In terms of human qualities, Singapore is a total failure.
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In terms of human qualities, Singapore is a total failure.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With the modern skyscrapers dotting the Singapore skyline, fancy cars on the streets (mind you they all belong to foreign money launderers),and a transportation system Lee Kuan Yew and his cronies stomp around the world claiming a miracle. But how do you judge a miracle. Is it these modern fixtures or is there more to it?
If a man were to consider the people as the most important possession of the country; the litmus test for a great nation, Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore fails miserably. A look at Singaporeans will tell you this. They are a people who are insecure, unduly afraid of even the slightest provocation, a people who lack any burning passion or love for anything except how to earn a buck, a generally effete and weak people, a people who cannot run jump or swim compared to anyone else in the free world and who judge their acceptance by the Lee Kuan Yew clique as their passport to success. This is not saying much, I confess, for my fellow Singaporeans. Of course I now live in California and had lived lived in Europe before then. I am therefore not, thank God, altogether a Singaporean.
Let me give you 2 examples on the complete lack of any adventure in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore "digits"; a term by which Lee Kuan Yew has called his citizens. Even though there are nearly 4.8 million Singaporeans, one third of them foreigners, there are no real sportsmen in the country. No Singaporean ran the mile in 2 minutes and never will.
But you recall only a few months ago, Singapore's state controlled press with great fanfare and drum beat announced that 2 Singaporeans were going to sail round the world! Imagine that! A feat indeed! But when you realise what happened, it wasn't like that at all. There were hardly any Singaporeans that knew how to sail, despite being surrounded by tropical waters, let alone around the world. In fact, Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore government went around and handpicked a couple of people, all expenses paid to crew on ocean going sailboats on a round the world itinerary! The skipper was a foreigner, the navigator was a foreigner and anyone who did any real sailing were all foreigners, not Singaporeans. The 2 miserable Singaporeans had to just stay on the boat, hopefully not getting sea sick, and pose for a few photos which were promptly printed on the front pages of the State Controlled Singapore Press, with the words, "Singaporeans sail the World". A desperate attempt to show a better side.
The same with Everest conquering Singapore housewives! The same nonsense yet again. Singapore housewives conquer Everest! My God, what a feat! But truly it was nothing like that. It was a publicity stunt. Lee Kun Yew and his Public Relations crew got around and persuaded a couple of housewives to climb the mountain all expenses paid. And climbing it from the North Face is not such a big deal anyway, supported by a gang of Sherpas who do everything possible for you, making it nothing more than a breeze. It would cost at least about $60,000.00 to do it, in Nepal permit fees and the salaries of more than a dozen Sherpas. Even Japanese housewives have done it but there is a difference. Those women really wanted to do it, and did it with their money. Not the stage managed , all expenses paid, Singapore version, involving hand picked reluctant housewives!
It would be entirely true to say, the average Singaporean lives in fear. And the fear stifles their development and their achievements. And this fear makes them less competitive, innovative and ultimately less happy. And not being happy it does not further the country's progress, and with a bunch like this, Singapore is a failure, not a success.
A country needs independent thinking citizens who follow their passion, not what Lee Kuan Yew says is good for them. It is the independent thinking people with novel ideas that propels any country to greatness. Not the I follow you in line type you find in Singapore.
Take the average Singapore parent. They live in fear of the Lee Kuan Yew government. They are afraid to protest the theft of government monies by the Ministers, several millions of dollars each year, for fear of being punished. They fear to criticize the lack of human rights that is denied them. They fear to speak against the lack of a free press. They fear everything. They fear their shadows.
And they make sure, for the safety of their children, lest Lee Kuan Yew is offended, that they too live in that fear. Their children are told not to say anything against the government with the proverbial "walls have ears" warning. So the children too grow up the fearful pathetic souls like their parents.
And the teachers too are no different. They tell their students to conform to remain politically correct at all times in accordance with the Singapore strongman's doctrine. Not to protest, to oppose or do anything for themselves that is out of the ordinary.
