[Singapore] - Singapore Ambassador-at-large Bilahari Kausikan shared the following
Singaporean cloak-&-dagger story of political espionage.
"I was then pretending to study in the University of
Singapore. I did something that could potentially have had serious
ramifications — what I am never going to say, so don’t bother to
ask. Nobody knew what I did except my fellow conspirators — or so I
fondly believed — but things began to go pear-shaped and I thought
I’d better come clean before everything crashed.
I telephoned my father, then (Singapore’s Ambassador) in
Moscow. Before I could say anything on a line that like all Embassy
lines was obviously tapped, my father said he knew about it and
told me to tell Mr Chia. I dutifully called Mr Chia. Again before I
could say anything he said he knew about it, and told me to go and
meet Mr Nathan at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) which was then
in City Hall, now our National Gallery.
With more than a little trepidation, I made my way to City
Hall and was tremblingly admitted into Mr Nathan’s presence. He
wasn’t then working in MFA. He must have just borrowed an office in
MFA to meet me as he was then in a department whose very existence
a callow youth should not know about let alone visit. Again he
already knew all about what in the innocence of youth I had thought
was secret. Why did you do it, he demanded. I answered the best I
could. Mr Nathan sat in grim faced silence, apparently pondering
what I said.
Who else was involved, he suddenly barked at me. No one I
said. Don’t lie. No one, I insisted. Again he pondered in silence.
I sat before him nervously for what seemed an eternity.
Will you take responsibility, he finally asked. Exasperation
momentarily overcame fear. That’s what I’ve been trying to do, I
snapped.
What’s the worst that can happen to you, Mr Nathan snapped
back. I don’t know, I replied, puzzled. Will you be hanged, he
asked.
I don’t think so, I hope not, I replied, by this time
thoroughly discombobulated, which I now realise was his
intention.
Mr Nathan broke into a smile — and those of you who know him
should know he had a very charming smile — So what are you worried
about? You did what you thought was right, it was stupid, but you
won’t be hanged. Go, he said.
I got up and made for the door. He called me back. Good that
you are willing to take responsibility for what you thought was
right, he said. Never evade responsibility, but if you want to play
such games again, ask someone who knows how, he said. I
fled."
- Bilahari Kausikan.
Someone commented, "I know exactly what Bilahari Kausikan did
but I'm not going into details either. At the time there was a
cloak-&-dagger battle of wits going on between the Pyramid club and USSU. USSU spies had caught the Pyramid club
spies while they were doing some dastardly deed in the dead of
night. Bila and his team got away with it because they were agents
of the PAP establishment in the first place. Nathan's "magnanimity"
had nothing to do with the outcome. Had the tables been turned (ie.
had he been anti-PAP spying on PAP), the consequences would have
been severe. I've said all there is to know about the episode. A
crime was committed and he was not prosecuted. The pattern repeats
itself."
