Lets Get Angry!

Feature on Tang Liang Hong

Published Thursday, May 11, 2006 by Singapore Election |

Feature on Tang Liang Hong

The following article was adapted from an interview of Tang last year by Chris Lydgate, a freelance writer commissioned to write for Asia Online. The report submitted by Chris Lydgate was not published by Asia Online.

Tang Liang Hong lived in Singapore with his wife and three children. There, he owned two cars, a Lancia and a Mercedes 280, and belonged to the Singapore Cricket Club and the Jurong Country club. On the face of it, he was a successful lawyer of 28 years experience who had earned himself a comfortable lifestyle in a place famous for its shopping and its access to international travel. He should have been considering retiring comfortably.

Instead, Tang has run afoul of Singapore’s government and Lee Kuan Yew, the leader he once admired. Because of his concern for Singapore in general, and for the Chinese community in particular, Tang has been forced to leave the country. He fled to Malaysia in January, 1997, shortly after the general election in Singapore.

Tang, one of eight children, was born in 1935 of parents who came from farming families. His father was practically illiterate and his mother could not write her own name correctly but, with the children to help, they ran a laundry. It was only when he was thirteen that Tang began to receive any formal schooling.

In 1949 he joined Yeung Ching Primary School, a Chinese school, and graduated from high school in 1957. In those days, Tang was a staunch supporter of Lee Kuan Yew. In fact, he and a group of students once stood in front of a stage as bodyguards to protect Lee and other political leaders at a political rally for Singapore’s struggle for democracy and independence.

After his graduation, though, Tang began to be active in the Chinese community. He taught at a Chinese village school for five years. By the end of that time, though, he had decided that he wanted to do something more. "I was very influenced by Confucian thinking," he says. "I wanted to pursue my education."

The University of Singapore did not accept graduates from Chinese schools, but Nanyang University had recently opened and so, in 1962, Tang joined there. The following year, though, things were different. Singapore University became open to him in a sort of pilot project Lee Kuan Yew had initiated in order to "let a few piranhas (man-eating fish) in the goldfish tank" to climatise and season the English educated. Tang graduated in 1967 and joined the bar the following year at the age of 38.

Tang became more active in the Chinese community. He was the chairman of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for many years, and sat on the board of management of Singapore Chinese High School, Hwa Chong Junior College, and a few other schools.

In the 1990’s, at an age when many people might have been considering their retirement options, Tang became concerned about an emerging problem: Too few Chinese had any mastery of Mandarin. "Many younger generation Chinese can’t even read the menu in a Chinese restaurant, let alone Chinese newspapers," Tang says. "Many Chinese students loathe learning Chinese language. Isn’t there something wrong?

"Singapore is 77 percent Chinese, and you need a ‘Speak Mandarin Campaign’ to remind Singaporean Chinese to use the language. How pitiful! In addition, the campaign is in fact a deliberate attempt to arouse fear among the non-Chinese and in turn the PAP use that fear to club the Chinese community in the name of maintaining racial harmony. Do you need a Speak English Campaign in England or America to maintain the continual use of English? LKY has succeeded, which the British colonialists failed, to make many Singapore students hate learning their own language and culture."

He was not alone in his concern. Together with a group of Chinese intellectuals, he drew up a memo on the problem and suggested several new policies. As a result, Tang was profiled in the Straits Times and, says Tang, misquoted. His friends, outraged, drafted letters in response, but Tang told them it wasn’t worth bothering with. "It did not occur to me that I would one day participate in politics," he says. "Never!"

Then, after making a simple comment in a magazine, Tang found himself in storm over the HPL scandal. Hotel Properties Limited had given a discount of S$700,000 to Lee Kuan Yew and his son Lee Hsien Loong to buy condominium units. Lee Kuan Yew and his son maintained that this was normal and legal. Tang, during an interview with a Hong Kong based magazine, Asia Weekly, suggested that the case should be referred to the Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau.

"To me," he says, "I was touching on a topic of public interest. Whether, as a matter of public policy, it is legally and morally right for so many people holding high positions, to get deep discounts through ‘guan xi’ (connection) from a public-listed company, which is supposed to maximise returns to its shareholders. And my comment was very fair. Why should this case not be handled like any other case? It was time to stand up to Lee Kuan Yew and say ‘No,’ although he’s very important and his power is awful. But I think someone has to tell him, ‘No.’ I don’t think he must have his way all the time under whatever circumstances.