When I was a boy in a Singapore school I was no different. I was afraid to speak. Success meant passing exams and being as obscure and hidden as possible. And when you said anything, you said what was politically correct. The only reason why I am different today is because I managed to set myself free and leave the country altogether, thank God for it.
Children went to school and became lawyers doctors and engineers not because they wanted to help mankind, or even because they loved it. They went because it meant making money. It did not matter if it was the most boring thing in life. And once they qualified in their profession, the learning stopped completely. Not a single lawyer in that island has in his head, any literature, or anything else for that matter.
Compare an Australian boy. He grows up with an imagination. His teacher in school and parents support him with it. He looks up at the sky and wants to be pilot. And he does it. He hangs around flying clubs and helps around. He saves some money. He works 2 jobs saving up for his lessons. Eventually he gets a job as a crop duster but hangs in there for a lifetime. He achieves his dream and becomes a great aviator, or a professional cyclist or a world class entertainer or whatever. Or he might end up protesting outside the governor's house for his failure to protect the Kangaroos. The Australian boy is brave, he has courage and he is happy. Very happy. Such a boy loves his country and his country becomes great because it has great people behind it.
The Singapore boy is no match to the Aussie. The Aussie has what it takes. And he has it because he is not afraid.
It is the living in fear, that makes Singapore a very weak country and incapable of success. In this regard, Lee Kuan Yew has failed Singapore miserably. Instead of applause, he should be held to account. He has destroyed the most valuable asset the country needs, it's people.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: [email protected]
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to [email protected] And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/2009/09/in-terms-of-human-qualities-singapore.html
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What a strong statement by gopalan! do we need to elaborate why people are what they are ??
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gopalan nair,
and why u put your usa address here???arent u frightened that lky's daughter will come knocking on your door n move in wiv ya?
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gopalan,
when ya say the aussie boy isnt afraid...of what??the gov cutting the dole to unemployed guys?most of what u say is a time wasting side of any human culture.....ie to do and never succeed!u either pass as a pilot or die as one!the usa,ausssie,china,india etc are able to do it because no one intereferes much.
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gopalan nair,
my lifestyle as a boy is slightly different to yours.
gopalan:Take the average Singapore parent. They live in fear of the Lee Kuan Yew government. They are afraid to protest the theft of government monies by the Ministers, several millions of dollars each year, for fear of being punished. They fear to criticize the lack of human rights that is denied them. They fear to speak against the lack of a free press. They fear everything. They fear their shadows.
ans:u are somewhat right on fear mechanism installed.,but that mechanism cant function without one another.simply take any of them out n that mechanism will cease to function.
gopalan:When I was a boy in a Singapore school I was no different. I was afraid to speak. Success meant passing exams and being as obscure and hidden as possible. And when you said anything, you said what was politically correct. The only reason why I am different today is because I managed to set myself free and leave the country altogether, thank God for it.
ans:thats what any kid in usa to england are faced with at school.its either mr wilson the head master or chico the hispanic gangster.whatever ya say.....either say something good for all or dont say it.and dont even bother to kiss ass.life is too short to kiss ass.
gopalan:Children went to school and became lawyers doctors and engineers not because they wanted to help mankind, or even because they loved it. They went because it meant making money. It did not matter if it was the most boring thing in life. And once they qualified in their profession, the learning stopped completely. Not a single lawyer in that island has in his head, any literature, or anything else for that matter.
ans:i went into science because i loved engineering....even though they were paying nuts to me .
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gopaln,
the aussie boy has no idea about what makes up a computer or to even spell in correct english.what they want is sex,rape and fast cars.the aussie boy is surrounded by goats,livestock,farms n fresh fertiliser.
spore boy has no idea about what makes up a computer or to even spell in correct english.what they want is food,money and taxi.the spore boy is surrounded by giant shopping malls,high tech factories and people.
your assessment of spore n aussie kids are flawed.
