Tuesday, April 28, 2009

All dictatorships eventually fall. And so too will Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore. Which will fall sooner than expected.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have seen this in history over and over again. Hitler had the most impressive European country with the most impressive economy. It fell. So did Mussolini, so did Franco and so did every single dictatorship that you can think of?

Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore dictatorship, just as all the others, relies on them ordering and the people obeying. It is a one way street. It leaves no room for detraction with just one simple rule. Either you submit or are destroyed. This might be OK in peasant economies where people know no better and are content with 3 meals a day. But Singapore is not like that. Singapore is bustling small city state where English happens to be the business language, where people can travel, and leave if they don't like it.

A society such as this demands a little more than just 3 meals a day. And dictatorships find such people difficult to subjugate.

The only way to succeed in such places is to conform your public image and actions to suit the master. Davinder Singh, Lee Kuan Yew's defamation lawyer is periodically deployed to abuse the law of defamation, with the help of Lee's judges, to eliminate his opponents. Singh knows what he is doing is wrong. He knows there is no basis in law or fact to punish Lee's critics through defamation actions, by sending them to jail or bankrupting them. He knows what he does is thoroughly dishonest. Yet he does it, because in Singapore, this is the only way one achieves high office. Singapore's state controlled media routinely splash his picture in their pages claiming him to be the best lawyer that ever lived. The people know better than this of course. But he does not care what anyone thinks, because in Singapore, as Lee Kuan Yew's personal lawyer he can do anything he wants, say anything he wants and get away with anything; as long he does not criticize his master.

I had criticized Judge Belinda Ang for having prostituted her position as a judge to please Lee Kuan Yew in a defamation case last year, for which he sent me to prison in Singapore for 3 months. I happened to be in Singapore when I said it in this blog. Since he can twist the law any which way he wants within Singapore, I was arrested and sent to prison. This judge, Belinda Ang abuses her authority, prostitutes her office as a judge by abusing the law to punish an innocent man Dr. Chee Soon Juan because he criticized Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. For that she fines him a sum of $430,000.00, no less. She knows Dr. Chee is not liable in law to Lee Kuan Yew. She knows she is prostituting her position as a judge, not to follow the rule of law but to be used as a political tool for Lee Kuan Yew. She knows what she is doing is wrong. But yet she does it, because that is the only way to succeed in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore.

And like Said Zahari had called Lee Kuan Yew a "political lair" you can see that these 2 are similarly cowardly liars. You see, only a coward will challenge an opponent when he knows that his opponent is helpless, because he can abuse the system. So had I written this blog calling both Davinder Singh and this Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean dishonest cowards in Singapore, I have no doubt I would be arrested and sent to prison as Lee had done it before. Even though my audience remains the same, since it is Singaporeans who are reading this blog, if both these people had any reputation at all, they should be suing me yet again or have me arrested and sent to prison in Singapore. But you see they won’t. They won't because both these people just as all these minions like them in Singapore are plain and simply cowards.

It is not as if these 2 persons had no recourse against me for the harm I have done, if indeed harm has been done. They can both commence action in Singapore courts, win their cases as surely they will, and then try to enforce their judgments in the Federal Courts in the US. Surely a judge of the Singapore high court, a supposedly respectable office, should not be scandalized in this manner. If indeed I have insulted this judge, and as Singaporeans are reading this blog, like they have done in the past; surely this woman, Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean should not remain silent. Surely she must take some action to protect not only herself but also the reputation of the Singapore courts. Surely she has to do something.

But you see, they won't. They are themselves ashamed of what they do for a living. They know that other countries have little respect either for Singapore or their administration of justice. The cat is out of the bag. If they did attempt any action, they would not succeed in enforcing their judgments in the US, because US follows the rule of law. Had it been any other country, it would have been different. A British Australian or Canadian court will have the confidence to commence action within their jurisdiction and have it enforced in the US. This is because the laws of these countries are held in respect in the USA. Singapore’s has been the object of ridicule odium and contempt.

In this system, where dishonesty is rewarded with high office and lucrative jobs, the government finds it more and more difficult to find good people to join their ranks. The government has admitted this recently when Goh Chock Tong, the Senior Minister made this confession. It should not come as any surprise to anyone since most people, whether in Singapore or elsewhere are not the type like Davinder Singh or Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean because they have certain principles. This results in Singaporeans not wanting to join the civil service or any government organization like the police force. As a result, the government has no choice but to rely on lesser and lesser qualified candidates. This has been recently shown by Dr. Chee Soon Juan in his blog where even highly experienced Singapore police officers have no knowledge the law. As admitted by these poorly qualified police officers, all they can do is to follows orders.

Although I have no personal knowledge of this, I would not be surprised if at this very moment Judge Judith Prakash, another dishonest and corrupt judge who permits herself to be used by Lee Kuan Yew for his political ends, is packing to leave for Australia. She knows the prospects for Singapore are not good. She knows that she is being thoroughly used by Lee Kuan Yew for a political purpose. She knows that she has been put to shame before the Singapore public. She finds it is embarrassing to show herself in public. She fears what would happen to her when the 86 year old Lee Kuan Yew, her patron and provider all these years were to die. Will she be held to account? Will she have to answer for her actions? Will she have to spend time in the very prison to which she sent her innocent victims? So she quite naturally wants to leave while the going is good. Perhaps if she was in Australia, she will be safe from Singaporean’s fury when the time comes. I do not know but I won't be surprised of this.

Since Singaporeans know this government to be thoroughly dishonest and corrupt and since many Singaporeans do not wish to earn a living in the shameful way that this man Davinder Singh and this Judge Belinda Ang Saw do, the government has to rely on foreigners who have no loyalty and no meaningful ties to Singapore to fill the vacuum. This is mediocre workers with mediocre skills, incomparable to native born Singaporeans. This lack of good talent again impacts this government's ability to perform well and weakens it.

Then, a desperate government such as this relies on giving scholarships to good students by sending them abroad, and making them serve decades with this government under a scheme which is in fact involuntary servitude. In this area too, the government is failing in getting candidates. Students are aware that if they accept these scholarships, they will have to spend their entire career serving this government to persecute and harm their fellow citizens to please their master. This knowledge has made many capable students either refuse government scholarships or causes them to break their contracts they signed with the government, since it was wrong for this government in the first place to demand this forced labor from them for decades.

