Sunday, February 24, 2008

A call for protesters, Malaysian Indonesian Australian New Zealand Burmese and International for both March 15, 2008 and March 16, 2008, Singapore

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Caveat: Please note that I have neither the consent from the Singapore Democratic Party of Singapore nor the authority to call upon supporters to give support to this. However as a private citizen and a free man, I have the right to say what I want and to do what I want, which includes this.

Objective: This is a call for protesters in Malaysia including Hindraf, Indonesia, Burma, Australia and anywhere who are sympathetic to the cause of freedom in Singapore to join a proposed peaceful protest on either or both days, namely March 15, and/or March 16, 2008 which will hopefully be organized by the Singapore Democratic Party of Singapore to commemorate World Consumer Rights Day which is March 15, 2008 by holding a peaceful protest either in front of Singapore Parliament House and/ or at Merchant Loop, Liang Court Orchard Road Singapore on the said days. As for the time of protests including further details, please contact the Singapore Democratic Party website http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/ or Google Singapore Democrat

Background: Singapore is a dictatorship that does not allow freedom of speech or expression. Although the Singapore Constitution expressly guarantees freedom of speech and assembly, a statue which expressly violates this constitutional provision is in place which requires any assembly of 5 or more persons to require a government permit. If an assembly is held without the necessary permit, the protesters are arrested, summarily tried convicted and sentenced to jail terms. Even if anyone applied for this permit, the government will automatically deny such permits. In fact during the last 40 years, not a single permit has ever been granted to any opposition political party! In effect the situation is this. There is no right to assemble despite the constitutional guarantee and if you protested you will be punished!

Against this background, the government routinely grants permits to the ruling party to do whatever they want. In fact it is doubtful whether they even have to apply for one. It may be sufficient for them to tell any police officer that they are PAP members to anything they want.

As far as the Consumer Rights Day, on March 15, 2006, the ruling party, the PAP held a peaceful protest through their state sponsored organization The Consumers Association, in front of the Singapore Parliament House of over 100 placard holding protesters. The photographs of these PAP protesters was proudly displayed in the website of the Consumers Association of Singapore. I have read that those pictures have been since removed by the Lee Kuan Yew's PAP party and the Consumer Association of Singapore but they can still be viewed in the blog of the Singapore Democratic Party.

Dr. Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore Democratic Party, an opposition party, had applied to the Singapore police according to law to hold a similar peaceful protest for the forthcoming Consumer rights Day , March 15, 2008 but as was expected of this disgraced government, they had denied the request.

The correspondence between Dr. Chee and the Singapore Government on this total travesty of justice appears in the Singapore Democratic Party Blog.

As can be seen the refusal to grant the SDP this permit when they not only had allowed the Consumers Association a permit last year and furthermore have granted them a permit to hold one this year on March 16, 2008 at Liang Court Orchard Road to be held from 7 to 11 am, shows a determination to deny the opposition any equal opportunity whatsoever but not only that, they are flouting that fact!

It is expected that the government will be able to persuade several people to join them in their protest, not because anyone has any real fondness for them, but because, like opportunists anywhere in the world, there are those who would be prepared to compromise their principles for possible advantage.

In these circumstances, it must be very important for those who cherish freedom, liberty and democracy not to allow the government to get away with this abuse of citizens rights. And one way to show the government this is for the Singapore Democratic Party to defy the government and to hold peaceful protests not only in numbers larger than 5 but in fact in hundreds or even thousands. This authoritarian government has to be resisted and disobeyed.

Although I am not entirely certain, I am almost sure that that Dr. Chee of the Singapore Democratic Party is intending to hold peaceful protests on either March 15 or March 16, 2008 or even on both days to mark World Consumer Rights Day in defiance of the government without permits.

As you may be already aware by now, Singaporeans live under great fear of the Singapore government and many may not have the courage to turn out en mass. However unlike Singaporeans, I have seen Malaysians, Indonesians, Burmese, Australians and others who will not take no for an answer when justice is on their side. So I ask courageous Malaysians including Hindraf for whom the SDP had shown their support, including Malay and Chinese associations; I call upon the courageous Indonesians who have all along stood up to justice for their fellow citizens; I call upon the Thais and the Australians and the Burmese and New Zealanders; I call upon everybody to help in this meritorious protest to join the Singapore SDP in their forthcoming Consumer Rights Day protest on March 15, and March 16, 2008 in Singapore. Please be in Singapore on both the days and join Dr. Chee in the protest.

For Malaysians, it is best not to travel in groups or in chartered buses but please come singly and separately. At the border posts, please do not state that you are coming to stage a protest. In this way, it is unlikely that you would be denied entry.

In this international world of today, the suffering of Malaysians are also those of Singaporeans and vice versa. It is, as the saying goes "One world". Please let us stand by each other and against dictators wherever they may be.

For full details, kindly consult the Singapore Democratic Party.

Thank You.

Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: gopalnair@us-immigrationlaw.com

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope Dr CSJ reads this......
May I suggest that if the dwarfman Wong Kan Seng remains deaf and dumb to Dr Chee's request to explain why PAP was allowed but not SDP for the mar 15/16 protest march, that Dr Chee and his party members quietly proceed to join up with the PAPists at Clarke Quay on 15 March. They can use their own banners and placards. I can foresee the shocked faces of the PAPists as well as the PAP running dogs media.Dr Chee's protest march will deft get publicity in the news the next day!

Gopalan Nair said...

To anonymous,

I understand there is nothing at Clarke Quay. The PAP is going to have theirs behind Liang Court on the 16th. Please do not confuse the locations. All prospective protestors should please contact the Singapore Democratic Party first for full details on locations.

I am expecting a large turout at the SDP organized events/events.
Gopalan Nair

Anonymous said...

I am in support of a peaceful protest, even though I will be in my adopted homeland.

Singapore leaders have snuff out alternative voices for so long that there is a possibility that the pent-up anger and frustration have reach irrational levels. Luckily, there is an internet to vent some of that frustration off.
So, lets hope for a peaceful event.

But for British-educated English speaking LKY, my respect for him has turned to shame after I see how he had forsaken social justice and human dignity for his singular pursuit of his ego-building, post Separation. All to prove that he was not defeated without a Malayan hinterland. But the policies that he had put in place over the years to push for the island's economic superiority over SE Asia, had also provided him with the ability to control the State like an Absolute Monarchy.

Dear Gopalan, in Aussie-speak, what is the bloody Singapore Constitution?

(Thanks for posting my comment about modern/global city, I would have check my grammer/spelling if i have known you are going to publish it. I would have used words like 'state of the art landmark building' instead of 'successful building')

There are many ways to describe Success. In simple terms, I have a successful garden because the turtle-doves decided to build nests in my garden for their next generation. They have not done that when my garden was neglected.