TR EMERITUS

Last week, I was reminded by a friend that many Singaporeans believe that should the People’s Action Party (PAP) lose its majority in a general election, (something that I am willing to bet will not happen in the next general election), their assets and investments will fall in value. I told my friend that even with the PAP in power, this myth that the PAP is able to protect our assets and investments has already been shattered. Consider the value of shareholdings. Even so-called blue-chip shares have plunged in value. I am told that SIA shares once commanded a price of more than $30 a piece. Today it is just about $4! Those of us who hold SIA shares have already lost a substantial part of our investments! Singapore, like many countries in the world, have gone into a recession. Our million-dollar ministers have not been able to stave off COVID-19. Indeed, the manner in which our ministers tackled this pandemic leaves much to be desired. While New Zealand under a 39-year-old first time the prime minister has come out tops in dealing with the crisis and the country is no longer under lockdown, our team of 4G leaders have bungled, fumbled and failed us. The belief that a PAP government can protect our assets and investments is a fiction that has now been debunked by an invisible virus. It is a myth we created for ourselves because we are afraid of change, not even a minor change in the composition of members in parliament. We know that many MPs are not doing their job, skiving and sleeping in the chamber. This is the real reason why live stream of proceedings is not permitted. But we are not willing to discard these driftwoods because we are so used to seeing a half-empty house and bumbling parliamentarians and ministers. We are afraid of giving the opposition a chance to be in parliament because we claim that they are not tested. But how do they get tested unless they are voted into parliament? The PAP needs a shake-up and only Singaporeans can do that. Without ensuring that it loses its two-third majority, Singaporeans will always remain voiceless and be subjected to the whims and fancies of PAP policies which are implemented with the signature of just one minister. Worse, the implementation of policies has been delegated to a politicised civil service. Remember, we are not treated like responsible people. We cannot even voice our unhappiness by holding a placard in a public space. We cannot share a Facebook post without a thorough check on facts. The POFMA Office which is a private army of the ministers will scrutinise ever post on Facebook, Instagram, tweets and what have you. No democratic country in the world has a law that prohibits on the unhappy person from holding a placard in a public space. No civilised country has a POFMA office paid for by taxpayers at the back and call of ministers.   Teo Soh Lung      Read More →

On social media Singaporeans are coming out in support of justice for George Floyd and other victims of racial injustice in America. An observer speculated that some of these postings are made to sock it to American fingerwagging around the world. Some to 'prove' that Singaporean 'multiculturalism' and 'pragmatism' offer a better system of governance. However, there are others who, seeing the analogies between American and Singaporean racism, are protesting the murder of George Floyd to draw attention to problems closer to home. "Racism is a global structure," as the writer of Race Tuition Centre reminds us. The same logic that undergirded the enslavement of African Americans "currently enables the exploitation of South Asian migrant labour globally." The link between racial and economic injustice has become even clearer in this pandemic. The virus has affected black and brown people in both countries disproportionately, not only in the numbers of infections and deaths, but in the even larger numbers of the unemployed. Before he was murdered by four police officers, George Floyd lost his job at a restaurant forced to close because of COVID. He had moved several years ago from Houston, Texas, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to find work. He was an economic migrant as much as are the migrant workers in Singapore. The destruction of property during this American uprising is not at all senseless. Born out of unheeded rage, It is actually very purposeful. If you are systematically excluded, exploited, or discriminated against in the economy, it is logical that you would smash shop windows in order to be heard and set police cars on fire in order to be seen. In their search for shareholder value, large corporations are to be blamed for these economic ills. Pandemic measures to help the economy have benefited the rich far more than the working class or small business owners. But racial prejudice, intertwined with economic injustice, goes all the way down. In Harlem, where I live, we have many more drug treatment centers than other parts of New York City, because other neighborhoods, richer and more powerful, refuse to have them. That so many people who struggle with drug addiction and mental illness have to live out on the streets of Harlem gives the lie to NYC's liberalism. When it suits us, we are all tempted to do an Amy Cooper, to call on the authorities to act against minorities. In this regard, Central Park in New York is the same as Woollerton Park in Singapore. It is easy to feel powerless in the face of such challenges. The question "what can we do?" becomes the feeling "we can do nothing." To counter widespread social prejudice, I would suggest that we need to go beyond self-examination and calling-out, essential though such activities are. For effective political action, we need also to find common interests between apparently antagonistic parties, whether they are blacks and whites, or they are local and foreign workers. In Singapore right now, a great deal of attention is being paid to improving migrant-worker dormitories, whose crowded and unhygienic state is blamed for the spread of COVID-19. Although it is important to reform the living conditions of these workers, it is far more vital and basic to change their working conditions. Some of these changes would be understandable to most, if not all, Singaporeans. It is not fair to pay huge recruitment fees to work in Singapore and be lumbered with debt if one falls ill or becomes injured in the course of the work. It is not fair to be forced to work for one employer only and not to be allowed to change bosses. The migrant-worker organization HOME has consistently advocated for the right to switch employers. It is conceivable that changes to such unfair working conditions would receive support from the general public. They appeal to a common sense of fairness. In the US, we need to find common cause too with the black struggle for real justice and equality. Beyond justice for George Floyd, beyond changes to law and policing, we need systemic change to give all a fair stake in the economic benefits that now some of us enjoy. Ruhel Islam, the owner of the Bangladeshi restaurant burned down by protestors in Minneapolis, is justly praised for backing the protests with these words: We can rebuild a building, but we cannot rebuild a human. The murder of George Floyd would become even more tragic than it already is if we fail to rebuild the economic building of America. We can begin by de-funding police departments across the nation, and investing the money in housing, health, and education.   Jee Leong Koh          Read More →

M Ravi Elections are looming. Activity and preparations are well under way – coffee shop talks about Politics have begun. This happens every time, and though I feel flattered, I must reiterate that politics is just not for me. I have been swayed into it in the past, but I am quite decided now. There is argument that Politics is the best way to effect change. Growing up in Singapore and being within the circles of so many inspiring leaders and intellectuals, we all agree that one’s voice is important, and one’s responsibility is to participate. Sometimes, my supporters even say, “I have a moral duty to participate.” But for those of you who really know me, Law is my best tool. The more I use my tool, the better I become. I feel there is a lot I can contribute by staying in the field that I am in. There are only 24 hours in a day and I am not prepared to split my time further and detract myself from my own pursuits, my clients, my pro bono work, my network in the region and my causes and campaigns. The one thing I have always done in my life, even if I had no title for it, has always been about helping people get justice and about finding legal solutions. I have tremendous respect for those who stand for politics. They always come in from the correct angle. They are full of hope and being passionate for their causes, are determined to pursue them vigorously. Law or Politics, my message is clear, if you cannot stand for politics, but want to effect change, value your voice, your deeds and your VOTE. … and so, to my backers and supporters, “Thanks, but No Thanks,” (for now anyway).   M Ravi      Read More →