And then you have the problem of massive emigration from the island. The problem of insufficient children being born in the country. With abortions reaching astronomical proportions. With suicides increasing. With unemployment escalating. With crime escalating. With people having lost all respect for the administration of justice or the civil service. With all these problems, the Singapore dictatorship has to fall just as all the other dictatorships around the world.

And the biggest problem of all is that Singaporeans are not allowed to participate in the political process of the island, unless it is to sing praises for Lee Kuan Yew's government. This isolates and alienates an entire section of the population who are the very ones that are needed to come up with new ideas and enterprises. Since Lee Kuan Yew only likes to hear praises, the one's who are capable of independent thinking have shut themselves off.

And without them, and these million dollar ministers and sycophants like Davinder Singh and Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean cannot save Singapore.

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.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Singapore. Correction and editing to "A legal system disgraced. The case of Miss Lim Hong Eng, executive director of Shin Min Daily News"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Some corrections and details are necessary from my last post on Miss Lim Hong Eng.

First, the rider of the motorcycle and pillion were not Malays as I had earlier said. The rider was David Jermais Pattiselanno, probably an Italian expatriate by the name who was 70 at the time of the accident which was New Years Eve, 2006. His pillion who died was his Indonesian maid, Melania Melianiawati, who was then 24 years old. Had she lived, she would have been 27 now. Mr. David Jermais Pattiselanno has been out of the hospital and now walks with a permanent limp. I do not know whether he is still in Singapore.

I had said that a person committing her crime could have been jailed for more than 5 years. This is incorrect. It appears the maximum jail time for this offense is 5 years in prison.

Miss Lim's actions were more serious than I thought. The accident occurred at the junction of Dunearn and Whitley Road. Pattiselanno's motorcycle was stationary along Dunearn Road waiting for the light to change. When the light turned green he rode ahead. Miss Lim failed to stop at the junction and ran a red light while she was speaking on her cell phone with her left hand to her ear. She was not paying any attention. Her vehicle struck Pattiselanno's motorcycle permanently in injuring him with a permanent limp and killing his pillion the 24 year old Melianiawati.

Miss Lim was convicted of dangerous driving causing death. For this the Singapore appeal court sentences her to 1 day in jail and $2,000.00 fine!

Had she done this in California, she would have been convicted of homicide not amounting to murder which carries a long prison sentence. As I had said, being a friend of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore, she is immune from punishment for any crime. It is justice, Singapore style.

I beg your pardon for the correction and clarification.

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. A legal system disgraced. The case of Miss Lim Hong Eng, executive director of Shin Min Daily News

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore's state controlled newspaper, Straits Times in it's online edition of April 18, 2009 has this story "Editor's jail fine reduced. 1 1/2 year jail term for dangerous driving reduced upon appeal".

This is another instance of the common everyday occurrence in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore's courts where he uses the law any way he wants at his pleasure. In Singapore, it is one law for Lee Kuan Yew's minions and supporters and quite another for the ordinary Singaporean. And then there is another third category for Lee Kuan Yew's political dissidents where the law will be abused to severely punish any criticism.

Miss Lim Hong Eng is the Executive Editor of a Singapore newspaper the Shin Min Daily News, a state owned and controlled newspaper just as all the other newspapers there. You could say correctly that her job is to write the propaganda that Lee Kuan Yew's government wants her to write. Miss Lim was driving a car some time earlier and was not paying attention which resulted in her knocking down a motorcyclist and killing his pillion rider. The evidence was that she was not paying attention while driving. The offence being very serious, normally an offender having caused serious injury and death would have been sent to jail for at least 5 years. That is, if the offender was an ordinary Singaporean.

But you see, Miss Lim was hardly an ordinary Singaporean. She happens to be the editor of a Singapore newspaper which Lee Kuan Yew's government relies upon to disseminate his propaganda in the island. The Singapore press as you know has been judged 154th down the list of countries for lacking press freedom, by Reporters Without Borders, the international monitor for press freedom in the world. As Lee Kuan Yew relies on her to do his dirty work as a fiction writer (another way to describe Singapore State controlled news), it would not suit him for her to be incarcerated. The lower court judge who had tried her case apparently did not get the full message. He did what he thought he should do to please Lee Kuan Yew by only sentencing this woman who had not paid attention while driving and killed another human being to 1 1/2 years jail and $12,000.00 fine. Although this sentence was thoroughly inadequate and unfair to others who would have normally been sent to jail for 6 years, still Miss Lim was being punished with a jail sentence, for her reckless behaviour resulting in a woman's death.

But Lee Kuan Yew will have nothing of this. He is telling us that in his courts, his minions and sycophants such as Miss Lim will be treated preferentially over ordinary mortals. He is trying to tell us that his propaganda editor will not be sent to jail no matter what she does, regardless of whether she kills one or 10 human beings while driving recklessly. He is trying to tell us that his agents and collaborators such as Miss Lim can drive any way they want and knock down as many as she pleases. He is trying to tell us that Miss Lim being who she is, his propaganda editor, is beyond the law!

Therefore, Miss Lim is promptly advised by Lee Kuan Yew government to appeal, which she does. The hand picked appeal judge for this purpose is Judge Choo Han Teck. He is given the instruction not to send Miss Lim to jail at all and to have the fine reduced to a paltry figure instead of the $12,000.00. This judge, as expected of him obeys Lee Kuan yew's orders. He reduces the jail sentence to 1 day. The few hours that Miss Lim had to spend with Lee Kuan Yew's police is treated as 1 day having been served. Which means she will not have to spend any time in jail. Further, as ordered Judge Choo Han Teck, reduces the fine from $12,000.00 to just $2,000.00.

In the meantime, the motorcyclist who was driving is now in hospital permanently crippled and in intensive care. His pillion rider died upon impact and has since been buried. You might want to know that the permanently crippled rider and his deceased pillion were low income Malays, with little education and little money. They had neither affluence or influence with Lee Kuan Yew or his People's Action Party. Miss Lim by the way is a Chinese woman and an integral part of the Lee Kuan Yew machinery.

This is Singapore justice. You would be pardoned if you burst out laughing if told that Singapore was aspiring to be an international legal center for international disputes. Singapore leaders have, believe it or not, claimed that Singapore is a shining beacon in the region for the rule of law!

