Said Zahari calls Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew "a political coward"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Said Zahari was a Singapore opposition politician, jailed 17 years without trial by Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's strongman. On Feb 2, 1963, in what was called Operation Coldstore, Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew arrested 107 people, arbitrarily jailing them for allegedly being communists. Although none of them were in fact Communists and there was nothing illegal in it, Lee Kuan Yew used the Internal Security Act, a law put in place by the British, to put away his political opponents through the expedient that they were Communists and therefore a threat to Singapore's security.

In the video "Zahari's 17 years" by Singapore filmmaker Martyn See, Zahari publicly called Lee Kuan Yew "a political coward". He said only a coward would resort to jailing his opponents instead of taking them in a political discourse and letting the best man win. According to Zahari, Lee Kuan Yew knows that he cannot win in a contest of ideas with his critics. Fearing he would lose, he eliminates his opponents by abusing the law, using his police force and compliant judges to put away those who disagree with him. According to Zahari, these are the acts of “a political coward”.

You can watch Martyn See's film, "Zahari's 17 years" on his blog "the Singapore Rebel" www.singaporerebel.blogspot.com. The film was shot in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia where Zahari lives as a permanent resident. Zahari is still a Singapore citizen.

There is no doubt. Zahari was spot on when he said Lee Kuan Yew is "a political coward". His cowardice continues to this day. Yes, Singapore has some skyscrapers and manicured lawns. But these things do not make him any less "a political coward". These are some shameful instances that drive home this fact.

JB Jeyaretnam, a worthy opposition politician of the Worker's Party challenged Lee Kuan Yew's policies since 1974. As Lee Kuan Yew feared taking on the late JB Jeyaretnam in free and fair elections, instead he repeatedly uses the law with compliant judges and compliant police officers to arrest imprison and bankrupt Jeyartnam, effectively removing him from the political arena. I need not list out the details as most Singaporeans are aware of the injustices perpetrated against him by this man whom Zahari calls "a political coward".

In May 21, 1987, Lee Kuan Yew arrested 22 church and political activists in Operation Spectrum generally known as the Marxist conspiracy claiming they were planning to overthrow the government and replace it with a Marxist government. This of course was totally untrue. All they were trying to do is to replace this dictatorship with a democratic government. Coincidentally, at this time, in the Philippines, there was massive unrest in the streets of Manila against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Fearful as to what may happen to him if this happened in Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew yet again, as the "political coward" that he is, removes them through the misuse of the Internal Security Act to arrest, and torture them.

Then we have Dr. Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore Democratic Party another of his dissenters, whom he repeatedly jails and bankrupts, through his minions such as Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean. Just like his other minions, she shamelessly abuses the law by ordering him to pay Lee Kuan Yew $410,000 in court ordered damages merely for legitimate criticism.

Zahari's charge that he is "a political coward" is again borne out by these facts. If he is not "a political coward" which is a damning charge, why does he not sue Zahari in court either in Singapore or in Kuala Lumpur? Over the years, he has sued others for saying much less. Francis Seow has written various books from his home in exile in the USA saying not just this but even more. Why is he not suing Francis Seow?

In Sept 17, 2008, while I was in Singapore, I was sent to jail for 3 months for "insulting" (according to Singapore's dictatorship) Judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean by calling her a stooge of Lee Kuan Yew and a corrupt judge in this blog. All I did was to say that she "prostituted her position as a judge" by favoring Lee Kuan Yew as against Dr. Chee Soon Juan in a defamation trial brought on by Lee. After I left Singapore, from the United States I have said this again in this blog. If the purpose of sending me to jail was to stop me from calling her his stooge and to stop people in Singapore from reading my criticism, why then is he not suing and charging me while I am here in the US? Why is he not applying to have me extradited to Singapore for being a fugitive having broken the laws of Singapore? Are Singaporeans not continuing to read the charges that I level against these corrupt judges? Is this not further proof of what Zahari had leveled against him; that he is nothing more than "a political coward"?

Lee Kuan Yew had hoped that he could abuse the law, like he has done with all his other political opponents, and send me into oblivion after a 3 month jail term; and thereafter I would be forgotten as so many other of his political detractors. But I simply refuse to go away and remain determined to continue exposing his abuse of the law and state institutions in Singapore.

Blogs such as this and the literature on the Internet continue to weaken his authority. Only a few days ago the state controlled newspaper the Straits Times reports the increasing difficulty he faces in attracting Singaporeans to join his political party to contest elections, despite the fact they would stand to profit by millions of dollars and a great career. The only reason for this is that people now know his days in power are numbered and they don't want to take the risk of backing the wrong horse. As Singapore does not have any investigative journalism, since the media is state controlled, one will never know the whole truth. But if I could take a guess. Civil servants are leaving their jobs in droves and there are no new recruits; the Singapore Police Force is not achieving their recruiting target as Singapore policemen are leaving and there are no new entrants, with places being filled up by foreigners such as Malaysians. The legal profession continues to shrink with the lawyer population being less than 3,000 in a country of 4.5 million! It is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit new lawyers into the Singapore Legal Service to serve as government lawyers.

With the Singapore Administration being a pyramid, with Lee Kuan Yew at the top and everyone taking a queue from him; as he is now roundly disgraced, it sends jitters down the spine of each and everyone of his minions that the horizon is no longer safe. He is not the horse that a wise punter should be backing.

This is the moment when every Singaporean who cares about Singapore to realize that something can be done. With the prospect of changing this government through civil parliamentary elections almost impossible, the only avenue remaining is peaceful protest and civil unrest. And such an action in this precarious position this dictator finds himself in, has great prospect of success.

So this is the moment. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. Fortune is on the side of the truth. It must only be so.

satu perkongsian dari : http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/2009/04/said-zahari-calls-singapores-lee-kuan.html