they decide to charge and prosecute them or whether they decide, when they are at a disadvantage, to merely give warning letters instead of prosecution; Dr. Chee and his friends would have won either way. The government will be put to shame, once again.
The world is already aware of the denial of fundamental rights of free speech expression and assembly in Singapore. They are also very aware of Dr. Chee. If they prosecute and convict and send to him to jail yet again; as he is ready and willing to serve yet more time in Queenstown Prison; the world will again be up in arms at the blatant violation of fundamental human rights, putting Singapore in the same league as Burma.
On the other hand, if they do nothing and merely give warning letters, Dr. Chee will say that the Government is weakening at his onslaught against them. Again Dr. Chee would have won and the government would have lost. What is worse for the government is; if they do not prosecute, other Singaporeans may become emboldened and turn into citizen protesters. Perhaps a group of low income, below poverty line citizens might finally decide, take courage and demand a a small part of the $3 million a year that Lee and his family and friends pay themselves!
What if some unhappy CPF members decides, enough is enough; we want our money now, and take to the streets in front of the Istana.
And what is worse is if Singaporeans begin to ignore DSP Deep Singh's (the selected police officer in the cat and mouse game with the protesters) repeated broken record pleas of "This is an illegal procession. It is illegal under Singapore law. We are investigating this case. Please leave this place" warnings!
The only other way to silence Dr. Chee is for the government to send him to prison for a long time. This may shut him up; but the international disapproval of Singaporean governing methods will only increase.
If Dr. Chee is able to keep up his fight; which I think he can, I can see only one winner in the end. Dr. Chee and the cause of freedom.
And with time, more will turn protesters.
And the one thing that Lee is mortally afraid of is protests, since Singapore is a crowded place and protests are doubly effective in crowded places. If only Dr. Chee can manage to cultivate the culture of protests, Lee will have a difficult time explaining repressive laws such as protest permits to his people.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538,
USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
Dr. Chee and his protesters are yet again being investigated by Tanglin Police Station for yet another protest, the Burma protests. Regardless of whether they decide to charge and prosecute them or whether they decide, when they are at a disadvantage, to merely give warning letters instead of prosecution; Dr. Chee and his friends would have won either way. The government will be put to shame, once again.
The world is already aware of the denial of fundamental rights of free speech expression and assembly in Singapore. They are also very aware of Dr. Chee. If they prosecute and convict and send to him to jail yet again; as he is ready and willing to serve yet more time in Queenstown Prison; the world will again be up in arms at the blatant violation of fundamental human rights, putting Singapore in the same league as Burma.
On the other hand, if they do nothing and merely give warning letters, Dr. Chee will say that the Government is weakening at his onslaught against them. Again Dr. Chee would have won and the government would have lost. What is worse for the government is; if they do not prosecute, other Singaporeans may become emboldened and turn into citizen protesters. Perhaps a group of low income, below poverty line citizens might finally decide, take courage and demand a a small part of the $3 million a year that Lee and his family and friends pay themselves!
What if some unhappy CPF members decides, enough is enough; we want our money now, and take to the streets in front of the Istana.
And what is worse is if Singaporeans begin to ignore DSP Deep Singh's (the selected police officer in the cat and mouse game with the protesters) repeated broken record pleas of "This is an illegal procession. It is illegal under Singapore law. We are investigating this case. Please leave this place" warnings!
The only other way to silence Dr. Chee is for the government to send him to prison for a long time. This may shut him up; but the international disapproval of Singaporean governing methods will only increase.
If Dr. Chee is able to keep up his fight; which I think he can, I can see only one winner in the end. Dr. Chee and the cause of freedom.
And with time, more will turn protesters.
And the one thing that Lee is mortally afraid of is protests, since Singapore is a crowded place and protests are doubly effective in crowded places. If only Dr. Chee can manage to cultivate the culture of protests, Lee will have a difficult time explaining repressive laws such as protest permits to his people.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538,
USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Singapore. Sylvia Lim speak with forked tongue.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Had I been a Red Indian, instead of an Asian Indian, I would have told Sylvia Lim, Non Constituency Member of Parliament of Singapore representing the Workers Party, that at the recent International Bar Association Conference held in Singapore, she spoke with forked tongue! As the Red Indian had told the white man many years ago "White man speak with forked tongue"!
Instead of representing the interests of the law and the cause of justice and democracy, she instead shamefully decided to take the side of repression and authoritarianism when she told 3,000 lawyers from around the world that there was nothing wrong with the legal system of Singapore and foreign lawyers should mind their own business and not meddle in Singapore's domestic policies. Those may not be her exact words but in essence that is what she meant!
