Connect with us

Current Affairs

Honouring the memory of Singapore’s formidable freedom fighter Dr Lim Hock Siew

Published

5 years ago

on

Commemorating the 7th anniversary of the death of Dr Lim Hock Siew, one of Singapore’s leading opposition leaders back in the early 60, Function 8 posted on their Facebook page a short essay by ex-political prisoner Teo Soh Lung.

In their post, Function 8 described Dr Lim as ‘much feared by Lee Kuan Yew’. He was an ‘effective effective organiser, writer and eloquent orator, his skills combined with his intellect easily matched that of Lee’.

As he strenuously opposed the merger of Singapore with Malaya back in the day, Dr Lim was arrested and detained under ISA during Operation Coldstore on 2 February 1963 along with more than 133 opposition leaders, trade unionists, professionals, educators, and student leaders.

Dr Lim was released only in 1982 at the age of 61 – his party Barisan Sosialis having collapsed already in that time. Decades after his release in 2009, Dr Lim called for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the arrests made under Operation Coldstore. In 2011, he and 15 other former ISA detainees who were arrested between 1950 and 1987 issued a joint statement calling for the setting up of a commission of inquiry and the abolition of the ISA.

Unfortunately, Dr Lim passed away on 4 June 2012 at the age of 81. A memorial booklet was published a month after his death. In it was an essay by Teo Soh Lung who was herself arrested under ISA during Operation Spectrum back in 1987.

In her essay, Ms Teo says she never fully understood the saying “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” until she learned about Dr Lim’s imprisonment without trial. She shared that before the event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Marxist conspiracy that led to her arrest in 1987, Dr Lim has sent her a message encouraging that she press for a public inquiry on detainees and the abolishment of the ISA.

Even as he was ill at the time, he was still pushing forward and fighting for the cause.

Ms Teo said, “I am very sure that if Dr Lim’s health had permitted, he would have joined us at Hong Lim that day. The abolition of the ISA had always been central to Dr Lim’s political philosophy.”

She continued, “The ruthless use of the ISA by the people in power took away 20 prime years of his life and left his wife, Dr Beatrice Chen, to raise their young son of five months all by herself. We cannot imagine how much emotional and mental anguish he and his family endured during those years.”

She goes on to urge that “we can and should appreciate Dr Lim’s unfailing concern for all Singaporeans” when he called for ISA to be abolished and for an inquiry into ISA cases.

She then quoted something Dr Lim said at a talk in the ‘Changing World Series’ organised by Function 8 years ago. Replying to a question on whether PAP leaders would use the ISA today, Dr Lim had said “My assessment is that they are going to use the ISA as a reserve weapon to safeguard the PAP’s interests. … I hope it will not be used but I think it will be their reserve weapon.”

Ms Teo stressed that it would be ‘foolish’ to not heed the words of someone who has suffered 20 long years in prison under the ISA, and “whose integrity, courage and principle led him to reject an offer of release that came with conditions which would have justified his detention.”.

In fact, Dr Lim even issued a public statement through his wife on 18 March 1972 which was “critical of the PAP regime and its ruthless use of the ISA.” This, says Ms Teo, led to an extension of his imprisonment for another 10 years – all without trial.

Ms Teo adds, “The sentence imposed by a cabinet of PAP ministers, is almost twice the length of a life sentence! What did Dr Lim do to deserve such a sentence by ministers and not by judges?”

Dr Lim’s ‘crime’ was the opposition of the British’s plan to merge Singapore with Malaysia. While the PAP did merge with Singapore with Malaya, Singapore was ejected from the federation merely two years later.

“So what wrong did Dr Lim commit?” questions Ms Teoh.

“He had been proven right to fight against a merger where the terms were disadvantageous to Singapore and Singaporeans,” she continues.

Ms Teo, in her essay, argues that ‘any democratic government would have had the decency’ to released Dr Lim and other leaders, convene an inquiry, apologise, and offer compensation for what they’ve done to him. But that’s not what happened, of course.

Ms Teoh cautioned that it would be ‘foolish’ for anyone to think that they wouldn’t be arrested under ISA simply because they’ve done nothing wrong.

“I used to think that as long as I was doing everything in the open and in accordance with the law, I would never be arrested under the ISA. I said that to the late Mr Tan Jing Quee just about a week before I was hauled up before the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Amendment to the Legal Profession Act in 1986 which marked the beginning of the persecution of the Law Society of Singapore.”

“Jing Quee’s response was short and swift. He said, “We also did nothing wrong but we were arrested.” Jing Quee was detained twice for a total of four years and I was subsequently detained for more than two years,” said Ms Teo.