"Lee Kuan Yew had been bullying people for years," Tang continues. "But I’m not like those who are easily intimidated. I’m prepared to sacrifice everything to fight for freedom of speech, particularly on matters of public interest. This is me! After all, Goh Chok Tong had already said HPL matters should be investigated. I only said, ‘why don’t you allow the professionals to investigate?’ Defamation?"

Tang also explained, "The magazine’s lawyer did not think the comment was defamatory. Nevertheless, the magazine decided to apologise and pay damages to maintain its circulation in Singapore. That was a commercial decision, but I’m not a commercial man."

Tang found himself not merely participating in politics, but running for election. His reasons for this decision were very much based on his concerns over what was happening to the Chinese community and other minority communities, in Singapore. Non-English speaking Singaporeans, including Chinese, Malays and Indians have, he says, been discriminated against unnecessarily under the PAP policies, particularly, for example the Chinese-educated, the Buddhists, the Taoists, the Hindus and the Muslims. The discrimination, he says, takes various forms: Nanyang University was restructured; there is no Chinese-language business paper; there is discrimination in the intake of university students, in the engagement of university lecturers and school teachers, in the manning of positions in the army and police forces, and an absence of representation of the non-English-speaking Singaporeans in the decision-making process and in many top government posts. These are just a few examples.

"Once in a blue moon," Tang says, "when world conference on Confucianism was held in Singapore, the PAP would seize the opportunity to launch its massive propaganda to the outside world and hood winked the Chinese communities around the world, especially those scholars in China, into believing that Singapore promotes Confucianism. This is just another fraud."

Later, he adds, "Confucianism is not taught in schools – only Confusionism!"

Tang has been accused of being a Chinese chauvinist because of his comments on education and language. He has been misquoted and his words taken out of context when he tried to describe the richness that words from different languages have to offer.

"Take the word ‘equity’," he says. "That one word – you can write a book on it. You cannot translate it verbatim into Chinese. It means fairness. It also has legal and technical meanings. It means also having clean hands and a fair mind. It is not possible to translate it into one word. On the other hand, the Chinese word ‘xiao’ is usually translated as piety, or filial piety. But that’s just a small fraction of the concept. You can translate the concept, but not word for word. They distorted my view by accusing me of believing that ideas can only be expressed in Chinese. I have never [been] opposed to learning English." By knowing only English, and not knowing Chinese language, Chinese people miss out on the richness of culture that might be available to them. This loss helps no one. "The Chinese stand to lose by not knowing his own language and culture," Tang says. "Their loss is not a gain to the other races."

His opponents had to search back as far as 1994 in order to find quotes they could use against him, and even then they had to take his words out of context in order to frighten non-Chinese Singaporeans from voting for him.

His views, he says, were misrepresented in order frighten people from voting for him.

"They branded me as a Chinese Chauvinist. Up to this moment, they have spared no efforts in distracting the public’s attention from my arguments in order to frighten off the non-Chinese Singaporeans. My candidacy for the opposition triggered off the PAP’s nerve system. I am a cross-cultured breed and can cross cultural and language barrier." Tang speaks English and Malay as well as Mandarin. "This touches the core policy of Singapore and the PAP – ‘Divide and rule.’"

By saying the accusations were lies, Tang was calling his opponents liars. This became the basis for a series of defamation suits against him.

Although PAP won the election, they continued their barrage against Tang. Tang was unprepared for the sheer extent of the opposition to his election campaign. "I had never expected that they would go to such an extent to do that sort of things to me and members of my family. I would never believe what would happen to me and my family."

After the election, Tang crossed the strait into Malaysia. The government then turned its attention to his wife. They demanded documents from her which were supposed to prove that Tang had been involved in tax evasion, they took her passport so that she could not visit Malaysia, They froze Tang’s assets and served lawsuits against her as well. One day they served thirteen suits against her. She received the documents at 3.45pm and was expected to appear in court at 5pm that same day with a full understanding of the case and a lawyer to represent her.

