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26/02/2007

Dr Chee Under City Arrest!

Comments

wow, that I find amazingly hard to wrap my head around. Actually being trapped in your own little city because the gov't officials wont let you leave. Figure if this guy is such a trouble maker and all, why would the PAP want to keep him in the country? I would figure they would gladly let him out and then deny him entry into the country when he tries to return home. But, then again, if that happens, they wont get their money from him I guess. Amazing how a person can make nearly two million dollars a year in salary (as MM salary was for Prime Minister) and still want their $500,000 from a guy out of spite.

A pity Singaporeans really dont care about human rights or anything. This sort of action from a gov't body would have them voted out before the next election and really hurt their chance of ever getting back in.

Posted by: darren barker | 26/02/2007

A large number of Singaporeans do care about human rights - so much so that the government has been moaning about how unfriendly the blogs and forums are towards the People's Action Party. The PAP have even decided to launch a 'counter-insurgency' to combat the online criticism that is aimed at them.

33% of the electorate voted against the PAP in the last elections [ which only translated into 2 seats in a house of 80 plus, you do the math]which is a remarkable number in a state that has such a heavily controlled media that is owned and run by the PAP.

Posted by: soci | 26/02/2007

The numbers of Singaporeans who purportedly care about human rights is simply not high enough to "make a difference" in the collective and political sense. Having HDB policy tied to the vote is a definite advantage as far as "leverage" goes for the PAP.

It is indeed odd to note that PAP "true-believers" wax lyrical about the dangers of a welfare state, when state welfare (HDB) is used to bully the voters — with the exception of a couple of wards who have valiantly resisted being held to ransom — into submission.

I remain vehemently anti-welfare state because of this reason — the political leverage gained by the most powerful party — usually incumbent — those who hold the keys to the nation's treasury. When politics is about POWER — and it almost certainly is 99.99% of the time — you can kiss the notions of freedom and liberty goodbye.

Social engineering and social conditioning are insidious. The PAP have been able to sustain their bamboozling of the public over decades, such that the majority of S'poreans simply DON'T KNOW any different.

Many years ago I used to take the mickey out of S'poreans. This was of course pre-post-911 — the "good old days". I would tell them that in many countries ID cards were not issued by The State to citizens, and people had the RIGHT to walk around without any ID on their person, i.e. anonymously, and challenge any "authority" figure (like a cop) when they were stopped and asked to produce identification. Almost everyone I told this to thought I was bullshitting them.

There was a time in Australia (no longer the case) where if you were stopped by a cop and asked for ID in a public place you would challenge the cop and ask him WHY he stopped you and WHAT THE REASON WAS for you to prove your identity to him. If the cop didn't answer satisfactorily, you could just walk away and go about your business. In other words, one could quite freely challenge any ARBITRARY incursion on one's liberty. This idea, at the time when it was possible to do it, was completely off the radar for most Singaporeans, and remains so today.

In the mid-1980's, I remember participating in a coordinated protest against the introduction of an ID card called the "Australia Card" by that wife-cheating drunk and national embarrassment — PM Bob Hawke. I remember CLEARLY that there were cops at the protests – some of course were on duty. Those who weren't joined the protests AGAINST the Australia Card.

But the majority of S'poreans still don't "get it". Carrying compulsory State-issued ID around is what the Nazi's and other totalitarian despots force their citizens to do.

http://www.geoffhook.com/archive/get_archive.cgi?image=1987/09/jeff030987

How could you expect human rights to be an issue in S'pore when the average S'porean is UNAWARE that his rights and liberty have been USURPED by The State simply by accepting the practice of carrying around the NRIC on their person. Remember, this card is FORCIBLY thrust upon 12 year olds, and if one loses one's NRIC, the penalties are costly. Fancy that — you didn't get it voluntarily, but you are legally responsible for it.

And guess what? NONE, i.e. NOT ONE of the opposition politicians have raised this issue at ANY GE so far.

How can anyone be serious about POLITICAL FREEDOM when INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM is not yet secure?

Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 26/02/2007

This Chee character is a flight risk and should never be allowed out of this country until he pay up in full what he owes.

What happen if he goes overseas and buy hamburgers instead of lunching on maggie mee, money that should have gone to paying his creditors will be used.

There is also a real risk he might runaway and not come back to Singapore. Although this will be great for the Singapore REBRANDING campaign not to have him around, the policemen and security/intelligence personnel hired to look after him might have to be retrenched, we just can't in our good conscience let this happen.

Chee must NEVER LEAVE THE ISLAND.

Posted by: lucky tan | 27/02/2007

"we just can't in our good conscience let this happen. "

I think the one who has a bad conscience is you, lucky tan because you obviously have been brainwashed badly by the govt to deny what is human rights.

Posted by: human rights | 27/02/2007

It appears to all that facts and logic are irrelevant and will not affect the outcome: guilty of x whatever the x may be, predetermined by the "system".

Posted by: MM | 27/02/2007

They have essentially placed Chee on house arrest, except since Singapore is such a tiny country, they extended it to the entire island. Another world first! So sad that it is almost hilarious.

Posted by: arrest | 28/02/2007

What I understand is, if you get on a small boat, go to a kelong bordering Malaysia, eat some fish while waiting to be picked up ....... if Dr Chee has a sponsored meet he absolutely cannot miss ....... He can always come back the same way, what?

Posted by: lee hsien tau | 01/03/2007

I completely do not understand what is the big issue with carrying an ID card around. As far as i know, i am hardly ever stoped by a policeman and when they do, they are usually polite. Isn't the human rights being compromised bla bla because you have to carry an ID card too far-fetched.

The police are just doing their job and they are keeping the country safe for US. Why would you worry about them checking your ID when you did not commit any crime.

Some european countries do have them too, like spain. Even the UK is going to introduce the ID cards soon. I personally think that they are a brillant idea to keep the streets safer for us.

Posted by: Liting | 08/03/2007

The more I look at the system of political repression in Sin,
the more it looks familiar with that of Burma's. Burma's military junta did not give up power to the party elected. Here, we wayang about an election when effect the whole system is calculated to prevent the peoples choice with
GRCs, bribery, threats and bullying of the opposition.

Posted by: LKP | 08/03/2007