By the way, you would also want to know that Judge Choo had expressly ordered that this case should not be relied as a precedent for future cases. This means of course that if another politically unconnected Malay were to drive and kill a couple of people, they cannot expect to receive a days jail and $2,000.00 fine, like Miss Lim, the executive editor of a Singapore newspaper!

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.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Singapore. Peaceful Singaporeans protest to be held on May 02, 2009.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Date: Saturday, May 02, 2009

Time: From 10am, morning

Location: Junction of Orchard Road and Grange Road next to Mandarin Hotel at the walkway

Dress: Preferably wear red

Things to bring: Placards, buntings and leaflets

Purpose: To protest the Public Order Act criminalizing peaceful protest

I am calling for a peaceful protest of all Singaporeans who are outraged by the passing of the illegal Public Order Act recently in Singapore.

This law is a clear violation of the Constitution which clearly allows peaceful protests.

With the political situation in Singapore being what it is, you are completely denied any redress of any wrongs committed by this government. You are aware that the courts are not impartial, the elections are rigged in favor of Lee Kuan Yew and his friends and supporters, the press is controlled leaving you no avenue whatsoever for redress.

If your right to protest is also taken away, you will be left with nothing. Absolutely no rights whatsoever. If you feel this way, take this opportunity to come along to this peaceful protest.

Please make sure to bring along enough cameramen to take pictures and videos of the event and any arrests being made and put it up on the web for all to see. The purpose is to widely publicize and expose the excesses and abuse of law by this government

There will be no violence but at the same time, there is no need for you to submit to the unlawful demands of the police. If they order you to disperse, refuse and sit or lie down. They will have to carry you away. Film their actions and put it up on the web. Make sure to clearly photograph the faces of the policemen who do this work for the Lee Kuan Yew dictatorship and shame them by putting it up on the Internet. You will recall DSP Deep Singh practically running away from the scene when attempting to arrest Dr. Chee in front of the Istana, when faced by cameramen, not wanting the people to know what he does for a living.

The Lee Kuan Yew dictatorship, should not be permitted to get away with this, this time. They have gone too far. They should be stopped. And the time is now.

Please remember, Singapore is yours too. Do not be afraid of these bully boys. Good Luck guys.

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.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Singapore. The case of Dr. Tan Bin Seng. Was it justice or was it persecution?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore's on line edition of the state controlled paper (by the way, the entire media is state controlled)the Straits Times of April 22, 2009 has the article "GP struck off 2nd time". It is the case of a Singapore doctor who was struck off the role of medical practitioners for among other things, over prescribing the drug benzodiazepines, a hypnotic drug.

Normally this story should not be of much interest to anyone. A doctor who had misbehaved had his licence revoked. But this case is not so cut and dry, because of one twist; one very very big twist. And that is, Dr. Tan Bin Seng, it so happens, was a prominent opposition politician, a senior member of the Worker's Party, in fact it's former president, who had contested against Lee Kuan Yew's Peoples Action Party over several elections!

And immediately the case of JB Jeyaretnam, the case of Tan Liang Hong, and all the other series of cases where the law courts of Singapore have been used by the Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew as a political tool to destroy his opponents, comes to mind. And from these cases, one can come to one conclusion and one conclusion alone, that is, the Singapore judicial system is not independent and works at the behest of Lee Kuan Yew and his government to destroy political opponents.

And therefore the question that now arises is obviously this. Was Dr. Tan Bin Seng's licence to practice medicine revoked because he improperly dispensed the hypnotic drug, or was the accusations entirely made up to punish him for opposing Lee Kuan Yew and his government.

I do not know the answer. In Singapore you cannot expect to know the truth, without an independent press, since the media is state controlled. Perhaps he did after all improperly dispense the drug. Perhaps he did not. But knowing Singapore, a more intelligent guess, knowing the state of the legal system under Lee Kuan Yew's orders, is this. In all probability, he is entirely innocent. And Lee Kuan Yew is once again at his dirty tactics of abusing the law to punish another political opponent.

And that is why I believe Singapore has no chance at all to achieve greatness, once the law has been discredited, just as Lee Kuan Yew, single handedly, has so successfully done. You see, everything in a country depends on the the people's faith in the rule of law and the administration of justice. The morale of a people depend entirely on their knowledge that they will get justice in their courts. Once a government such as this, publicly abuses the legal system, everything else begins to suffer. They fear to speak openly. They fear to think independently. They fear to protest. They fear to question authority. They fear to do or say anything unconventional lest Lee Kuan Yew is displeased and turns the law against you.

In a situation such as this, trade suffers, because one is not sure if the courts will independently uphold contracts. One is certain that the government supporter will invariably win a lawsuit against his opposition opponent. If Lee's police arrest you for anything, you are almost certain to receive the harshest punishment if you were the opposition.

Educated and capable people don't like it. They take their families and leave Singapore. Foreigners begin to lose confidence in a state where there is no rule of law.

With the Singapore judiciary being so discredited as it is, I think we can all give Dr. Tan Bin Seng the full benefit of the doubt. I do not think he did anything wrong. His only crime was to be living in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore and the temerity to stand for elections against Lee Kuan Yew and his dictatorship when it was truly an opposition party under the leadership of the late JB Jeyaretnam.

Dr. Tan Bin Seng, you have my full support. I know you are innocent and so do a great many Singaporeans.

The most egregious of the abuses was in 2008 at the Lee Kuan Yew vs Dr. Chee Soon Juan, defamation case. In it, Lee Kuan Yew's judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean was so shamelessly biased that I had correctly described in this blog that "she had prostituted her position as a judge to become nothing more than an employee of Lee Kuan Yew and his son". For saying that in this blog, a statement which was in every respect correct, I was sent to jail for 3 months using a Penal code Section which had nothing to do in a situation such as this.

Since we are now more than sure that the Singapore Law Courts under the orders of Lee Kuan Yew routinely abuses the law to destroy his opponents, can any reasonable right thinking human being be able to accuse Dr. Tan Bin Seng of any wrongdoing? Surely that is impossible. Surely this is sufficient to absolve Dr. Tan Bin Seng of all blame.

And what is more, during the 1980s while I was an opposition Workers Party politician in Singapore, I personally knew Dr. Tan Bin Seng. He was a brave and honest man, a man of high integrity and an excellent doctor dedicated to his calling. It is impossible for him to have done the things Lee Kuan Yew and his government accuse him of.