Tang believes that it was more than a lack of time that made it difficult for his wife to find a lawyer.

"There is a general fear about going against the government. If you have a country where the lawyers dare not represent someone in a dispute with government leaders, that alone is a terrible thing. That speaks louder than anything else," Tang says. Of the PAP lawyers themselves, he says, "They have sworn to be officials of the court to administer justice. What kind of justice is this? They intentionally and deliberately helped the PAP leaders to make untrue claims against me and prevented me from defending those claims so that the PAP leaders can avoid being cross-examined in court and exposed for their nonsense. They had known that it was the Singapore Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, who had authorised Lee Kuan Yew to release the two police reports made by me to the press for Publication. Yet, they helped the PAP leaders to settle statements of Claim knowingly and intentionally making false claims against me for the publication of the police reports. They prepared Affidavits and made applications against me and my wife. They came to the court with dirty hands and dirty minds and obtained an equitable remedy by way of Mareva Injunction against me and my wife."

The Mareva Injunction was to freeze their assets and put a limit on the amount of money the family can spend each week.

"August 1997, when asked by George Carmen QC as to why Justice Chao Hick Tin was so seriously misled into believing who had caused the publication by the press of my two police reports against them, this battalion of lawyers offered no answer.

"Only in September 1997, after much brain-cracking and deliberation, this battalion of lawyers, once looked cocky, militant and robust, could only give the lame excuse to the three judges of the Court of Appeal that the issue as to who actually released the police reports to the press for publication was not raised in the court below, otherwise they could have disclosed the fact to the court.

"This is just a pack of bullshit.

"Where is the rule of law? Where is the professional decency? The Singapore Straits Times once boasted that these lawyers are the cream of the legal minds in Singapore, forming a dream team of lawyers for the PAP leaders. But, to me, they are just cockroaches and rats running around under legal gowns. Their conduct is an intolerable insult to the Singapore judiciary and to the legal profession. It is sad!

"It is sadder still for the people of Singapore as the PAP and its cronies are demolishing the system of Singapore."

Lee Kuan Yew and PAP continued their attacks on Tang, wave after wave of lawsuits designed to weaken his resolve, ruin him financially and, finally, silence him. They froze his assets so that he would have no money to live with, and had to borrow from friends in order to do so, and, more importantly, could not fight them in the law courts. Litigation is expensive. Tang, however, believes that the strategy is also causing PAP to lose credibility both in Singapore and internationally.

"A fake democracy cannot maintain its false pretences for long. The lesson is for Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP," says Tang. "In the past, they found it too easy to swallow up people. But his time, they have picked the wrong person. I am too prickly to be swallowed up smoothly without pain. I think the saga shows they cannot continue to use this kind of method to deal with the opposition. First they used the ISA, then they use litigation. The Singapore judiciary has lost its creditability and the system of government has lost its public trust. And the world loathes and despises the PAP for doing that.

"But the opposition has to learn this too. All their energy, money, and effort is drained in the legal battles generated by the PAP. They are made very busy in defending themselves. This is the tactics of the PAP. And we must not fall into the PAP’s trap repeatedly.

"No people in the world like to be manipulated until they go into the graveyard. And I believe that Singaporeans will wake up one day and say no to the PAP. Now they have no choice but to vote for the PAP. One must understand that about 85 to 90- percent of the total population of Singapore live in HDB flats controlled and managed by the government departments. During the election campaign, the Singapore Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, publicly threatened that if they vote for the opposition, their flats will be deliberately let to deteriorate and be of less value, and that by dividing vote-counting into 25 centres, they know exactly who vote for the opposition. The people have no choice but to vote for the PAP. There is not democracy. But I believe one day they will fight for their right of choice. They have been threatened for so many years already. But one day – how soon I cannot predict – but I believe it will not be too long. I do not believe the PAP can hold itself together after LKY is gone. The PAP will fight among themselves like dogs and cats."

