Singapore Democrats

When I was in jail in 2006, I re-read the book Comet In Our Sky, a compilation of essays written by friends and associates of the late Lim Chin Siong. I will assume most of you here know Lim Chin Siong and will not endeavour to go into detail how he was seen by the majority of Singaporeans as the natural leader of our then fledgling republic in the 1950s and 60s, other than to say that his charisma and compassionate style of leadership won the hearts and minds of many.

The book includes a chapter written by Professor of Southeast Asian Studies, Tim Harper, from Cambridge University. Professor Harper documented his research after poring through bundles of de-classified papers, memos, letters, etc. written by Britsh colonial officials during the turbulent period leading up to Singapore's independence.

The picture that emerged was one not quite the story that I heard and read growing up. In a nutshell, the Professor's account was that the people of Singapore wanted Lim Chin Siong as their leader but the British would not allow it and wanted Lee Kuan Yew instead.

So we have two versions of what happened: one written written by a disinterested, third-party academic and based on verifiable de-classifed papers, and the other by Lee Kuan Yew who still has vested personal interests in telling these events. I do not think I would be far wrong if I say that the majority of people would look to the former for a more accurate and objective account of that part of history.

This is what I tried to do in the first part of A Nation Cheated, that is, summarise Professor Harper's research finding's.

But my nerves are rubbed raw when I keep hearing Lee Kuan Yew, who came to power backed by the colonialists, rant about how the West should not foist its system on an Asian people, meaning us. Somehow the democratic practices that allowed Lee Kuan Yew to become prime minister suddenly become Western and not suited for us Singaporeans.

Today the propaganda continues unabated, that Singaporeans are not interest in human rights and democracy. I will come to this subject in a moment and show you how this lie has now been exposed.

For now, let me dwell a little on the notion that things have worked worked wonderfully for Singaporeans.

Whether it is our CPF or healthcare costs or wages or our financial reserves, I have presented evidence in the book to show how things are not quite what they seem. I have tried to stay away from polemics especially in part two of the book and concentrated on putting together the data from alternative sources to make my case. I will leave it to you the reader to decide for yourself whether I have done my job or not.

To illustrate what I really set out to say in this book, I want to relate a story. It is about a man whom I met when I went for my jog one morning. He is in his mid-seventies and works for the town council as a cleaner. He starts work at 7 am and knocks off at about one or two in the afternoon depending on how much work there is that day. He works six days a week. His salary? $400 a month.


When he was a young man in his 20s, he was told that if he just stayed disciplined, didn't support independent unions, didn't clamour for his rights and trusted the PAP to govern in his best interest, he would be better off. He did that, or at least he wasn't given a choice.

Today, he is told that he must not think of retiring. In fact he is told that he needs to work for less pay. He is told that part of his savings is in Merill Lynch and in about 15 to 20 years, he should be able to start seeing returns on the investment, that is if the bank doesn't go belly up first.

Doesn't the word "cheated" come to mind?

This old man's story is not an aberration. Statistics tell us that our poorest segment of society continue to see their wages shrink. Fifty percent of the people haven't seen their incomes grow over the past ten years.

But then our ministers increased the salaries in 2007 by a heart-stopping 85 percent. The president is paid $4 million a year, for what no one quite knows. The Senior Minister and Minister Mentor are also paid close to that amount, again for what no one quite understands. The Prime Minister is paid $3.8 million which works out to be about $10,000 a day.

They tell you that they must be amply rewarded for building such a fine country. Really? Let's see what Singaporeans think:

• Despite having gone through national education at school, 37 percent of Singaporean youths say they are not patriotic. More than 50 percent want to emigrate overseas if given a chance. (Channel News Asia, 17 January 2007)
• Another survey of older Singaporeans showed that two-thirds said they have considered retiring in another country. (Straits Times, 20 August 2008)
• A few weeks ago, the Government confirmed that an average of 1,000 Singaporeans had given up their citizenship annually over the last three years. (Asia Times, 21 August 2008)

Have you thought of this number before, ladies and gentlemen? These are astounding figures. I cannot think of another country where after 50 years of uninterrupted rule, we produce a nation where its people profess no love for it and can't wait to get out?

Tell me, hand on heart, that you still think that the PAP has governed in the interest of Singapore and Singaporeans. Tell me that we have not been cheated.

