Ladies and Gentlemen,
The word "digit" by the way is what Lee Kuan Yew, the Singapore strongman, once referred to Singaporeans; a word that speaks volumes of how little he thinks of them.
Singapore's official newspapers, the state controlled Straits Times of Jan 31, 2010 has the story "Opposition picking new leaders" about how Singapore's almost dead opposition political parties have been picking their "leaders". I say, almost dead, because they are not opposition political parties in the normal sense. For instance a Singapore opposition political party may have no more than 2 people, without any premises and working off their homes, and only do anything once in 5 years just before the elections.
They are not like the England's Labor Party or the American Republican Party. They are all afraid of Lee Kuan Yew for what what he may do, so living in fear, it is best to do nothing at all, except for a few days before the elections.
So much for that.
But what I want to say is this. This report in the state's newspaper is nothing but a gimmick. It makes no difference to Lee Kuan Yew and his government whether the opposition parties elected anyone or none at all. In fact it makes no difference to him if they all just dropped dead, because whatever they do, Lee Kuan Yew and his boys are going to win the next general election. And not just that, he is going to win all seats except for the the 2 pseudo opposition characters Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong, who are almost PAP members except for name. This will be the prediction simply because, as you know, he has no intention of handing power over to anyone.
He will win the next elections one way or another, and if necessary he will rig it if he has not already done so.
But he not only wants to win, he also wants to paint a facade of democracy, because being another Cuba is not good for business. So his brilliant idea of NMPs, or Nominated Members of Parliament. He will nominate many goons to that office, who will pretend to ask pertinent questions on policy and then advertise it in his state controlled newspapers as democratic debate; when everyone will know that these opportunists are just performing in the Punch and Judy Singapore Parliament show.
And this is Singapore's political opera in the totalitarian police state.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Singapore. What! Thaipusam milks donations!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It should not be a surprise to see the quality of English writing in Singapore's official state controlled newspapers declining. What else could anyone expect of a state controlled organization that churns out propaganda on a daily basis as does Singapore's Straits Times, whose media has the dubious distinction of being only slightly freer than that of North Korea. According to the the freedom monitor Reporters Without Borders, Singapore is 133rd down the list of countries for having no press freedom.
Naturally no self respecting journalist worth his salt would want to be seen within a mile of it. What they get are men such as this whose English is no better than a sixth grader's; and mind you, many sixth graders today can write better than this.
Take this example. The Straits Times of Jan 31, 2010 has the article "Thaipusam milks donations". Thaipusam, by the way, is a Hindu religious observance where among other rituals in the temple, milk is poured over the statutes of their Gods as a form of thanksgiving.
But no one who knew any English let alone a newspaper journalist would have described it as "Thaipususm milks donations". Reading this, my first impression was something sinister; I thought the temple had run away with the Hindu's charitable donations, because that is what it would normally mean! To "milk" someone means to dishonestly take his property, usually over a period of time. To "milk donations" is even worse; strongly implying that the temple had misappropriated donations from worshippers!
Only upon further reading does one discover there was no wrong doing wahtsoever. Thaipusam has not "milked" anyone. All that has happened was Hindus pouring milk over the statutes of their Gods, as they have always done.
I am a lawyer not a journalist. And being so, I would have expected someone whose job it is to write professionally, to do a better job than myself. But, the reports of Reporter's Without Borders on Singapore has begun to take it's toll after all. What is left are journalists such as this who write "Thaipusam milks donations!"
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
It should not be a surprise to see the quality of English writing in Singapore's official state controlled newspapers declining. What else could anyone expect of a state controlled organization that churns out propaganda on a daily basis as does Singapore's Straits Times, whose media has the dubious distinction of being only slightly freer than that of North Korea. According to the the freedom monitor Reporters Without Borders, Singapore is 133rd down the list of countries for having no press freedom.
Naturally no self respecting journalist worth his salt would want to be seen within a mile of it. What they get are men such as this whose English is no better than a sixth grader's; and mind you, many sixth graders today can write better than this.
Take this example. The Straits Times of Jan 31, 2010 has the article "Thaipusam milks donations". Thaipusam, by the way, is a Hindu religious observance where among other rituals in the temple, milk is poured over the statutes of their Gods as a form of thanksgiving.
But no one who knew any English let alone a newspaper journalist would have described it as "Thaipususm milks donations". Reading this, my first impression was something sinister; I thought the temple had run away with the Hindu's charitable donations, because that is what it would normally mean! To "milk" someone means to dishonestly take his property, usually over a period of time. To "milk donations" is even worse; strongly implying that the temple had misappropriated donations from worshippers!
Only upon further reading does one discover there was no wrong doing wahtsoever. Thaipusam has not "milked" anyone. All that has happened was Hindus pouring milk over the statutes of their Gods, as they have always done.
I am a lawyer not a journalist. And being so, I would have expected someone whose job it is to write professionally, to do a better job than myself. But, the reports of Reporter's Without Borders on Singapore has begun to take it's toll after all. What is left are journalists such as this who write "Thaipusam milks donations!"