Wait a minute, you may say! Is this not the line that Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP would take when international human rights and legal organizations justly criticize the Lee Kuan Yew government for its various repressive laws that exist in Singapore; such as the denial of the right to peaceful protest and assembly, of the right to free speech and expression, rights which are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human rights, which are glaringly lacking in this island dictatorship! Blatant human rights violations!
Well then, who is she representing, by the way? Is she representing the PAP or is she an opposition politician as she claims to be.
And her words become all the more shocking, when we are told that she is indeed a law professor in one of the colleges in Singapore!
I try to be a gentleman and try to avoid using strong words; but sometimes I find it difficult to restrain myself. This is what I will say to her. She has betrayed her cause, betrayed her party, betrayed the trust of the members of the Workers Party, betrayed the trust of the members of all opposition parties in Singapore, betrayed the trust of the people of Singapore and betrayed herself and her conscience. She should be ashamed of herself.
She knows that;
1. Lee denies human rights to his people
2. Lee denies his people any possible means to exercise their right of self determination
and yet she says, without any hesitation, that Singapore can take care of it's human rights problems and outsiders should not comment.
How can she honestly say this when at this very moment, her people are being politically suppressed in every way possible.
Her betrayal becomes even more shameful when she does this under the guise of being an opposition politician.
All that I can say is that she is a shameless woman. Singaporeans should ignore her. She should be sent to Coventry; as the saying goes. Or to the pantry, which ever is more convenient. There is no need to waste too much time with her. She is not worth it.
For more details of her betrayal, please go the the SDP web site, read 21 Oct 07 SDP disappointed with WP's IBA comments.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
Had I been a Red Indian, instead of an Asian Indian, I would have told Sylvia Lim, Non Constituency Member of Parliament of Singapore representing the Workers Party, that at the recent International Bar Association Conference held in Singapore, she spoke with forked tongue! As the Red Indian had told the white man many years ago "White man speak with forked tongue"!
Instead of representing the interests of the law and the cause of justice and democracy, she instead shamefully decided to take the side of repression and authoritarianism when she told 3,000 lawyers from around the world that there was nothing wrong with the legal system of Singapore and foreign lawyers should mind their own business and not meddle in Singapore's domestic policies. Those may not be her exact words but in essence that is what she meant!
Wait a minute, you may say! Is this not the line that Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP would take when international human rights and legal organizations justly criticize the Lee Kuan Yew government for its various repressive laws that exist in Singapore; such as the denial of the right to peaceful protest and assembly, of the right to free speech and expression, rights which are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human rights, which are glaringly lacking in this island dictatorship! Blatant human rights violations!
Well then, who is she representing, by the way? Is she representing the PAP or is she an opposition politician as she claims to be.
And her words become all the more shocking, when we are told that she is indeed a law professor in one of the colleges in Singapore!
I try to be a gentleman and try to avoid using strong words; but sometimes I find it difficult to restrain myself. This is what I will say to her. She has betrayed her cause, betrayed her party, betrayed the trust of the members of the Workers Party, betrayed the trust of the members of all opposition parties in Singapore, betrayed the trust of the people of Singapore and betrayed herself and her conscience. She should be ashamed of herself.
She knows that;
1. Lee denies human rights to his people
2. Lee denies his people any possible means to exercise their right of self determination
and yet she says, without any hesitation, that Singapore can take care of it's human rights problems and outsiders should not comment.
How can she honestly say this when at this very moment, her people are being politically suppressed in every way possible.
Her betrayal becomes even more shameful when she does this under the guise of being an opposition politician.
All that I can say is that she is a shameless woman. Singaporeans should ignore her. She should be sent to Coventry; as the saying goes. Or to the pantry, which ever is more convenient. There is no need to waste too much time with her. She is not worth it.
For more details of her betrayal, please go the the SDP web site, read 21 Oct 07 SDP disappointed with WP's IBA comments.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
Friday, October 19, 2007
Singapore. The Workers Party and the Singapore Democratic Alliance should stop claiming to be opposition political parties.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Workers Party with Loh Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and the Singapore Democratic Alliance Chiam See Thong should stop wasting their time and Singaporeans time in claiming to work for democratic rights of Singaporeans. They are doing nothing for the cause of democracy in Singapore.