"On 28 April 1997 and 5 May 1997 in Court and under oath, Lee Kuan Yew maliciously and wickedly accused me of having foreign supporters behind the scene. His wicked accusation was designed to ruin me internationally. I challenged Lee Kuan Yew to name my underwriters or backers outside the court. He chose to chicken out on this. Similarly, in August 1997, he also dropped everything and ran away to avoid cross-examination by George Carmen QC (mind you, only one QC) after having boasted in Court on 5 May 1997 to Justice Chao Hick Tin in the presence of his battalion of lawyers that ‘…There are a few thousand QC’s in London who could have taken me over the coals (to grilled or cross-examined severely) and I’m prepared for it…’ I believe the most disappointed ones must be those ball-carriers as there is nothing left on him to be carried."

Tang is one of those patriots who must criticise his country’s failings in order to be true to it. He cannot allow wrongs to go unrecognised and unremedied for a country is not land alone, but its people as well, and their good must be observed. In a democracy, a government is place there in trust by the people in order to serve their interests and, hopefully, to guard their future as well.

"I’m not against the Lees," says the man who, in his youth, was ready to defend Lee Kuan Yew from physical attack, "although they’ve hurt me so much. I’m for Singapore. I just want what’s good for Singapore."

Tang sees corruption in the huge wealth Lee has gained over the years, and in the way the government has administered some of its finances.

"It is obvious that Lee and his family have already amassed vast amount of wealth. But nobody dared to speak up. They are very powerful in Singapore. To maintain their high positions and wealth, they must have a monopoly of power. LKY has his relatives and cronies in the army, in the police force and everywhere. They have their fingers everywhere. LKY explained that they were very clever, very successful." Lee Kuan Yew was very clever and the cleverness of the family was linked to their ability to make money, and vice versa. "So for him (LKY) to have gone into politics was his big sacrifice for Singapore. He said he would have made a lot of money like them if he had gone into business instead of politics. Do you believe that? I don’t. But I can say this; if I became Prime Minister, my family and relatives would become more intelligent immediately! Their IQ will jump several levels and make a lot of money.

"The activities of the ruling family" Tang goes on, "of Singapore have so far escaped the attention of public media outside Singapore.

"There’s a lot of cow-dung propaganda going on in Singapore," he adds.

The Singaporean ministers are among the highest paid in the world, the theory being that they should thus be able to resist the temptations of corruption. Tang says wryly, "Why don’t we also pay all potential criminals in Singapore handsomely so that they will not become criminals and so that millions of dollars spent in crime-prevention measures annually can be saved?"

Tang’s concerns over the management of finances extend to the use made by the PAP leaders of Singapore’s national reserve.

"The PAP leader have treated Singapore’s national reserve as their loose coins in their pockets which can be disposed of at their whims and fancies to cultivate personal friendship with Indonesian political leaders. The use of the 10 billion dollars has not been designed to cultivate the goodwill and friendship between the peoples of Singapore and of Indonesia. Singaporeans only came to know about it when Indonesia unilaterally announced it. Worse still, it may easily be seen as the government of Singapore taking side in the current internal political struggles between the Indonesians and their political leaders. It is also no good to the Indonesian politicians in power to be seen this way. All end up as losers.

"What is left to be inquired," he continues, "is whether there are other portions of Singapore’s national reserve disposed of similarly on other occasions or for other purposes."

Singapore’s economy has boomed along with the others of Asia, the PAP leaders have been happy to take the credit for this. However the recent slump are proving more of a test. Tang, at least, is watching their response.

"When Singapore got the economic benefit from the fast and extensive development of Asia, the PAP claimed that the economic achievement of Singapore was due to PAP’s good government. Now, they dare not claim that the PAP good government can solve the currency crisis. Instead they want the people to put up with the suffering and they continue to keep their high salaries."

Most people fear speaking out about what they see happening. They are not willing to say ‘No,’ to the Lees. Tang feels the answer lies in people working together, in mass action. The PAP cannot arrest everybody in Singapore, after all.

"If everybody speaks up, there’s nothing the Singapore government can do. Because the jails are too small," Tang quips.

"I will never give up." Tang speaks to the media abroad in Britain and Malaysia. By speaking out, he hopes to raise global awareness of the way Singapore is being run. Singaporeans need the help of the outside world to shame the government in bringing about a true democracy. "I will never give up. My sacrifices cannot be in vain. They must eventually benefit the people of Singapore. Do I intend to go back? I have intended for a long time to come back. When? I can’t tell. I am waiting for an opportune time."

