Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Singapore state controlled newspaper the Straits Times report
of Jan 16, 2009 has this article, "Review of Public Laws".
It says "the government is reviewing existing public laws and
may craft new legislation to deal with civil disobedience acts such
as illegal protests. In the works could be a new law to give police
pre-emptive powers, for instance, to act earlier to prevent people
from congregating in certain places, such as Parliament House and
the Istana"
In other words, the
government is going to enact even harsher laws to stop anyone from
protesting publicly against government
actions.
As it is, the
government is already violating the Constitution in several
ways, which guarantees freedom of speech and
expression, by demanding that people wishing to protest or speak
publicly require a police permit; denying them each time they
apply.
Constitutionally, the requirement for permits is itself illegal
and ultra vires the Constitution. And worse, each time citizens
apply for it, it is routinely denied.
Recently you have seen increasing numbers of people deliberately
breaking these unjust laws by protesting without permits and being
jailed as a result. John Tan, Shafi and Izrizal had been jailed for
15 days and 10 days each respectively by judge Judith Prakash a
month ago for wearing T-shirts emblazoned with pictures of
Kangaroos in judicial robes at a trial where Lee Kuan Yew was
engaging in his usual pastime of suing opposition politicians for
defamation of character, the victim being Dr. Chee Soon Juan.
Only a few days ago, a government Member of Parliament suffered the
unusual attack at the hands of an unhappy citizen, of being doused
with kerosene and set alight. I understand his whole body was on
fire for several minutes before the flames were subdued. He is now
in a Singapore hospital having suffered serious burns all over his
body.
The same man was attacked some time ago, when another Singaporean
punched his face at the meet the people session of the
government.
Only yesterday,
Mr. Koh Chan Meng aged 47 was charged for 3 counts of vandalism for
writing the words "Go sue me Lee Kuan Yew" and "Hi, Harry Lee, I
love you" on a brick wall outside Singapore
Parliament. Although, the government may call him a
vandal, he too was exercising his right to freedom of speech by
showing his disgust at the ruling party and Singapore’s dictator
Lee Kuan Yew.
Also a few days
ago, it was reported in Straits Times that Seelan Pallay and Kai
Xiong, 2 young activists had mounted a protest outside the
Singapore Ministry of Manpower to show their solidarity with
Burmese workers in Singapore who were being deported to Burma for
engaging in peaceful protests. The Burmese face
executions or decades of imprisonment at the hands of the Junta.
Seelan and Kai Xiong are being charged for criminal trespass even
though there was nothing criminal or trespass in their
actions.
In September of last year, I was imprisoned for 3 months for
allegedly insulting a judge, Belinda Ang even though I merely wrote
a criticism of her in her conduct of a trial in this blog. The Wall
Street Asia about the same time was convicted of contempt of court
for writing a criticism of the weird goings on in there. Another
reason for their conviction was because the article referred also
to my case.
Trials are now going on in Singapore courts against Gandhi Ambalam,
Chee Siok Chin and Dr. Chee Soon Juan for distributing flyers at
the WTO meeting 2 years ago.
While all this repression goes on, the Singapore economy is fast
declining with massive job losses and even more on the way.
The writing is on the wall and Lee Kuan Yew has seen
it. The people are prepared to challenge these laws
and suffer the consequences of imprisonment and financial
suffering. Lee Kuan Yew anticipates that even more will brazenly
break these unjust laws that deny them their constitutional
rights.
The problem is
worsening with more job losses in a country that does not provide
any safety net for the people suffering financial woes. So Lee Kuan
Yew acts in the only way he knows; enact even harsher laws to
punish those who dare question the
government.
What Lee Kuan Yew fears the most is public protests, or people
power. He realizes that the people are prepared now
to challenge these unjust laws in increasing numbers. He remembers
what happened in the Philippines when people power, mass protests,
brought down the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He knows that such
protests in Singapore, a crowded island state, will have
devastating effects. He also knows that he will die very soon and
his minions cannot save his dictatorship.
Of course he knows the already bad world opinion of him and his
island state will diminish even further. All international human
rights bodies including the US State Department condemn the human
rights violations in Singapore.
Singapore’s economy relies today principally on money laundering
for Burmese drug lords and Indonesian businessmen. Even this
business, a dirty one, is also going to end with the US and the
European Union demanding more transparency for banking transactions
of clients who have avoided American and European tax.
This increasing bad publicity for Singapore, making it a pariah
state, will have devastating effects of every other sector of
Singapore business. Foreign universities will shun Singapore in
their search for foreign campuses. Even more people would emigrate,
more than what they are already doing. Tourism will decline
further. Foreign businesses who care for their reputation will
loathe having dealings with a disgraced country. Lee Kuan Yew will
be facing gloom from every angle if he indeed goes ahead with his
plan to enact even more harsh and illegal laws to muzzle
dissent.
But with the impossible situation that Lee Kuan Yew faces today in
his fast declining country, I think he will go ahead as he
threatens. I expect longer prison sentences for those who dare
challenge him. Maybe even the brutal caning. Perhaps they will also
be ordered to pay the legal costs of the government running into
several thousand dollars each time. Perhaps the law will permit the
right to enter homes without warrants each time to seize and arrest
people and property of suspected protestors.
I hope the people will not be deterred by these laws and do what is
right, by protesting. Your actions may be wrong in the law of
Singapore but I can assure you that in the law of natural justice,
in morality and truth, you are not committing any crime. You are in
fact heroes willing to stand up for the rights of your
countrymen.
Lee Kuan Yew relies on his corrupt judges and his police force to
do his dirty work. If these judges and these policemen refuse, then
he is powerless. I hope these men and women who are made to do
these bad things ask themselves the question whether it is just.
And I am sure, with time, even the policemen and judges would one
day say, enough is enough. I will not lend my hand to hurt innocent
citizens. And once they begin to jib, Lee Kuan Yew will be
powerless to hurt his people anymore. To them I say, search your
conscience. And do the right thing, for heaven sake.
Have no fear. As some great man had said, it is better to die a
free man than to live a coward. The very fact that Lee Kuan Yew is
coming up with these laws means only one thing. The cause of
freedom is winning and he is losing. Take advantage of the
momentum. Capitalize on your victories. And show Lee Kuan Yew that
in the end, the truth must triumph.
Gopalan Nair
http://singaporedissident.blogspot.
