In most countries, when independence came from colonial masters,
the first leaders were usually someone from the majority ethnic
group of that state.
China - Mao Zedong
DPRK - Kim Il Sung
Myanmar - Aung San
Vietnam - Ho Chin Min
Malaya - Tunku Abdul Rahman etc.
In Singapore, this was not the case.
The man who logically should be the first leader, was ousted
from the political scene.
It is actually from this event that leads us to all the problems
of self identity, nation building, migration etc that we are facing
today.
The Man Who Almost
Became Prime Minister
“Chin Siong was introduced to
me by Lee Kuan Yew. Kuan Yew came to visit me in my little office
underneath the stairs and said, “Meet the future Prime Minister of
Singapore!” I looked at Lim Chin Siong and I laughed. LKY said,
“Don’t laugh!” He is the finest Chinese orator in Singapore and he
will be our next Prime Minister!” - David
Marshall
“Toh Chin Chye
spoke first, in English! No response from the crowd. Ong Eng Guan
was next, in Hokkien, but not very good. The crowd was restless.
Then, Chin Siong stood up. He was brilliant and the crowd was
spellbound.”
“One man emerged from this
election as a powerful public speaker. He was young, slim, of
medium height, with a soft face but a ringing voice that flowed
beautifully in his native Hokkien. The girls adored him, especially
those in the trade union. Apart from Chinese culture, his themes
were the downtrodden workers, the wicked imperialists, the
Emergency Regulations that suppressed the rights of the masses,
free speech and free association. Once he got going after a cold
start at the first two meetings, there was tremendous applause
every time he spoke. By the end of the campaign, Lim Chin Siong was
seen as a charismatic figure and a person to be reckoned with in
Singapore politics and, what was of more immediate concern, within
the PAP.”
“The fact is that
all of us were detained, without trial for ages. Not knowing when
we would be coming out. That, I would say is a torture. A torture.
You are detained for years, until such a time that you are willing
to humiliate our own integrity. Until you are humiliated publicly.
So much so, when you come out, you cannot put your head up, you
cannot see your friends. Alright, then they may release you. It is
a very cruel torture. It is worse than in Japanese time, when with
a knife, they slaughter you. One shot, you die. But this
humiliation will carry on for life. It is very
cruel.”
