Monday, January 27, 2014

Singapore's Anton Casey case. Is this a case of the pot calling the kettle black

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The screaming headline news daily on the state owned newspapers of Singapore has been the Anton Casey saga. Casey, a 39 year old wealthy English fund manager, working for Crossinvest, an investment firm, and a permanent resident of Singapore island had made some rude comments about Singaporeans in his Facebook page.

With a picture of his 5 year old son in a city subway train, it had the caption which read "Daddy where is your car. Who are all these poor people". In a similar unflattering vein he had made several more uncouth remarks. 

For a background see the Independent report http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/anton-casey-fired-and-flees-singapore-in-economy-class-over-poor-people-comments-9088199.html

There is no doubt that Casey had made an unwise decision by insulting Singaporeans. There is no doubt it was wrong. But even so, he is an Englishman.

England is a proud democracy and it is expected of a man to have an independent mind, although it is polite not to offend others.

And the right to say one's mind is an accepted right recognized even by those who may disagree, because if you only want to hear what you consider nice, then you are controlling thought, which is something done only in the pages of Orwell's 1984 and present day North Korea.

Now let us turn to Singaporeans reactions. Hundreds if not thousands, even hundreds of thousands almost in unison, began lambasting Casey.

You can see the flood of these attacks that have been pouring in ever since Casey began his insults in the form of blogs, telephone calls, videos and even death threats.

Even the island's Minister for Law, a Tamil Singaporean ass-licker of the ruling Chinese Lee family weighed in on the attack describing what Casey had done as unacceptable.

Even the foreign press, mainly British, clearly not understating fully what Singapore is, which is nothing better than a Lee family dictatorship, a one party police state with no rule of law and with it's citizens living daily in fear of their government, has been reporting on the apparent overwhelming hatred towards Casey in the island republic.

Although this may come as a shock to many, let me make this clear. Compared to the average Singaporean who lives under the Lee dictatorship, Casey is a far better human being.

For want of a better choice, if asked to choose, I would walk with Casey anytime rather than Lee Kuan Yew's Singaporeans. This is what I think of the Singaporeans who have chosen to remain in the island.

You can see, it is true, a massive island wide outrage against Casey for what he has said. But do you know that Lee Kuan Yew, his son, and all his ministers, including the aforementioned Tamil minister who dances to his master's tune are all corrupt who pay themselves no less than $3.7 million a year of tax payers money which they call salary.

This is corruption, plain for all to see. This is an matter far more important than whatever Anton Casey had said, an issue which goes direct to their rights as citizens, simply open unashamed corruption by their leaders on a massive scale which would even outdo Mobutu of the Congo who stole the diamonds hands down. Yet no Singaporean has ever dared to write blogs and make videos attacking the Singaporean dictators of corruption, let alone making death threats against Lee Kuan Yew and his son.

They seem strangely oblivious to it, and appear very comfortable in permitting their leaders to be as corrupt as they want. Strangely there is no public outrage against the corruption, like the island wide indignation to what Casey had said, even though whatever has been said by Casey in no way measures up to Lee's simply stealing the money.

Second, do you know that Singapore clearly violates their own constitution by denying a free press, by criminalizing free speech, expression and assembly and where the police can simply do anything they want and get any conviction they want in their Kangaroo Courts because there is no independent judiciary or rule of law.

Yet we do not see hundreds of thousands of Singaporeans writing blogs, making videos and sending death threats to Lee Kuan Yew and son demanding democracy and the rule of law. Strangely here too Singaporeans seem to have no complaint whatsoever.

Yet when a foreigner, albeit a permanent resident like Casey saw it fit to call them retards, they seem  outraged almost in unison, en masse, as if under the conductor's baton in a symphony, or as if they are all fired up in battle, and ready to charge with fixed bayonets.

Why is this so? If you did not already know, it is so because Singaporeans are like dogs in a pack.

They will simply follow their leader only when it is safe and their victim is helpless.

In this matter, Casey is an easy target. He is a foreigner, with no clout in the island.

Attacking him is unlikely to result in any danger  to these cowardly Singaporeans who are so quick to throw stones.

