Friday, March 24, 2017

Amos Yee's asylum grant in US causes major worries for Singapore's regime.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Amos Yee Pang Sang, the Singaporean religious hate speech advocate has been granted asylum in the US. See BBC report http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39388810.

Although I am no fan of Singapore, I think the decision to grant asylum was wrong. In the judge's decision he equates Singapore to the United States and connects Yee's charges of religious hurt to his political opinion although there seems to be no direct nexus for this fact. You can read the judge's decision here http://www.grossmanlawllc.com/files/ij-decision_media.pdf

I can fully understand if they granted Chee Soon Juan or Roy Ngerng asylum. They are real cases who have been persecuted for political opinion. But not Yee who pisses on the Holy Bible and the Koran and desecrates religion.

But the ramifications of granting this one case to Yee have serious far reaching and damaging effects for the present Singapore administration. By granting this case what the American court is telling us that all one has to do for US asylum is to insult Christianity, Islam, Jesus Christ or Buddha sufficiently, get arrested which Singapore will most certainly do, spend a few months in the prisons in Singapore Changi and when released take the next flight to Immigration Attorney Sandra Grossman's office to claim asylum in the US.

What will happen is not so much anyone who really dislikes Singapore to go through this procedure for asylum but it will be a great opportunity for young men who do not want to do national service in Singapore to pretend to be political opponents and religion haters to breeze their way to the United States. One of the major problems for already tiny Singapore with an even tinier population is the almost universal dislike of performing national service. Remember the United States like England follows the doctrine of "stare decisis" which means prior decisions have a persuasive effect on future cases. Therefore any future judge hearing a similar case from Singapore would be hard pressed to deny asylum when Yee's was granted.

Yee has managed to drive a huge gap for young Singaporeans wanting to move to the USA. Perhaps you could call it "the Amos Gap".

I remember a similar kind of case in England from my law studies. Before the 1960s any Commonwealth citizen could come to live in England without visas. Suddenly in the 1960s they passed the Commonwealth Immigrants Act which required such citizens to acquire entry permits. The law specifically read that anyone "arriving at a port of entry in the UK is subject to immigration and customs control". Bhagwan was an Indian illegal immigrant who came in a small boat and landed on a lonely beach in England (Reg. v. Bhagwan [1972] A.C. 60; [1970] 3 W.L.R. 501; [1970] 3 All E.R. 97, H.L.(E.). He was arrested and placed under removal proceedings. But the judge dismissed the charges since only those who "arrived at a port of entry" are subject to inspection. Since Bhargwan arrived at a lonely beach he committed no offence. When news of this judgement had broken out hundreds if not thousands of illegal immigrants landed on lonely beaches in England in what became known as the "Bhagwan Gap". Almost within 24 hours the House of Commons went into emergency session to plug the loophole!

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont San Francisco California
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore island faces almost zero childbirth, economic stagnation and a gloomy future

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For the last decade or so, Singapore island, or one would better call it, Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore is not looking good at all. Today the island has the distinction of having the lowest, I mean lowest birth rate in the world, according to  the latest CIA World Factbook

See: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html

It presently stands at 0.82. I hope the reader can understand how bad this is. It means that for every couple, they may have, in a small minority of cases, one child but in the vast majority of cases none at all!  In other words most couples do not have any children! Not even one!

One has to see the enormity of this fact. It is not just a case of people unable to have children. This is a sign that the people in already tiny Singapore island have deliberately decided that they do not wish to have children regardless of what happens to their country! They care two hoots if their Singaporean identity becomes totally extinct from the face of the earth! This is how much they hate their country and their rulers. Today the size of the native Singaporean population cannot be more than a million in tiny Singapore. The remaining 4 million are foreign imports. In just 2 decades, at this rate, there won't be anymore true Singaporeans left in Singapore island!

This news is bad as it already. But it is even worse because despite the government vigorously campaigning for more babies, Singaporeans are deliberately having less children. They are making clear to the Singaporean authorities that despite how much they tell them, they are determined not to have any children in that island! They are defiant in their refusal to co-operate with the authorities.

