TR EMERITUS

Embattled Singapore People Party leader Mr Desmond Lim Bak Chuan has finally broke his silence on the fracas which erupted at his party conference two weeks ago. Mr Lim, who was allegedly at loggerheads with Ms Lina Loh, the wife of opposition MP Mr Chiam See Tong, tried to register 30 new members at the conference to ensure that he was elected into the CEC. Though he was eventually voted into CEC, he was informed via a SMS from Ms Lina Loh that he need not attend the Meet-the-People sessions at Potong Pasir in the future. The public spate between the two has dealt a severe blow to SPP with the state media making use of the opportunity to cast doubts on its credibility. In his press release posted on his Facebook, Mr Lim did not touch on his personal differences with Ms Loh and instead chose to explain why he had objected to the Reform Party joining the Singapore Democratic Alliance, of which he holds the position of the Secretary-General. Mr Lim explained that while is not against the idea of RP joining SDA in principle, he felt that the conditions attached to the "merger" would have been detrimental to SDA's political future. "I continue to hold firmly to the view that the conditions attached to the “merger” with the Reform Party (RP) would have been detrimental to the political future of SDA. The lop-sided conditions do not form an equitable, healthy and fair basis for a relationship between the two political entities. However, I am in principle not against the idea of an alliance with RP," he wrote. The internal politics of SPP has peeved off many netizens who have expressed their disappointment and disgust at the various parties washing their "dirty linen" publicly for all to see. In the meantime, Mr Chiam has announced officially that Ms Lina Loh will contest in Potong Pasir in the next general election and he will be leading a team most likely in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. Read Mr Lim's full press release here.     Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans. Please use our online web form to contact us.  Read More →

By Guntor Sadali for The Malaysian Insider It is a fact known to all that Malays in Singapore are a minority. However this minority is quite different from other minorities in the world. Similarly, to some, Singapore is just a red dot in this vast Asian region. But it is no ordinary red dot. It is a grave mistake to equate size with ability, just as it is wrong to assume that being small and in the minority is to be weak and insignificant. The recent World Cup proved this. While Spain may be the world champion, it was minnow Switzerland that became the only country in the tournament that was able to defeat Spain. Forty-five years have passed since Singapore left Malaysia, yet every now and then we still hear non-complimentary comments from across the Causeway about the Malay community here. The latest came from former Malaysian prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who casually reminded Malaysian Malays not to become like Singaporean Malays. He did not make it clear what he actually meant, but the comment was made in the context of the possibility of Malaysian Malays losing their power in Malaysia. Again he did not specify what type of power, but it could safely be interpreted as political power. Now, what could have happened to the Malays here in the last four decades? Read rest of article here.  Read More →

