A prisoner in his own country
Huang Chih Mei
07 Sep 07
Last week, our children were feeling excited about the coming
school holidays and they were talking about what they wanted to do
as a family. My husband told them, "Well, I am going to prison next
week."
My eldest daughter looked at me and asked, "Is Papa joking or
serious?"
I said, "This government doesn't seem to like your Papa very much,
does it?"
Soon Juan's travel ban resulted from his bankruptcy has effectively
made him a prisoner in his own country since 1 April 2006.
I am partly pleased with the fact that he doesn't need to be
constantly traveling and away from the family. At the same time,
however, I understand his frustration at not being able to attend
meetings overseas, to be there to network with fellow democrats, to
make passionate presentations, and to impress upon the
international community of the political situation in
Singapore.
Most of the time, the world is rather uninformed of Singapore's
authoritarian government and its sophisticated yet repressive
controls, despite Singapore being a presumably modern, progressive,
rich city-state.
Even when they know, many prevailing commercial interests tend to
out-weigh the prospects of antagonizing the Singapore government
that is very much into business itself. In addition, there are
always many well-paid mercenaries to carry out the PAP government's
public relations work among various international circles.
Apparently, for most people and organisations around the globe, the
cause of those living in third-world countries with their familiar
TV images of poverty and unrest seem a less threatening one to
defend.
It is a lonely job at home and overseas for any Singaporean
democracy advocate.
Despite the authority's rejections for all of Soon Juan's travel
applications, there is little we can do about it. Neither do we
know how long they will hold him under city arrest.
Personally, I don't really need to get out of Singapore, except to
go back to Taiwan to visit my parents. Nevertheless, I can still
feel the effects of being confined to a small place, a city without
countryside, nor the change of four seasons.
There are people who ask me why I have not become a Singapore
citizen after having lived here for more than 16 years. I thought
the answer should be quite obvious - it would be a terrifying
thought that your own government which is supposed to protect you
is instead, your enemy. But, I told them that this place is my
home, and I am prepared to grow old in Singapore with my husband
and children.
One evening, when our three children were brushing their teeth
before going to bed. Soon Juan looked at them and commented, "They
are the cushion of our tough life in this political
struggle."
True, when my mother asked me, "Are you happy?" I told her that I
am not unhappy at all.
Nowadays, three weeks for Soon Juan to be away from home is
considered a long time, especially for our children who always
enjoy his being around. But, I told them that this unpleasant
inconvenience is not going to be forever.
Meanwhile, we will wait patiently for his release from prison. We
are not going anywhere else.
Dr Huang Chih Mei, the wife of Dr
Chee Soon Juan, is from Taiwan. She has been living in Singapore
since 1991.
