The tiger bared his fangs: "I think this is... to be fair,when one says this has been used against political opponents,
I think this is a very serious charge." Lesser men would have crumpled at the undisguised threat, but political opponent Tan Jee Say was either too naive or simply caught unawares by the ferocity of Tony Tan's naked challenge. Moderator Sadavisan tried to save one of the Tans from being hauled off to the slammer, and the other Tan from morphing further back into his ruling party mold. Well, that must be as exciting as the presidential election will get. The ISA blunt instrument has that kind of calming effect on spirited souls.
The question from Maruah, the human rights group, about the
1997 1987 arrest of do-gooders labelled falsely as Marxist conspirators and detained without trial under the notorious Internal Security Act, will never be answered while the protagonists are still alive and kicking. The standard response was given by Tan Cheng Bock earlier, he believed the blatant violation of human rights was justified "based on the information provided then." The guy who is campaigning under the "Think Singaporeans First" slogan is obviously still giving precedence to his former political master. Tony Tan - who actually soiled his hands in this well documented rape of justice - said he is keeping mum because of the Official Secrets Act. These guys intend to keep the cabinet discussions on the subject more closely guarded than the recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken. As for using it in "in the most extreme circumstances", such as terror threats, all one needs to do is take a look at Chia Thye Poh, and wonder what the Tony gang was smoking when they called in the goon squad.
As the draw down date for the $4 million sweepstakes approaches, expect more circus acts to take centre stage. One Tan said he'd donate a portion of the generous salary to charity, one Tan said he'll give away half, another Tan said he never said nothin' about pledging to donate anythin'. The quietest Tan on this subject is obviously planning to bank in the whole paycheck. Do whatever you want guys, just stop stuffing the mailbox with crap.
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If we have an open inquiry, which I hope we will one day, we should see some of these people going to jail. What is so secretive about taking away the rights of these individuals unless you have something to hide. In many advanced democracies, there is a freedom of information act and just about all classified information will be released one day. You will find secrets of cold war or UFOs become public information one day. But you will never see the ISA "secrets" revealed as long as these people are in power.
ReplyDeleteVote wisely. TSJ is Singapore's best hope and deserves your full support.
Hahaa... The last statement make my day.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the humour :)
Can you believe him ? He even had the guts to equate our past ISA detainees with trial as even more dangerous than that nutcase in Norway ?
ReplyDeleteAnd see how cunningly and craftily he dodged the issue of ISA detentions without trial by using the infamous Official Secrets Act ?
Even before he is elected President, this non-secret is already a secret ? What about the real secrets, if any, that that he is supposed to expose ?
JBJ got into so much trouble by just saying "I have in front of me a police report...".
ReplyDeleteTJS must have balls of steel to say what he did, just like Vincent Wijeysingha.
Dunno what the kangaroo courts will do - but then, they din go after Vincent.
PAST WARNINGS FROM HISTORY
ReplyDelete“A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.”
– Bertrand de Jouvenal
“When people fear the government, there is tyranny; when government fears the people, there is Liberty!”
– Thomas Jefferson
“Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it.”
– Dr. Milton Friedman
“It’s important to realize that whenever you give power to politicians or bureaucrats, it will be used for what they want, not for what you want.”
– Harry Browne
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”
– Frederick Douglass
“The government is merely a servant – merely a temporary servant;
it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong,
and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t.
Its function is to obey orders, not originate them…”
— Mark Twain
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
– Thomas Jefferson to Archibald Stuart, 1791.
“Most authoritarians do not surrender power voluntarily.”
– Victor Davis Hanson
The real talent of the MIW is parroting the boss. They do not realise that they fall flat doing that because they lack what it takes
ReplyDeleteThe motives of some of them are really just purely suspicious, such as TT who says he is "independent", but constantly gets endorsed by the PAP government all the time. Even TCB's former link with the ISA is really very tenuous as a ground to suspect that he can be a voice of the people or a unifying force that he claims to be.
ReplyDeletei say - Vote Tan Jee Say !
ReplyDeletetan jee say.... well done! they think we sporeans are all cowards??
ReplyDeletei am in my fifties, i wont die like a coward and hypocrite..... let them come
"The question from Maruah, the human rights group, about the 1997 arrest of do-gooders labelled falsely as Marxist conspirators and detained without trial under the notorious Internal Security Act,"
ReplyDeleteIt must be a honest mistake as the event take place in 1987 not 1997, and for that,
"When one says this is used against political opponents in 1997, I think this is a very serious charge. You must be able to back it up."
"When one says this is used against political opponents in 1997, I think this is a very serious charge. You must be able to back it up."
ReplyDeleteHow about YOU back up your claim that these people were Marxists conspiring against the state? People are presumed innocent until proven guilty. YOU are accusing people of being guilty until proven innocent.
Please read the Wikipedia entry on ISA -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Security_Act_(Singapore)
"The most notable ISA case was the Operation Coldstore in 1963 which led to the arrest of some 100 left-wing politicians and trade unionists, including members of the opposition party Barisan Sosialis who were opposing Singapore's merger with Malaysia. While the ISA has not been invoked in since the 1980s against political opponents, the continued existence of ISA is perceived by the U.S. State Department as restricting political opposition and criticism of the government. Chia Thye Poh, an alleged communist, was detained under the ISA from 1966 to 1998, the longest person ever to be held under this law."
Even the US State Department thinks the ISA is used as a tool to restrict POLITICAL opposition. Now that is a SERIOUS charge.
TT will not be a President of the PEOPLE. He does not deserved your vote.
Vote TSJ.
Muruah asked about the 1987 arrest.
ReplyDeleteTattler, is that your honest mistake?
Oops!
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected!
I stand corrected!