作者；陈达昌 (28-7-2010) 新加坡残酷打压反对派，林福寿的血泪控诉。 揭露新加坡黑暗监狱，林的录像谈话被禁止。 如果拿新加坡的反对党人和马来西亚来比，根本不成气候。大马的反对党可以执政几个州政府，天天在报纸上攻击政府（几乎每天都有,如果依照新加坡的标准，差不 多很多人会给告到破产）。不过使人惊奇的是，新加坡的反对派已经是微不足道，但是李光耀李显龙父 子领导的政府，似乎还是不放心。 就在这个七月里，新政府一连采取了几项行动： 一： 禁止前政治犯林福寿医生的录像谈话（在网上发布的）违反者可以被罚一万元，或监禁两年。二：一位拍摄新加坡水灾照片的报馆主任，被警察逮捕马上扣上手铐。 三：逮捕一名批评新加坡死刑制度的英国作家。对马来西亚的我们是不可思议的事。 林福寿医生是新加坡人民行动党的创党人之一，是新加坡社会主义阵线中委。1963 年被李光耀政府逮捕，残酷的被监禁了20年。 （不是开玩笑） 他的录像谈话揭露了许多令人啼笑皆非的故事。全文很长，我只摘录部分译出来。 很多地方，可以说是一字一泪，不忍卒读。 林说：在他被扣留了9 年之后，新加坡政府要他发表一份声明：支持新加坡的民主制度，同时退出政治。林说，“这两个要求是互相矛盾的，因为在国会民主制度下我不必放弃政治”他们说：你必须说点悔过的谈话，不然，李光耀没有面子。 “对我来说，这不是面子的问题，是原则问题，为了要保住一个人的面子，居然要剥夺另一个人在新加坡民主宪政下的基本权利，.或是以这个来勒索对方发表悔过书。我拒绝了，于是，我又被继续扣留了整十年。” 这个扣留期比终身监禁还要长。 控状是空白的，因为你不可以看 “不少人谈到政治犯可以向咨询委员会上诉。我可以告诉你我的经历。大约被扣留了一年之后，有一天我被带到监狱大门。他们通知我要出席明天的咨询委员会的聆 审。（检讨吧）他们给我看一份两张纸的控状。我要求给我一份，但是他们对我说，你不可以拿去，我们读给你听就是。我要求通知律师，但是他们说，你有权利通 知律师，但是你不可以打电话。这是法律。（等于不必叫律师了） “第二天，我被铐上了手铐，带我出席那个咨询委员会的检讨，他们展 示两张纸的控状，我看到上面有很多空白的地方，我问那是什么？他们说，那是对你的控状，他们太敏感了，所以只可以给咨询委会看，你不能看。我说，什么话， 你不让一个人知道他的控状，要他怎样辩护？法官说，这是法律。这实在是不可置信的对司法的愚弄。” 20 年的监禁，林福寿医生住遍了新加坡的监狱, 除了女子监狱之外。 一个文质彬彬的医生，被上手铐，关闭在密不透风的臭虫遍地的黑暗囚室，被强迫进行木工劳动。。。每一次，他申请人身保护令回来，就要面对严厉的处罚和折磨。 第一次，他和5 个难友抗议不人道待遇进行绝食，因为他患了胃出血，所以被送到医院去。 1972 年，林福寿又再申请人审保护令，因为监狱要强迫他进行体力劳动，做木匠工作。他拒绝并且进行绝食抗议，三个礼拜后，他们说，好吧，医生，你得到豁免木工的工作。 在女子监狱，政治犯进行了130 天的绝食，政府强行把试管插进她们的食道灌入牛奶。一些人受不住而呕吐。有个女子，因为呕吐在地板上，狱卒把她抬起，用她的长裤抹地。 （当真惨无人道如此对待弱质的女子。） 林说：“我们全部都曾经经历单独的隔离监禁。根据李光耀说单独监禁是最严重的虐待。我可以读给你听，李光耀怎样说‘对一个人能够承受的极限处罚就是完全隔绝单独囚禁。这是真正的虐待’ “虽然他知道这是虐待，但是我们这些政治扣留者都曾经被单独监禁一天两天，到六个月。法律上，刑事罪犯是得到保护的，如果他们触犯监狱条例要单独监禁，不可以 超过两个礼拜。明显的是因为会造成精神上的影响，但是对政治犯，李光耀领导的政府，可以把他们单独监禁六个月。” （略） 我是摘录林福寿医生的部分讲话，但是已经足够了。可以给年轻一代人了解什么是真正的政治残酷折磨，和虐待。 要怎样想法，读者自己去判断吧。 作者陈达昌，早年曾在内安令下拘留两年余。当年是马来亚劳工党森州组织秘书。后来 在报界工作14 年，曾任通报采访主任兼副总编辑。多次随官方代表团出国。离职后从事私人商业。现已退休。业余写作，书法。 著作有： 一夜风云变色（叙述笔者经历 513 前后的采访）-2007. + 马来左翼势力的崩溃-1982. 收集于马来政坛谈往书内。 + 团体活动：没有参加任何政党。 + 2000 年为马来亚劳工党党史全国 工委会副秘书。现任凤凰友好联谊会理事 来源: http://chintanchong.blogspot.com  Read More →