30 Responses to “Feature on Tang Liang Hong”

Anonymous on 8:00 AM SGT

Tang is history, what we young singporean want now is the new young politician like those in WP.
Anonymous on 8:48 AM SGT

WP is a wayang party! They pose absolutely no threat to the PAP!

Get a reality check!
unknown on 9:20 AM SGT

Tang may be old by comparison to the current young guns of WP. However, his experience is something alot of Singaporeans do not have. Tang's mistake was his underestimation of PAP's move on him after the election.

I fully agree with him in giving Chinese back the Chinese culture. Not that I want to see the racial tension in the 60s but to allow Chinese to understand the depth of Chinese thinking. Adeline Yen Mah wrote in 'A Thousand Pieces of Gold: "Certain Chinese characters have no English equivalents. Chief among them is the word xiao, commomly translated as filial piety. In fact, it covers a whole range of different meanings, encompassing love, remembrance, honour, service, unselfishness and even ancestor worship. Veneration of our forefathers has been a fundamental component of Chinese culture for over three thousand years." I regret not doing well in my Chinese as a student. Now that I have a bit of time, I try to understand more about Chinese history from Shang Dynasty to Qing Dynasty.

Sima Qian of Han Dynasty wrote only one book in his life: Shiji (Historical Record). This book contains Chinese wise sayings that allows Chinese to think and mirror the past to benefits the present. At the peak of Chinese past, the Great Tang Dynasty, historians of today say that Xian, capital of Tang Dynasty, was more cosmopolitan than todays' New York. All kinds of religions are found in Tang Dynasty. So by knowing more about your culture does not mean that it will create racial tension.

Lee KY is a genius in mass thinking. He understands that Singaporeans want financial security, a roof over their head, a job that they may work 80 hours a week (and pay peanuts), to look good (how lian), ............. How Lee know it? Since Singapore independence he has set up an education system that embraces physical hardwork (work till you drop). Most Singaporeans do not have a thinking process that makes them think outside the box. When they face problem, they will look into ways to work harder and not think about it. Although we have a lot of university graduates, these graduates do not think for the good of the people just like the movie: AntZ. They believe that their roles is not to govern but to allow the government to lead. Family time does not exists as material needs are more important. During my trip back in Singapore, i visited the Zoo. What i saw there shocked me. I saw a Singaporean couple visting the zoo with their child and their maid. Well, the normal family outing EXCEPT that the maid was the one "teaching" the child the names of the animals NOT the parents. The couple were walking & talking like a single couple going on a date! Singaporeans have even forgotten their roles as parents, mentors, teachers to their children.

I am considered an outcast in Singapore system because I am one of those who will question the system. However, I still consider Singapore home, like our forefathers who travel from China to Nanyang more than 100 years ago, they do not forget about China, their motherland and I will always remember my playgrounds. I will not let my children go into Singapore system and as such, I do not think that I will be back in the near future. Below is dedicated to Mr Tang:

Shu Gao Qian Zhang (even if a tree reaches the height of ten thousand feet,)
Luo ye gui gen. (Falling leaves return to their roots)

I wish you can return to our motherland soon.
Anonymous on 9:25 AM SGT

Thank you for the article. Can someone direct me to where I can find out also about our other 'martyrs' (Seow, Chia etc)? I am sorry to hear of such things happening in my country.

While I have wasted my whole life living in a delusion...

To JBJ, Tang, Chee, Gomez...because of your sacrifices, my eyes are opened.

To Chiam, Low and Sylvia...be very careful, I fear the day we will lose you.

To the aspiring young ones, pick up Law or Pol Sci or other stuffs related and make yourself a credible alternate voices for the country's future.

I am not educated enuf to be of any used.
VIV on 9:43 AM SGT

To Anonymous who posted before me: Please don't EVER say you are "not educated enough to be of any use", because if you truly believe this, the PAP will have succeeded in scaring another citizen out of tens of thousand others into believing THEY CAN DO NOTHING BUT TOLERATE AND HOPE. Fear leads you to tolerate, and ignorance gives you nothing but hope.

