Unfortunately, like those foreign
talents recruited, who worked for the sake of their interests and
money (?) - did Tommy Koh also submitted to his own interests
?
Tommy Koh had written a master piece of research into Singapore
Parliamentary procedures and legisltations, and had found that many
of the Laws that were legislated had been passed without due
process.
There were flaws in the system which were exposed in his
dissertation, and his talent was recognised to be as versatile and
challenging to the Elite as that of David Marshall, and whose
service was best made of in the interest of Singapore on the
international stage, then to be risked being an intelligent
dissident in Singapore.
David Marshall's views of Singapore is
recognised to be one of the most honest views than anyone in
Singapore can have.
Can there be anyone having a more honest and disinterestedd opinion
of Singapore, after being an Opposition
Leader, an ex-Chief
Minister, and accepting an invitation - from his arch-rival in
LKY - to represent Singapore's interests as an Ambassador to France
?
Extracted from an interview with David Marshall
by Dharmendra Yadav
In my time, I tried to educate our people in an understanding of
the dignity of human life and their right as fellow human beings,
and youth was not only interested but excited about what I consider
things that matter. Things of the spirit; the development of a
human being to his true potential in accordance with his own
personal genius in the context of equal rights of others.
Today, youth is interested in getting paper qualification and, as
soon as possible, shoveling gold into their bank accounts. Its a
different world, even the law.
I am a consultant here [Drew & Napier]. When I left in 78,
there were three partners it was supposed to be a big firm; two
assistants we were a big firm; 17 staff. This office has four
floors. They think that it is a waste of time to use the lift so we
have an internal staircase. We have more than 90 lawyers, more than
200 secretaries and I dont know how many staff.
The law is no longer a vocation, it is a business. Everything is
geared to business!
Of course, there is this pragmatic development of our country. Ah,
our rising expectations of a pragmatic character! It is a fantastic
and almost a miraculous development in my lifetime.
When I was Chief Minister, there were men dying of starvation and
because of beri-beri. I took my PA [personal assistant] and an
Inspector of Police for night at midnight. For two hours, we toured
Singapore and we estimated there were two ten thousand men sleeping
on the pavements. No homes.
Today - no unemployment, no homeless. I started this business of
building homes for our people. Compare the puny work I achieved and
the fantastic HDB homes that are available today for our people. I
am deeply impressed and I take off my hat to this very able honest
government. Dedicated!
But I am seen as a critic and I am a critic.
I am frankly terrified by this massive control of the mass media,
the press, the radio, television, antennae, [and] public meetings.
You cant write a letter to the Straits Times; if there is a shadow
of criticism, its not published. And the Chinese press follows
suit. Its a very dangerous position because experience proves that
no one group of human beings has got all the wisdom in the
world.
I mean
well, two of you are Chinese and one Indian [Ed: actually,
the interviewers were one Chinese, one Jew and one Indian]. I dont
know much about Indian history but look at China. You had Confucian
authoritarianism for more than 2500 years. What happened to China?
She was a fossil. She had to reinvigorate herself with the Western
ideology of communism. Another authoritarian ideology! And what was
the result?
There must have been a million decent people who were transformed
into vipers, vicious obscene vipers. Im afraid of this control of
the mass media.
And are youths the miasma of apathetic subservience to authority?
But you say to yourselves, Well, you know, what do we seek in
life? We seek a rice bowl, full!
It is full and overflowing, in fact. They serve you your rice in a
jade bowl with golden chopsticks; not that it makes much difference
to the taste of the rice. But youre empty!
Youve got technocratic skills and you are seeking more but
internally you are empty. Money is your acid test of success.
Ive got nothing against money. Id like to have money myself! Id
like to have a house and a garden and dogs and a car and a
chauffeur but, look, Ive got a flat. Ive got a swimming pool
attached to the flat. Ive not even got a car but I use taxis. I
have a dignified way of life without being wealthy.
I dont see the necessity of owning a Mercedes-Benz and a swimming
pool and a couple of mistresses. I think weve got our values all
wrong.
You know $96,000 a month for a Prime Minister and $60,000 a month
for a minister. What the hell do you do with all that money? You
cant eat it! What do you do with it? Your children dont need all
that money.
My children have had the best of education. In fact, Im very proud
of them. One of them is a senior registrar to two major hospitals
in Oxford. Another of them is a consultant in European law to the
Securities and Investment Board in the United Kingdom. Theyve had
their education. There are no complaints.
I never earned $60,000 a month or $90,000 a month. When I was Chief
Minister, I earned $8,000 a month. Look, what is happening today is
we are encouraged to and are becoming worshippers of the Golden
Calf.
We have lost sight of the joy and excitement of public service,
helping our fellow men. The joy and excitement of seeking and
understanding of the joy of the miracle of the living the duty and
the grandeur. We have lost taste for heroic action in the service
of our people.
We have become good bourgeois seeking comfort, security. Its like
seeking a crystal coffin and being fed by intravenous injections
through pipes in the crystal coffin; crystal coffins stuck with
certificates of your pragmatic abilities.
What has changed?
The self-confidence of our people has grown immensely, and that is
good to see. Our pragmatic abilities have grown magnificently, and
that is good to see. Very good to see!
You are very able. Youre ambitious, and the government has heroic
plans for the future. It hasnt finished.
I take off my hat to the pragmatic ability of our government but
there is no soul in our conduct. It is a difficult thing to speak
of because it is difficult to put in a computer, and the youth of
Singapore is accustomed to computer fault. There is no longer the
intellectual ferment, the passionate argument for a better
civilisation. The emphasis on the rice bowl!
Tell me Im wrong, come on.
For further reading click on
David Marshall's views
Can you appreciate honest talent when you see it before you; or
being a technocrat, will you only mechanically perform the tasks
assigned - suppressing any inclination towards humanity ?