Look at what they do. They go to Parliament and make some speeches about this or that. The government promptly refutes their allegations. Then they go home and nothing more. In the meantime, the government carries on with a total disregard of the citizens rights; while these so called opposition politicians wait for the next parliamentary session to make further speeches upon speeches, ad nauseum. And as these opposition politicians make their speeches, Lee Kuan Yew continues to do whatever he wants whenever he wants; with total disregard of the citizen's rights.
These opposition politicians are doing nothing. They should be told to go home, and stay there.
The following are the startling glaring grievances. Citizens need permits for each of these activities following, and permits will always be denied if it furthers the opposition cause. In other words, they have no rights.
1. The people have no right to free speech
2. They have no right to assembly
3. They have no right to organize into societies
4. They have no right to print and publish newspapers
5. They have no equal recourse to justice. Political opponents cases will be lost.
6. Political opponents will not be able to find a lawyer to represent them.
7. They cannot criticize the ruling party. If they do, they will be sued for defamation of character and bankrupted.
The Workers Party is aware of the repression that goes on. Yet they do nothing, save making speeches upon speeches which are just ignored by the Lee Kuan Yew Administration.
It is not enough for the The Workers Party and the SDA merely to make speeches when they know the government just ignores them.
They should realize that they are elected to fight for citizen's rights. And if these rights are denied, they must do whatever is necessary; including peaceful street protests, boycotts, civil unrest and any other necessary means to force the dictatorial Lee regime to submit to the truth. They have to be forced, through whatever means, short of violence, to give the people their rights, which the government denies them.
These wasted opposition politicians of the WP and the SDA should be honest and tell their people that they are unable to deliver. Merely warming their seats and collecting their salaries is dishonest.
The people already know that the Lee Administration does not permit free and fair elections. They illegally deprive real and capable politicians to stand for elections for the opposition; by threats of defamation suits and other forms of punishment resulting in the eternal lack of suitable opposition candidates to stand in elections.
Therefore both you, I and they, know that it is impossible in these circumstances, for the opposition to defeat the tyrant Lee Kuan Yew through the ballot box.
In these circumstances, if the people really want to enjoy their fundamental rights to live as free people, the only way forward is to force the government to submit to the demands of the people.
Today, only the SDP with Dr. Chee Soon Juan and his colleagues are doing what should be done. They are using whatever lawful means they can; short of resorting to violence, to compel this authoritarian government to admit that they are bound by the constitution after all. That whether they like it or not, the interests of the people are paramount; not theirs with their $3 million salary each.
I have the respect and admiration of all the Workers Party supporters as well as those in the SDA. It is Loh Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and Chiam See Thong that I have quarrels with.
I ask that each member of these 2 opposition parties demand of them that they are required to do something tangible for the people. Otherwise they should step aside and allow more honest leaders to take the reigns. Second, I tell party members that they do not need the approval of these ineffective leaders to do what they want. They should go ahead and strike, protest, boycott and carry out other forms of civil disobedience until their demands are met; with or without the approval of these inept and ineffective leaders. And this can be done not only by opposition party members but by everyone in Singapore who cherishes to live as free men.
Of course, if you feel it necessary, you can also leave and join the SDP and stand with Dr. Chee and his friends in their courageous and honorable road that they take in their fight for freedom.
From Northern California, I watch with admiration the work of these martyrs for freedom. The wheel of democracy is turning. It may take some time but it is steadily moving in the right direction.
The destination has been charted. True course has been converted to magnetic giving magnetic course. Magnetic course has been corrected for the cross wind component giving magnetic heading. Compass deviation has been corrected giving compass heading. All navigation instruments working correct.The aircraft is spot on course. Nothing can go wrong now.
If the destination is Freedom City Airport, you can almost here the Captain say,
"Freedom City Tower, Antonov 12, 3754 Niner Victor, 15 miles south west of field over Kong Kong, with information Charlie. Inbound for Landing".
The human nature inherently seeks freedom. This is because humans have the ability to think. Between freedom and bondage, the force of nature always results in the success of the former. This is the law of nature. Lee Kuan Yew should realize this.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
The Workers Party with Loh Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and the Singapore Democratic Alliance Chiam See Thong should stop wasting their time and Singaporeans time in claiming to work for democratic rights of Singaporeans. They are doing nothing for the cause of democracy in Singapore.
Look at what they do. They go to Parliament and make some speeches about this or that. The government promptly refutes their allegations. Then they go home and nothing more. In the meantime, the government carries on with a total disregard of the citizens rights; while these so called opposition politicians wait for the next parliamentary session to make further speeches upon speeches, ad nauseum. And as these opposition politicians make their speeches, Lee Kuan Yew continues to do whatever he wants whenever he wants; with total disregard of the citizen's rights.