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Singapore. Subservient lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As long as Singaporeans continue to accept the submissive lives you lead under the Lee Kuan Yew family, your lives will continue at the mercy of this man and his son. Your destiny is in your hands. It is up to you to exercise it. No one can do it for you.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
As long as Singaporeans continue to accept the submissive lives you lead under the Lee Kuan Yew family, your lives will continue at the mercy of this man and his son. Your destiny is in your hands. It is up to you to exercise it. No one can do it for you.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Lee Kuan Yew's model citizen
Ladies and Gentlemen,
If I was asked to write on Lee Kuan Yew's model citizen, this is what he would be.
For one, he would have passed his exams and perhaps works in Singapore Civil Service as a clerk. He would work hard, obey his orders and carry them out obediently. His job is only to consider what his orders are, not whether they are right or wrong.
His interests are limited. He would know his work duties but other than that his knowledge otherwise would be elementary. He is unlikely to have read much history, philosophy or anything much else.
He will dress conventionally with the usual haircut for men, clothes pressed and cleaned. He is unlikely to wear outlandish clothes or dye his hair green and sport dreadlocks.
He is a person of limited courage as to his abilities. He is unlikely to think himself capable of winning the Tour de France or circumnavigate the globe in a Westerly 35 sailboat. He believes that being Singaporean, such things are beyond him, more suitable for an Australian or Englishman.
In other words he is incapable of dreaming. Reaching for the stars is simply beyond him. Lee Kuan Yew's model citizen is a member of a pack and is unable to live outside it, conforming his actions and thoughts to the accepted norm of obedience and submission.
He cannot believe that like Gandhi he can single handedly topple Lee Kuan Yew. Dr. Chee Soon Juan may believe it, but Dr. Chee is not the conventional Singaporean and that is why he is not Lee's model citizen.
Lee's model citizen has in other words, a sense of limited ability. Before he even tries, he is resigned to the belief that he cannot possibly become a Usain Bolt or an Edmund Hilary.
He considers being unobtrusive a virtue. In other words, he would say what everyone else expects of him to say. For instance, if asked why are Singaporeans not demanding their political rights, his reply would probably be that it is impossible in Singapore. In fact almost every other Singapore model citizen will have the same answer.
If by chance he met Dr. Chee Soon Juan selling his books beside the street, his response would be that Dr. Chee is out of his mind, stupid or something to that effect. He would think Dr. Chee is not behaving as expected of the good people of Singapore, as criticizing the government is not seen as something acceptable in the island.
Among his friends, he would openly criticize Dr. Chee, Gopalan Nair or anyone else who behaved in an unconventional Singaporean sense, and such criticism would tend to bolster his credit as being one of the boys.
If by chance he was to meet any Singaporean minister or Lee Kuan Yew himself, his reaction would be that of respect. It would never occur to him to throw rotten eggs or even insults at them. For one, he would be arrested and two, his peers would look upon him badly. If asked why he would probably say that such behaviour is more appropriate in the West.
He may have heard that Singapore has no free press or right to free speech and expression, but since these rights do not impinge upon his daily life he is totally unconcerned about these things.
He is not concerned that Lee Kuan Yew pays himself $3.7 million a year and this is daylight robbery. Since criticizing Lee Kuan Yew can land him in trouble, he shuts off his mind from such questions.
Since he does not question these fundamentals such as the lack of free speech, free press, freedom to organize or freedom to criticize, his life becomes very simple and comfortable. He goes to work, works hard, gets promoted, has more food on the table, brings up his children in peaceful surroundings and hopes things carry on as they pleasantly and comfortably are.
His happiness and contentment is fortified by reading the state controlled newspapers that tell him about the poverty in Africa, the war in Afghanistan and trouble in Chechnya. He therefore reassures himself that his life is good the way it is in peaceful Singapore, with Lee Kuan Yew feeding him, taking care of him and loving him.
He considers people like Gopalan Nair who criticize Lee Kuan Yew who provides all these goodies as a bad person, out to make trouble and upset his present happy and peaceful existence.
Lee Kuan Yew's model citizen is an obedient hardworking law abiding quiet sober individual who does not concern himself with intangible things such as human rights since they do not directly impact upon his daily routine peaceful existence.
Such men achieve a high station in life in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, whereas those who question authority suffer a lifetime of harassment and victimization. This knowledge itself tends to keep the others in line and perpetuate the status quo of Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore.
Lee Kuan yew's model citizen hopes that Gopalan Nair would simply go away and leave him and his Singaporean paradise alone.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
If I was asked to write on Lee Kuan Yew's model citizen, this is what he would be.
For one, he would have passed his exams and perhaps works in Singapore Civil Service as a clerk. He would work hard, obey his orders and carry them out obediently. His job is only to consider what his orders are, not whether they are right or wrong.
His interests are limited. He would know his work duties but other than that his knowledge otherwise would be elementary. He is unlikely to have read much history, philosophy or anything much else.
