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05/11/2009
Repression in Singapore: Case of Dr Chee
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The Repression of Political Freedoms in Singapore: The Case of Opposition Leader Dr. Chee Soon Juan
Amsterdam and Peroff have a new white paper discussing the case of opposition leader Dr. Chee Soon Juan in Singapore. The introduction of the executive summary of the report is below, followed by a link for downloading the full paper.
Introduction
This White Paper documents the repression of political freedoms in Singapore. It reviews how the Government of Singapore, under the leadership of the People's Action Party (PAP), has monopolized the state's apparatus to its own benefit. The result has been the denial of democratic rights and freedoms and the muzzling of domestic and international media.
The case of Dr Chee Soon Juan is examined in detail. Being the leader of one of Singapore's most important opposition parties - the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) - Dr Chee has been sued, charged, and sentenced ever since his first political act of opposition. He is recognized internationally and by human rights NGOs as a defender of political freedoms and has received the Defender of Democracy Award by the Parliamentarians for Global Action.
11:14 Posted by soci | Permalink | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this | Tags: dr chee, repression, singapore
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Now that the PAP and their "supporters" (shills) are increasing their activities on the net, it is time to re-think strategies and techniques of
1. Individual protection against govt tyranny
2. Civil disobedience on the collective level
The internet is a double-edge sword: the same technologies used for liberation of individual ideas by free expression can be and is being used by dictatorial states to further oppress the population -- and idea popularized by George Orwell.
Check out this TED Talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/evgeny_morozov_is_the_internet_what_orwell_feared.html
One method of civil disobedience not exploited enough is the idea of "flash mobs". IMO with the use of Twitter and the good-old sms some form of non-centralised activism is possible.
The SDP though well intended need to look at their strategy. Getting international pressure, whilst helpful to "distribute" the truth has shown to be ineffective in initiating change. This can be seen by the way the govt's top-dog lawyer -- a minister no less -- blatantly tells the world the state's version of FICTION, on how well the justice system and the rule of law works in S'pore, and that the citizens are satisfied. There are a few grumbles... but nothing changes.
The PAP keep sueing and jailing their political detractors... and nothing changes.
My position has been that the govt in S'pore is too large and too powerful. A small island doesn't need such a big and expensive government. Whatever government GOVERNING (as opposed to RULING) the territory should not occupy more than a few floors of a modern office building. That's all you need.
You don't even need "democracy" because the govt is so small. You don't need a bloated Penal Code where even being homosexual is being a criminal. There would be executions for drugs.
Victimless "crimes" would probably be off the books, and the culture might even change to "live and let live" instead of "I'm going to get the government to pass laws to make what you're doing peacefully a crime because my morality is better than yours".
Possible? I don't know.
Posted by: Matilah_Singapura | 07/11/2009