Tang is not a failure, and the WP is not our saviour. The Opposition politicians of the past and present all stand for a common goal: criticise injustice for the good of ALL Singaporeans.

The only problem with Singaporeans is that they have NO CLUE about their country's political and social history. They learn rubbish in Moral Education, they learn some fantasy creation called CMIO multiracialism in Social Studies and they learn a propagandised myth about LKY's "founding" of modern Singapore in National Education. And they believe what their parents tell them about Tang and Chee.

You don't need a university degree to be "educated" about your own country's history, politics and social problems. All you need is to open your eyes and stop letting others do your thinking for you. And you CAN be of use to Singapore. You can do the right thing, when you have the choice.

Useless people are not uneducated, they are just fearful and ignorant. And you can do something about this.
Anonymous on 9:48 AM SGT

For 21 years i choose to ignore anything to do wif politics in singpaore. This election is a wake-up call for me. All thanks to the internet information is now more accessible. Yet the PAP even tries to restrict information on the internet. The education in singapore teaches student to be politically ignorant and ppl simply can't b bothered. Guess it'll be sometime before the people of singapore wakes up
Anonymous on 9:53 AM SGT

who can help us? any other nation? doubt so.. its now up to we people of Singapore to help ourselves. but how when Singaporeans have now turn selfish and ignorant?
Anonymous on 10:27 AM SGT

Thank you for this wonderful article. I want to thank you further for the blog that you have put up during this election, more so for the link to the elctions rally.

Many many people are indebted to you for bringing the rallies to those who are not able to attend.
I must say that for this election, Singaporeans are getting closer and closer to having more alternative voices and participations in the process of nation `rebuliding'

We have been bullied long enough.

I was in tears while watching video clips of Mr Chiam being carried by his supporters after the rally and the one where he spoke to his supporters at the Potong Pasir Town Council.

When was the last time you saw any PAP MP so overwhelmingly loved by his supporters? (Minus the goodies given, of course)

I saw from the clips, people of all races, all walks of lives, all races coming together.
More especially so when I watched the clip where at the WP rally, Sylvia Lim lead the pledge reciting where everyone said our pledge with pride and dignity.

When was the last time you felt patrotic? Not just all the `wayang' at every national day propagated by our very own `loopsided' media.

I quitted to Australia but had to come back to singapore again due to some family matters. The thought of quitting never cease even though I came back two years ago.

I am questioning that thought now, after seeing up close people like, Chiam See Tong, Low Thia Kiang, Sylvia Lim, Steve Chia, `The Mighty 6' of AMK GRC and many others who have step forward.

Because of their courage, singaporeans of all races seem to be even more united than before in speaking up.

We are all victorious though we may lost this time round.

I Really hope this govt can stop segregating singaporeans based on whether you belong to PAP wards or Opposition Wards.

The people of Potong Pasir and Hougang are our fellow brothers and sisters too.

By doing so, you are only making singaporeans more and more united and we will have an unanimous VOICE in time to come soon.
Anonymous on 10:53 AM SGT

Do we want political freedom or economic sucess ? I think we can have political freedom and 1st world nation.We can do not do much about PAP but we as the people can give all support to the oppositions so that they will rise to bring juctice and fairness.The rise of the oppositions next elections can only be good for Singapore.The time 2 party rule is hear. But that can only happen if the people want to . Without violence or name calling we can bring maturity to our nation's political life. Give your support to WP & SDA.
Anonymous on 11:03 AM SGT

In 5 years if we vote 20 good candidates from opposition we will be able at address all the issues we are now facing. As Singaporeans we need to step forward to support opposition by finance,other support,willing to stand for election.Those you are gifted and talented must persuaded to stand for opposition.The oppsition will rule Singapore in future.Make it happen in your generation dear Singaporeans.
Anonymous on 11:34 AM SGT

That's a fucking joke. You're never going to be able to 'vote' 20 'opposition' candidates in, while the PAP continues to be in power. If 20 people outside of PAP get in, that could only be because they've failed to question the PAP system. Even that seems unlikely at the moment.

Get it through your head that the SDA and WP pose no eminent threat to the PAP regime. They merely work about it. Sure, they throw in a few disses, but that's all they can offer. Their 'alternative' solutions are still a testament to the public that they're still obeying and therefore, condoning the PAP system.