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.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Singapore. No matter how humble or insignificant your dissent, it all adds up. It weakens this dictatorship. So do what you can.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Although JB Jeyaretnam did not live to see the fruits of his struggle, his actions were not in vain. His greatest achievement was to expose this Singapore dictatorship to the people. With Lee Kuan Yew's non stop persecution of Jeyaretnam and Jeyaretnam in turn refusing to give in to the tyrant; he was able to tell not only Singaporeans but the world that Singapore is indeed a dictatorship. That it has no rule of law. That it's judges are instruments for political repression against opponents. This revelation, which Lee Kuan Yew managed to keep under wraps for years through a clever public relations campaign; finally emerged from underneath the woodwork. Jeyaretnam finally managed to tell the world what Singapore really was. A dictatorship no less, run by a petty minded tin pot tyrant, strutting about in his small island, and terrorizing everyone! A government that has lost the respect of the people finds itself in many unexpected way, handicapped.

For instance, when respect for a government is lost, it becomes difficult to find capable people to join them. Capable people leave the country to reside elsewhere. Countries who consider human rights as important, refuse to invest in it. This leaves them to bring in lesser qualified workers from abroad to replace those who left. These foreign human imports not only are lesser qualified, they also lack any loyalty, resulting in the end in the country turning into a revolving door; foreigners leaving only to be replaced by other lesser qualified foreigners. All this weakens Lee Kuan Yew's plan for perpetual dictatorial rule over his people.

Everyone in the past and now, who stand up to this tyranny manages to weaken it. You have heard of the "Marxist Conspirators" 22 young men and women who were arrested by Lee Kuan Yew and jailed for doing social and religious work to help the poor and unfortunate. Lee Kuan Yew falsely brands them "Marxists" when none of them had anything to do with Marxism. He found them a threat to his rule. So he arrests them using his willing police force, and puts them away, labelling them any name he wants. Although the 22 arrested have no doubt suffered by this, Lee Kuan Yew has suffered much more. Singaporeans and the world have seen yet again, how Lee Kuan Yew manages to stay in power; by abusing the law, the law courts and the police force to put away his opponents. The brave actions of the 22 has weakened Lee Kuan Yew and his government; by the people's awareness of the repression.

On March 15, 2008 19 young Singaporeans peacefully stood outside Parliament House with placards and banners to protest against unbearable food prices. All of them have been arrested and have been put on trial. They will all be sent to prison, no doubt. But if these young men and women are inconvenienced, Lee Kuan Yew and his dictatorship suffer many times more. Everyone in Singapore and abroad are told yet again that this is a small minded government that only manages to stay in power by punishing criticism.

Dr. Chee Soon Juan has repeatedly been jailed, sent to prison and bankrupted. Even now, he is on trial for this peaceful protest. No doubt he has suffered but the harm that Lee Kuan Yew suffers is unimaginable. Dr. Chee's punishment has resulted in many foreign governments shunning Singapore; it has resulted in the International Bar Association writing a scathing attack against the lack of rule of law and it continues to cause a flood of talented Singaporeans leaving the small island state. Lee Kuan Yew continues to be seriously weakened by Dr. Chee Soon Juan. And the more he punishes Dr. Chee for no rime or reason, the more Singapore becomes known as a ruthless one party Leninist state.

What Singaporeans should realize is this. This government has lost all credibility both inside and outside Singapore. Larger countries might be able to withstand this but a small island like Singapore cannot. I believe that every single person in that island has lost any respect for the institutions of government. And the credit for this is proudly taken by all of us. We take the punishment when the government unjustly punishes us. But at the same time, we manage to weaken both the dictator and his government. And if we continue the onslaught, in very little time, there will come a point beyond the threshold of tolerance. And that is when this tyranny will come to an end. It is not as difficult as you may think.

So I ask Singaporeans to do whatever you can. In May last year, I did my small contribution to the cause of freedom by being arrested for criticizing Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for her bias in the defamation lawsuit brought on by Lee Kuan Yew against Dr. Chee, by being sent to jail for 3 months. Although I was punished, I managed to hurt the credibility of Lee Kuan Yew and his government by exposing his abuse of the law. My action has also managed to expose Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean as a political judge who uses her position to silence dissent. Her reputation has been completely and permanently destroyed, no matter how many times Lee Kuan Yew will sing praises for her in his state controlled newspapers.

No matter how insignificant or small your actions, it all adds up. It helps in toppling this dictatorship. So distribute leaflets, write blogs, take part in peaceful protests, write to your government, write to foreign governments, write to your friends, do anything you can. Your individual actions combine to become a powerful force, which will bring about change.

Please don't stop.

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.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Singaporeans, do not underestimate your power.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is the effort of all of us, no matter how insignificant or small that brings about change. That unseats dictators. That brings about change. Please remember this.

Take what I did in May of 2008. I wrote a blog criticizing Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for bias in the Lee Kuan Yew vs Dr. Chee Soon Juan trial. My passport was detained and I was deliberately kept in Singapore for 6 months waiting for my trial, and finally sending me to jail for 3 months. The purpose of Lee Kuan Yew's government was firstly to punish me for daring to criticize one of his judges. Secondly he was sending a clear signal to every Singaporean that they have no right to criticize and criticism means jail. So in order to do that, they had to give full publicity to my case in their state controlled press.

But all this not only turned out completely counterproductive to Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorship, it hurt them much more than it hurt me. International organizations all over the world picked up my story and Singapore became known as the country that now imprisons bloggers. The European Union, American legislators and human rights organizations all over the world have now been informed of the extent of the repression in that island.

Dr. Chee Soon Juan is repeatedly sued and jailed for his exercise of human rights. Lee Kuan Yew's purpose is to silence him by the punishment. But he refuses to be silent. So this battle goes on unabated, a battle between good and evil, a battle between a tyrant and a human rights activist; and while this happens Singaporeans and the world are reminded daily of the shame of this administration. And day by day, Dr. Chee becomes a martyr who suffers under the yoke. If Dr. Chee has been hurt, Lee Kuan Yew is hurt ten fold and counting.