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the aussies have what it takes to be a farmer because he isnt afraid of swimming in cow manure.
the sporeans on the other hand have what it takes to be scientists and engineers in a sterile high tech enviroment.
it is inaccurate to stereotype a japanese,german,indian or aussie as it all depends on quality training n other factors involved.just by stereotyping alone is as good as having an uneducated guess.
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i totally disagree with him.
the way he put it is really too extreme.
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And I can bet Gobolan Nair doesn't have the balls to read his email when Singaporeans flood his email about his inaccuracies. If you want to take a no-pay job just because you love it, you got to be nuts.
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Once again, the weak knees bastard hides behind the stars and stripes to takes a swipe on our fellow citizens and our society, whom had given him a chance to excel but now turn traitorous and shit upon us.
How apt an insult of this thread by his supporters. What human qualities are they agonising over?
That we cant swim? That we cant run?
What utter rubbish is this goo pak lan talking about? Is goo pak lan blinded by american pussies and boobs that he is revelling in? Or is he star strucked by the topless blondes in Australia bondie beach, hoping to keep the gal's brothers and dad happy by praising them, sucking their balls and licking their asses?
The only passion seen here is his passion to denigrate our courageous boys, who had sacrificed their youths to protect our nation, generation after generations, passed on the next with honour, so that that mad cow's family, relatives and friends and ours can sleep in peace at night.
Does it matter if we DONT excel in sports? What is sportmanship anyway, but a set of gentlemanly Queensberry rules to have fun in? Someone will win, and someone has to lose. So what does it matter? What have one lost or won? A medal? Can it feed a person, or signify that he is made for life?
Sports are meant to be fun. It is participation, and not another rat race. Passion comes when one is truly and enjoying such games It cannot be forced up. No matter how much trainning one hopes to gain, it will never turn one into a olympic medallist if the passion is not there.
And passion is not built up by enforcement of training. It must come from a person's will - to be the best in that particular field, and a freedom of choice for one. It is perfectly ok if we dont have any medals on the international stage - MOST CRITICALLY - IT IS THE PARTICIPATION.
And i am glad to see our students having fun in their ECAs, or canoeing, cycling in the weekends, along with adults, some of which plays games such as football, tennis, golf, etc. Sports isnt all about winning medals. It is about having fun and learning gentlemanly behaviour as well as working together as a team.
That is the true quality one should be seeking. And be proud that majority of Singaporeans are doing it, even our Tai Chi workout elders at dawn of each new day.
Will someone please tell that american citizen goo pak lan to stop sucking on Aussies cocks, and open up his eyes at least for once and then look around? He can continue on sucking after that since he enjoy aussie cocks, though I doubt if his writing would be better.
In terms of better human qualities, the total failure is NOT upon my fellow citizens, who had courageously and perservered against constant challenges that are often beyond our control. The evidence is clear and a shining example of success for we, the people had worked hard, in peace and nose to the grind to survive and did in this crisis of financial and health.
The total failure, as evident in his writings, is this worthless ex-citizen goo pah lan. Not because he love to suck up aussies' cocks, for as long as he keeps it private, it is his freedom, even though a perversion to many conservative folks. It is his cowardice, bowing, crawling before those whom he sought to challenge, yet behave like a mouse, and roaring like a toothless tiger shamelessly once miles away.
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however i do find his obtaining a american citizen due to fact that spore is a fear state kind of informative.maybe i should go get a usa political asylum too.but wat bout chee sun juan....why didnt he go get one?or maybe he couldnt get one.....due to paper werk factors.
gopalan seems rather strange from d way he bite his own friends n countrymen.his own friends n country folks are not his enemies or political tools of some evil regime.wat he should bite is the politicians n not the average sporeans who are finding food hard to get n jobs that are reserved for every foreigner that comes to spore on werk visa.
gopalan is not a problem solver and the americans would be intelligent enough to see thru him in time.