She laments in her essay that the lust to gain and retain power has caused ‘many good leaders to degenerate into tyrants and dictators’ who have caused ‘untold misery to the people they were supposed to care for’.

Ms Teo notes that Dr Lim was a ‘gentle but firm leader with a vision’ whose contributions to the country’s political development into a more humane, just and peaceful society were cut short.

“They [the PAP government] have deprived us for twenty years of a good and caring doctor who often treated patients without charge, even giving money to those who could not afford to pay for their transport home,” she wrotes.

“Farewell, Dr Lim, I’m sure you have sojourned to a happier world that you so deserve, but your words and deeds will always remain in our hearts.”

Today marks 7 years since Singapore lost the strong leadership of Dr Lim Hock Siew. A memorial gathering will be held on 3 July 2019. Refer to Function 8 Facebook page for details.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Current Affairs

Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

Published

15 hours ago

on

4 October 2024

By

SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

Continue Reading

Current Affairs

Chee Soon Juan questions Shanmugam’s $88 million property sale amid silence from Mainstream Media

Dr Chee Soon Juan of the SDP raised concerns about the S$88 million sale of Mr K Shanmugam’s Good Class Bungalow at Astrid Hill, questioning transparency and the lack of mainstream media coverage. He called for clarity on the buyer, valuation, and potential conflicts of interest.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

23 September 2024

By

On Sunday (22 Sep), Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), issued a public statement on Facebook, expressing concerns regarding the sale of Minister for Home Affairs and Law, Mr K Shanmugam’s Good Class Bungalow (GCB) at Astrid Hill.

Dr Chee questioned the transparency of the S$88 million transaction and the absence of mainstream media coverage despite widespread discussion online.

According to multiple reports cited by Dr Chee, Mr Shanmugam’s property was transferred in August 2023 to UBS Trustees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, which holds the property in trust under the Jasmine Villa Settlement.

Dr Chee’s statement focused on two primary concerns: the lack of response from Mr Shanmugam regarding the transaction and the silence of major media outlets, including Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp.

He argued that, given the ongoing public discourse and the relevance of property prices in Singapore, the sale of a high-value asset by a public official warranted further scrutiny.

In his Facebook post, Dr Chee posed several questions directed at Mr Shanmugam and the government:

  1. Who purchased the property, and is the buyer a Singaporean citizen?
  2. Who owns Jasmine Villa Settlement?
  3. Were former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong informed of the transaction, and what were their responses?
  4. How was it ensured that the funds were not linked to money laundering?
  5. How was the property’s valuation determined, and by whom?

The Astrid Hill property, originally purchased by Mr Shanmugam in 2003 for S$7.95 million, saw a significant increase in value, aligning with the high-end status of District 10, where it is located. The 3,170.7 square-meter property was sold for S$88 million in August 2023.

Dr Chee highlighted that, despite Mr Shanmugam’s detailed responses regarding the Ridout Road property, no such transparency had been offered in relation to the Astrid Hill sale.

He argued that the lack of mainstream media coverage was particularly concerning, as public interest in the sale is high. Dr Chee emphasized that property prices and housing affordability are critical issues in Singapore, and transparency from public officials is essential to maintain trust.

Dr Chee emphasized that the Ministerial Code of Conduct unambiguously states: “A Minister must scrupulously avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest between his office and his private financial interests.”

He concluded his statement by reiterating the need for Mr Shanmugam to address the questions raised, as the matter involves not only the Minister himself but also the integrity of the government and its responsibility to the public.

The supposed sale of Mr Shamugam’s Astrid Hill property took place just a month after Mr Shanmugam spoke in Parliament over his rental of a state-owned bungalow at Ridout Road via a ministerial statement addressing potential conflicts of interest.

At that time, Mr Shanmugam explained that his decision to sell his home was due to concerns about over-investment in a single asset, noting that his financial planning prompted him to sell the property and move into rental accommodation.

The Ridout Road saga last year centred on concerns about Mr Shanmugam’s rental of a sprawling black-and-white colonial bungalow, occupying a massive plot of land, managed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which he oversees in his capacity as Minister for Law. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, also rented a similarly expansive property nearby.

Mr Shanmugam is said to have recused himself from the decision-making process, and a subsequent investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) found no wrongdoing while Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean confirmed in Parliament that Mr Shanmugam had removed himself from any decisions involving the property.

As of now, Mr Shanmugam has not commented publicly on the sale of his Astrid Hill property.

Continue Reading

Trending