Lee Kuan Yew is Singapore's Gadaffi

Lee Kuan

Singapore's disparate minuscule opposition should re-think their strategy. Otherwise not for a hundred years is anything going to change. The coming elections are not going to change anything.
Lee Kuan Yew is Singapore's Gadaffi. He will not step down as long as he breathes and neither will his son go away either. They and their PAP intend to stay no matter what. The sooner you see the light, the better.
Here are the reasons.



1. PAP candidates are far superior in qualifications as against any opposition candidate. The people can see that too.If given a choice, Singaporeans rather vote for a Presidents Scholar from Oxbridge than a Print Shop owner with 10th grade education.

This is reality whether you like it or not. And by an large, the best qualified political candidates would prefer the PAP of course for the immense wealth that they stand to gain by prostrating before their dictator.

At the same time, I am not saying that these men and women are decent. They are not. In fact they are bums, scums with no decency or morals at all. All of them are in it for the money, nothing else.

In fact the opposition candidates are far better human beings and would make great leaders of men. But as long as greed governs human nature, young men and women will pass exams and go to universities only to sell their soul to the devil and dictators.

And it is these people who would be elected, not the humble honest ordinary Singaporean who sacrifices his life for democracy and the opposition.

The opposition would never be able to attract the best (I mean in academic prowess) political candidates simply because to join the opposition is to accept suffering all your life at the hands of Lee Kuan Yew's men and who in his right mind would want that?

2. The PAP has been around for decades, ever since independence. They run the place. They are the ones with the experience.

I am not denying of course, and it is true, that politicians really need not know much about running anything, since it is the civil service that does it. But the problem is, the people do not know this.

They think the PAP politicians have the experience to run the country which the opposition do not. So, if I was an ordinary Singaporean thinking this, given a choice, whom would I choose? No question about it but the PAP as I will have greater security with them around, knowing the ropes.

3. For 50 years now Lee Kuan Yew and his friends in the government have created the infra structure of the country both physical and otherwise, the roads, the buildings, the civil service, you name it, it is them and no one else.

Do you believe even for a moment that he would willingly hand over control to some new government just because the electorate wished it? Never, not on his life. He is going to hang on as long as he can, and that is not going to happen anytime soon.

4. I have no doubt whatsoever that if need be, provided he has not already done so, he will just stuff the ballot boxes in the even that a "freak" (to use Lee's words) election results happen and the opposition gets any more than 3 or 4 seats. Or he will just abolish elections altogether and bring in marital law.

5. Lee is this way because he persuades himself into thinking that he and his PAP are good for the country and no one else will do, and that if there was a change of government, the country that he almost created would go the the dogs.

Of course there is not a single iota of truth in this. Singapore would have been successful with or without him, but he wants to see only his side of the picture, thereby thinking he has no choice but to cling on to power for the good of Singapore.

I think he actually believes that he is the savior of Singapore and that by letting anyone else govern, he will actually do harm to the baby he created, Singapore.

Actually, the truth also is that he retains control because there is big bucks in it, $3.7million a year in salary and much more secretly, but of course he won't admit that part.

6. He denies the opposition every single tool that they need for even a fighting chance at the elections. No free press, so opposition cannot put out their news.

No freedom of speech, so opposition cannot say their piece except for a few days at elections. His Judges ever willing to abuse the law to silence dissent. I can go on but you know what it is. The opposition has not a chance in the world.

7. The opposition does not have the organizational set up that is required to form a government. They have been suppressed so long that they never had a chance to really organize.

Issues have not been clearly set out, firstly because they cannot find anybody to work at it, and secondly because they don't have any money since the PAP prevents any form of fundraising from abroad. Locally they don't have any money because no one dares to give any since this may result in reprisals from Lee.

8. And yet knowing this, the opposition go on wasting their time and everyone elses in Lee Kuan Yew style elections.

I have said this again and again. By all means contest elections which is, believe me, not going to make any difference given the reality on the ground. What you need is protest, peaceful civil disobedience. You have no choice in this. If not for this, you will never get anywhere.

There is a strong likelihood civil disobedience will change things. A few protesters will attract others. The movement may grow. It would force Lee to be fair in the courts. He will be forced to stop discrimination, forced to be fair to the poor and needy and forced to change on the disastrous immigration and emigration policies and foreign labor.

I am not suggesting that civil disobedience will have no harmful effect, it would. There may be a disruption in business, in commerce and other things, but such adverse side effects are worth the effort in bringing about long term change, which would see a better Singapore than what it is today.

This message is for Singaporeans out there yearning for democracy and freedom. It is not going to happen at the elections. I can promise you that.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com