Ground breaking events on 4 Aug

Five days before Singapore celebrates its National Day on 9 Aug, two ground breaking events hit Singapore on Friday. The first was the PNG of Professor Huang Jing of the LKY School of Public Policies headed by Kishore Mahbubani. Huang Jin and his wife Shirley Yang had their PR status cancelled and banned from entering Singapore for life on charges of trying to influence Singapore's foreign policies by working with foreign intelligent services and govts.

The second ground breaking event was the AG's decision to charge Li Sheng Wu for contempt of court for his facebook posting commenting that the Singapore court is pliant.

In Huang Jing's case an unknown superpower was hinted to be behind his actions. There are two big superpowers that are likely to be associated with this case, the USA or China. Huang Jing and wife are US PRs. But he is said to be pro China in his writings. The guess is that the power to be behind him is either the USA or China. What is important here is that Singapore is living up to its principles of not allowing any country or superpower to influence its policies or be pressured to bend its policies. In this case Huang Jing is representing a powerful country to influence Singapore's foreign policy. Does his expulsion got to do with another power pressuring Singapore to expel him?

The expulsion of Huang Jin and wife is a hardening of Singapore's position against the superpower behind Huang Jin, be it the USA or China. And Singapore is prepared to take on the superpower come what may to establish its principled position and to protect its national interest. The price is high for making this tough decision and there will be consequences. It is kind of calling a spade a spade, no more disguises and innuendoes. You are enemy. And the enemy is exposed and embarrassed and the ball is in the enemy's court now.

The case against Li Sheng Wu is bridge burning, a declaration of war with Lee Hsien Yang and family. Li Sheng Wu is no sibling, one generation down the road. Taking him to court is different from taking siblings to court. But nonetheless he is family and Hsien Yang and Wei Ling would take this as open warfare, everything goes. The truce has been broken. The family feud is alive and burning.

Li Sheng Wu has said that he would not return to Singapore to face charges. It is as good as self imposed exile, like his parents. Would he be applying for political asylum like Amos Yee? The only thing to remember this young man for his brief moments in the annals of Singapore's history are these words spoken in his eulogies for his grandfather.

'It is often said that my grandfather built great institutions for Singapore. But what is an institution? It is a way of doing things that outlives the one who builds it. A strong institution is robust, it is persistent. It does not depend precariously on individual personalities. It places the rule of law above the rule of man. And that is the sacrifice of being a builder of institutions. To build institutions is to cede power – is to create a system that will not forever rely on you. That this occasion passes without disorder or uncertainty shows that he succeeded in this task. We are bereft at his passing, but we are not afraid. The pillars that he built stand strong, the foundations that he dug run deep.'

It is ironic and sad that he has to run away from his grandfather's institutions and the home he grew up with and full of fond memories.