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however i do find his obtaining a american citizen due to fact that spore is a fear state kind of informative.maybe i should go get a usa political asylum too.but wat bout chee sun juan....why didnt he go get one?or maybe he couldnt get one.....due to paper werk factors.
gopalan seems rather strange from d way he bite his own friends n countrymen.his own friends n country folks are not his enemies or political tools of some evil regime.wat he should bite is the politicians n not the average sporeans who are finding food hard to get n jobs that are reserved for every foreigner that comes to spore on werk visa.
gopalan is not a problem solver and the americans would be intelligent enough to see thru him in time.
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Originally posted by dragg:
i totally disagree with him.
the way he put it is really too extreme.
X2
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Didn't Gopalan Nair come back to Singapore to show his view and presence?
What did he get? A whole group of law system and secret police gang up against him. Forcing him to leave. I will say he is already brave enough.
At least he is brave to show his view against the system. Not like some dogs who is afraid of their rice bowl and trouble of running against the sg law and only bark at master commands
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zenden9,
never heard of gopalan name in spore only chee sun juan.
i also did what gopalan nair did but i stood in front of istana......with no usa or country to back me up.in the end God helped me.
sounds like gopalan just came back to spore for roti prata n nasi beriyani.i bet he brought back a packet of mutton beriyani to eat in airplane on way back to usa.i wonder how the rest of his family in spore fare from his asylum?
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Originally posted by HITMAN11111111111:
zenden9,
never heard of gopalan name in spore only chee sun juan.
i also did what gopalan nair did but i stood in front of istana......with no usa or country to back me up.in the end God helped me.
sounds like gopalan just came back to spore for roti prata n nasi beriyani.i bet he brought back a packet of mutton beriyani to eat in airplane on way back to usa.i wonder how the rest of his family in spore fare from his asylum?
In a statement released to the press, lawyer Gopalan Nair rejected accusations that he had sent emails to Justice Belinda Ang and others. Nair was arrested and charged on June 4 for insulting a public servant.Nair is also facing a second charge, this time for insulting a judge in the High Court, Justice Lai Siu Chiu.
He has since been released on bail of $5,000.
In his press statement, Nair said, “I did not at anytime send any emails to Judge Belinda Ang or anyone else as far as this incident is concerned.” He added that the authorities have seized his computer notebook as well.
Nair also defended his right to criticize Justice Ang in his blog posting. “I believe as a human being, it is my right and my duty under the constitution of the Republic of Singapore and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be able to speak free as a free man and to state what I have seen and heard. This benefits Singaporeans and the world at large. If I did not say what I saw, I would in fact be hiding the truth.”
Saying that although he has migrated to the United States and is now a US citizen, he has been “closely monitoring the political situation in Singapore”. He added that his efforts “are directed to (sic) the plight of human beings who are denied their human rights and how I can expose the injustices they suffer.”
“In the US where I come from, the judiciary just as any other government or official body is open to criticism and they accept it as necessary for the advancement and improvement of the administration of justice”, he explained.
Nair said that after attending the three day court sitting for the assessment of damages in the lawsuit brought by Mr Lee Hsien Loong and Mr Lee Kuan Yew against the Singapore Democratic Party’s chief Dr Chee Soon Juan and SDP Central Executive Committee member Ms Chee Siok Chin, he had “no doubt at all that this Judge was clearly unfair towards Dr. Chee and Siok Chin and she did not appear to conduct herself as an impartial judge in court sitting in judgment between the parties.”
It was, he said, “necessary for me as a human being, to make it public and to the world what this court actually was, since they would not have had the luxury of being in court during the 3 days.”
Nair said that it was not his intention to ‘malign or cause distress to anyone’.
“It was never my intention to malign or cause distress to anyone and if the words that I had used had this effect, I withdraw them and apologize. But as far as the contents of my blog post; as to the events that occurred during the 3 days in court, it is an accurate observation which I have stated under my right as a free man”, he said.