These opposition politicians are doing nothing. They should be told to go home, and stay there.
The following are the startling glaring grievances. Citizens need permits for each of these activities following, and permits will always be denied if it furthers the opposition cause. In other words, they have no rights.
1. The people have no right to free speech
2. They have no right to assembly
3. They have no right to organize into societies
4. They have no right to print and publish newspapers
5. They have no equal recourse to justice. Political opponents cases will be lost.
6. Political opponents will not be able to find a lawyer to represent them.
7. They cannot criticize the ruling party. If they do, they will be sued for defamation of character and bankrupted.
The Workers Party is aware of the repression that goes on. Yet they do nothing, save making speeches upon speeches which are just ignored by the Lee Kuan Yew Administration.
It is not enough for the The Workers Party and the SDA merely to make speeches when they know the government just ignores them.
They should realize that they are elected to fight for citizen's rights. And if these rights are denied, they must do whatever is necessary; including peaceful street protests, boycotts, civil unrest and any other necessary means to force the dictatorial Lee regime to submit to the truth. They have to be forced, through whatever means, short of violence, to give the people their rights, which the government denies them.
These wasted opposition politicians of the WP and the SDA should be honest and tell their people that they are unable to deliver. Merely warming their seats and collecting their salaries is dishonest.
The people already know that the Lee Administration does not permit free and fair elections. They illegally deprive real and capable politicians to stand for elections for the opposition; by threats of defamation suits and other forms of punishment resulting in the eternal lack of suitable opposition candidates to stand in elections.
Therefore both you, I and they, know that it is impossible in these circumstances, for the opposition to defeat the tyrant Lee Kuan Yew through the ballot box.
In these circumstances, if the people really want to enjoy their fundamental rights to live as free people, the only way forward is to force the government to submit to the demands of the people.
Today, only the SDP with Dr. Chee Soon Juan and his colleagues are doing what should be done. They are using whatever lawful means they can; short of resorting to violence, to compel this authoritarian government to admit that they are bound by the constitution after all. That whether they like it or not, the interests of the people are paramount; not theirs with their $3 million salary each.
I have the respect and admiration of all the Workers Party supporters as well as those in the SDA. It is Loh Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and Chiam See Thong that I have quarrels with.
I ask that each member of these 2 opposition parties demand of them that they are required to do something tangible for the people. Otherwise they should step aside and allow more honest leaders to take the reigns. Second, I tell party members that they do not need the approval of these ineffective leaders to do what they want. They should go ahead and strike, protest, boycott and carry out other forms of civil disobedience until their demands are met; with or without the approval of these inept and ineffective leaders. And this can be done not only by opposition party members but by everyone in Singapore who cherishes to live as free men.
Of course, if you feel it necessary, you can also leave and join the SDP and stand with Dr. Chee and his friends in their courageous and honorable road that they take in their fight for freedom.
From Northern California, I watch with admiration the work of these martyrs for freedom. The wheel of democracy is turning. It may take some time but it is steadily moving in the right direction.
The destination has been charted. True course has been converted to magnetic giving magnetic course. Magnetic course has been corrected for the cross wind component giving magnetic heading. Compass deviation has been corrected giving compass heading. All navigation instruments working correct.The aircraft is spot on course. Nothing can go wrong now.
If the destination is Freedom City Airport, you can almost here the Captain say,
"Freedom City Tower, Antonov 12, 3754 Niner Victor, 15 miles south west of field over Kong Kong, with information Charlie. Inbound for Landing".
The human nature inherently seeks freedom. This is because humans have the ability to think. Between freedom and bondage, the force of nature always results in the success of the former. This is the law of nature. Lee Kuan Yew should realize this.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Singapore government's desperate attempt to show a pretty face at the IBA Conference.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the ongoing International Bar Association's conference in Singapore, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch of Canada and other respected international organizations have asked the Bar Association to condemn Singapore government's denial of the rule of law in Singapore. As the heat of international "lack of rule of law" criticism is now being felt by the Singaporean dictators Lee Kuan Yew and his family, they are desperately trying to refute these allegations, by making various important people there to make speeches refuting it, without much success.
