« Singapore politicians hurl insults in court | HomePage | Lee Kuan Yew Declares War on Free Speech! »
28/05/2008
Lee Kuan Yew Declares War on Free Speech!
Listen to this article
Source of Article: Asia One News
MM: A lie against Govt will be pursued - even in cyberspace
ANY lie that questioned the Government's integrity must be fought, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew yesterday.
He would pursue even those who perpetrated such lies in cyberspace, if the authorities could pinpoint the culprit.
MM Lee launched into the subject from the witness stand in response to a quote cited by the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) lawyer M. Ravi during cross-examination.
''Never chase a lie. Let it alone and it will run itself to death.' Do you agree with that?' asked Mr Ravi.
MM Lee replied that he did not, even though Western journalists had been urging such a view on him for years.
'I take a contrary view, because I know the mentality and the attitudes of the people in Singapore - and they know me by now, that if anybody impugns the integrity of the Government, of which I was the prime minister, I must sue,' he said.
'And I must demand that either the court finds that those defamatory words (are) true, in which case I am demolished, or there's a penalty.'
When further pressed on the point, MM Lee said that his political credo was that every lie related to the integrity, honour and rectitude of the Government had to be nailed:
'This Government has lasted through 11 general elections, from 1959 to 2006. Nobody has said the elections were rigged, not even the SDP.
'I have put myself before the public, my Government, on seven of those general elections. I personally led the Government and I know that that was possible only because we run a clean, efficient, effective, competent Government that works to the benefit of the people.'
For the moment, however, he had no choice but to tolerate attacks on the Government that were posted on the Internet.
'But if anybody puts his name in print or verbally identifies himself out of court with those remarks, is challenging my integrity, (and) is prepared to stand on his credibility, we will need to have it resolved,' he added.
When asked by Mr Ravi if he would pursue those online if the law could capture the culprits, MM Lee said that he would.
From questions of integrity, the cross-examination turned to what MM Lee thought of Dr Chee's character.
After MM Lee, at one point, described Dr Chee as a 'near psychopath', Mr Ravi asked if he took the SDP chief's comments seriously.
'I have to,' said MM Lee.
'Because he takes it very seriously, enough to tell the public to believe him. If I did not take him seriously and he keeps on repeating this, and others repeat this, at the end of the day, I and the party that I used to lead will be totally destroyed.
'Am I being asked to say that your client's credibility is so low that I should ignore whatever he says?'
As to whether most people would believe what Dr Chee said, MM Lee pointed to the results of the May 2006 General Election, where the SDP won 20 per cent of the valid votes in Sembawang GRC.
'Obviously, 20 per cent of the people in Sembawang decided that what Mr Chee and his supporters were saying in the campaign, repeatedly, that the Singapore government is run like the National Kidney Foundation, was put to the test.
'So here's 20 per cent in Sembawang. And that's with vigorous campaigning on the PAP's side,' he said.
'So you cannot dismiss the effect of such repeated attempts to discredit the reputation of the leaders of the PAP.'
10:05 Posted by soci | Permalink | Comments (10) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this | Tags: Singapore, New Media, Court CaseSingapore
Trackbacks
The URL to Trackback this post is: http://singabloodypore.rsfblog.org/trackback/1560894
Comments
the kind of stuff people say on blogs used to be said in coffee shops; it is a good thing to have them in the open with permanent records (usually they get picked up by google in a couple of days, even if nobody records them); when they get passed from one site to another, cut and paste is used so that you get exact reproductions rather than unreliable oral transfers; it's an improvement
LKY once said at a public event, in answer to some student's comment on the press, if you dont like what's straits times, why dont you go and start your own blog? this was a few years ago, but I guess the idea of blogs supplementing official press remains valid
it is also a good thing that the lawsuit against the Chees gave LKY the chance to say things not found in his press interviews, which tend to have many similar questions and answers; what he said this time is fresh and directly reflecting of his thinking
in short, we should thank the internet for making life more interesting
Posted by: yuen | 28/05/2008
Yeah right.. remember LKY sue all these people only in Singapore Court and only sue singaporean.... I remember some malaysian challenge him to sue them in Malaysia and this man kept quiet....
Also there are website overseas that openly challenge the LKY to sue them but he did not...
By the way what is the definition of a Bully ??
Posted by: coward | 29/05/2008
the leaders are sending a very wrong message out to the people and worse, to asia. and the message is this. if you are rich and powerful, government or corporations, you can sue anyone who disagree or criticize you. question is, where does it leave the common man or the disadvantage/poor who can't afford justice ? pro bono is a sham. all mediating bodies basically are neutral and has no bite. so the rich and powerful will basically get their way and the vast majority will have to suffer injustices to the point of having one's career, family and life destroyed if anyone dare challenge the status quo?
this is gross injustice and an evil spreading over asia if we model after such leadership!