Recently you have the Kangaroo T shirt case. 3 Singaporeans were jailed just for wearing T shirts with pictures of kangaroos on them. Judge Judith Prakash, who is truly a kangaroo judge for being another of Lee Kuan Yew's lackeys like her shameless predecessor Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean, sends them to jail, this fact is widely published in the state controlled press as a signal to all that they cannot exercise their right to criticism. In the end of it, if these 3 were inconvenienced by having to go to jail, Lee Kuan Yew, his government and his suppliant judges like this woman Judith Prakash have not just been inconvenienced. They have been thoroughly discredited and their reputations permanently destroyed, by being shown as political judges who use their positions as judges to silence Lee Kuan Yew's political opponents.

Reference the Tak Boleh Tahan protesters. They were peaceful protesters who stood outside Singapore Parliament House on March 15, 2008 to highlight the plight of the poor in Singapore. Just for that, they were all arrested and are now facing trial. If Lee Kuan Yew had hoped to punish and silence them, they have all said they remain defiant. Yet again the world has been put on notice of the abuse of the government that goes on. If these protesters have suffered, has not Lee Kuan Yew and his government suffered much more in their injustice being exposed?

Lee Kuan Yew and his minions do not appear to realise this fact. These peaceful activists are simply not prepared to give up. They are determined to continue. And the more you try to punish them, the more they are determined to stand up to their rights. As this punishment on the one side and defiance on the other goes on between these 2 sides, the world becomes progressively aware of the shame that lies underneath the high rise glass towers and manicured lawns of Singapore.

I want to tell you this. It is not my work alone that has weakened this despot. Neither has it been the work of Dr. Chee alone. It is the work of everyone no matter how insignificant. It was the work of the protesters. The "Marxist conspirators" as Lee called them. It was the work of Mr. Seng who doused Lee Kuan Yew's politician and set him alight causing 3rd degree burns. It was the work of the rag and bone man who threatened to finish off another PAP MP. I do not subscribe to violence, but we cannot discount the fact that it has the effect of discrediting this tyrannical administration.

So you can all do your part, if you dare. Even a single protester standing along Orchard Road with a placard, a lone Singaporean distributing leaflets at Toa Payoh Central, a blogger who announces the injustices, someone who Emails others to expose the tyranny. Each one of these acts no matter how insignificant, contributes and combines into a powerful force. A powerful force for change.

Each one of you can do your part. I have done mine and I continue my agitation. I refuse to stop. The trick is to continue and show this tyrant that you are not afraid. Your daring to stand up to him is what he fears most. Just as any other small time bully round the corner.

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, April 13, 2009

Singapore. Total control.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is reported by Reuters on April 13, 2009 "Singapore says new law will prevent meeting disruption", Singapore Public Order Act became law in that one party dictatorship.

As it is, Singaporeans do not have any civil rights. 5 or more people require a police permit to assemble. A permit is needed to speak in public. All newspapers are government owned and controlled. No permits have ever been issued to anyone if the intent was to criticize the government. 82 out of the 84 members in Parliament belong to Lee Kuan Yew's party. The 2 remaining opposition politicians have been thoroughly neutralized, fearing arrest if they truly criticized government policies. In any case Lee Kuan Yew's government ignores completely them, making criticism in that rubber stamp Parliament a waste of time.

And of course, Lee Kuan Yew uses the law courts as a weapon to eliminate his opponents by jailing them and bankrupting them by abusing the law. Singapore today cannot claim by any measure that it has the rule of law.

Not satisfied with this total control over then people that it already has; Singapore being now effectively a police state run by a dictatorship; the screws have been tightened yet again. Since the people have been thoroughly silenced now, I wonder why the need to silence them even further.

While previously only 5 or more people needed a permit to assemble, with this law, even a lone peaceful protester will be arrested and sent to jail if he did not have a permit. And by the way, no one in the entire history of Singapore has ever got one!

The people are now in a thoroughly hopeless situation. You cannot get redress in Parliament since there is no one to speak for you. You cannot get it published in newspapers since they are state owned and controlled. You cannot win in court since all the judges are government lackeys. You cannot print and publish your grievances since you need a permit, which you will not get. You cannot even blog about it openly as Vivian Balakrishnan, Lee Kuan Yew's minister has threatened to send bloggers to jail, as I was!

And now finally, even though the Constitution guarantees free speech and expression, you cannot peacefully protest or assemble in public under this law.

If you were not a complete slave before, now you are. You are completely at the mercy of this Lee Kuan Yew dictatorship. You can either live in Singapore with your mouth shut uncomplaining and obedient like a dog, or you can speak and get yourself into trouble.

It is not just I who can see this. Growing numbers are unwilling to live this shameful way and they leave; they emigrate. Singapore is losing increasing numbers of highly skilled people. To replace them, increasing numbers of Chinese from Communist China are given citizenship.

Communist Chinese imports are a completely different breed. They have no history and no tradition or experience in democracy. To them all that matters is more affluence. These people find Singapore excellent. They have a better standard of living than in China and that is all that matters. But for local Singaporeans such a life is not enough. Unlike Chinese from China, we inherited British traditions which treated civil liberties as the most important quality for any nation. Local Singaporeans regardless of their ethnicity will not and cannot accept living in bondage under Lee Kuan Yew much longer.

With increasing education, there has to emerge Singaporeans who will dare to question these unjust laws. And in this regard, Singapore Democratic Party should take the lead in organizing peaceful non violent protests throughout the island urging citizens to stand up to this injustice. Singapore activists should not be looking for what is expedient or even what will please the people. Singapore activists should instead do what is right. And the right thing to do now is to stand up to this despotic regime.

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.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Singapore. Ex "Judge" Choor Singh dies.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

From my experience with this man Choor Singh who recently died, I can tell you this. He wasn't truly a "judge" although he sat in a courtroom and wore judge's robes. He was another of Lee Kuan Yew's “judges”, like what I wrote here about the likes of Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean; someone "who prostitutes her position as a judge" to favor Lee Kuan Yew and demolish his opponents by abusing the law. From my personal experience with him in my case, I can tell you this. He had no shame. No shame at all.

The state controlled Singapore newspaper, just as the entire media in Singapore is state controlled, in its online edition on April 1, 2009, April Fool's day, a day befitting a man such as him, carries the article "Ex-judge Choor Singh dies".

