TR EMERITUS

By Cai Haoxiang from Straits Times IT IS a sweltering day as you walk by the row of repainted shophouses along Balestier Road. As you push open the glass doors and duck inside for a welcome draught of air-conditioning, you meet a group of elderly patients waiting expectantly to see their family doctor. The name on the door plate of his office may not ring a bell for the young but to older Singaporeans, it jumps right out of Singapore's turbulent political history: Dr Lim Hock Siew. Enter his simply furnished room, and you see him at a desk stacked with books, stationery and newspapers. An eye chart is pasted on a glass cabinet displaying photos of him as a dashing young man. The 79-year-old doctor, in his white long-sleeved shirt, greets you with a soft, occasionally wheezing, yet otherwise firm voice. He is not in the best of health, having suffered kidney failure last year and taken a six-month break to recuperate. As he is undergoing dialysis three times a week, he would have preferred to extend his break except that his clinic partner, Dr Mohd Abu Bakar, 76, was overwhelmed by the patient load. So he returned to half-day work last month, seeing around 30 patients every morning, and plans to do so as long as his health permits. 'It's kind of an ethical obligation to look after them, and I can keep myself mentally occupied,' he says. The name of his clinic harks back to his socialist days as a political activist, first with the People's Action Party (PAP) and then with its arch rival, Barisan Sosialis. It is called Rakyat, which means 'people' in Malay. It was set up by Dr Lim and fellow Barisan Sosialis leader Dr Poh Soo Kai in 1961. Its consultation fees are no different from other clinics' - $20 to $30. But Dr Lim charges a reduced rate for poorer patients and gives free treatment to the neediest. 'I don't deny help to those who need it,' he says. Dr Lim's sense of compassion and empathy for the poor is well known. At a time when the unprofessional and unethical practices of some doctors are hogging the headlines, the mere mention of Dr Lim's name evokes hushed respect among his peers. Even pro-PAP Singaporeans who would be horrified by the prospect of a Barisan Sosialis government admit to having a grudging admiration for Dr Lim as a man who has the courage of his convictions. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, once singled out Dr Lim as a politician he admired for his strength of character and ability to sacrifice for his beliefs. Like many of his former leftist colleagues, Dr Lim feels compelled to give his side of the story before time runs out. In recent years, a cottage industry has sprung up providing alternative histories of Singapore. Books included memoirs by former communist underground leader Fang Chuang Pi, former Barisan Sosialis leader Fong Swee Suan and former Parti Rakyat Singapura leader Said Zahari. Just three months ago, the Fajar Generation, a book on the University Socialist Club (USC) of the then-University of Malaya, was launched. In a nutshell, Dr Lim's is a story of how an idealistic student activist joined and campaigned for the PAP in the 1950s and then fought against the ruling party in the 1960s and paid a very heavy price for his beliefs and convictions. In 1963, he was arrested under Operation Cold Store and detained without trial for nearly 20 years before he was released in 1982. A Home Affairs Ministry statement on his release had said that he was arrested under the Internal Security Act for his involvement in Communist United Front (CUF) activities. Dr Lim refused to agree to any conditions that would have granted him early release and ended up in the record book as the second longest-held political prisoner after his leftist colleague Chia Thye Poh, who served 23 years. Today, 28 years after his release, he still dreams of a socialist Singapore in which there is no exploitation of workers and the oppressed. Read rest of article on Straits Times  Read More →

