Tan Jee Say – A poignant letter, a challenge to hard truths

Jee Say has written a letter to the President, Tony Tan, to address “the very serious charge” that “the Internal Security Act had been used for political purposes”.
 
He was referring to the Operation Coldstore and the charges that the Barisan politicians were communists and is using declassified British documents kept at the British National Archives in Kew, London to prove his point. The details of his letter can be found in TRE under the heading, ‘Mr President, I urge you to seek the truth about Operation Coldstore and Battle for Merger during your State visit in the UK’. Below is an example of his quotes:
 
‘I referred to recently declassified British Government documents relating to Operation Coldstore which revealed that Lord Selkirk, the UK Commissioner to Singapore at that time, reported to Duncan Sandys, secretary of state for the colonies, that:
 
‘there is no important new evidence of subversive activity on which arrests at this juncture can be justified. We could not substantiate a charge that they are planning to use violence. In the absence of specific evidence of subversion the arrests would be construed as an attempt by HMG to stifle legitimate opposition.‘ (Geoff Wade)’
 
He is demanding that the President gives him a reply following the President’s challenge issued during the 2011 Presidential Election TOC TV Forum that Jee Say must back up his charges against the Govt. Jee Say also said, ‘You(President Tony Tan) owe it to the people of Singapore to do so particularly when you asked for evidence to prove that the ISA had been used for political purposes.’
 
Would there be a reply or would nothing be said? The charges by Jee Say are very serious indeed and could change historical facts in our history books. And criminals could be set free while their accusers could be put behind bars. Black will become white and white becomes black.
 
Whatever that would happen following this open letter, one thing is clear, Jee Say is not a stooge and he meant business. He is going for the jugular.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Quote of the Day

Alex Au is now in court to defend his contempt of court charges. One phrase that the AG mentioned in Au’s blog was highlighted. Au was quoted to have said, ‘the courts were as “limp as a flag on a windless day”’.

The AG says that the metaphor of the flag implies that the court needs ‘wind’ from outside the facts of the case to determine an outcome.

I vote this as the most ingenious interpretation of the phrase, “limp as a flag on a windless day” I am impressed.

Kopi Level - Blue, Thank you.

Return My CPF protest rally on 25 Oct cancelled by NPark

Just read from TRE that the protest at Hong Lim Park this Sat has been cancelled on the advice of the Police. The reason, both Roy Ngerng and Han Hui Hui are under investigation for illegal assembly. So they cannot apply for a permit.

Do they need a permit in the first place? Could they and the protesters just go to Hong Lim on Sat and have a party there? Is it illegal to gather at Hong Lim Park, a public park designated for free speech? Must there be a permit to make free speech? If that is the case, then it is no longer free speech.

Is the cancellation for a protest rally against the Constitution? Is NPark acting unconstitutionally?

So far Roy Ngerng and Han Hui Hui have held 3 such protest rallies and the attendance could not be anything near hysterical numbers. Why is there a need to curb this protest rally? Is the rally really something to fear, something like the netizens have been saying, disclosing an unpleasant truth about the CPF money?

By banning the next protest, the govt is sending out many negative signals to the people. There is nothing positive about this banning of a small peaceful protest in a confined park designated for such a specific purpose.

Would this act make the protesters angrier and turn up in full force despite the ban? What would happen this Sat? Would there be a bigger turnout instead at Hong Lim?

What is happening?

Kopi Level - Blue, Thank you.

GE – More intriguing news and development

The dominance of the PAP is waning since the last GE and the two disastrous by elections. Joining as a PAP candidate is no guarantee of a free ticket to Parliament today. There is a new sense of fear among the candidates, ministers included, that suay suay it would be their last election, ala George Yeo and his team in Aljunied.

Aljunied GRC, Punggol East and Hougang would be the tiger’s lair that no candidate would want to be in. The fear is obvious and understandable. Any opposition ward is not a nice place for the ruling party to contest. It took nearly 20 years for the PAP to take back Potong Pasir, but more by default rather than by merit. The SPP made a big blunder by fielding the wrong candidate. Otherwise Potong Pasir would still be safely in the hands of the SPP. Having said that, other than those wards won by the WP, Potong Pasir is still a touch and go thing and a strong opposition candidate would have a very high chance of wrestling it back from the PAP.

The news of Chan Chun Sing appearing in Sembawang and Khaw Boon Wan moving to East Coast is sending out a new signal that both Tanjong Pagar and East Coast GRCs might be vulnerable battle fields. How’s that? Chan Chun Sing is the PM heir apparent and moving him away from the PAP’s stronghold in Tanjong Pagar is as good as saying that it is no longer safe. PAP would not want to risk this PM potential in a risky ward. Putting him in Sembawang must be seen as lifting him up to safety.  They would not be a need to move him from Tanjong Pagar if it is safe. The safer the better to ensure that Chan Chun Sing would still be around after the next GE.

Khaw Boon Wan is still seen as a strong minister in the books of the PAP as there are not many such ministers left. Moving him to East Coast is like confirming the rumour that Lim Swee Say is either resigning or East Coast is at high risk of falling. Of course there are several GRCs that are obviously very weak and highly likely to go the opposition way. And there are also ministers that are highly vulnerable in the eyes of the public and have lost their drawing power. Some ministers are clearly a liability and would not be able to hold on to their forts in the next GE.

This explains the other two fear factors of PAP candidates. Many would be very uncomfortable being fielded in constituencies or GRCs that are seen as weak. Given a chance they would not want to go there. And many would also be worried about being fielded in GRCs helmed by very weak or unpopular ministers that have very high possibility of losing. It is now not that comfortable being a PAP candidate when winning is no longer a given.  To be in a winning team they must be in safe constituencies and in the company of reasonably safe ministers.

In fact in opposition wards it is like fighting a losing battle from the start for PAP candidates. And this same lousy feeling can now be applied, to a lesser degree, to being field in weak wards or with weak ministers, like being sent for the slaughter.

The rules of the game have changed and now it is a matter of how many would not make it in the next GE. Wearing white to do battle is not like it was before. The confidence of sure win or 90% chance of winning would not be the case anymore. In most cases, it is like a 50:50 case. And in high risk or opposition wards it is an uphill task with losing a better certainty.

Kopi Level - Blue, Thank you.

Happy Deepavali

It is quite a nice feeling to see this word Deepavali appearing on the streets again. Most Singaporeans have grown up with this word and it is part of our local culture. Last year it disappeared and a new word Tiwali took its place. I also used it here since it was everywhere.

Reading from some of the sites the word Tiwali is used by northern Indians while Deepavali is a southern Indian word or a Tamil word. Our daft Sinkies have this habit of adopting anything that is new without thinking to replace the old. New is good, old is bad. In Mandarin, many words are now pronounced in the way the new migrants used them as if they are cute or better.

Let's hope that in out imbecile way, we would not rub away our origins and things that have been dear to us and a part of us and embrace everything that is new without thinking. Our National Heritage Board is exactly for such a purpose, to preserve and retain our heritage for posterity and not to destroy everything for things that are new.

Happy Deepavali to all.

Kopi Level - Blue. Thank you.