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/06/gopalan-nair-denies-charges/
He makes his presence felt. But imagine u try to stand up against a system and a country with enforcer power.
At least he put up a good fight!
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to zenden,
i rthink politics must be as unrewarding as sports to most sporeans.
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just thinking of getting a branded degree to join in politics already put me off.then have to fight against secret service people hiding in banks.....hdb bills...army duties.....power n water utilities bills...n neighbours paid to make life unbearable every year n ever day for me.
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The problem is that Singapore has a cursed despot with a zombie wife surrounded by asslicking running dogs.
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Compare this man to the cursed public money grabbing despots....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/sep/23/barack-obama-speech-united-nations
or
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/23/obama-un-general-assembly
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Was Gopalan incorrect with his views about the Singapore that LKY and his PAP had created ?
Or are "mad men" the only ones that can see the world for what it is, while those who claim to be sane will turn a blind eye to all that is not right around them ?
For the benefit of those who missed the Sunday Times edition on 3 Oct 2003, can the observations and interpretation of the real world from a retired Senior Civil Servant be similarly insane ?
‘Ngiam Tong Dow Speaks out (*1)
One of a handful of men who helped Lee Kuan Yew build today's Singapore, the retired bureaucrat feels perturbed enough to speak his mind publicly. By Seah Chiang Nee
Oct 3, 2003It was an unprecedented, frank interview (with The Sunday Times) that shook up many Singaporeans.
The interviewee was Ngiam Tong Dow one of Singapore's most accomplished civil servants (for 40 years) - and the subjects covered included (excerpts):
Politics
Singapore will survive SM Lee (Kuan Yew) but provided he leaves the right legacy.
What sort of legacy he wants to leave is for him to say, but I, a blooming upstart, dare to suggest to him that we should open up politically and allow talent to be spread throughout our society so that an alternative leadership can emerge.
So far, the People's Action Party's tactic is to put all the scholars into the civil service because it believes the way to retain political power forever is to have a monopoly on talent. But in my view, that's a very short-term view.
It is the law of nature that all things must atrophy. Unless SM allows serious political challenges to emerge from the alternative elite out there, the incumbent elite will just coast along.
At the first sign of a grassroots revolt, they will probably collapse just like the incumbent Progressive Party to the left-wing PAP onslaught in the late 1950s.
I think our leaders have to accept that Singapore is larger than the PAP.
Government scholarsFor Singapore to survive, we should release half our talent - our President and Overseas Merit scholars - to the private sector.
When ten scholars come home, five should turn to the right and join the public sector or the civil service; the other five should turn to the left and join the private sector.
These scholars should serve their bond to Singapore - not to the Government - by working in or for Singapore overseas. As matters stand, those who wish to strike out have to break their bonds, pay a financial penalty and worse, be condemned as quitters.
Economics
Take our industrial policy. At the beginning, it was the right thing for us to attract multinationals to Singapore.
For some years now, I've been trying to tell everybody: 'Look, for God's sake, grow our own timber.' If we really want knowledge to be rooted in Singaporeans and based in Singapore, we have to support our SMEs.
I'm not a supporter of SMEs just for the sake of more SMEs but we must grow our own roots. Creative Technology's Sim Wong Hoo is one and Hyflux's Olivia Lum is another but that's too few.
We have been flying on auto-pilot for too long. The MNCs have contributed a lot to Singapore but they are totally unsentimental people. The moment you're uncompetitive, they just relocate.
Q. Why has this come about?
A. I suspect we have started to believe our own propaganda.Civil Servants
There is also a particular brand of Singapore elite arrogance creeping in. Some civil servants behave like they have a mandate from the emperor. We think we are little Lee Kuan Yews.
SM Lee has earned his spurs, with his fine intellect and international standing. But even Lee Kuan Yew sometimes doesn't behave like Lee Kuan Yew.