This phenomenon must be an alarming sign to any government. What the people are telling their government is this. We do not appreciate you, we do not trust you, and we do not want to have children in a society such as this. This phenomenon is a clear slap in the face for this government. What it shows is that the people of Singapore have no respect for this administration and will deliberately refuse to do what the government wants.

Anyone who understands the island like I do, being born there and having been persecuted for my political beliefs can understand why. Despite the island's claim that it is a free and democratic country, nothing can be further from the truth. It is a one party state with a bunch of rulers who are some of the most corrupt in the world. The present Prime Minister has been in power for the last 12 years. Before that his father was the first prime minister who governed Singapore for more than 50 years since independence. It is like Haiti's Papa Doc and Baby Doc. Papa Doc was the sole ruler until his death. After his death his son Baby Doc ruled. Just as in Syria, you first had father Hafiz Al Assad. When  he died the son Bashar takes over. In Singapore it was Lee Kuan Yew, and now his son Lee Hsien Loong. And then they are the world's most corrupted leaders. The Prime Minister like his father pays himself several millions and in addition a 12 month salary bonus each year which makes their total theft of public funds several million dollars each year.

You simply cannot respect a government such as this which literally  are the most corrupted rulers in the world. Therefore any self respecting human being would be uncomfortable raising children in a society as corrupted as this, one reason why it has the lowest birth rate in the world.

In addition you have a total lack of rule of law. The police are given free reign to go around arresting and persecuting government critics. Every single politician who posed a political threat to the government were all systematically removed and destroyed. Singapore's shameful pages lists good men such as JB Jeyaretnam, Chee Soon Juan, Tang Liang Hong and many others who are all jailed and destroyed for criticizing the government. The average Singaporean is fully aware of the fact that he is allowed to survive and exist only as long as he is supportive of the system. If not he becomes a victim. In an atmosphere such as this, no one wants to start a family in the island. Why would you want to bring up your children as slaves with no right to independent thinking. It is bad enough that the parents have to live such miserable lives. Why bring children into the world to suffer like this.

Realizing that the government can do nothing to stop the total extinction of its native population, they have been bringing in thousands and thousands of Chinese immigrants from Communist China who are happy to come to Singapore where they can earn more than back home as peasants. Because they are both ethnic Chinese, looking at them you won't tell the difference. But the Communist Chinese recent arrivals are totally different from the native Chinese of Singapore. All their lives they lived under Communist rule and they have no idea of such concepts of human rights. What happens then as a result of the disappearing native population is that Singapore has become just as another Communist Chinese city, where people walk around as just slaves, as they would do in Communist China. This obedience mentality brings Singapore island several rungs backward to just another Communist China peasant society, a very regressive step from what Singapore once was many decades ago, a British style democracy.

What is happening in the island can be explained through imagining a hypothetical situation in the USA. Imagine if America is losing its own people through the lowest birth rate in the world and the government decides to bring in droves of Russians to populate the United States and the country slowly becomes another Russia where people walk around in fear of Putin! This is exactly what is happening in Singapore today.

And the economy is dead. Literally dead. From double digit figures, it is today hovering between 1% and 2%. And the signs are that it is going remain so in the permanent imaginable future. Once again if you understand Singapore, you will realize that this stagnation of the economy is not just transitory, it is sadly permanent. And the government does not have an answer to this problem.

The dead economic future for Singapore is totally the fault of the government messing with the minds of its population. Ever since Singapore's formation, the economy has always been state managed. The government like they did in Communist China and Soviet Union, selects certain sectors for economic development and creates jobs in these sectors, such as the port authority, electronics manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, airport, airlines, tourism etc. All this worked for a long time since its neighbors were far behind Singapore. But as time progressed, every other country has not only imitated Singapore, they are also able to do this at a far lowest cost. So there goes Singapore's edge.

