8/03/2011

Changing trends in political persecution

JB Jeyaratnam, Tang Lian Hong, Chee Soon Juan, James Gomez are familiar names in the local political scene. They have many things in common, from being in the wrong camp, persecuted in the courts of law, for personal or political digressions etc etc. All were victims in the game of Predators and Preys. Three were bankrupts except for Gomez.

Their persecutors were tenacious, never letting go after the first bite. And they were on the run, desperately trying to fend off every attack but in vain. Once the process of the Predators and Preys game started, there was no where to hide, only how badly would they be mauled.

The last of such preys was Andrew Kuan, though he did not suffered as much, but the process was quite similar. It was like a pack of hyenas appearing from all corners in the the pursuit of their lonely victim. He was rudely dismissed and his aspiration to be a candidate for the Elected Presidency came to naught.

This game seems to have taken a different character after the last GE. On the wrong side were Tin Pei Ling, Foo Mei Har and Puthuchery. Could have been more but when the preys went into hiding the pursuit ended. The tenacity of the predators was not of the same degree and zeal. Not until the latest attack on President hopeful Tony Tan.

Tony Tan became the newest prey in the game. The attackers were different, not from any political party, but the anonymous masses in cyberspace. And the battle zone too is not the main media but the new media. The attacks came fast and furious, appearing to be concerted but not, more like spontaneous. There is no chance that Tony will end up in the courts of law, but he will face a different kind of justice that will not see him becoming a bankrupt.

Tony will appear in the people’s court of justice. It is the people, or some of the people, that are putting Tony on trial. It is not a personal vendetta or a feud. They have accused him of favouritism or abuse of authority in granting special exemptions for his son in National Service. Would this be proven or would Tony be found guilty by the people’s court? For the time being, they have screamed guilty.

Tony and his son have been defending furiously against the accusations. Both the media, new and old, were giving him space to present his case. The Ministry of Defence too issued statements to support his defence.
The interesting part will be the findings and judgement. In the people’s court, there will be no official findings or an official pronouncement. The rights and wrongs will be formed in the hearts and minds of the people. There will be just as many who will think he is guilty as those who will think he is not. One thing for sure, Tony will not be made a bankrupt and neither can the predators make any unreasonable claims of compensation from him.

The glaring difference of this game of Predators and Preys is that the victim now comes from the ‘right’ side as oppose to the ‘wrong’ side as in the past. No one will ever imagine that the elite could be put on trial and have to defend themselves to clear their names. They need not have to as it is not really a court of law. It is a kind of common law, a kind of natural justice, a prick on the conscience. The victim can totally ignore the persecution and dismiss the whole case without answering, and remain silence. The sore point is that keeping silence is no longer an option.

The rules of game have changed. The Predators and Preys have also changed. The political climate is set to be changed.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

My friend, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

There are much more going-ons that the daft Singaporeans are kept unaware of.

Someday perhaps when a new party comes to power, all these shyt will surface. And perhaps Founder's Day would be celebrated in a quite different way.

Pity the daft and dumb 60% of Singaporeans.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with the part about daft and dumb 60%. About 20% are cunning and ruthless and sucking from the system. 20% are daft and fearful. 20% are simple folks who vote for a free voucher or an MP door visit.

Anonymous said...

My friend, don't be daft anymore.

Such things go on everywhere, at every level of society, even at the lowest level. Even in the opposition camps, maybe even far worse.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

When there is light, there is darkness. We know that evil is the other half of goodness.

Should human beans let evil rules if evil is just part and parcel of life? Why talk and preach about goodness when evil is unavoidable?

Why is it that Satan has less followers than God?

Once human beans concede that evil cannot be avoided, like man is corrupt, so let it be, what's next?

Simwong said...

who is the evil? and who is light ?

The light that you see now, beckoning you to come over, may be Satan the Evil in disguise.

Anonymous said...

The wayang is getting interesting. Now the Union is talking about not deciding who to support. Would you believe that?

Now, if they really do not come out to support Tony Tan, that must be the mother of all surprises. Or are they trying to distance themselves from Tony Tan, now that there is so much mud thrown in his direction?

Why can't the Union just call a cock a cock? Coming out with a cock and bull story is not going to make them more credible in any way.

Anonymous said...

The questions are straight forward and simple.

a. How many deferments were you given?

b. How long were each of the deferments?

c. What were the basis of each deferment?

seebeyond said...

I read the reply from MINDEF in the ST today. There is no mention of Patrick Tan, the 'prey' as u've described. Surely it wld be more appropriate for MINDEF to counter point for point the various allegations made in the ST and new social media against Patrick rather than issue a general statement that is neither here nor there and, worse, wld be seen by many as a smokescreen to deflect from the truths. This wld also be unfair to Patrick himself if the facts shd vindicate him, whereas he is now vilified by the many allegations.
In short, MINDEF shd be seen as being strictly neutral without fear or favour, for our Defence authorities to uphold its good name as Our People's Defence Ministry. Otherwise, as some netizens hv posted, it wld be difficult for our NSmen to kee chiu in salute to our Pres shd he be from the MIW. Sad.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi Seebeyond, welcome to the blog.

The attack on Tony and Patrick Tan is a specific case, and like you say, Mindef's general statement will not do in this case. More importantly the case has a lot of weight on the election of Tony as the EP. Without a case discharge of the accusation, the people are going to be confuses and some may even be angry.


This is no easy stuff to sweep under the carpet. We as the public, are like spectators to a game of chess and we can see clearly what is going on and the moves by the two sides. Any wrong move is going to cause the game.

seebeyond said...

Agree, Chua CL. I'm also very angry, and I'm angry every day. NSmen who did full national service just can't look askance at this wayang-wayang, more if MINDEF also joins in it at our sinkies' expense. Sinkieland is not only a rich man's world or PAPie-owned; it's ppl's Sinkieland.
There shd no nepotism in NS for our recruits, white horse big bullshit!! So both MINDEF and TANCHO TAN hv a sacred duty to come clean on this Patrick Tan affair or stay besmudged as shitty and despicable.