Littlespeck comment:-
Mr. Ngiam Tong Dow, 66, who retired from the civil service in 1999, is among a handful of permanent secretaries who had helped Mr. Lee shape today's Singapore.
The others include JYM Pillai, Sim Kee Boon, Howe Yoon Chong and Philip Yeo.
His frank, straight-talk interview with The Sunday Times came as a surprise to most Singaporeans, young and old. It caused a ripple among readers who read it.
Apparently many had missed it, skipping it as just another establishment figure talking of his past life and former colleagues in passive, polite tones.
A lawyer and a former journalist now in public relations totally missed it and are now frantically seeking a copy of the report on Sept 28.
Currently chairman of HDB Corp, a privatised company, Chiam had been known to people in the civil service and old journalists as a quiet doer, rather than a high-profile public articulator of policies.
That was, of course, when he was in the civil service from 1959. In 1970 he came Singapore's youngest permanent secretary.
Ngiam had shown his brilliance to people who worked with him - and of course to his political bosses. In public he had always maintained a silent profile.
That he has spoken out in this manner points to of several things.
Firstly, he must be perturbed enough by what is happening in Singapore, especially in the civil service, that he felt compelled to speak out.
Secondly, what he said confirms a freer political atmosphere in Singapore in which the authorities are encouraging people to speak out, even critically, as long as it is in Singapore's interests.
A third point is his frank reference to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew as still the overriding authority in Singapore. All his suggestions are addressed to him, not Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Few Singaporeans possess his countrywide, historical perception of Singapore straggling three generations now mired in one of its worse economic crises.
It set off some discussions in the Internet chat-sites with some people wondering whether the government will take action against him.
Asked why was Singapore on auto-pilot for so long, Ngiam replied: "I suspect we have started to believe our own propaganda."
What he said about government scholars, a freer political environment and allow some of the brightest to be used outside the government - and if necessary, serve as an alternative elite leadership was a total surprise.
Ngiam's call to cut (by half) the number of scholars in the bureaucratic or political leadership, elitism in government and intellectual arrogance reflect what some critics have privately said.
But Ngiam, being an insider with longtime access to the policy-making process, is the first to have articulated his thoughts clearly.
As a lifelong civil servant, he is not allowed by law to join the ruling People's Action Party, all these years the line separating them is hardly visible.
His most telling suggestion is for Lee to leave behind a "free politics" legacy by allowing talent to be spread throughout Singapore so that an alternative leadership can emerge.
Singapore is in the midst of a "remaking" exercise that will include restructuring its economy and loosening its political and social environment.
For a whole generation, thousands of parents are pushing their children towards scoring "A's" in their O- and A-level exams to win a prestigious government scholarship.
(Some 1,400 "A" level students score distinctions in all four subjects, so commonplace a phenomenon that "A's" in the tougher Special Papers are needed to qualify for overseas scholarships.)
This virtually guarantees them a top-level, high-paying bureaucratic job. The road is long, tense and arduous. Some parents dedicate their lives to help their children achieve it.
I know of someone whose son is in the gifted programme. The father, with a Master degree in Mathematics, takes leave from work whenever his son, in his lower primary classes, faces a year-end exam.
Asked why, he said he wanted him to gain a top political or civil service post through the scholarship trail. For him and his wife, it is a 20-year plan for the 7-year-old.
It is one in which many take but few succeed. Once there, there is no fear of being retrenched unlike thousands of other mortals when profits plunge.
By Seah Chiang NeeWas it a co-incident that the statements made by the respectable Senior Civil Servant is parallel to the much maligned CSJ from the SDP - as seen in CSJ's first book on these matters published in 1992 ?
Other contributions from Mr Ngiam Tong Dow :
Singapore ‘bigger than PAP’ (*4)
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TS, how could you got so many complain one huh....everyday complain about Singapore this not good that not good.
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Doesn't look like he mixed much with the "common" people to have that much insight into our qualities.