The economy may be salvaged if the people of Singapore are capable of looking after themselves. Unfortunately  this is not the case. Lee Kuan Yew's model citizen is not someone who questions, thinks and challenges authority. He is someone who obeys and his greatest quality is total obedience and submission. A Singapore worker is someone who is capable of working hard and a very obedient one. But the area of his failing is his total incapacity to think independently and make a life for himself. He is always waiting to be told what to do next.

In a situation such as this, unfortunately until and unless the state can come up with some new idea, the society of Singaporeans are doomed to a permanent 1% or 2% economic growth. A country with vast resources both local and abroad such as the Netherlands would not only survive but even excel for 2 reasons. First they have greater resources and a greater population. Second because their society comprises one of thinkers, the people themselves are capable of new ideas and will always propel the state forward. But Singaporeans do not have this ability. They have been trained not to think for themselves. And this is the reason why Singapore has no hope in the future.

And the small size and the  fact that the vast majority of businesses are in foreign hands make the society' existence highly uncertain. It will only take a little bad news for foreign businesses to pull out completely from the island which will trigger a massive capital flight and the end of the island. This is unlike larger countries and economies who can weather the storm of such temporary setbacks.

A free independent thinking democratic people have the ability to think of new plans and new ideas to better their lives. Sadly Lee Kuan Yew's Singaporeans lack this quality which will be the cause for their demise.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont San Francisco California
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Amos Yee's closed Immigration court hearing. Why not open?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Amos Yee the religious hate speech advocate had his asylum hearing at the Chicago Immigration court this last Tuesday March 7. What is interesting is that he and his attorney Grossman had decided to hold a closed hearing and not allow in the public! My question is why?

Asylum hearings are commonly conducted in open court and the public are allowed to attend. However in exceptional cases it is up to the asylum applicant and his lawyer to request the judge to hold a closed hearing and keep out the public. This is what Yee and his lawyer Grossman have done.

I read that Grossman had decided on this because one of the witnesses wanted to remain confidential. Even so, it wasn't necessary to keep the entire hearing confidential. They could have cleared the court for the testimony of that single witness and resumed the hearing in open court.

But this demand to keep the proceedings secret flies in the face of what Yee is claiming to stand for. If I am not mistaken, he is standing for free speech which is why he is asking for asylum. If he is indeed for free speech, then why is he afraid that the world may hear what he has to say? Is this not the height of hypocrisy and cowardliness on his part?

What he is saying is that he should be entitled to say whatever he wants to the world and not be punished, but yet in the most important court hearing of his life, he insists that no one should hear what he says. Or what his witnesses say. I am reluctant to say this but this man appears to be a fraud. Only a fraud would demand a right to free speech by insulting other religions but no free speech as to what he tells the judge in asylum proceedings.

Especially in this case with international worldwide interest in the case, the public were entitled to know what happened. This is the case of a man mocking religion by pretending to have sex with the Christian Holy book the Bible and Muslim Holy book the Koran and I heard urinating on these Holy books and taking videos and posting them on the Internet. And for the right to continue doing this, he wants asylum in the United States. A curious interesting case which the world has a right to know what happened in court. But Grossman and her client have decided that you are not allowed that privilege.

We will not know what he said about his right to insult religions, his right to insult God, his right to urinate on the Bible and the Koran, his right to yell "Fucking " at every sentence, about his right to refuse national service in Singapore.

We even do not know how many witnesses appeared and who they are, or what they said. We know that Kenneth Jeyaretnam, Singapore's opposition village clown who got I believe just 300 votes in the last elections in a constituency of several thousands and lost his deposit had flown to Chicago to give evidence in the belief that he was some sort of a world statesman. We don't know what he said either.

I think the judge would be hard pressed to give asylum to the likes of Yee because if he does so, he opens the door to every other idiot in Singapore to urinate on the Bible and the Koran, get arrested and serve 2 weeks jail and take the next flight to see Immigration Attorney Grossman to obtain asylum in the United States and also conveniently managing to avoid national service.