Posted by: zombies | 29/05/2008
If it's war he wants, it's war he'll get. When ego speaks, the person is made to look like a fool.
There are a lot of pissed off ex-Singaporeans all over the world, not to mention organisations like RSF, Amnesty Int, Freedom House etc... and of course some one like John Harding who is on a 'mission' to destroy Lee and his PAP, and I wish him god-speed in his endeavours. Mr Harding (co -author of "Escape From Paradise") has provided me with countless hours of entertainment over the years.
There is one blog being created every second. You want to fight people on the internet, pursue them and sue them?
Good luck, old boy! I hope John Harding kicks your ass, again and again. (and makes money from it, which he gets to keep)
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 29/05/2008
If it's war he wants, it's war he'll get. When ego speaks, the person is made to look like a fool.
There are a lot of pissed off ex-Singaporeans all over the world, not to mention organisations like RSF, Amnesty Int, Freedom House etc... and of course some one like John Harding who is on a 'mission' to destroy Lee and his PAP, and I wish him god-speed in his endeavours. Mr Harding (co -author of "Escape From Paradise") has provided me with countless hours of entertainment over the years.
There is one blog being created every second. You want to fight people on the internet, pursue them and sue them?
Good luck, old boy! I hope John Harding kicks your ass, again and again. (and makes money from it, which he gets to keep)
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 29/05/2008
if someone is already bankrupt, suing him/her is unproductive as far as putting on financial pressure is concerned; I think this has something to do with LKY and LHL's decision to appear in court and make strong statements; in other words, their interest was not to win judgemet, but to win argument
you have to admit that CSJ did destroy SDP; I am not sure he is psychotic; he may have rationally decided that suffering a bigger victimhood is good for his international reputation, that he would go down well in history books; I am not sure, however, that history will consider him a good democrat, instead of being a mere agitator; instead of leading SDP according to democratic principles, he merely agitated it to pieces, starting by toppling Chiam See Tong
Posted by: yuen | 29/05/2008
oh please. chee is a much stronger(tenacious) leader than chiam could ever be. chiam, like many, has no guts to take on the powers whereas the problem with chee, his aggression( not much different from the old man aggression) is not welcome in a fakish straight jacket society with no conscience nor soul.
chee has every right to be angry considered how he was trounced - and he was every bit true to himself and his faults.
i rather deal with an angry person than a spineless lawyer with glib tongue anytime. with the former, it's easier to establish the apparent but with the latter....he may just force a dead cat into your mouth!
Posted by: crappy society | 30/05/2008
obviously, LKY likes voters that prefer strong leaders; he has been telling people to prefer strong leaders all his life; I guess you are a supporter of LKY
I have no comment on whether Chiam has been a good opposition leader; what I do know is that SDP was doing well till 1991; after winning 3 seats it began to have internal quarrels, and Chiam did not handle it well, costing himself the leadership; however, at least he survives as politician; I cannot say the same for SDP and CSJ, and I do not see what he has achieved other than being an annoyance, even a kind of political soap operat; but it is not democracy
Posted by: yuen | 30/05/2008
Is Lee Kuan Yew A LIAR?
Let the world, not a kangaroo court be the judge.
The "Singapore Dissident" Mr Gopalan Nair has issued a challenge:
http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/2008/05/singapore-judge-belinda-angs-kangaroo.html
Will the world's first Mentor Minister stand by what he says:
"[I]f anybody impugns the integrity of the Government, of which I was the prime minister, I must sue,
And I must demand that either the court finds that those defamatory words (are) true, in which case I am demolished, or there's a penalty."
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 30/05/2008
this is one gutsy fellow. now if more able people jump into the fray, how many is the old man going to sue? 100? 1000? 10 000? 100 000 etc?
when will the people wake up to true leadership? you only need to threaten, sue and beat someone down if you are a bully. and a bully is someone who abuse the powers that have been entrusted to him by the people. now he if he is truly a servant of the people, he will let the people judge his critics and refrain from such foolishness.
the other faulty moral logic is the liberty entitle to those who have contributed to sg. just because you have brought home the bacons doesn't give you the right to bankrupt people and crush someone's dignity/family etc!
if we do not allow husbands, who are head of their family, to abuse their wives just because they bring in the bread, why would the elites( including lawyers) of sg allow such a man to do the despicable?
maybe the elites are abused themselves. lol.
Posted by: water wound | 30/05/2008