He will dress conventionally with the usual haircut for men, clothes pressed and cleaned. He is unlikely to wear outlandish clothes or dye his hair green and sport dreadlocks.
He is a person of limited courage as to his abilities. He is unlikely to think himself capable of winning the Tour de France or circumnavigate the globe in a Westerly 35 sailboat. He believes that being Singaporean, such things are beyond him, more suitable for an Australian or Englishman.
In other words he is incapable of dreaming. Reaching for the stars is simply beyond him. Lee Kuan Yew's model citizen is a member of a pack and is unable to live outside it, conforming his actions and thoughts to the accepted norm of obedience and submission.
He cannot believe that like Gandhi he can single handedly topple Lee Kuan Yew. Dr. Chee Soon Juan may believe it, but Dr. Chee is not the conventional Singaporean and that is why he is not Lee's model citizen.
Lee's model citizen has in other words, a sense of limited ability. Before he even tries, he is resigned to the belief that he cannot possibly become a Usain Bolt or an Edmund Hilary.
He considers being unobtrusive a virtue. In other words, he would say what everyone else expects of him to say. For instance, if asked why are Singaporeans not demanding their political rights, his reply would probably be that it is impossible in Singapore. In fact almost every other Singapore model citizen will have the same answer.
If by chance he met Dr. Chee Soon Juan selling his books beside the street, his response would be that Dr. Chee is out of his mind, stupid or something to that effect. He would think Dr. Chee is not behaving as expected of the good people of Singapore, as criticizing the government is not seen as something acceptable in the island.
Among his friends, he would openly criticize Dr. Chee, Gopalan Nair or anyone else who behaved in an unconventional Singaporean sense, and such criticism would tend to bolster his credit as being one of the boys.
If by chance he was to meet any Singaporean minister or Lee Kuan Yew himself, his reaction would be that of respect. It would never occur to him to throw rotten eggs or even insults at them. For one, he would be arrested and two, his peers would look upon him badly. If asked why he would probably say that such behaviour is more appropriate in the West.
He may have heard that Singapore has no free press or right to free speech and expression, but since these rights do not impinge upon his daily life he is totally unconcerned about these things.
He is not concerned that Lee Kuan Yew pays himself $3.7 million a year and this is daylight robbery. Since criticizing Lee Kuan Yew can land him in trouble, he shuts off his mind from such questions.
Since he does not question these fundamentals such as the lack of free speech, free press, freedom to organize or freedom to criticize, his life becomes very simple and comfortable. He goes to work, works hard, gets promoted, has more food on the table, brings up his children in peaceful surroundings and hopes things carry on as they pleasantly and comfortably are.
His happiness and contentment is fortified by reading the state controlled newspapers that tell him about the poverty in Africa, the war in Afghanistan and trouble in Chechnya. He therefore reassures himself that his life is good the way it is in peaceful Singapore, with Lee Kuan Yew feeding him, taking care of him and loving him.
He considers people like Gopalan Nair who criticize Lee Kuan Yew who provides all these goodies as a bad person, out to make trouble and upset his present happy and peaceful existence.
Lee Kuan Yew's model citizen is an obedient hardworking law abiding quiet sober individual who does not concern himself with intangible things such as human rights since they do not directly impact upon his daily routine peaceful existence.
Such men achieve a high station in life in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, whereas those who question authority suffer a lifetime of harassment and victimization. This knowledge itself tends to keep the others in line and perpetuate the status quo of Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore.
Lee Kuan yew's model citizen hopes that Gopalan Nair would simply go away and leave him and his Singaporean paradise alone.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Letter from Chaba Gryphon from Los Angeles
Question on Singapore
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 7:13 PM
From: This sender is DomainKeys verified"Chaba Gryphon" <...........@gmail.com>
Add sender to Contacts
To: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Dear Mr. Nair,
As you can see my name is Chaba Gryphon and I'm an entrepreneur living in Los Angeles. You can "google me" if you'd like.
I have to admit that I have been fascinated with Singapore for a long time and initially I was a big fan, until I found out what's really going on. I even bought Lee Kuan Yew's book mostly for the solutions he implemented, like the HDB, the CPF and others.
I'm German but I was born in Hungary and several years ago I was preparing to go back to run for office there. I did lots of research to find solutions for common things like taxation, health care, pensions, elections without money etc. Everything was great until I realized that Hungarians SAY they want change but they really don't. So, I gave up on that idea and focused on business instead. However, I still have this urge for nation building because I have a very wide field of interest.
I recently came across your blog and I'm reading it now but I wanted to ask you something, if I may.
In your opinion, are Singapore's laws and regulations and political system fundamentally sound but mismanaged and misused by Lee, his family and their cronies OR are the laws, regulations and political system of Singapore basically flawed and need major change?
I'm aware that certain aspects like suppression of free speech, free media and other heavy handed things would need to be done away with, but do most things in Singapore basically provide a solid foundation? A good foundation.