OPINION Singapore's low level of corruption as measured by its third place ranking on Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index in 2009 is often attributed to both the incorruptibility of its leaders as well as the strength of its institutions. In fact, Singapore is the only non-democratic state among the thirty least corrupt nations in the world, an anomaly among developed nations. It seems to defy the global pattern that democracies tend to occupy much lower rankings on the corruption scale than autocratic ones which is not surprising as there are more checks and balances within democracies to hold the political elite accountable to the people. As a result, Singapore is often quoted as a shining example that a country can attain high standards of public governance comparable to democratic states under a "benign despot" too. On closer look, one will realize that Singapore's success in combating corruption is not due to the strength of its institutions but to a strongman who adopted an uncompromising stance against corrupted practices right from the very beginning. The first prime minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew had taken tough actions to eradicate corruption upon assuming power in 1959. Harsh laws were put in place to punish offenders and to deter others from doing so. Even a few ministers from his cabinet were not exempted either with one committing suicide while under investigation for corruption. History has shown that it is entirely possible for corruption to be tackled effectively under a strong, determined and bold leader who showed no mercy towards anybody found guilty of corruption. The third Emperor of the Qing dynasty, Emperor Yong Zheng is one classic example. Like Lee, Emperor Yong Zheng displayed a ruthless streak in tackling the rampant corruption in his administration. Many officials were executed, banished and jailed during his reign for misappropriating public funds including his own relatives and trusted aides. In a short span of 13 years, he managed to bring the perennial problem of corruption which plagued his father the Emperor Kangxi under control, not a mean feat in a such a vast and complex country like China. China was a feudal dynasty and surely it would have been ranked highly by Transparency International had it existed then, but its rare accomplishment was short-lived as it is personality-based rather than system-based. After the demise of Emperor Yong Zheng in 1735 A.D., corruption raised its ugly head again within a few years during the reign of his son the Emperor Qianlong. One of his favorite officials He Shen amassed so much wealth from corruption that he was richer than the Emperor himself! While Singapore's low level of corruption can be maintained so long Lee is around, questions must be raised whether Singapore has the system in place to combat corruption after he is gone. The greatest single flaw in the Singapore system lies in the over-concentration of power in the hands of a few people within the ruling party itself. The Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) lies directly under the purview of the Prime Minister's Office. The PAP not only dominates Parliament, but controls all important institutions of the state as well - from the police, media, civil service, grassroots organizations to trade unions. There is no opposition to check on the PAP. Neither can the enfeebled and apathetic citizenry hold it accountable as a series of repressive laws are put in place to curtail the political and civil rights of the people. The end result is a ticking time bomb: if a Chen Shui Bian were to assume power one day, there will be no way Singaporeans can remove him from power. The drawback of Singapore's system is evident in the disastrous loss in national reserves suffered by its two sovereign wealth funds GIC and Temasek Holdings. In any democratic states, an independent Commission of Inquiry will probably be convened to investigate the losses and the results released to the public. To this day, Singaporeans are still kept in the dark on the real extent of losses. Urgent political reforms are needed to ensure more checks and balances within the system to promote the good practices of public governance such as accountability, transparency and competency. Singaporeans should not trust their leaders blindly. Without a free press to expose their wrong-doings, an opposition to hold them accountable and laws to compel them to release confidential information to the public, we will have to take Singapore's third place ranking by Transparency International with a pinch of salt.  Read More →

By Mustafa Shafawi from Channel News Asia Singapore on Friday raised its economic growth forecast this year as countries that buy most of its exports emerge from recession. The upgrade from 3.0-5.0 percent to 4.5-6.5 percent came after economic growth gathered pace in the fourth quarter, allowing the economy to contract by a slower-than-predicted 2.0 percent for 2009, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said. But the ministry said the outlook is fraught with uncertainty, especially in the second half of the year with the recovery in the United States, Europe and Japan expected to be weaker. Debt risks in some European countries are also potential minefields for economic growth, it said. "The Ministry of Trade and Industry expects the Singapore economy to grow by 4.5 to 6.5 per cent in 2010. This upgrade from the earlier 3.0 to 5.0 per cent forecast largely reflects increased strength in the near term growth momentum," the ministry said in a statement. "Major economies around the world have emerged from recession. Financial markets have stabilised and trade flows and industrial production have also picked up strongly. "Asia should experience a strong recovery, but the pace of the rebound in the United States, Europe and Japan, collectively called the G3 countries, is likely to be weaker. "In addition, several downside risks remain, including sovereign debt risks (especially in Europe) and asset price inflation in Asia. These factors could weigh on the pace of growth in major economies, especially in the later part of 2010," the ministry said. Read rest of article on Channel News Asia  Read More →