A backdrop is necessary. In the late 1980s while I was in Singapore and a member of the Worker's Party with the late JB Jeyaretnam the following occurred. JB Jeyaretnam who was the victim of Lee Kuan Yew's numerous defamation lawsuits had been charged this time, with criminal breach of trust for allegedly diverting funds from the Singapore public trustee to himself of a petty sum of $200 or so and not telling the truth in a statutory declaration which he had filed with them by not declaring this petty sum. The matter arose from the fact that the Workers Party had been declared bankrupt through another of Lee Kuan Yew's numerous lawsuits against him. Although JB Jeyaretnam was not guilty of any of these trumped up politically motivated charges against him, the Singapore High Court predictably reversed his acquittal on appeal and found him guilty on all charges.

When JB Jeyaretnam appealed his conviction to the Privy Council of England, on the matter of his disbarment from the rolls of lawyers, they correctly ruled that he was not guilty of any of the charges and ordered his re-instatement to the rolls as an Advocate. Since the Singapore law did not have appeals to England on criminal convictions, the British law lords could not reverse his convictions. They therefore suggested that he petition the President of Singapore for a full pardon. After he did this, the President of Singapore, upon the advice of the then Attorney General of Singapore, Tan Boon Teik, who I understand now lives in Singapore and plays the piano to spend his time, refused any pardon.

His argument was that Jeyaretnam did not deserve a pardon for the following reasons. Firstly, he says the British judges had denied him natural justice because he was "not given an opportunity to be heard before the British Court" even though there is clear evidence that they began to hear the case only after the solicitor for the Law Society of Singapore expressly said that the Singapore government was aware of the case and did not wish to be heard.

Secondly he argues that Jeyaretnam is not deserving of a pardon because "he has not shown remorse repentance or contrition for the crimes he had committed" despite the fact the British law lords had expressly stated that he was not guilty of any crime!

When I read this totally unacceptable response from this Attorney General from the Singapore Straits Times, I was naturally outraged. How could this man, Tan Boon Teik say things which were totally untrue and get away with it? I could not remain silent. So I wrote to him to explain why he said what he said, when the facts were clearly something else. First he wrote to me telling me that if I had any questions I should address them to Mr. Jeyaretnam. Not satisfied with this totally unresponsive answer, I wrote to him again telling him that if he was not going to give me an acceptable answer within 14 days, I will make the letters passing between me and him public. To that, his response was that he was going to report me to the Law Society for unethical conduct!

The Law Society's was then as now, a tool of Lee Kuan Yew to silence his critics. Their charge against me were that I had falsely accused the Attorney General of improper conduct and secondly, that I had threatened him by threatening to make the 2 letters public. Although anyone in his right mind would find it impossible to see any unethical conduct on my part here, in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore anything can be turned around if necessary to become unethical or unlawful to silence and punish his critics.

Here is where this man Choor Singh comes in. The Law Society's disciplinary hearings against me were heard before this man presiding as the judge. JB Jeyaretnam was my lawyer. Madan Assomull, a lawyer who practices in High Street Plaza, the building along High Street where Burmese workers now congregate, was the prosecutor.

From the word go, one thing was very clear. He wanted to find me guilty no matter what the evidence, and he wanted to do it as quickly as possible. Had he been a real judge, he would have thrown out these charges against me that very minute. Anyone in his right mind could have seen I was not guilty of anything. First, JB Jeyretnam was not my client when I wrote that letter to the Attorney General and therefore I was not acting in a professional capacity when I wrote that letter to the Attorney General. Second, how can merely writing a letter to the Attorney General asking for an explanation amount to falsely accusing him. And thirdly, how could a "threat" to make public letters passing between him and I amount to anything unlawful!

When the case started, Madan Assomull, trying hard to do the dirty work entrusted to him, made various applications for adjournments claiming that the Attorney General was overseas in China and various other countries, in the hope that I would feel the heat and succumb by pleading guilty. Since I was not prepared to do this, the case eventually started.

When the time came for Madan Assomull to cross examine me, I tried to answer him by explaining my stand, which included my stand that these entire proceedings were politically motivated, an abuse of the law and a travesty of justice. To that, Choor Singh interjected demanding that I answer with a "Yes" or "No" answers and not say anything else. I refused of course. What I told him was that I was going to answer the way I wanted or else, I was refusing to answer any questions. Finding himself in a bind, he reluctantly allowed me to answer the way I wanted. And I took the opportunity to state in court exactly what little I thought of Singapore's justice in Lee Kuan Yew's courts.

By this time, having practiced in Singapore’s courts for nearly 10 years, I had lost all respect for the legal system in Singapore. I had also by this time, made up my mind that I was going to leave Singapore for California. I was determined as my last stand against this regime to give them a run for their trouble. I was determined to take this opportunity to tell this court what I really thought of them. I knew of course that being a known dissenter to Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew; I stood no hope of ever winning this case. So I fought it to the fullest. The case dragged on for as long as 2 months. The Attorney General was cross examined by JB Jeyaretnam rigorously. Although he was completely at a loss to explain why my actions were in the remotest manner objectionable, in the end predictably I was found guilty. This was at the end of 1991.

There was a moment of hilarity which I still remember. On the issue of whether the Attorney General of Singapore was given an opportunity to be heard at the hearing in London, the following occurred. It appeared that the British Law Lords had asked the solicitor for the Law Society whether the "Singapore authorities" were aware of the proceedings. To this, Madan Assomull asked Martin Thomas QC, who had appeared for Mr. Jeyaretnam before the British Court, whether they might have referred to someone else other than the Singapore Attorney General when referring to "Singapore Authorities". After Madan Assomull had repeatedly reminded him that the British Judges had referred to "Singapore Authorities" and did not use the words "Singapore Attorney General", Martin Thomas Qc said this. He said he was sure the British Judges were referring to the Singapore Attorney General and not anyone else. He said, he was sure the British Judges were not referring to the "Hong Kong Fire Brigade" when they said "Singapore Authorities" and that he was sure it meant the "Singapore attorney general"!

Let me make this clear. Choor Singh was a disgrace to humanity, to his Sikh community and to the law when he found me guilty of unprofessional conduct merely for writing a letter to the Attorney General asking him to explain himself when he advised the President not to give a pardon to JB Jeyaretnam. He is responsible together with the likes of Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean for having brought the Singapore legal profession into disrepute and turning it into the laughing stock of lawyers around the world.

Choor Singh, when he sat in judgment in the case Law Society vs Gopalan Nair was not serving the law. He was serving Lee Kuan Yew.

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.

