Singapore Democrats
Barely two weeks after it placed the second order for A Nation Cheated, Kinokuniya Bookstore has ordered more copies of the book. Written by Dr Chee Soon Juan, the book is selling briskly and is obviously in demand. Select Books, a small bookshop at the Tanglin Shopping Centre, is also selling it.
The first part of the book delves into how Mr Lee Kuan Yew really came to power.
Singaporeans have been repeatedly told that Mr Lee had defeated the communists in a life-and-death struggle to control Singapore.
Declassified documents in London, however, show that things may not have been quite so heroic. The information that has surfaced reveals that there was much behind-the-scenes machination between Mr Lee and the British.
Mr Lim and his allies were repeatedly arrested by the colonial government which paved the way for Mr Lee and his faction to come to power.
Records indicate that in reality the British did not consider the late Lim Chin Siong a communist and officials stated repeatedly that his fight for power was well within constitutional means.
It was, in fact, Mr Lee Kuan Yew who insisted that Mr Lim be detained without trial. At the same time, however, he did not want to be seen openly calling for his comrade’s arrest for fear of a political backlash as the charismatic Lim was hugely popular with Singaporeans.
And so Mr Lee schemed to get the British to front the crackdown. Mr Lim together with more than a hundred others were detained under the ISA in 1963. He was subjected to cruel and humiliating treatment by Mr Lee’s Internal Security Department. Mr Lim subsequently suffered from depression in prison and tried to commit suicide.
Historians and commentators have repeatedly stated that while Mr Lim Chin Siong was much loved and supported by Singaporeans, his nemesis Mr Lee was the one that London wanted to see become prime minister.
Several years into the detention, Prime Minister Lee insisted that his erstwhile party colleague be exiled to the UK. Mr Lim was allowed to return to Singapore only in 1979. He died in 1996 of a heart attack.
Apart from historical developments, A Nation Cheated also documents how Singaporeans have been deprived of the economic security that has been promised to them even as their political rights have been denied them.
This book is a must-read for those who want to peel the scales off their eyes and read about the side of Singapore that the Government won’t reveal. The myths that have been woven about the PAP is exposed and Singaporeans desperately need to acquaint themselves with the truth.
A Nation Cheated can also be purchased by sending your email to speakup@yoursdp.org