You have seen Lee Kuan Yew himself making the keynote speech at the beginning of the conference say that Singapore is indeed a country where the rule of law is respected. In support of his claim, he refers to PERC, a Hong Kong based financial consultancy which places Singapore high on the list for legal efficiency. However he conveniently fails to say that this organization's main business is to give advice to foreign investors doing business in Singapore. PERC, by the very nature of their business, is not concerned whether the poor average Singaporean native will get the same justice as the rich American investor would, in Singapore courts.
Neither is PERC concerned whether human rights is respected in the country, since this does not factor into the equation for foreign businessmen in Singapore, as the bottom line is maximum profits, not human rights or the rule of law. We can assume that according to PERC, China too will have a good ranking for the rule of law, since American investors find China the best place to invest for manufacturing.
The Attorney General of Singapore has also found it necessary to weigh in on Lee Kuan Yew's claim on the rule of law in Singapore. He too has made a speech praising the existence of complete independence of the judiciary in Singapore and swears that the rule of law is followed to the letter.
However he has left unsaid the fact that the very newspaper that publishes these praises from these ruling elite of Singapore is in fact not independent. The Straits Times is fully owned and controlled by Lee Kuan Yew and his family just as all the other media in Singapore is. I understand all the media in Burma is also controlled by the military junta in that country.
He has also failed to mention that in this rule of law country that he claims, not a single member of Lee Kuan Yew's ruling party has ever lost a law suit brought before the courts against their political opponents. Lee Kuan Yew and his family routinely sue political opponents and foreign newspapers for defamation of character and they invariably win all their cases and always manage collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, awarded by judges in those courts. Are we to assume that Lee Kuan Yew and his family members are always right and their political opponents always wrong, or is there some other reason for this definite pattern of judicial decisions in favor of the Lee family, such as judicial bias?
In the end, behind this pattern of defamation actions and humongous awards awarded against political opponents in these courts, and with such respected international organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, New York Bar Association and even the State Department of the US all saying that Singapore is indeed a country that denies it's citizens their fundamental human rights, and lacks the rule of law; is Lee Kuan Yew telling us that we should still believe him and his Attorney General?
He might as well go ahead and tell us that the moon is made of cheese.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
At the ongoing International Bar Association's conference in Singapore, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch of Canada and other respected international organizations have asked the Bar Association to condemn Singapore government's denial of the rule of law in Singapore. As the heat of international "lack of rule of law" criticism is now being felt by the Singaporean dictators Lee Kuan Yew and his family, they are desperately trying to refute these allegations, by making various important people there to make speeches refuting it, without much success.
You have seen Lee Kuan Yew himself making the keynote speech at the beginning of the conference say that Singapore is indeed a country where the rule of law is respected. In support of his claim, he refers to PERC, a Hong Kong based financial consultancy which places Singapore high on the list for legal efficiency. However he conveniently fails to say that this organization's main business is to give advice to foreign investors doing business in Singapore. PERC, by the very nature of their business, is not concerned whether the poor average Singaporean native will get the same justice as the rich American investor would, in Singapore courts.
Neither is PERC concerned whether human rights is respected in the country, since this does not factor into the equation for foreign businessmen in Singapore, as the bottom line is maximum profits, not human rights or the rule of law. We can assume that according to PERC, China too will have a good ranking for the rule of law, since American investors find China the best place to invest for manufacturing.
The Attorney General of Singapore has also found it necessary to weigh in on Lee Kuan Yew's claim on the rule of law in Singapore. He too has made a speech praising the existence of complete independence of the judiciary in Singapore and swears that the rule of law is followed to the letter.
However he has left unsaid the fact that the very newspaper that publishes these praises from these ruling elite of Singapore is in fact not independent. The Straits Times is fully owned and controlled by Lee Kuan Yew and his family just as all the other media in Singapore is. I understand all the media in Burma is also controlled by the military junta in that country.
He has also failed to mention that in this rule of law country that he claims, not a single member of Lee Kuan Yew's ruling party has ever lost a law suit brought before the courts against their political opponents. Lee Kuan Yew and his family routinely sue political opponents and foreign newspapers for defamation of character and they invariably win all their cases and always manage collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, awarded by judges in those courts. Are we to assume that Lee Kuan Yew and his family members are always right and their political opponents always wrong, or is there some other reason for this definite pattern of judicial decisions in favor of the Lee family, such as judicial bias?
In the end, behind this pattern of defamation actions and humongous awards awarded against political opponents in these courts, and with such respected international organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, New York Bar Association and even the State Department of the US all saying that Singapore is indeed a country that denies it's citizens their fundamental human rights, and lacks the rule of law; is Lee Kuan Yew telling us that we should still believe him and his Attorney General?