After which Miss Grossman could purchase her Lamborghini and open another law office exclusively to serve thousands of Singaporean asylum applicants in Chicago who have all just urinated on the Koran and the Bible, went to jail and all waiting for asylum in the US! Very convenient.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont San Francisco California
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Amos Yee's asylum application. Bad idea to call Kenneth Jeyaretnam as a witness

Ladies and Gentlemen,

"Today" newspaper of Singapore has the story about Amos Yee, the young Singaporean man claiming asylum in a US Chicago Court after he was jailed for insulting religion in his country.

Please see http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/us-judge-rule-amos-yees-asylum-case-month, article titled "US Judge to rule on Amos Yee's case this month". The article states the judge will rule on his asylum claim this month.


This is a picture of Singapore's Kenneth Jeyaretnam, son of JB Jeyaretnam who has testified at the Chicago hearing.

The article also states Kenneth Jeyaretnam has travelled to Chicago from Singapore island to testify in favor of Amos Yee's bid for asylum today March 7, 2017. 

I think Miss Grossman, attorney for Amos Yee made a great error in calling Jeyaretnam to testify.

Generally people who claim asylum in the US are from third world countries which do not respect any law. It would be obvious to anyone that no one from a country such as Somalia would dare to travel from Somalia to give evidence in a US court against his own country and after that return to, of all places in the world, to his own country which he has only just condemned, and expect to be left alone, let alone survive!

I think the judge would find it very strange indeed for Kenneth Jeyaretnam the so-called leader of an opposition party, the Reform Party in Singapore, for not only being able to live and be left alone in his country even though he is a bitter critic of it. And what is even more surprising, he openly dares to come to the United States to condemn his own country after which he dares to return to his country, which he has just condemned in the US!

The judge would no doubt note this strange situation here. Would he not say to himself, if indeed Singapore is as bad as he portrays, being an open critic of his country, why has he not been skinned alive up till now? And if Singapore is as bad as he claims, why does he not fear returning to his country, which he has just condemned in the most severe terms, and still believe that he will not be  skinned alive? As they would perhaps have done in Somalia?

I am sure Kennth jeyaretnam was in the witness box telling the judge that Singapore has no free speech, expression or assembly and therefore Amos Yee who has just insulted both Christianity and Islam in the most disgusting manner should be allowed to live in the USA because Singapore is a bad place. Surely the judge would be wondering, if Singapore is so bad, why is Jeyaretnam still one piece, and confident enough to fly across the world to Chicago USA to condemn Singapore and then feeling very safe to return to his country to continue living a comfortable life which he leads, unmolested!

Does he not expect to be behind bars if he returns? And if not, why is it a country that denies human rights?

Surely this behavior on the part of Kenneth Jeyaretnam shows not a Singapore that disrespects free speech and expression but quite the contrary; a country that does! This is the sort of behavior that one would expect from a citizen of France or England, not that of someone from a country that denies human rights as he claims.

I was not in court and I don't know whether the judge asked him these questions, which would have been glaringly obvious, but if I was the judge, I would have asked Kenneth Jeyaretnam that if in fact Singapore was as bad as he claims, why then has he not been arrested so far and why does he dare to go back to Singapore where he lives if in fact it is as bad as he claims? Should Jeyaretnam too not be asking for asylum if it is a as bad as that?

Because if Jeyaretnam had come from Somalia or Sudan and testified against his country in the US, he would never dare return there ever in his life because he will either be arrested or killed, that is what they do in such countries. If Singapore, the repressive island that he claims, is not only going to allow Jeyaretnam to return to Singapore in one piece and what is more, allow him to live in peace to continue criticizing it, that by itself goes a long way to show that Singapore has not abused Yee's human rights and neither has it abused Jeyaretnam's human rights either.

Calling Jeyaretnam to testify against the Singapore government does not help Amos Yee but instead goes very far in favor of the US government's argument that Amos Yee should not be granted asylum, because the testimony of Jeyaretnam proves Singapore is not a repressive island without laws because if it was, Jeyaretnam would not be in the US bravely testifying against Singapore and after that have the courage to return to it and live in peace.