Comments

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Mike  -  How to cheat Kiasu Singaporeans?    Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:29 pm Singaporeans are so Kiasu.. How can be cheated so easily? First one not cheated is CSJ.. The other Singaporeans are also not stupid... I Not Stupid.. Where got conned? Quote 11   52

tewniaseng  -     Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:55 pm Pap members can cycle in the park, why opposition members need a police permit to cycle ? LKY is a double head snake. Quote 47   13

President Bush  -     Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:15 am If Lim Chin Siong became PM, whether or not he was a true communist, President Johnnson would have invaded Singapore, just like Vietnam. Learn your International Relations Chee. Quote 14   57

Nick  -     Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:28 am I'm gonna buy this book!! You should too!!! I want to see school kids reading this!!!! Quote 43   7

Tan Tai Wei  -  What to expect reading Professor Harper and LKY    Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:49 am As an academic, especially with the reputation of Cambridge to maintain, that historian must have guarded his creditability and credentials very carefully. Both for pure scholarship and career advancement, he will have to be convincing to fellow experts, disinterestedly in the search for truth, within the international community of historians. However, the business of lawyers and politicians, especially political pragmatists, is to slant their arguments and evidences, either on behalf of clients, or propagating for votes, etc. And LKY was lawyer, and present pragmatic politician. Plus his version of Lim Chin Siong is still of contemporary party interest to the PAP. Quote 33   7

Tan Tai Wei  -     Thu, 04 Sep 2008 1:22 am I was a boy then when the Chinese school students boycotted exams, camped in, confronted the police, tear gas was fired, several students shot, etc. And Lim Chin Siong and others, we were made to believe, were the communist culprits behind it all. Now I read that that was part of the unrest that Lim Yew Hock, the then Chief Minister, in secret collusion with the British, had deliberatedly instigated, in order to have the excuse to arrest Lim and others in the Barisan Socialis, and make way for LKY and the PAP, and all this done with the tacit endorsement of LKY and associates! So, it not LKY's purported colluding with the British per se, but the atrocious way in which this was done, according to Prof Harper's account, and as exemplified in the incidence briefed above, that surprises. Quote 36   7

quantum  -     Thu, 04 Sep 2008 1:39 am Is the book available in bookshops? Quote 1   0

AnnA  -  Priceless Photo    Thu, 04 Sep 2008 2:29 am Dear SDP I have been wanting to say this for quite sometime... here goes. The picture of the old man pushing his carton cart and comparing between his situation with our government's first world claim is PRICELESS. Quote 21   3

Mikee  -  If LKY does not sue    Thu, 04 Sep 2008 2:35 am If LKY does not sue then it must be the truth. Sue Sue Sue. Let see if you can win in the British court. I think the British government must have altered the declassified documents to do him in. Haha Quote 20   4

Anonymous  -     Thu, 04 Sep 2008 2:43 am As far as Singapore's history is concerned, there is only one version. The Lee's version. LOL. Quote 16   0

Old Uncle's Friend  -  Wow! My Friend appears again!    Thu, 04 Sep 2008 4:24 am I have a question - did the SDP supporter/member help old uncle to push his cart? Or no.. just took the picture to use for your political ends and moved on? Has the SDP ever done anything to help the poor (sorry protest not counted)? Its so easy to point out there are poor people. What it takes heart and effort to DO something. IF and When Chee wins his battle - what next? Go fight for the rights of Burmese? Go Stanford to give lectures like "My life, my fight, my struggle"? What about the bread and butter issues of Singaporeans? Because there is democracy - there will be no poverty? Because there is a free press, people will not leave Singapore? Politics is about running a country - sound economics, good foreign relations, managing crime - has Chee ever showed any interests in these everyday issues? Does he have a solution for how we can work less, keeping attracting investment and still have enough money for the poor? Perhaps Chee SJ is a decent man. But however you calculate the votes, the fact remains - SDP has the lowest among all parties, PAP or opposition. A political party must have a plan for the country, and cannot make "defending democracy" its sole agenda. The situation is such - there are poor people around, and they need help. People are helping them - countless volunteers, charities, working hard. You can choose to use your hands to help or you can choose to just sit there, reading and writing these philosophical books and saying " Oh my heart bleeds for the poor" Quote 45   24