He might as well go ahead and tell us that the moon is made of cheese.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Singapore. Unjust laws need not be obeyed. They are unconstitutional.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Singapore Constitution of 1965, with the breakup from Malaysia was based on the principles of a parliamentary democracy; where the foundational philosophy and backbone of the country was democracy, not dictatorship; a country which believed the best form of government was based on liberty, the exchange of free speech and expression among it's citizens; where citizens can peacefully protest their grievances to their government; where every citizen's desires and opinions mattered; where the government is accountable to the people; and where consensus can be reached through free and fair elections; where the will of the people is supreme.
In other words, democracy. Singapore was meant to be a democratic country.
In this democratic clash of ideas among it's citizens, where each individual has a say in what he thinks to be correct; the country advances as new ideas replace the old, where the country is constantly on the move in it's thinking, its vibrancy; and where every citizen is proud of his country because he feels himself responsible for the destiny of his country, and takes credit for it's success.
In other words, the constitution of Singapore, as it is written gave every man and women in Singapore a say on how their country is run and to change it, if they so desired. These rights are enshrined in the constitution of Singapore.
In the constitutional system of government; which Singapore is supposed to be; and as it is written; the document called the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the land, which overrides every other legislation or law, and where the laws conflict with the provisions of the Constitution, the laws themselves become illegal as being contrary to the provisions of the Constitution.
In other words, the makers of Singapore constitution considered the provisions such as the right to free speech and expression, the right to free assembly and the right to non violent peaceful protest, as fundamental and supreme rights which must be cherished and respected by any government of Singapore. That is why these provisions appear in the constitution. They are vitally important and have to be protected for the good of the country.
The laws of the country are to be based on the spirit and letter of the constitution; rules and laws having to reflect and support it; the country to be run according to it.
But Lee Kuan Yew, since he came into power, systematically weakened the constitutional rights of his people until today; when one could correctly say that Singapore no longer has a constitution. Evey constitutional right that citizen's had has been systematically diluted or denied entirely.
These actions by Lee Kuan Yew and his PAP are illegal, ultra vires the constitution, and are a denial of the fundamental rights of their citizens. Therefore, these laws that take away the constitutional rights of the citizens are void in law and devoid of any legal effect.
The Constitution of Singapore specially provides the right of peaceful assembly and enshrined in it. This right is supreme and is the entrenched law of the land. This right belongs to the citizens in perpetuity. Contrary to the specific provision of the constitution, Lee Kuan Yew has passed a law that requires a protest of 5 or more people; even if peaceful; to have a permit. This law is a direct violation of the Constitution.
Lee Kuan Yew in his desire to crush any political opposition, justifies this illegal 5 person protest law by articulating an argument that for the sake of public order, protests have to be controlled and regulated, thereby requiring licences for 5 or more people. Yet, in the entire history of Singapore, although numerous applications for peaceful protest licenses have been applied for by the opposition; so far not a single one has been granted.
It is very clear that the PAP government has no intention of ever granting a single permit to the opposition for their lawful political purposes. It is also very clear that even though the opposition has always been peaceful and has never resorted to any violence whatsoever, no matter what, the government is determined to deny their right to further their political cause. The PAP's aim in such a law is to deny political opponents any opportunity to peacefully challenge Lee and his government. The intended purpose has never been to preserve law and order.
It therefore makes such a law, which has no lawful compelling or even reasonable national interest, clearly illegal. It is clearly an unjust law which is not only illegal in law; and neither does it have any moral basis whatsoever.
This makes the law void and unenforceable. Therefore Singapore citizens should have not only the right to break such a law; they should make it their moral duty to break it.
It is the same with freedom of speech and expression which is enshrined as a fundamental right in the constitution. The right to read what you want, the right to print and publish what you want, unless the writing is defamatory; defamatory in the lawful sense, not in the sense of Lee's interpretation of it; and the right to say what you want and to speak what you want, freely and fearlessly, as proud men and women. These are constitutional rights.
Since Lee's authority may be threatened if you are permitted to speak whatever you want; he imposes laws, illegal laws, to deny you that right. He enacts the Newspapers and Printing Presses Act which requires licenses, preventing you from writing and publishing whatever you want; he has the Societies Act which prevents you from exercising your constitutional right of free assembly and association; he enacts labor laws that deny workers to freely join unions and for their leaders to represent their workers; and I can go on and on about Lee's illegality of his laws.