Untill and unless these parties change their fundamental political views, I am afraid, we're going to be in this precarious position for years to come. Furthermore, we need to support those who are truly protesting the PAP system; i.e. Dr. Chee, the SDP and Mr. Jeyaretnam. Unless we recognize that they're our future, there will be no progression.
candid camera on 12:12 PM SGT

Can we be more cultured in our use of vulgarities in this blog. Use f** or KNNBCCB or whatever if you need. We need a blog that can be cited as "creditble alternative voices".
mediacock on 1:41 PM SGT

I spoke to Chee Soon Juan not long ago and he has this opinion - Every country in the world is the same, i.e. the majority of the population will be sort of "ingorant" (i use this word, he didn't) and apathetic. Whether it is US, UK, Thailand or Malaysia or China. It is only the smaller group of people, the academics, the intelligentsia, judiciary, the middle-class, the media, who are politically-awake and these people are the ones driving the changes and the rest will follow. So S'pore is the same too. Problem is that S'pore is ruled by a dictatorship that makes sure all the key groups are "bribed" or coerced into silence. Their power have been given up to the dictatorship. The longer this situation continues, the more unstable the country actually is (although things may look very stable on the outside), because power naturally seeks an equilibrium and when it is centered too much on a tiny group the pressure builds up. The sightest thing that happens to this group will open the floodgates and lead to major disturbances as power seeks natural distribution.
Anonymous on 1:51 PM SGT

WP if you are reading this, please do not allow a MOLE to establish in the party.
unknown on 1:58 PM SGT

The anonymous who say he/she: "I quitted to Australia ....." I do not think that you quit. You are exercising your right for yourself and/or your family to a choice. In current Singapore situation, I do not think is wise to go head-on like Mr Tang. However, I admire Mr Low for his management skills to field such a strong & young team in the election. Remember that circumstances will create a hero, just like the 50s & 60s. When the time is right, I hope that you will show up to serve the people.
Anonymous on 2:02 PM SGT

I think George Orwell said something like, "Hope lies in the proles," in his ant-totalitarian novel, "1984." The proles are the proletariat, which in the Singapore context are the so-called "HDB heartlanders." So, to paraphrase Tang Liang Hong, unless the "proles" wake up and unite against the overhanging system of injustice and oppression, things will remain the same in Singapore for a long time to come.
Anonymous on 2:47 PM SGT

A letter in Yawning bread blog
Today at the An-Nur mosque in Marsiling. 1000 copies of Berita Harian (the Malay newspaper) was distributed freely to those attending Friday prayers.

As we all already know, BH would never be seen as a supporter of Opposition. Thus the headlines featured the former PM Lee HL (former cos, technically, we dont have a PM now?) and him seeking a clear mandate from the voters.

Now, most of the attendees at the mosque are not highly political by nature nor are there aware of media bias in presenting the "news" from the PM.

What pissed me off terribly is that the mosque, is a religious sanctuary or avenue. I tolerate it espousing National Education values in its sermons. But it should not be used to garner political gains through acts such as this. ITs very Wrong!

What the naive and apathetic worshippers might end up thinking is that the mosque endorses PAP thereby as fellow Muslims, one should also support the PAP.

This is a very sad terrible incident.

I have raised my view on it being offensive to the mosque management. I have also enquired with BH on why and who authorised such an act to take place. they have yet to get back to me.

[Note by Yawning Bread: I have no way of verifying this report that came to me via email. I will caution readers to be very careful about re-disseminating this report without putting in similar disclaimers. The last thing we would want to do is to mix religion with politics. Go out, inquire and find out if this report is true, if you can, but please be very, very sensitive to how you handle a subject like this.]
Anonymous on 3:15 PM SGT

I lived in Eunos GRC, then Cheng San GRC and now Marine Parade GRC!

I attended WP rallies and listened to Francis Seow's (contested Eunos GRC) speeches and Tang Liang Hong's (contested Cheng San GRC) speeches. In terms of the command of language, contents and public speaking skills, I must say Tang's Engish and Chinese speeches are on par with Francis Seow's and LTK's respectively. I believe his Malay speeches are as good based on responses from the crowd though I didn't understand to comment.