What Grossman, Yee's attorney should have done is to not call any witnesses but rely solely on documents, or find a former Singaporean who lives in the US and is unable to return to his country for fear of persecution. Perhaps even calling Tan Wah Piow who is now in exile in England would have been a good idea because he cannot return and his was indeed a case where he was persecuted.

Calling someone like Jeyaretnam who lives a comfortable life in Singapore to come to the US and condemn his country, and then return to it without any fear, is not a credible candidate. The very fact that Jeyaretnam has been left alone so far in Singapore despite all his criticism against Singapore and be left alone even after he has condemned his country abroad, does not show a case of persecution but instead a country that allows critics to remain in Singapore without any problems.

Singapore has handled Amos Yee very well. He has never been charged for anything he said against the rulers or the government of Singapore. What he has been charged for and sent to a short stint in jail was because he insulted Christianity and Islam in a crowded multi racial island. The question in this case is very simple. Does Singapore government in such special circumstances have the right to enact such a law to avoid racial violence. I think such as a law in Singapore's  circumstances was justified and there is no persecution. Also the fact that Jeyaretnam who is a staunch critic in Singapore has never ben charged so far for anything, he is allowed to come to the US to testify against his country and yet be able to return to it without any problems goes a long way to show that Singapore does not abuse the rights of his citizens.

The testimony of Kenneth Jeyaretnam will hurt Amos Yee's case. Not help him.

All that I have written so far is only in relation to Amos Yee's trial proceedings and strategy. These are not my personal views about Singapore.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont, San Francisco, USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

 

Sunday, March 5, 2017

The average Singapore student may be literate. But I don't think he is educated

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The purpose of an education, I believe, is not just being able to read and write, and a training in a vocation or profession. The purpose of an education should be the ability to think independently, form opinions, have ideas of your own, have ideas about your country and your lives, and the ability for the betterment of yourselves and society. When an individual with ideas improves himself through new ideas, he also advances his country.

If this is the purpose of an education, you could say, that Singaporeans are not educated. They are incapable of independent thought and independent action. In spite of their schooling, they fear their government. They become paralyzed into inaction and simply obey authority. As a result, any Singaporean can only survive in Singapore, where the state looks after him and tells him what to do, as in any other Stalinist society. If he is put in any other country, he stagnates into oblivion. He is incapable of any leadership qualities. Leaders need courage, which the Singaporean does not have. Leaders are willing to take risks, which he cannot do.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area of California where I live, I do know that there are a number of Singaporeans, mainly ethnic Chinese. But one never hears of them. They may be employed in some company or other but no one has seen them or heard of them. They don't make waves. None of them have stood out from the crowd. They are by and large mediocre and incognito, and that is where they will remain. In fact for most of them, coming to the US has not done much good. They may as well stay behind and be taken care of by Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore. A boring life but you still survive.

It is not their fault for the way they are. The fault lies in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore, an island he has created according to his own plans. The entire island population of Singapore  for the last 50 years since independence have been thoroughly intimidated into submission. The island is a dictatorship with all instruments of power controlled by the government. There is no rule of law. Judges are required to punish any political dissident when told to do so. As a result you see all former political opponents destroyed through the courts on trumped up charges. The most famous of all was Chia Thye Poh who has been jailed for no less that 30 years of his life for daring to challenge Lee Kuan Yew, the then prime Minister. More recently you have JB Jeyaretnam a prominent lawyer opposition  politician who was repeatedly bankrupted, jailed and disbarred from practicing law. This too was done by the island's corrupt judges. Also you have Chee Soon Juan, political opponent who was also repeatedly jailed bankrupted and impoverished, dismissed from his job as a professor and now reduced to selling books he wrote to make a living on Singapore's streets.