Having lived in a communist and socialist country and then having lived here in the U.S. I've seen and studied many systems and in my opinion Singapore is the most workable (with the above mentioned exceptions) and the least likely to be taken advantage of by large corporations and individuals with money and power. After all even here in the U.S. money talks and most lose out to the few on the top. And I'm a business man who is for capitalism. BUT after these past couple of years we now know that unbridled capitalism needs checks, or otherwise it can destroy a country.
What is your opinion on this? Please let me know.
Sincerely,
Chaba Gryphon
MY RESPONSE
Question on Singapore
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 12:44 AM
From: "Gopalan Nair"
Add sender to Contacts
To: "Chaba Gryphon" <.........@gmail.com>
Hello Chaba,
Thank you for your Email. Your Email can be best be answered by quoting George Orwell in 1984 "All you need is able to say 2 and 2 is 4. Then everything falls into place".
That is the problem with Singapore. In the US there is corruption, mismanagement and everything else. But you can complain publicly. In Singpaore you cannot. That is why Lee Kuan Yew can get away with anything he wants. That is what China is. That is what Singapore is.
Both Singapore and China have strong economic growth. So had Nazi Germany. But still they are very unpleasant places to live in.
There are several books you can read about the true side of Singapore.
Thanks for your interest.
Gopalan Nair
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 7:13 PM
From: This sender is DomainKeys verified"Chaba Gryphon" <...........@gmail.com>
Add sender to Contacts
To: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Dear Mr. Nair,
As you can see my name is Chaba Gryphon and I'm an entrepreneur living in Los Angeles. You can "google me" if you'd like.
I have to admit that I have been fascinated with Singapore for a long time and initially I was a big fan, until I found out what's really going on. I even bought Lee Kuan Yew's book mostly for the solutions he implemented, like the HDB, the CPF and others.
I'm German but I was born in Hungary and several years ago I was preparing to go back to run for office there. I did lots of research to find solutions for common things like taxation, health care, pensions, elections without money etc. Everything was great until I realized that Hungarians SAY they want change but they really don't. So, I gave up on that idea and focused on business instead. However, I still have this urge for nation building because I have a very wide field of interest.
I recently came across your blog and I'm reading it now but I wanted to ask you something, if I may.
In your opinion, are Singapore's laws and regulations and political system fundamentally sound but mismanaged and misused by Lee, his family and their cronies OR are the laws, regulations and political system of Singapore basically flawed and need major change?
I'm aware that certain aspects like suppression of free speech, free media and other heavy handed things would need to be done away with, but do most things in Singapore basically provide a solid foundation? A good foundation.
Having lived in a communist and socialist country and then having lived here in the U.S. I've seen and studied many systems and in my opinion Singapore is the most workable (with the above mentioned exceptions) and the least likely to be taken advantage of by large corporations and individuals with money and power. After all even here in the U.S. money talks and most lose out to the few on the top. And I'm a business man who is for capitalism. BUT after these past couple of years we now know that unbridled capitalism needs checks, or otherwise it can destroy a country.
What is your opinion on this? Please let me know.
Sincerely,
Chaba Gryphon
MY RESPONSE
Question on Singapore
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 12:44 AM
From: "Gopalan Nair"
Add sender to Contacts
To: "Chaba Gryphon" <.........@gmail.com>
Hello Chaba,
Thank you for your Email. Your Email can be best be answered by quoting George Orwell in 1984 "All you need is able to say 2 and 2 is 4. Then everything falls into place".
That is the problem with Singapore. In the US there is corruption, mismanagement and everything else. But you can complain publicly. In Singpaore you cannot. That is why Lee Kuan Yew can get away with anything he wants. That is what China is. That is what Singapore is.
Both Singapore and China have strong economic growth. So had Nazi Germany. But still they are very unpleasant places to live in.
There are several books you can read about the true side of Singapore.
Thanks for your interest.
Gopalan Nair
A letter from Bel Bel. "Singapore doesn’t have democracy"
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 1:25 PM
From: "bel bel" .............@gmail.com>
To: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Singapore doesn’t have democracy
Recently, Human Rights Watch called Singapore a “textbook example of a politically repressed state”. The Singapore government then responded by saying that Singapore is a democratic state. Which everyone, from Singaporeans themselves to foreigners know is a lie.
The Singapore government says that there are elections in Singapore and there is no rigging of votes. Which is true. But elections alone don’t make a democracy, if that was the case Zimbawe would be a democracy.
The Singapore government is not interested in rigging elections, it is interested in winning elections even before the elections themselves. It does this by suppressing opposition politicians and ruling with fear.
Suppressing opposition politicians
Opposition politicians like Chia Thye Poh, Lim Hock Siew, Said Zahari and many others have been jailed for decades without trial. The government claims that they were communists but we will never know if they are because there was never a trial to begin with. There was no due process.
Even if they are communists, do they deserve to be detained without trial for decades? In democracies all around the world (Japan, UK, USA, etc), there are communist parties which exist legally and run for elections. They just never win enough votes for obvious reasons.
