Why Dhanabalan left Cabinet
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Dhanabalan left Cabinet due to differences with government over “Operation Spectrum”
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong revealed in his interviews for the SPH publication “Men in White: The Untold Stories of the PAP” that former National Development Minister S Dhanabalan left the Cabinet in 1992 because he was not comfortable with the way the PAP had dealt with the “Marxist Conspiracy” in 1987.
“At that time, given the information, he was not fully comfortable with the action we took…he felt uncomfortable and thought there could be more of such episodes in the future…he’d better leave the Cabinet. I respected him for his view,” Mr Goh said.
Mr Dhanabalan said his reason for quitting some 12 years later, was one of conviction:
"My philosophy is one where I need to have complete conviction about some key policies and if I have differences, it doesn’t mean I am against the group……but I have to try and live with myself if I have some disagreements on some things," he said.
On May 21st 1987, 22 young social workers, lawyers, businessmen, theatre practitioners and other professionals were detained without trial under the internal security law and accused of “being members of a dangerous Marxist conspiracy bent on subverting the PAP ruled government by force, and replacing it with a Marxist state.” A second wave of arrests took place on June 20th the same year.
The operation was dubbed “Operation Spectrum” and was carried out by the Singapore’s Internal Security Department (ISD) using the Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows for detention without trial. This marked the last time that the ISA would be used against politicians and activists.
Singapore’s former Solicitor-General Francis Seow was also detained by the ISD for two months after he turned up at the detention center to speak to a detainee who had sought his legal assistance. Seow was later released and allowed to leave for the United States where he now lives.
Though the detainees were protrayed as staunch Marxists and a confession trial was screened on TV (which they later retracted), many Singaporeans remained sceptical about the government’s case including some senior figures within the establishment itself.
The present Attorney-General Mr Walter Woon said in an interview to the Straits Times in 1991: “As far as I am concerned, the government’s case is still not proven. I would not say those fellows were Red, not from the stuff they presented…I think a lot of people have this scepticism.”
Even Finance Minister Mr Tharman was unconvinced: “Although I had no access to state intelligence, from what I knew of them, most were social activists but not out to subvert the system,” he told the Straits Times in 2001.
The arbitrary arrests and detentions of 22 harmless civilians had dealt a blow to the PAP government’s international reputation. From then on, the ISA was used only sparingly against suspected terrorists. No opposition politician was ever arrested under the ISA again.
The Internal Security Act was a colonial relic introduced by the British in both Malaya and Singapore in 1948 as part of the “Emergency Regulations” to contain the Communist insurgency.
In 1960, the Emergency was declared over, but the Internal Security Act was passed in its place with much of the same power. On its separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore retained the ISA.
The ISA was first used by Singapore in 1963 to arrest 117 opposition party and labor union leaders suspected to be communists under “Operation Coldstore”, some of whom were detained for up to 32 years.
On 1 August 2009, a massive anti-ISA protest participated by 20,000 people took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to call for the end of the law.
As a result of constant political pressure exerted by the opposition, NGOs and the Malaysian Bar, the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is forced to make a promise that he will “review” the law upon taking office in March this year.
In Singapore, most Singaporeans remain ignorant of the implications of the ISA or even its existence.
The ISA is an obsolete, unnecessary and repressive law which has no place in a modern democracy like Singapore. It should be repealed and an “Anti-terrorism” act introduced in its place to deal specifically with terrorists.
As the escape of Mas Selamat Kasteri has demonstrated, the ISD is not quite equipped to tackle terrorism and should be replaced by a highly specialized, trained and experienced “anti-terrorism department” instead to ensure that no Singaporean will ever be arrested and detained under the ISA again.
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When i visited ISD, they show me about espionage
cases, the nabbing of terrorist who tried to bomb our MRT and America embassy, the 70s red army of Japan, the selling of state secret by SAF officers and the capture of people from foreign countries trying to lure our civil servant and army boys to share secret with them. But they never show me the political detainees and all those stuff said above. We are born in the the late 80s or early 90s, how can we know about ISD if it is no more in full function.
Anyway, i was there as a guest, they provide lunch too, whitley famous prawn mee.
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hmm...1986 after marcos won rigged elections, mass protests toppled marcos regime in philippines. 1987 "marxist" plot.1988, singapore general elections.
Doesn't take a genius does it?
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two angels, one rightist 7030, one leftist 3070.
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Feb 1963 "cold store". Later 1963 general elections, PAP won.
Why in Singapore before elections always got mass arrest, than PAP go win elections?
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oh, ok. not because he was slapped by lee hsien loong ah.
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Originally posted by angel3070:
Feb 1963 "cold store". Later 1963 general elections, PAP won.
Why in Singapore before elections always got mass arrest, than PAP go win elections?
i like the word always, it covers every single event. and it allows me to refute your statement by just quoting one time when your statement doesn't apply to make your statement invalid. was there mass arrest in last election? or the one before? or the one before before? -
Wow, so many ministers and gahmen officials disagreed with the Operation!