I too was a victim of the corrupt judiciary of Singapore. During my time in the island practicing law, I was repeatedly punished with attorney discipline charges to silence me and to stop me from criticism. I was suspended from practicing law for 2 years in 1993 even though I had already left the island and obtained asylum in the USA. In 2008 I was arrested and jailed for writing a blog about a Singapore judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean who I had said had "prostituted herself" in her judicial capacity by shamelessly abusing the law. In 2010 I was disbarred in Singapore island for saying the same thing about another Singapore judge Judith Prakash who similarly shamelessly abuses the law to please her master. The use of the language to describe these judges was a correct expression in English for one who abuses her official authority for personal gain.

Every single one of these cases above were all prominently displayed in their state controlled newspapers. The purpose was to warn everyone in the island not to criticize the government openly or else you will be punished as they were. Unfortunately for Singapore the lesson was only too well learnt. Today no Singaporean no matter how much education he has dares to question authority because they know that to do so is suicidal.

This lesson is also taught in every other sphere of one's life in the island. Those who actively support the Peoples Association, a branch of the ruling Peoples Action Party are promoted in their jobs, are shielded from retrenchments and generally can expect a successful life and career. On the other hand those who refuse to participate in the charade and cast aside and left to their fate. And of course those who criticize them are punished and destroyed.

These lessons are not only learnt by the students themselves, their teachers in school are also expected to give their students these necessary warnings. Instead of teachers telling their students to think independently, form independent ideas and opinions because this is a good thing, as teachers do in Western free societies; instead they are tasked to tell their students not to criticize their government for their own good.

They get the same advice from their parents when they go home. Their parents are there to give them the same bad advice. Obey authority, obey your rulers, don't make waves, keep your mouth shut and do as you are told, and for the vast majority of Singaporeans who are ethnic Chinese, be Confusion.  This is the advice that the teachers tell the students in school and the same advice from parents at home.

Of course someone going through a life like this turns out as a robot, which is what a Singaporean is. He will work hard, do exactly as he is told, and he will be a bore for the rest of his life. In Singapore, because the state takes care of them, they could have a reasonable life. Boring but survive they can. On the other hand, if you put them in any other country in the world where people are free, they have a serious problem. If you are afraid to even open your mouth, how can you get ahead?

In order to judge the average Singaporean, you have to be someone who ordinarily lives elsewhere like I do. I have seen some Singaporeans who come to see me here is San Francisco in the course of my work as an attorney. Not intending to insult them unfortunately I have nothing good to say of them except to say that they are punctual and honest. Other than that they have very few redeeming qualities. For one, they are not articulate. Although English may not be the first language of many foreigners here, many are in fact articulate. But not Singaporeans. They are incapable of any spontaneity, they cannot speak in public, are generally afraid of attention and are altogether silent perhaps because they don't want to make a fool of themselves.

In the West where people are free, you have to be assertive, confident and even somewhat extrovert; all areas in which the Singaporean fails miserably thanks to an upbringing in a society where they are told that the less you are heard the better.

If Singaporean parents understand this, if they want to help their children, they have to take them out of that suppressed atmosphere  and educate them in a free society such as Australia or the United States. Sending them abroad after they have been dealt with by their oppressive society in Singapore at the age of 20 will not do them any good. Their minds are already permanently damaged and they will end up non entities like those who survive in the San Francisco  Bay Area of California and in other parts of the Western world.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont, San Francisco, California
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

Friday, March 3, 2017

Singapore doomed to mediocrity without freedom of speech and expression

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The news about Singapore island has not been good for some time now. The economy has simply not been growing for some time now. In the past the island was hailed as one of the Asian Dragons with near double digit economic growth. But all that now is just memory. Despite all the governments planning, high level committees and manipulations, it is simply not working.

Singapore is disadvantaged from the start compared to other countries. It is far too small. Small geographically and small population wise. For such a tiny place to stay ahead, it not only has to be good, it has to be exemplary. Any economist or political science student will see that an island tiny and  so dependent on foreigners for capital and expertise, must constantly worry, constantly stay ahead. One bad episode and the entire economy can fall. One major company shutting down may trigger an avalanche of capital flight. One piece of bad news could cause an entire economic collapse.