By every proud Singaporean proud of his country, these laws unjust illegal laws should be deliberately broken. In breaking them, you will not be a criminal. You will be a patriot and a nationalist fighting for what you think best for your country; and having the courage to stand up to it.
That is why, Dr. Chee, Chee Siok Chin, Gandhi Ambalam and Charles Tan, as well as other activists such as Uncle Yap, Monica Gogilvani and the other courageous Singaporeans; if I left out any I apologize; are the truest and best citizens in what they do.
Those of us, others who just stand by and do nothing, will do well now to see that it is not illegal to break these laws; but indeed honorable to do so.
Singapore laws such as the 5 person protest law is illegal and Dr. Chee is not breaking the law by protesting. Singaporeans should understand this.
I am not suggesting that each time you dislike a law, you should break it. But I am saying that there are laws in Singapore which are clearly and openly politically motivated; and not for any national interest. When you see such laws, such as these; you will be an honorable man or woman who says " This is my country. I will not tolerate laws such as these".
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
The Singapore Constitution of 1965, with the breakup from Malaysia was based on the principles of a parliamentary democracy; where the foundational philosophy and backbone of the country was democracy, not dictatorship; a country which believed the best form of government was based on liberty, the exchange of free speech and expression among it's citizens; where citizens can peacefully protest their grievances to their government; where every citizen's desires and opinions mattered; where the government is accountable to the people; and where consensus can be reached through free and fair elections; where the will of the people is supreme.
In other words, democracy. Singapore was meant to be a democratic country.
In this democratic clash of ideas among it's citizens, where each individual has a say in what he thinks to be correct; the country advances as new ideas replace the old, where the country is constantly on the move in it's thinking, its vibrancy; and where every citizen is proud of his country because he feels himself responsible for the destiny of his country, and takes credit for it's success.
In other words, the constitution of Singapore, as it is written gave every man and women in Singapore a say on how their country is run and to change it, if they so desired. These rights are enshrined in the constitution of Singapore.
In the constitutional system of government; which Singapore is supposed to be; and as it is written; the document called the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the land, which overrides every other legislation or law, and where the laws conflict with the provisions of the Constitution, the laws themselves become illegal as being contrary to the provisions of the Constitution.
In other words, the makers of Singapore constitution considered the provisions such as the right to free speech and expression, the right to free assembly and the right to non violent peaceful protest, as fundamental and supreme rights which must be cherished and respected by any government of Singapore. That is why these provisions appear in the constitution. They are vitally important and have to be protected for the good of the country.
The laws of the country are to be based on the spirit and letter of the constitution; rules and laws having to reflect and support it; the country to be run according to it.
But Lee Kuan Yew, since he came into power, systematically weakened the constitutional rights of his people until today; when one could correctly say that Singapore no longer has a constitution. Evey constitutional right that citizen's had has been systematically diluted or denied entirely.
These actions by Lee Kuan Yew and his PAP are illegal, ultra vires the constitution, and are a denial of the fundamental rights of their citizens. Therefore, these laws that take away the constitutional rights of the citizens are void in law and devoid of any legal effect.
The Constitution of Singapore specially provides the right of peaceful assembly and enshrined in it. This right is supreme and is the entrenched law of the land. This right belongs to the citizens in perpetuity. Contrary to the specific provision of the constitution, Lee Kuan Yew has passed a law that requires a protest of 5 or more people; even if peaceful; to have a permit. This law is a direct violation of the Constitution.
Lee Kuan Yew in his desire to crush any political opposition, justifies this illegal 5 person protest law by articulating an argument that for the sake of public order, protests have to be controlled and regulated, thereby requiring licences for 5 or more people. Yet, in the entire history of Singapore, although numerous applications for peaceful protest licenses have been applied for by the opposition; so far not a single one has been granted.
It is very clear that the PAP government has no intention of ever granting a single permit to the opposition for their lawful political purposes. It is also very clear that even though the opposition has always been peaceful and has never resorted to any violence whatsoever, no matter what, the government is determined to deny their right to further their political cause. The PAP's aim in such a law is to deny political opponents any opportunity to peacefully challenge Lee and his government. The intended purpose has never been to preserve law and order.
It therefore makes such a law, which has no lawful compelling or even reasonable national interest, clearly illegal. It is clearly an unjust law which is not only illegal in law; and neither does it have any moral basis whatsoever.
This makes the law void and unenforceable. Therefore Singapore citizens should have not only the right to break such a law; they should make it their moral duty to break it.