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Originally posted by angel7030:
When i visited ISD, they show me about espionage
cases, the nabbing of terrorist who tried to bomb our MRT and America embassy, the 70s red army of Japan, the selling of state secret by SAF officers and the capture of people from foreign countries trying to lure our civil servant and army boys to share secret with them. But they never show me the political detainees and all those stuff said above. We are born in the the late 80s or early 90s, how can we know about ISD if it is no more in full function.
Anyway, i was there as a guest, they provide lunch too, whitley famous prawn mee.
Did they feed you too much "hum" in the "whitley famous prawn mee" ?
The daily "talk cock and sing song" sessions from the resident ignoramus must have got a boost with all the "hum" fed into you.
The "hum" must be doing all the "talking cock and sing song" now,
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Originally posted by sir_peanuts:
oh, ok. not because he was slapped by lee hsien loong ah.
He disagreed.He resigned.
Impossible ?
GCT surprised a gathering of ministers, loyal supporters, and community activists at the "traditional" ‘National Day Rally speech’ (*2) - and the hall turned silent with cold discomfort.
This was the last speech he gave before handing over the Prime Minister seat to LHL
‘Was the Pollitical history of Singapore given a new airbrush treatment?’ (*3)
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ISD should balek kampong la.
cannot even contain mass selamat nor caqpture him,
disgrace of singapore.
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Originally posted by reyes:
ISD should balek kampong la.
cannot even contain mass selamat nor caqpture him,
disgrace of singapore.
balek kampong, makan jagong -
I wondered why Mr Dhanabalam is keeping quiet all the time. Why he did not join the opposition group to press for changes in Sg when he left the cabinet . Why MM did not stop him from leaving the cabinet as I remembered MM did say he has PM's material. Anyway he has been rewarded with high porfile positions in DBS and now Temasek Holdings. Maybe with comfortable home and job, a man sometimes has to keep his mouth shut and enjoy the beneifts.
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First and foremost, i heard those Uncles in my Kopitiam said, Dhanabalam left the Cabinet because LHL slapped him during a meeting..no wonder he left.
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Originally posted by Atobe:
Did they feed you too much "hum" in the "whitley famous prawn mee" ?
The daily "talk cock and sing song" sessions from the resident ignoramus must have got a boost with all the "hum" fed into you.
The "hum" must be doing all the "talking cock and sing song" now,
No, i am not talking cock, it is true, after the Mas selamat case, alot of people hv doubt in ISD, so govt decided to open part of ISD for people to visit, (qualified peoples with no record and full clearance only). Business entity people like me also get invited by the Joo Chiat CC to participate, free mah...even govt give free visit and lunch, better go lor.
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regardless the feelings for pap, i was made aware dhanabalan is a humble person, probably the first minister who insisted the staff not to stand and greet him...
i think there's more to the isd thing that he disagreed, insiders also mentioned he wasn't keen on pegging hdb to market value when he was the minister...soon after he left, the word market subsidy became the new spin word....
i'm still amused some think the slapping incident is true, gct tried to pull a joke in that rally but bombed, as he clarified in the papers the day after.....lky was right that gct was too wooden....he failed as a comedian....
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<...gct tried to pull a joke...> but as a politician he has to be very careful with whatever he says to the public!
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Originally posted by lotus999:
<...gct tried to pull a joke...> but as a politician he has to be very careful with whatever he says to the public!
i heard got slap leh?? Dhana sure cannot stand it, i remember when i was young, I called my Dad mistress a whore, me also kenna one tight slap, then i left home...i think same same happen to Dhana. I understand him. Who wants to get slap infront of a big meeting, this LHL really too much. -
Originally posted by angel7030:
No, i am not talking cock, it is true, after the Mas selamat case, alot of people hv doubt in ISD, so govt decided to open part of ISD for people to visit, (qualified peoples with no record and full clearance only). Business entity people like me also get invited by the Joo Chiat CC to participate, free mah...even govt give free visit and lunch, better go lor.
They certainly will open the ISD doors for qualified and certified ignoramus like you.From all the "hum" they feed you with the Whitley noodles, you are no better then the raw "hum" talking cock and sing song - mixed with the masochistic stupidity that brings you back for more.
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Originally posted by dukedracula:
regardless the feelings for pap, i was made aware dhanabalan is a humble person, probably the first minister who insisted the staff not to stand and greet him...
i think there's more to the isd thing that he disagreed, insiders also mentioned he wasn't keen on pegging hdb to market value when he was the minister...soon after he left, the word market subsidy became the new spin word....
i'm still amused some think the slapping incident is true, gct tried to pull a joke in that rally but bombed, as he clarified in the papers the day after.....lky was right that gct was too wooden....he failed as a comedian....
Just before LKY handed the PM seat to GCT, he made an assessment of all the other likely candidates that were considered for the job.LKY described GCT in some non-complientary ways as wooden, stiff.
This time, GCT in his last speech as PM - and before handing the PM's seat to LHL - he returned the compliment to the Lee's with his half-truth dressed as a half-joke about the slapping incident.
As given in the reference of my last post, if the contents of the author's writing about the slapping incident was not true, it is amazing that he was left alone without any follow-up law suits to challenge his views.