John McCain  -     Thu, 04 Sep 2008 6:04 am Our troops are too stretched. I'll focus on Iraq. Once finished, maybe I'll consider Operation Singapore Freedom Quote 18   0

Election results 2010-11  -     Thu, 04 Sep 2008 7:38 am Old Uncle's Friend and others. Take note of the factst that will emerge in the next election. SDP has reached rock bottom in terms of number of candidates and percentage of votes in the GE. In the next GE it is poised to go up. The main point is how much and at what volume. That is the stragey i believe SDP is aware of. Its just a question of how they will manage it in terms of candidates, constituencies and strategy. this is to state the obvious. U can run away from the positve results for the SDP in the next election. take note of that!!! Quote 11   1

get ur facts right  -  re:    Thu, 04 Sep 2008 7:56 am President Bush wrote: If Lim Chin Siong became PM, whether or not he was a true communist, President Johnnson would have invaded Singapore, just like Vietnam. Learn your International Relations Chee. president bush, get ur facts right on the purpose behind the Vietnam war before mouthing off. the war had nothing much to do with communism. it's all about the money. do u know the rules of engagement for US soldiers n why the war lasted so long? please do ur research first. can't stand people who thinks they know a lot when their view is so myopic n ignorant. Quote 16   0

Agnes Chia  -  To: Old Uncle's Friend    Thu, 04 Sep 2008 8:04 am Quote: Politics is about running a country - sound economics, good foreign relations, managing crime Politics is also about being concern with social issues and managing the rise of social ills. Or rather, when the ministers are elected, they should stop behaving like politicians first. They should conduct themselves each as a as statesman and then second as a politician. Democracy is bread and butter for us as citizens. It is our lifeline. If we give up our rights to speak up and to fight for our own inheritance to this land to what we and our forefathers have built up, then we lose our rights to the decent livelihood we deserve as citizens. We must remember we have our birth rights as citizens. First of all, we can all see clearly how the ruling party has made use of the fear factor in us and we as citizens have evolved to such a pathetic state of not even daring to speak up against policies which are unsound and policies which are not benefiting Singaporeans. Some of which are even harmful to Singaporeans. You mentioned about helping the poor and there are many welfare organisations and volunteers out there to do all these things and what is SDP doing. Doing all these good works are ways of helping these groups definitely. However, we have been firefighting everyday non stop helping these groups but all these which have been extended do not cure the root of the problems. There are many social policies and social assistance schemes which the government had meted out which based on my humble assessment and experiences, have offer not much integration and do not extend help in a way which will effect a better than temporary change to the helpless situaton the needy Singaporeans are in. Refer to what MP Dr. Lily Neo had mentioned fiercely against her MCYS counterpart during Parliament last week. Many of these schemes are just touching the iceberg of the matter without offering any cure. The ministers from different ministries also do not seem to work in an integrated manner and each ministry has its own agenda and strives to achieve its own. However, many social policies affecting the poor and the middle income especially require a multi discplinary, inter-ministerial approach. Perhaps there have been some efforts one may say but my question would be how much efforts? Not even wanting to mention concerted efforts. How many times have the voices from the ground been escalated to the top such that the minsters get to hear? The people on the ground, including many officers and workers in the people helping profession, are too muted to speak up and to counter views nor to put forth useful debates. This is due to the fear factor which the ruling party has been instilling since decades ago, ironically leading to such highly educated intellects behaving irrationally. Or perhaps, even if people from the ground or the officers and workers helping these groups of people did raise issues and did speak up, how many times have these decision makers taken time and put in considerations to what we have said? How many times have they put aside their pride and wonder if the points we made perhaps made better sense? And all these is due to the lack of democracy from the start. The lack of transparency, the lack of accountability, the lack of humility as leaders to listen to the people, etc, the arrogrance from the ruling party...Once again, all these boils down to the lack of democracy. If there is democracy, what the people say has power. You can see, even the journalist who are supposed to speak TRUTH to the POWER structures (this is what journalist in other developed countries are doing as we can see their state leaders are matured enough to handle such press). They are so fearful and they give up that right and perogative to speak up, to speak the truth. The truth shall set us free. However, there is no freedom as truth is already far away. So what the SDP is fighting for is considered a very worthy cause. Quote 27   4

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