It is the same with freedom of speech and expression which is enshrined as a fundamental right in the constitution. The right to read what you want, the right to print and publish what you want, unless the writing is defamatory; defamatory in the lawful sense, not in the sense of Lee's interpretation of it; and the right to say what you want and to speak what you want, freely and fearlessly, as proud men and women. These are constitutional rights.
Since Lee's authority may be threatened if you are permitted to speak whatever you want; he imposes laws, illegal laws, to deny you that right. He enacts the Newspapers and Printing Presses Act which requires licenses, preventing you from writing and publishing whatever you want; he has the Societies Act which prevents you from exercising your constitutional right of free assembly and association; he enacts labor laws that deny workers to freely join unions and for their leaders to represent their workers; and I can go on and on about Lee's illegality of his laws.
By every proud Singaporean proud of his country, these laws unjust illegal laws should be deliberately broken. In breaking them, you will not be a criminal. You will be a patriot and a nationalist fighting for what you think best for your country; and having the courage to stand up to it.
That is why, Dr. Chee, Chee Siok Chin, Gandhi Ambalam and Charles Tan, as well as other activists such as Uncle Yap, Monica Gogilvani and the other courageous Singaporeans; if I left out any I apologize; are the truest and best citizens in what they do.
Those of us, others who just stand by and do nothing, will do well now to see that it is not illegal to break these laws; but indeed honorable to do so.
Singapore laws such as the 5 person protest law is illegal and Dr. Chee is not breaking the law by protesting. Singaporeans should understand this.
I am not suggesting that each time you dislike a law, you should break it. But I am saying that there are laws in Singapore which are clearly and openly politically motivated; and not for any national interest. When you see such laws, such as these; you will be an honorable man or woman who says " This is my country. I will not tolerate laws such as these".
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com
A letter from overseas from Manickam Muthu
Hi Gopalan
I stumbled onto your blog quite by accident. Very interesting site.
I like the entry in August about what to do survive in Singapore..
After studying and living in Oz for almost ten years I gave up my Singapore Citizenship mainly because it gave me a sense of belonging to Australia in taking up Citizenship here.
However when I was answering the questions on the Renunciation Form that the Singapore Embassy sent to me - I actually felt very sad - because a lot of the questions evoked good childhood memories - like where you went to school - addresses that you lived in etc.
(Much like your profile description - I remember Winstedt Rd school - they must have converted it to the Foreign Language Centre as I went there German lessons from 1983 to
1986!)
There was also a lot of pressure from family and relatives - mainly from the older generation who have no idea or refuse to believe that the Singapore they knew had changed so much.
I decided to renounce in secret as funny as it seems and I had to hide my passport from my parents when I visited them after a five year hiatus. That visit sealed the deal for me.. all the reasons that contributed towards my decision to leave the country came back in full force. However holding a foreign passport and the thought of having my own safe home to go back to gave me a sense of security like you wouldn't believe. It reminded me of the past when I felt so oppressed living there and absolutely hated every single day of my life - the national service, NUS, and watching as foreigners got red carpet treatment whilst locals of my age group were struggling to get a foothold in the job market.
Anyway I will look forward to reading your blogs..
Cheers
Manickam
I stumbled onto your blog quite by accident. Very interesting site.
I like the entry in August about what to do survive in Singapore..
After studying and living in Oz for almost ten years I gave up my Singapore Citizenship mainly because it gave me a sense of belonging to Australia in taking up Citizenship here.
However when I was answering the questions on the Renunciation Form that the Singapore Embassy sent to me - I actually felt very sad - because a lot of the questions evoked good childhood memories - like where you went to school - addresses that you lived in etc.
(Much like your profile description - I remember Winstedt Rd school - they must have converted it to the Foreign Language Centre as I went there German lessons from 1983 to
1986!)
There was also a lot of pressure from family and relatives - mainly from the older generation who have no idea or refuse to believe that the Singapore they knew had changed so much.
I decided to renounce in secret as funny as it seems and I had to hide my passport from my parents when I visited them after a five year hiatus. That visit sealed the deal for me.. all the reasons that contributed towards my decision to leave the country came back in full force. However holding a foreign passport and the thought of having my own safe home to go back to gave me a sense of security like you wouldn't believe. It reminded me of the past when I felt so oppressed living there and absolutely hated every single day of my life - the national service, NUS, and watching as foreigners got red carpet treatment whilst locals of my age group were struggling to get a foothold in the job market.
Anyway I will look forward to reading your blogs..
Cheers
Manickam
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