How Lee Kuan Yew's son will "Fix" Kenneth Jeyaretnam!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At a PAP rally during the last elections, Lee Kuan Yew's son, whom he placed as Prime Minister of Singapore made his plans very clear. It is all right, he said, if there were one or two suppliant opposition members such as Loh Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong. If there were any more, he said, he will "have to fix them and buy over his voters"! We know from Singapore's sad history that this is not just rhetoric, it is real.

As long as you are no real threat to them, such as Loh Thia Khiang who has given up fighting the PAP, you are welcome and will face no harm. But if you happen to be a true defender of the people, then you are in for trouble, big trouble. Especially so if you have the abilities and qualifications to go with it.

Kenneth's father, the late JBJ suffered a great deal of "fixing". He was repeatedly sued, fined and imprisoned for no rime or reason, and effectively kept out of Parliament. Francis Seow, the former Solicitor General was arrested after he stood for elections. Had he not fled Singapore he would still be in a Singapore jail. He too was effectively "fixed". Tang Liang Hong was "fixed" with criminal charges and defamation charges just because he had lodged a police report against Lee Kuan Yew senior. Dr. Chee soon Juan, a highly qualified nueropcychologist, of the Singapore Democratic Party continues being "fixed" even now as he undergoes a "fixed" legal proceeding for a peaceful protest. I too was "fixed" more than once for allegedly being in contempt of the Singapore's courts.

The one common thread among all these people who have so far been "fixed" by either Lee Kuan Yew or his son is this. They were all made of the real stuff; meaning they really wanted to further the people's cause; not the sort of half hearted opposition like Loh Thia Khiang of the Workers Party.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam has not said whether he intends to contest the coming elections. So we don't know one way or the other. But if he does intend to contest the elections and if he is the made of the real stuff, that is, if he truly intends to defend the people's rights, then I can tell you this much. He will be "fixed" just as all the others before him. Just as his father was "fixed".

If there is anyone in the world that Lee will not let alone, it is Kenneth Jeyaretnam. He is too big a threat. Look at him. He is highly educated. He is obviously doing this for the people and not for personal gain, since finding work, with his good qualifications, is not a problem. And from what he has said so far, it does appear that he does not intend to pull any punches. And with these qualifications, Kenneth Jeyaretnam becomes a terrible threat to Lee Kuan Yew and his oligarchy.

In the past, Lee Kuan Yew, has on occasions tried to buy over his opponents with money and bribes. But in this case, they will not even try, as Kenneth Jeyartnam appears to be an man of integrity and purpose.

If Kenneth decides not to contest elections but merely remain a member of the Reform Party, there in nothing much to fear. But if he does, then, as sure as sunrise, there will be another round of "fixing". It is easy to do it in Singapore. I reckon, as in the past, if he does make any rally speech, it would be used against him in a defamation action, with Davinder Singh in the prosecutorial role and Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean as the "judge" who will return a predictable verdict of $2 million in damages. After this, Kenneth will be promptly bankrupted and cast into oblivion. Another successful "fixing" for you.

But all this "fixing" does not go in vain. Every one of us who have been "fixed"; JB Jeyaretnam, Francis Seow, Tang Liang Hong, Dr. Chee Soon Juan, the so called "Marxist Conspirators" have all managed to discredit Lee Kuan Yew and his PAP. If Lee Kuan Yew thought that he has hurt his opponents, he has been hurt tenfold, by the public knowledge of his dirty tactics. This lowers his reputation and that of his government.

Now if he does try to "fix" Kenneth Jeyaretnam, he should keep in mind that he would lose much more than Kenneth.

So to Kenneth Jeyaretnam, I say this. Stand up to these bullies. Contest the elections. You will win by exposing the dishonesty of this tin pot regime once again. That alone is sufficient victory. At this moment, when Lee Kuan Yew has lost all credibility, he will not be able to withstand one more onslaught.

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.

Lee's PAP may imprison Dr. Chee Soon Juan and SDP leadership during elections! Watch out!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have a fear which I have to say. You know the Tak Boleh Tahan trials are now going on. The illegal arrest and prosecution of 19 peaceful protesters who cried out against rising food costs in March of last year. You have heard also of the possibility of elections being held in the immediate future, with Lee embarking once again in illegal gerrymandering; boundaries being re-drawn so as to ensure a PAP victory once again.

My fear is this. Since Lee Kuan Yew will do anything he wants without even an ounce of shame, will he arrange things in such a way so that the 19 SDP members and sympathizers of which Dr. Chee Soon Juan and SDP leadership among them find themselves in jail during the electioneering period, which would mean that they would find themselves incapable of doing anything for their election candidates. As Lee Kuan Yew no longer cares what anyone thinks of him or his actions, he could simply say that the sentencing of these defendants and it's timing was the decision of the judges and he had nothing to do with it. Of course we know otherwise.

That is why Dr. Chee and the SDP should consider bringing their cases to a close immediately and serving their sentences now, so that a possibility of conflicting with the elections will not arise.

If anyone not attune with the strange goings on in Singapore might question why I am so certain that Dr. Chee and the protesters will be convicted and jailed. To them, I will say this. Read a little about Singapore. And once you know a bit more, you too will be certain that Dr. Chee and everyone with him will be convicted and jailed. As we are certain the sun will rise tomorrow.

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, April 9, 2009

Congratulations Kenneth Jeyaretnam

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My tribute to Kenneth Jeyaretnam


Gopalan Nair
Gopalan Nair Attorneys at Law
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, California 94538
USA

April 09, 2009 By Air Mail

Kenneth Jeyaretnam
The Reform Party
18A, Smith Street
Singapore 058932

Dear Kenneth,

I congratulate you for your courageous decision in joining the Reform Party. You have chosen the honorable path by this action. There is no doubt this momentous decision that you made was not for any personal gain but to do the right thing for the people of Singapore. Singapore today is a one party totalitarian dictatorship which is a far cry from what it was meant to be in 1963 when it broke from colonial rule.

I have personally known your father throughout the 1980s when I was his colleague in the Worker's Party. He was an honest man, passionately committed to democracy in Singapore. Sadly he did not live long enough to see the fruits of his struggle.