Opposition politicians have also been sue for defamation and bankrupted, thereby, rendering them unable to run for parliament.
Opposition politicians in Singapore have no way of conducting a meaningful campaign because they are jailed for even gathering to give out flyers in public. The recent case of Dr Chee Soon Juan being jailed for merely gathering with his party members to give out flyers illustrates this.
Opposition politicians are also fined/jailed for speaking in public without a permit and for peaceful assemblies without a permit.
How can one expect opposition politicians to run a meaningful campaign? Should they shout from their houses? But even that would be illegal I guess. The police would be called in to prevent them from disturbing their neighbors.
Ruling with fear
When Singaporeans see what happens to opposition politicians, they fear. Singaporeans dare not join opposition parties because they don’t want to lose their jobs or be jailed without trial or be bankrupted through defamation lawsuits.
Singaporeans would rather leave their country in self-exile, never to return, then join opposition parties. Indeed, many Singaporeans are leaving Singapore these days for this very reason.
In autocratic societies like China or Burma, you would never see their citizens approaching their leaders to talk about democracy or human rights. It is quite obvious why that is the case isn’t it? If you were to do that in China, you would be pulled into a van while walking down the streets one day, never to appear again.
Similarly in Singapore, the average Singaporean doesn’t dare to approach his MP to talk about democracy or human rights. He doesn’t dare to mention the fact that opposition politicians are being prosecuted or that 82 out of 84 MPs in parliament are from the same party. The Singaporean will complain about the train system or the influx of immigrants but he will not complain about anything that challenges the government’s hold on power, for example, the suppression of democracy in Singapore.
Because Singaporeans fear their government to death. They shiver at the thought of opposing their government openly. They would go online to complain about the suppression of democracy in Singapore but they would never openly walk up to their MPs to complain. In front of their MPs, they would smile and say Singapore is paradise, while they make plans to leave for Australia or Canada.
In every democracies in the world, the UK, USA, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and even non democracies like Hong Kong, you can see citizens walking up to their MPs to talk about human rights and democracy openly because they are democracies. But that will never be the case in Singapore.
Because Singaporeans fear their government to death, they dare not join opposition parties. Around 40% of electoral seats were uncontested in the past few elections, the government wins them unchallenged because no one dares to challenge the government.
82 out of 84 MPs in parliament are from the same party and they debate amongst themselves and pass whatever laws they deem fit. They raise their own salaries to amongst the highest in the world. There are no checks in parliament, made worse by the fact that the Singapore’s parliament is unicameral.
Why does Singapore bother to pretend to be a democracy when it is not?
The Singapore government pretends to be a democracy because it lends legitimacy to its rule. This is why Zimbawe carries out elections. To attempt to gain legitimacy.
The Singapore government is very smart. Indeed, they are made up of men and women who are educated in top universities of the world. They are no fools. They want to cling onto power for as long as they can. To do so, they know they have to be free of corruption and deliver a good material life for the citizens so that the citizens will overlook the fact that they do not really have a democracy or a say in things.
The autocratic Chinese government in China is doing the same thing. They are delivering economic progress in the hopes of clinging onto power for a longer time. They prosecute corrupt officials and have even started elections for local town governments where people can democratically elect their local government.
For all their gimmicks, we know the Chinese government in China would never relinquish its hold on power. It rules with fear and with heavy handedness. It amends the laws and constitution at will to suit its purpose and prosecutes any dissidents who challenge their rule. It justifies the lack of democracy by saying “Asians do not want democracy” and that “their system suits the Country”. All too familiar a story.
In the last elections in Singapore, 33% of the citizenry voted for the opposition parties. This is quite an amazing number given the extreme fear that permeates the Singapore society. Remember, around 40% of the seats were not even challenged.
The Singapore government knows that if the day comes where Singaporeans are not afraid, opposition politicians are not suppressed, every electoral seat is contested, basically if functioning democracy takes roots, a large number of opposition politicians would enter parliament. The government’s grip on power would weaken and their leaders might even be given the boot.
Therefore they are desperately trying to prevent this from happening.
Quite like China, they coin terms such as “Asian democracy”, “Unique Singapore system”, “Confucian values” etc to confuse people and defend their suppression of democracy.
Time for change
The state of democracy in Singapore is dire. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. The entire world including Singaporeans themselves know that Singapore’s democracy is in shambles.
It is not merely the Human Rights Watch who criticizes Singapore’s democracy and human rights situation. Every single organization in the world who is concerned with democracy and human rights have criticized Singapore.
The Economist ranks Singapore as a “Hybird Regime” in its Democracy Index.
Freedom House (which is funded by many democracies ranging from the EU to Australia) gives Singapore a 5 for political rights and 4 for civil liberties. 1 being the highest score and 7 being the lowest score.
Reporters without borders ranks the media in Singapore as 133rd in the world. A mere 3 spots above Zimbawe.