This is the behavior of a coward. It is a coward who attacks only if it is safe, and pretend as if everything is fine when there is even the slightest risk.

Against Lee Kuan Yew and his dictatorship, the average Singaporean simply dare not raise even a whimper, let alone attack, simply because if they do, there may be trouble.

On the other hand, Casey may have some unacceptable views about the people in whose country he lives. But at least he has balls.

He had the courage to say it like it is. Unlike him Singaporeans have no balls. They are just cowardly opportunists who work like dogs in a pack. They will complain only when it safe in Lee Kuan Yew's island. Otherwise they have nothing to say.

Although I find the average Singaporean a disgraceful coward, with an incapacity for independent thinking, I have to admit not all Singaporeans are so. Those who have some courage or the ability to think independently and are not mindless conformists have already left the island and are living in Australia and the West.

They do not want to live in a dictatorship peopled by a population which is only capable of a pack mentality. And as we speak even more are departing the island for the West leaving only such weak spirited characters who conveniently work themselves into a frenzy only when it is safe, as these remaining in Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore island.

Once again if I had to choose to walk with Casey or the average brain dead Singaporean, I would choose Casey anytime. At least he is more interesting than the average single minded boring person you find walking the streets in Lee Kuan Yew's concrete jungle. And please feel free to quote me if you want.

By the way, don't bother sending me any death threats. It wouldn't bother me in the least. And as for Lee Kuan Yew's cyber brigade who would now be sending me a barrage of hate mail, you would be wasting your time. I will delete them.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Signaporean in Exile
Fremont, California USA
Tel: 510 491 8525
Email:nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

10 years of Primary and Secondary schooling in only memorizing stupid trivial facts, all in the name of a single piece of paper ( Certificate) has left my mind idle, thus dulled. What say you, Mr Nair, that I do to reinvigorate, if you will, the mind again? Most of my classmates in JC seem oblivious to the real problems in this country as they are simply victims of the Pap Elite's mechanism of Doublethink when the populace is faced with Cognitive Dissonance. Deep down I know that we are not getting ahead, I wanna skip the bloody NS ( It's good for the body, but recruits are paid peanuts)and get out this place ASAP.

Anonymous said...

Spineless Singaporeans attack Anton Casey for his intemperate postings.

But remain silent when it comes to the litany of transgressions by LKY and his family.

Anonymous said...

Its funny and interesting to see how Singaporeans and business traveller from all over the world are afraid of the government of Singapore and therefore decide to be very submissive and silent and comply with all Singaporean rules, no matter if they make sense or not. All the world is afraid of getting imprisonment or even physical and corporal punishment if they dont comply while being in Singapore. So nobody has the courage to say what he or she thinks or feel in public.

Anonymous said...

http://www.tnp.sg/content/actor-tay-ping-huis-message-casey-please-leave

For a moment, I thought Anton has commit murder and treason. But no, he just insulted Singaporeans (dumb thing to do) and looked at the overpowering unjust punishment he got.

This should change the international impression of Singapore. Behind the thin veneer of success and wealth of a sad and barbaric people is the failure of people to respect other human beings. Innocent wife and son are punished by association.

Kangaroo justice meted out to drive a stupid man and his family out of a country. It almost feel like a micro political uprising from a confused people with pent-up anger from being controlled and betrayed by a founder strongman who can no longer deliver the good life.

This reminds me of an abused caged dog who will try to attack anyone at the slightest movement (not even provocation)

Mr Nair, you have often wrote in your blog about the "staged" facade of Singapore that hide the terrible things inflicted on Singaporeans.

This is a reflection of the actions of Old Fart and PAP, and proof of an oppressed people.

It is also a sign of a future uprising against the dictatorship should the stress overwhelm the fear of authority.

Anonymous said...

Spineless?
The Singaporeans acted in their own ways WITHOUT the intervention or influence of government!
They did to Casey what he did to them; I'm not going into morality since I don't know what's best!

But, the Singaporeans reacted and OMG that excuse of a man is out of Singapore now!

Long live Singapore!