It's sad to see such talented people having to be on the run from the government/PAP. History has shown PAP has zero tolerance with talented people who are in the opposite camps, they have been openly "fixing" them and effectively destroying not only its opponents but also their families.

PAP has successfully brough us material well being but to bring us to the next level, it needs to transition itself to free our soul... else it should be replaced.
Anonymous on 3:20 PM SGT

And we have lky saying it's difficult to recruit top talents to join politics. sometimes we really have to question his definitions of top and first.
Anonymous on 4:48 PM SGT

Why not join a political party?

Political parties need more than canditates. They still need the admin people, the people on the ground...

Sometimes, I think we talk more than do.

For instant, I believe that if WP had more people, GOmez will not have forgotten his Minority form.

Afterall, the PAP probably have 25 people checking and filling up forms for the canditates.
Anonymous on 4:52 PM SGT

I actually bought into the government bullshit about TLH being a chinese chauvinist (I am Indian) as a JC student here. But over time I realised how much of crap the whole issue was. It is sad to see such good talent wasted.
Anonymous on 7:21 PM SGT

One thing i realise about PAP propaganda over the years is that the ones that PAP are so determined to crush are the talented ones that we should be paying attention to, it has become kind of like a reverse psychology thing, haha.
Anonymous on 11:01 PM SGT

we need economic success not political freedom. Tang is right in staying up for us, but do it in a more appropiate way.
Anonymous on 4:38 AM SGT

That's a fucking joke. You're never going to be able to 'vote' 20 'opposition' candidates in, while the PAP continues to be in power. If 20 people outside of PAP get in, that could only be because they've failed to question the PAP system. Even that seems unlikely at the moment.

Get it through your head that the SDA and WP pose no eminent threat to the PAP regime. They merely work about it. Sure, they throw in a few disses, but that's all they can offer. Their 'alternative' solutions are still a testament to the public that they're still obeying and therefore, condoning the PAP system.

Untill and unless these parties change their fundamental political views, I am afraid, we're going to be in this precarious position for years to come. Furthermore, we need to support those who are truly protesting the PAP system; i.e. Dr. Chee, the SDP and Mr. Jeyaretnam. Unless we recognize that they're our future, there will be no progression.

I AGREE with this blogger who wrote the above. How can we support CSJ, Jeya, CSL, Francis Seow, TLH, etc? Give us some ideas.

AP must support them so that they can continue to divert the attention of the pap. Meanwhile SDA and WP can concentrate on providing the alternative and appealing to the typical pap supporter. SDA and WP being a smaller force should still play by the rules and never engage a much stronger force.
Anonymous on 8:26 PM SGT

Halo boys, you can support CSJ, Jeya, CSL, Francis Seow, TLH, AIDS, ETC. i have been reading the blogs and wish to suggest that.. No.1, take stock of the supporters, or data gathering. The PAP have the datas of 2.3 millions adults receiving vote-buying peanuts. 1.2 millions voted. If you know who these people are, you can guage who are the supporters. There you have it, election before actual election. pai jang pai sen Chinese saying: know yourselves know the enemies, fight 100 wars,win 100 wars.Seemed like they know better than you jokers.
Anonymous on 8:57 PM SGT

PAP just loss 33% at AMK to some WP rookies. So much for the 2.3m data, 100 wars, 100 win.

No sure who is the joker in AMK.
Anonymous on 3:23 PM SGT

33% of AMK can now smell the farts by LKY and LHL. Low TK and Slyvia Lim get to smell first to determine if an xxxlike you can smell or not. In a race, one have to win not second. Opposition must win big so an xxx like you can be happy.
Anonymous on 9:17 PM SGT

smelling farts is still better than you .... kissing their ass. haha !!
Anonymous on 2:45 PM SGT

didnt know you re so stupid. get lost! your mather farted you out!
Anonymous on 1:36 AM SGT

We don't need stupid oppositions like Tang Liang Hong, Steve Chia and Chee Soon Juan who does stupid things and play into the hands of PAP. We need smart oppositions like Chiam See Tong who managed to get elected and even get damages from PAP on several occassions.

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