The Singapore government has to face up to the fact that Singapore is not a democracy and stop making excuses. They have to improve the situation as soon as possible instead of dragging their feet.
But of course, like all rulers who want to cling onto power, they will continue to make excuses and delay the democratization of Singapore as much as possible ; for democratization would mean the end of their grip on power.
Democracy does not create an utopia but it creates the best societies to live in. It is the best system that mankind has ever invented. It is not perfect by any means but it is the lesser of all evils.
Autocratic societies, no matter how rich they are, are unbearable places to live in.
Human rights in Singapore
We all find ourselves in a minority at one time or another in our lives. For example, we may require crutches to walk due to a recent accident or we may find that the majority of society disagrees with the way we view a certain issue.
Therefore, it is very important that we respect the basic rights of our fellow humans no matter what we think of them.
Sadly being homosexual is still illegal in Singapore. The government and AG have said that they will not prosecute homosexuality but the very fact that it remains in the statutes clearly shows homosexuality is illegal.
The government lacks the political courage to repeal the law.
In Taiwan, Taipei, gays openly march in public and are now accepted by the mainstream society. Singapore, despite being an English speaking country, is still light years behind the Taiwanese. The Taiwanese government has the political courage to take the lead while the Singapore government does not.
The Singapore government is extremely conservative. The policies they have in place are for the 1970s and not for 2010. Prominent members of parliament go around Singapore telling the citizens not to forget the past history of Singapore. It seems like they have gotten to the point where they are actually living in the past.
The mentally ill and prisoners form the next two groups of people who are most vulnerable in Singapore’s society. The conditions of our mental hospitals and prisons are also onerous.
The mental hospitals are overcrowded. Singapore still believes in locking up its mentally ill. The mentally ill are not able to exercise outdoors or walk in a park. They are locked up daily. Common sense dictates that the mentally ill needs greenery, outdoor walks and lots of personal space to calm down and reflect, but that is obviously not the case in Singapore.
Prisoners in Singapore sleep on hard concrete, leaving them with backaches and even bruises. The prison boasts of how they have created a multi story prison which saves space but they have forgotten that this means prisoners cannot exercise outdoors in the open air anymore, which obviously is very bad for their mental health.
Prisoners also have no access to TV and radio which prisoners from all other democracies with similar GDP per capita as Singapore have.
There is still death by hanging ad caning of the buttocks, both of which are barbaric punishments long forgone by first world countries today.
If the government truly loves their country, they should place respect for democracy before their lust for power. They should install a system of functioning democracy and stop prosecuting the opposition politicians. Play the game fairly. Stop instilling fear in the hearts of its very own citizens. Allow citizens their right to peaceful assemblies as dictated by the United Nation declaration of human rights. Improve the human rights situation in Singapore.
But I guess all the above won’t happen. Simple because it is Singapore we are talking about. Heavy-handed government, fake democracy and caning of the buttocks for mere visa overstayers is the story of Singapore.
From: "bel bel" .............@gmail.com>
To: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Singapore doesn’t have democracy
Recently, Human Rights Watch called Singapore a “textbook example of a politically repressed state”. The Singapore government then responded by saying that Singapore is a democratic state. Which everyone, from Singaporeans themselves to foreigners know is a lie.
The Singapore government says that there are elections in Singapore and there is no rigging of votes. Which is true. But elections alone don’t make a democracy, if that was the case Zimbawe would be a democracy.
The Singapore government is not interested in rigging elections, it is interested in winning elections even before the elections themselves. It does this by suppressing opposition politicians and ruling with fear.
Suppressing opposition politicians
Opposition politicians like Chia Thye Poh, Lim Hock Siew, Said Zahari and many others have been jailed for decades without trial. The government claims that they were communists but we will never know if they are because there was never a trial to begin with. There was no due process.
Even if they are communists, do they deserve to be detained without trial for decades? In democracies all around the world (Japan, UK, USA, etc), there are communist parties which exist legally and run for elections. They just never win enough votes for obvious reasons.
Opposition politicians have also been sue for defamation and bankrupted, thereby, rendering them unable to run for parliament.
Opposition politicians in Singapore have no way of conducting a meaningful campaign because they are jailed for even gathering to give out flyers in public. The recent case of Dr Chee Soon Juan being jailed for merely gathering with his party members to give out flyers illustrates this.
Opposition politicians are also fined/jailed for speaking in public without a permit and for peaceful assemblies without a permit.
How can one expect opposition politicians to run a meaningful campaign? Should they shout from their houses? But even that would be illegal I guess. The police would be called in to prevent them from disturbing their neighbors.
Ruling with fear
When Singaporeans see what happens to opposition politicians, they fear. Singaporeans dare not join opposition parties because they don’t want to lose their jobs or be jailed without trial or be bankrupted through defamation lawsuits.
Singaporeans would rather leave their country in self-exile, never to return, then join opposition parties. Indeed, many Singaporeans are leaving Singapore these days for this very reason.
