>Introduction -
I respect this man, Tan Kin Lian (TKL), ex-CEO of NTUC Income. Not only he gives sound financial advice to consumers, while most financial institutions are out to scam you, he dedicated his time to aggrieved investors during the Lehman Fiasco.
However, when it comes to politics, I feel that he is quite a way off the mark. If you recall, he tried his hand in politics, by attempting to garner 100,000 signatories to support his campaign for Presidency (of Singapore). It never took off.
Why? Because he didn’t understand the mechanics of politics. You don’t use the people’s grievance as a platform (in the case, Lehman investors) to rally for your political cause – in this case, a ticket for nomination for Presidency.
There’s always the danger of being seen as being insincere, ie you helped the victims because you want some favour in return.
Wrong to compare Singapore with Tunisia -
If TKL’s lack of political astuteness is apparent in the area of local politics, what is even more glaring is his lack of astuteness in world politics. Here is what he commented on Tunisia’s political crisis, comparing its political scene to Singapore’s.
Tunisia and Singapore
I visited Tunisia on two occasions in recent years. I asked my host about the government. They had one party in power for more than 20 years and the same President in charge. They had regular elections. The ruling power has strong links to the trade union movement, the grassroots organisations and many other institutions in the country. The similarity between the structure of government of Tunisia and Singapore struck me at that time.
I asked my host how do the people feel about the President? It was a mixed feeling. He was a strong leader and is quite well respected. But there was a hint that it was also accompanied by some kind of fear and unease. Does this sound similar?
TKL may try to allude Tunisia’s background with Sg. The govt links, TU movement, grassroots and dictatorial leadership style. But that’s where the similarity ends.
What drives the people of Tunisia to rebel does not exist in Singapore – the call for the ouster of US interference, poverty stricken citizens, and repressing religious freedom.
Do you see that in Singapore?
A look at issues behind Tunisia’s crisis -
As mentioned, the issues are US interference, poverty and repression of religion. There are many articles that can be found on the internet, I have decided to choose this one, because it sums up about all these issues in just one article.
TUNISIA: THE TYRANT MUST GO …. NOW
It is really heartening for the vast majority of Arab-Muslim masses to see the people of Tunisia rise up against one of the most decadent and repressive regimes in the Arab world, a regime that thought, mistakenly of course, that satisfying its benefactors in Paris and Washington, even by tormenting and savaging the people, would prolong its life span.
That’s the part that shows you the Tunisian leader is a western lackey. Read the article and you will note that poverty and repression are common.
Tunisia is a Muslim country. It has a majority Muslim population and a (now ex) President who is Muslim. Yet, the irony is that Islam itself is being repressed. From the same article…..
In fact, the terrorist regime in Tunisia has exploited to the fullest western animosity toward Islamic revival movements, especially after 9/11. Some of the draconian measures taken by the regime against its own people included serious curbs on religious freedom, e.g. Obtaining a police permit for frequenting a mosque for prayers, subjecting basic civil rights to police endorsement, and barring people not deemed as absolute supporters of the regime from holding public office.
You need a permit if you visit a mosque once too often for the govt’s liking?
Singapore does not have these key issues, which are the heart of Tunisia’s crisis. TKL has thus made a wrong comparison.
Iran and/or Algeria a better comparison than Singapore -
In 1979, there was the Iranian Revolution. The Iranian people got rid of the tyrannical Shah, a stooge of the US. Like today’s Tunisia, the Iranian people were living in poverty, while the Shah led a life of luxury with his western masters.
When the Iranians overthrew the Shah, there was not only joy and celebration in Iran, there was concern and worry in the Western world. Two very significant issues were hovering over the US and the rest of the West World. They are:
1. Western powers are not aa infallible as what it was thought to be. Iran was the first nation ever to have overthrown a superpower, without receiving aid from another superpower.
2. More worrying to the Western powers is that the driving force that led the revolution to defeat the superpower was …. Islam. With the Iranian revolution a success, the West world now fears that one billion Muslims may now turn to political Islam as a form of governance.
US immediately worked with Saddam (yeah, the guy Bush caught and had him executed) to invade Iran. US even supplied chems to Saddam. That led to an 8 year war between Iran and Iraq. The idea was to stem the “growing influence of Islamic politics” in the region.
In 1991, Algeria held their elections. The nightmare the West feared was to be unfolded here. The Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) was heading for a landslide victory, sweeping away the secular western backed incumbent govt. What was to follow was a a civil war, when the incumbent secular govt used the military to overrun FIS supporters – literally. Tanks were used to bulldoze FIS supporters. At least in Tianenmen, the tanks stopped to allow a man to be escorted safely.
The West did nothing to condemn the oppression, unlike its harsh words it had for Beijing on the Tianenmen incident a few years earlier.
The hypocritical stance of the West is very obvious.
My Conclusion -
It is wrong to compare Tunisia with Singapore. The issues behind the Tunisian leadership crisis are very different from Singapore’s. The Tunisians are fighting poverty, corruption in their leadership, Western interference and most of all, a call for the return of a more religious environment. Even the call for a Sharia based govt.
It happened in Iran in 1979. It happened in Algeria in 1991. It is happening in Tunisia in 2011.
If we do want to compare Singapore’s politics with another country, the closest nation I can think of is Malaysia. Both countries have the same ivory-tower leaders, both have rising costs, and both have opposition parties who oppose each other more than the ruling party.
But when you talk about the Mid East, North Africa and Central Asia, the central issue is always about:
1. Western interference,
2. Poverty caused by these Western backed stooges,
3. And the call for Islam to eradicate the Western caused poverty and corruption.
Of all the reasons above, it is Number 3 that is most worrying for US and the rest of the Western World.