In an island such as this with no mineral wealth, no gold or diamonds, its only real asset is it's people. But unfortunately the quality of its people is one of the worst in the world. Put simply, the Singaporean is unable to think and act independently. You call this behavior training or brainwashing. Over a decade of deliberate and dedicated program of brain washing to create a docile timid and submissive population to attract foreign investment, since foreign companies do not appreciate strikers and complainers, the Singaporean today is one that is incapable of complaining about anything at all! You can do anything to them and yet they wouldn't raise a whimper.

For 50 years, the Singaporean had the stick for disobedience and the carrot for obedience. The philosophy was and is, obey the government and you will be left alone. Disobey at your peril. Don't be foolish and criticize. Criticism is not only futile, it can be very harmful to your health.

Singaporeans today do not have the right of freedom of speech, nor freedom of expression, nor freedom to protest, nor the rule of law. All these things which are considered normal and expected in any other country, are all made illegal under the island constitution. So naturally you would expect any red blooded human being living under such conditions to complain, but surprisingly not in Singapore island. They are afraid to complain. It is just as Big Brother watching you. If you complain you may get trouble. So it is best to keep your mouth shut and simply obey.

Coming back to question, why is Singapore doing so badly, it is because the population of Singapore is incapable of carrying out any economic activity on their own. Because they are afraid, they are good only in following orders and be endearing towards their rulers. It is a constant daily pursuit to please their rulers. Flattery and showing appreciation towards their rulers is how to survive in the island.

Singapore was always and is today a state planned economy. It is the government that does the thinking and the people are required to follow. Unfortunately in all the areas of economic activity through state planning, it has turned out over time in the 21 century to be failures. The sea port was once a major business activity but foreign countries have caught up and the Singapore port is becoming redundant. Singapore airlines was once a leading carrier but other countries have wised up with the carrier now flying half empty. It is the same with every other business activity.

What Singapore needs is not a state planned economy but one created and driven by individual Singaporeans. What you need is thinkers and entrepreneurs. It is they, the Singaporeans, who can achieve greatness for the island, but unfortunately they are simply not up to the task. And why do I say this? Because to be inventive, to be a risk taker, to be an entrepreneur, you need to be a normal human being. Firstly you have to be free and not live like a slave. You have to be able to think on your own. Do things on your own,. You have to have respect in your government. You should not have to live in fear of your government.

As a example of the fear under which people live, if you ask a Singaporean a political question, he would probably take 5 seconds to think what answer he should give, lest it is not politically correct. You have an entire island of hypocrites, who have to massage their answers so as to be left alone by their government. And how do you expect a man who lives like this, think of new ideas and new businesses?

As long as these rights do not exist, Singaporeans unlike the British, the French, the Israelis, the Germans, they will never be able to use their heads, come up with ideas, have a stake in their country and be proud of their country. Without the collaboration of its very citizens, a tiny island like this has no hope of ever achieving economic success.

Today the economy is growing at about 1% to 2% a year. This rate of growth can hardly support a real country with a larger geographical area and population. With a tiny island and a tiny population, a rate such as this is destructive and terminal. No amount of planning can solve the island's problems as long as the average citizen can do nothing except follow.

If next year is also going to see just  a 1% increase in GDP with the economy stagnating , with the growing brain drain where thousands from an already tiny population continue to leave, you simply don't have enough ideas to sustain any development.

I think it is over for Singapore. What will destroy Singapore is the total success that Lee Kuan Yew achieved in creating a population which is incapable of complaining.

You may be wondering if what I say is true, why am I able to write this without any trouble. It is because I am writing this from outside Singapore and their ability to abuse the law and victimize me is not possible since I am not physically within their jurisdiction. They can of course try to sue in in the US but their chances of success are less than zero, because I am protected by the rule of law and a respected US Constitution. Therefore I have rights which I don't in Singapore island. Of course I would not have dared to write this within Singapore because I would find myself in the local jail the next minute. Which is why I left and why thousands of others like me are leaving, which is why that island is facing the problems that they do.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont (San Francisco) California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com