In autocratic societies like China or Burma, you would never see their citizens approaching their leaders to talk about democracy or human rights. It is quite obvious why that is the case isn’t it? If you were to do that in China, you would be pulled into a van while walking down the streets one day, never to appear again.
Similarly in Singapore, the average Singaporean doesn’t dare to approach his MP to talk about democracy or human rights. He doesn’t dare to mention the fact that opposition politicians are being prosecuted or that 82 out of 84 MPs in parliament are from the same party. The Singaporean will complain about the train system or the influx of immigrants but he will not complain about anything that challenges the government’s hold on power, for example, the suppression of democracy in Singapore.
Because Singaporeans fear their government to death. They shiver at the thought of opposing their government openly. They would go online to complain about the suppression of democracy in Singapore but they would never openly walk up to their MPs to complain. In front of their MPs, they would smile and say Singapore is paradise, while they make plans to leave for Australia or Canada.
In every democracies in the world, the UK, USA, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and even non democracies like Hong Kong, you can see citizens walking up to their MPs to talk about human rights and democracy openly because they are democracies. But that will never be the case in Singapore.
Because Singaporeans fear their government to death, they dare not join opposition parties. Around 40% of electoral seats were uncontested in the past few elections, the government wins them unchallenged because no one dares to challenge the government.
82 out of 84 MPs in parliament are from the same party and they debate amongst themselves and pass whatever laws they deem fit. They raise their own salaries to amongst the highest in the world. There are no checks in parliament, made worse by the fact that the Singapore’s parliament is unicameral.
Why does Singapore bother to pretend to be a democracy when it is not?
The Singapore government pretends to be a democracy because it lends legitimacy to its rule. This is why Zimbawe carries out elections. To attempt to gain legitimacy.
The Singapore government is very smart. Indeed, they are made up of men and women who are educated in top universities of the world. They are no fools. They want to cling onto power for as long as they can. To do so, they know they have to be free of corruption and deliver a good material life for the citizens so that the citizens will overlook the fact that they do not really have a democracy or a say in things.
The autocratic Chinese government in China is doing the same thing. They are delivering economic progress in the hopes of clinging onto power for a longer time. They prosecute corrupt officials and have even started elections for local town governments where people can democratically elect their local government.
For all their gimmicks, we know the Chinese government in China would never relinquish its hold on power. It rules with fear and with heavy handedness. It amends the laws and constitution at will to suit its purpose and prosecutes any dissidents who challenge their rule. It justifies the lack of democracy by saying “Asians do not want democracy” and that “their system suits the Country”. All too familiar a story.
In the last elections in Singapore, 33% of the citizenry voted for the opposition parties. This is quite an amazing number given the extreme fear that permeates the Singapore society. Remember, around 40% of the seats were not even challenged.
The Singapore government knows that if the day comes where Singaporeans are not afraid, opposition politicians are not suppressed, every electoral seat is contested, basically if functioning democracy takes roots, a large number of opposition politicians would enter parliament. The government’s grip on power would weaken and their leaders might even be given the boot.
Therefore they are desperately trying to prevent this from happening.
Quite like China, they coin terms such as “Asian democracy”, “Unique Singapore system”, “Confucian values” etc to confuse people and defend their suppression of democracy.
Time for change
The state of democracy in Singapore is dire. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. The entire world including Singaporeans themselves know that Singapore’s democracy is in shambles.
It is not merely the Human Rights Watch who criticizes Singapore’s democracy and human rights situation. Every single organization in the world who is concerned with democracy and human rights have criticized Singapore.
The Economist ranks Singapore as a “Hybird Regime” in its Democracy Index.
Freedom House (which is funded by many democracies ranging from the EU to Australia) gives Singapore a 5 for political rights and 4 for civil liberties. 1 being the highest score and 7 being the lowest score.
Reporters without borders ranks the media in Singapore as 133rd in the world. A mere 3 spots above Zimbawe.
The Singapore government has to face up to the fact that Singapore is not a democracy and stop making excuses. They have to improve the situation as soon as possible instead of dragging their feet.
But of course, like all rulers who want to cling onto power, they will continue to make excuses and delay the democratization of Singapore as much as possible ; for democratization would mean the end of their grip on power.
Democracy does not create an utopia but it creates the best societies to live in. It is the best system that mankind has ever invented. It is not perfect by any means but it is the lesser of all evils.
Autocratic societies, no matter how rich they are, are unbearable places to live in.
Human rights in Singapore
We all find ourselves in a minority at one time or another in our lives. For example, we may require crutches to walk due to a recent accident or we may find that the majority of society disagrees with the way we view a certain issue.
Therefore, it is very important that we respect the basic rights of our fellow humans no matter what we think of them.
Sadly being homosexual is still illegal in Singapore. The government and AG have said that they will not prosecute homosexuality but the very fact that it remains in the statutes clearly shows homosexuality is illegal.
The government lacks the political courage to repeal the law.