With this vindictive government in Singapore, I have no doubt that this is the beginning of your troubles. I am sure you too are fully aware of it. If you stood by your principles to fight for Singaporeans rights, to use Churchill's words, you have nothing to hope for but "blood toil tears and sweat". This is how, this small minded government goes about it's business to stay in power. At least this is how it must be in the immediate future. But I am sure, in the end, if you have the courage to stand your ground, without faltering, without wavering and without baulking; in the end you will be vindicated. I have no doubt in my mind of it.

The memory of your illustrious father lives with you and walks with you. That memory alone which is vivid in the minds of all Singaporeans will cause many to join you and the political opposition. Your attraction is also your admirable qualifications as an economist.

You are walking the righteous path. You have my admiration and respect. I have no doubt that you will succeed. I wish you success.

Yours sincerely,


Gopalan Nair

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Said Zahari calls Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew "a political coward"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Said Zahari was a Singapore opposition politician, jailed 17 years without trial by Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's strongman. On Feb 2, 1963, in what was called Operation Coldstore, Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew arrested 107 people, arbitrarily jailing them for allegedly being communists. Although none of them were in fact Communists and there was nothing illegal in it, Lee Kuan Yew used the Internal Security Act, a law put in place by the British, to put away his political opponents through the expedient that they were Communists and therefore a threat to Singapore's security.

In the video "Zahari's 17 years" by Singapore filmmaker Martyn See, Zahari publicly called Lee Kuan Yew "a political coward". He said only a coward would resort to jailing his opponents instead of taking them in a political discourse and letting the best man win. According to Zahari, Lee Kuan Yew knows that he cannot win in a contest of ideas with his critics. Fearing he would lose, he eliminates his opponents by abusing the law, using his police force and compliant judges to put away those who disagree with him. According to Zahari, these are the acts of “a political coward”.

You can watch Martyn See's film, "Zahari's 17 years" on his blog "the Singapore Rebel" www.singaporerebel.blogspot.com. The film was shot in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia where Zahari lives as a permanent resident. Zahari is still a Singapore citizen.

There is no doubt. Zahari was spot on when he said Lee Kuan Yew is "a political coward". His cowardice continues to this day. Yes, Singapore has some skyscrapers and manicured lawns. But these things do not make him any less "a political coward". These are some shameful instances that drive home this fact.

JB Jeyaretnam, a worthy opposition politician of the Worker's Party challenged Lee Kuan Yew's policies since 1974. As Lee Kuan Yew feared taking on the late JB Jeyaretnam in free and fair elections, instead he repeatedly uses the law with compliant judges and compliant police officers to arrest imprison and bankrupt Jeyartnam, effectively removing him from the political arena. I need not list out the details as most Singaporeans are aware of the injustices perpetrated against him by this man whom Zahari calls "a political coward".

In May 21, 1987, Lee Kuan Yew arrested 22 church and political activists in Operation Spectrum generally known as the Marxist conspiracy claiming they were planning to overthrow the government and replace it with a Marxist government. This of course was totally untrue. All they were trying to do is to replace this dictatorship with a democratic government. Coincidentally, at this time, in the Philippines, there was massive unrest in the streets of Manila against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Fearful as to what may happen to him if this happened in Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew yet again, as the "political coward" that he is, removes them through the misuse of the Internal Security Act to arrest, and torture them.

Then we have Dr. Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore Democratic Party another of his dissenters, whom he repeatedly jails and bankrupts, through his minions such as Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean. Just like his other minions, she shamelessly abuses the law by ordering him to pay Lee Kuan Yew $410,000 in court ordered damages merely for legitimate criticism.

Zahari's charge that he is "a political coward" is again borne out by these facts. If he is not "a political coward" which is a damning charge, why does he not sue Zahari in court either in Singapore or in Kuala Lumpur? Over the years, he has sued others for saying much less. Francis Seow has written various books from his home in exile in the USA saying not just this but even more. Why is he not suing Francis Seow?

In Sept 17, 2008, while I was in Singapore, I was sent to jail for 3 months for "insulting" (according to Singapore's dictatorship) Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean by calling her a stooge of Lee Kuan Yew and a corrupt judge in this blog. All I did was to say that she "prostituted her position as a judge" by favoring Lee Kuan Yew as against Dr. Chee Soon Juan in a defamation trial brought on by Lee. After I left Singapore, from the United States I have said this again in this blog. If the purpose of sending me to jail was to stop me from calling her his stooge and to stop people in Singapore from reading my criticism, why then is he not suing and charging me while I am here in the US? Why is he not applying to have me extradited to Singapore for being a fugitive having broken the laws of Singapore? Are Singaporeans not continuing to read the charges that I level against these corrupt judges? Is this not further proof of what Zahari had leveled against him; that he is nothing more than "a political coward"?

Lee Kuan Yew had hoped that he could abuse the law, like he has done with all his other political opponents, and send me into oblivion after a 3 month jail term; and thereafter I would be forgotten as so many other of his political detractors. But I simply refuse to go away and remain determined to continue exposing his abuse of the law and state institutions in Singapore.

Blogs such as this and the literature on the Internet continue to weaken his authority. Only a few days ago the state controlled newspaper the Straits Times reports the increasing difficulty he faces in attracting Singaporeans to join his political party to contest elections, despite the fact they would stand to profit by millions of dollars and a great career. The only reason for this is that people now know his days in power are numbered and they don't want to take the risk of backing the wrong horse. As Singapore does not have any investigative journalism, since the media is state controlled, one will never know the whole truth. But if I could take a guess. Civil servants are leaving their jobs in droves and there are no new recruits; the Singapore Police Force is not achieving their recruiting target as Singapore policemen are leaving and there are no new entrants, with places being filled up by foreigners such as Malaysians. The legal profession continues to shrink with the lawyer population being less than 3,000 in a country of 4.5 million! It is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit new lawyers into the Singapore Legal Service to serve as government lawyers.

With the Singapore Administration being a pyramid, with Lee Kuan Yew at the top and everyone taking a queue from him; as he is now roundly disgraced, it sends jitters down the spine of each and everyone of his minions that the horizon is no longer safe. He is not the horse that a wise punter should be backing.

This is the moment when every Singaporean who cares about Singapore to realize that something can be done. With the prospect of changing this government through civil parliamentary elections almost impossible, the only avenue remaining is peaceful protest and civil unrest. And such an action in this precarious position this dictator finds himself in, has great prospect of success.

So this is the moment. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. Fortune is on the side of the truth. It must only be so.

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/

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