In Taiwan, Taipei, gays openly march in public and are now accepted by the mainstream society. Singapore, despite being an English speaking country, is still light years behind the Taiwanese. The Taiwanese government has the political courage to take the lead while the Singapore government does not.
The Singapore government is extremely conservative. The policies they have in place are for the 1970s and not for 2010. Prominent members of parliament go around Singapore telling the citizens not to forget the past history of Singapore. It seems like they have gotten to the point where they are actually living in the past.
The mentally ill and prisoners form the next two groups of people who are most vulnerable in Singapore’s society. The conditions of our mental hospitals and prisons are also onerous.
The mental hospitals are overcrowded. Singapore still believes in locking up its mentally ill. The mentally ill are not able to exercise outdoors or walk in a park. They are locked up daily. Common sense dictates that the mentally ill needs greenery, outdoor walks and lots of personal space to calm down and reflect, but that is obviously not the case in Singapore.
Prisoners in Singapore sleep on hard concrete, leaving them with backaches and even bruises. The prison boasts of how they have created a multi story prison which saves space but they have forgotten that this means prisoners cannot exercise outdoors in the open air anymore, which obviously is very bad for their mental health.
Prisoners also have no access to TV and radio which prisoners from all other democracies with similar GDP per capita as Singapore have.
There is still death by hanging ad caning of the buttocks, both of which are barbaric punishments long forgone by first world countries today.
If the government truly loves their country, they should place respect for democracy before their lust for power. They should install a system of functioning democracy and stop prosecuting the opposition politicians. Play the game fairly. Stop instilling fear in the hearts of its very own citizens. Allow citizens their right to peaceful assemblies as dictated by the United Nation declaration of human rights. Improve the human rights situation in Singapore.
But I guess all the above won’t happen. Simple because it is Singapore we are talking about. Heavy-handed government, fake democracy and caning of the buttocks for mere visa overstayers is the story of Singapore.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Lee Kuan Yew's son wants to "update the system"!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Singapore's official newspaper the state owned and controlled Straits Times on line edition of Jan 26, 2010 has this story "Updating the system takes time". The Straits Times is the principle propaganda department for Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew.
Lee Kuan yew's son whom his father appointed Prime Minister some time ago said at a conference in Singapore recently " the most difficult challenge facing Singapore is finding a political system that works for generations to come"! Is he not being a little too presumptuous or can it instead be a case of total ignorance.
If we had to remind him where is he living, he has to be told that he is in Singapore, and not North Korea. And in Singapore the system of government has already been decided and which is found in a document called the Constitution. And this document it so happens tells us how Singapore is to be run; which by the way is through democracy.
And there is no need for his unsolicited plan for any change because we don't want any.
The arrogance of this father's son is simply outrageous. He talks as if the entire island of Singapore belongs to him! He has to be reminded that Singapore is not his to play with. It has a Constitution which has to be obeyed, which up till now both father and son totally disregard. And according to it, it is supposed to be a parliamentary democracy with a free press, with rights such as free speech and expression and with an independent judiciary with the rule of law.
The son in cohorts with his father has been denying the people each of these rights turning them into nothing more than slaves.
And not satisfied with the universal control over the people which he already has, he intends to control even more.
It is this arrogance on the part of father and son that chases away educated people from Singapore's shores, silences criticism or opinion entirely within the island turning the people into nothing better than robots.
No wonder father and son are struggling to keep going with every department of Singapore society steadily declining.
Thinking people are not going to help you if you treat them this way, which is something both father and son simply do not understand.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Singapore's official newspaper the state owned and controlled Straits Times on line edition of Jan 26, 2010 has this story "Updating the system takes time". The Straits Times is the principle propaganda department for Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew.
Lee Kuan yew's son whom his father appointed Prime Minister some time ago said at a conference in Singapore recently " the most difficult challenge facing Singapore is finding a political system that works for generations to come"! Is he not being a little too presumptuous or can it instead be a case of total ignorance.
If we had to remind him where is he living, he has to be told that he is in Singapore, and not North Korea. And in Singapore the system of government has already been decided and which is found in a document called the Constitution. And this document it so happens tells us how Singapore is to be run; which by the way is through democracy.
And there is no need for his unsolicited plan for any change because we don't want any.
The arrogance of this father's son is simply outrageous. He talks as if the entire island of Singapore belongs to him! He has to be reminded that Singapore is not his to play with. It has a Constitution which has to be obeyed, which up till now both father and son totally disregard. And according to it, it is supposed to be a parliamentary democracy with a free press, with rights such as free speech and expression and with an independent judiciary with the rule of law.
The son in cohorts with his father has been denying the people each of these rights turning them into nothing more than slaves.
And not satisfied with the universal control over the people which he already has, he intends to control even more.
It is this arrogance on the part of father and son that chases away educated people from Singapore's shores, silences criticism or opinion entirely within the island turning the people into nothing better than robots.
No wonder father and son are struggling to keep going with every department of Singapore society steadily declining.
Thinking people are not going to help you if you treat them this way, which is something both father and son simply do not understand.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
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