Lee Kuan Yew, the Father of Singapore and father of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore has described Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a Sinhalese Extremist and what happened in Sri Lanka in 2009 as ethnic cleansing.
Lee Kuan Yew
This statement of Lee is a matter with great import. All these years criticism from outside was dismissed by the Sri Lankan government as by colonialists. But this is by a respected Asian leader. After Singapore’s Senior Minister has spoken thus, will Singapore feel free to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November?
These comments were made during lengthy conversations with the author of the book Prof. Thomas Plate, Citizen Singapore: How To Build A Nation – Conversations with Lee Kwan Yew, Marshall Cavendish, 2011.
Surprisingly such comments of great import in a 2011 book are making it into the public domain only 2 years later.
Author Thomas Gordon Plate is an American journalist, internationally syndicated columnist and a Professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA as its Distinguished Scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies.
Specifically Lee Kuan Yew has said of President Rajapaka and Sri Lanka, “[Sri Lanka] is not a happy, united country. Yes, they have beaten the Tamil Tigers this time, but the Sinhalese who are less capable are putting down a minority of Jaffna Tamils who are more capable. They were squeezing them out. That’s why the Tamils rebelled. But I do not see them ethnic cleansing all two million-plus Jaffna Tamils. The Jaffna Tamils have been in Sri Lanka as long as the Sinhalese.”
Plate: “So what Asia saw was ethnic cleansing?”
Lee: “That’s right.”
Plate: “They [the Tigers] will come back, you think?”
Lee: “I don’t think they are going to be submissive or go away. The present President of Sri Lanka believes he has settled the problem; Tamil Tigers are killed and that is that.”
Plate: “See, that’s really a fascinating point, because to the extent that we have any sense of who you are at all, we think of you as this hard-boiled force first guy. But in fact your system of government is much softer, consensual and intelligent, whereas what the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka are doing is a caricature of an LKY who never existed.”
Lee: “I’ve read his speeches and I knew he was a Sinhalese extremist. I cannot change his mind.”
Le / August 13, 2013
Less capable are governing the capable.
MR and Co are fighting a “capable” over a million diaspora Tamils.
Lets see who wins.
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Jim softy / August 13, 2013
ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME LEE KWAN YU ?
READ THIS AND SEE;
“Singapore Lee Kuan Yew’s monopoly on corruption
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Singapore’s state controlled newspaper has the continuing story of 2 men in Lee’s government being investigated for corruption. Straits Times online edition of Jan 25, 2012, carries this story under the title “CPIB probe: Ministry and Home Team will cooperate fully, says MHA”. It is about Peter Lim Sin Pang, the chief of Singapore Civil Defence Force and Ng Boon Gay, the Director of Singapore’s Narcotics department being investigated for corruption.
All very nice to read. I suppose another feather on Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew’s cap as a fighter against corruption.
But then who is the most corrupt individual in Singapore? You will be surprised to know that it is none other than Lee Kuan Yew himself. First of all, he pays himself officially $3.7 million a year and treble that amount secretly as his salary. What do you call that then? I call this corruption of the worst kind. Even if the aforesaid Lim and Ng stole some money, surely it cannot amount to the several millions that Lee himself steals on a yearly basis without fail. And secondly at least they had the decency to do it secretly. In Lee’s case, he not only steals, but does it before his people’s very eyes.
Do you recall the Jade Mansions scandal some years ago, when he, his late wife, and every one of his children got huge discounts to purchase Jade condominiums at specially discounted prices which the public never got. When Tang Liang Hong, an opposition politician had the temerity to mention this fact at the 1997 elections, Lee not only sued him in his courts where victory is certain, he had to pay several million dollars in court awarded damages, bankrupted and forced into exile. Today poor Tang, who was once a millionaire himself ekes out a living in Melbourne Australia.
What is disgusting about the entire Lee family is this. They not only are thieves, they take offense when you call them so.
The one other dictator that comes to mind to the disgraceful extent of Lee’s baseness is the former Iranian king Reza Shah Pahlevi who ruled from 1925 to 1941, a carbon copy of the Singaporean tin pot tyrant. In his case, it is often said that one good thing he did was to root out corruption entirely in Iran except for one person, himself. Under his harsh rule, with draconian laws, anyone found pilfering even the slightest amount faced harsh sentences and even execution. But then anything that was worth anything in Iran belonged to himself with a few crumbs thrown to his sycophants. The way he managed to govern was with harsh laws and fear.
And by the way have you ever wondered why noone else dares to write this in Singapore? You guessed right. He would be sued, arrested, bankrupted and jailed which is why he dares not write. In my case, I write from Fremont (San Francisco) California, which makes it a little difficult for him to successfully sue because California unlike Lee’s Singapore has the rule of law.
It would be correct to say, Lee Kuan Yew is Singapore’s Reza Shah Pahlevi.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Disbarred from practicing law in Lee’s Singapore, imprisoned and refused entry to the island for criticizing Singapore’s judiciary in this blog (see blogpost May 29, 2008 Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang’s Kangaroo Court)
Actively practicing law in California and in good standing at the California Bar.
Member in good standing as a lawyer in England and Wales (Barrister). “
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Wickramasiri / August 14, 2013
Jim Softly, What you are saying is that Mahinda Rajapaksa is like the Lee Kwan Yew and Reza Pahlavi, isnt’t it?
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Udari / August 13, 2013
Actually Lee Kwan is wrong. Rajapavassa is not a sinalesh extrem. HE IS RAKAPASA EXTREME. There is no hope for people who do not encourage Family Nepotism. The whole family is robing the country. You either join it otherwise you get killed. Its common to all the races. Not only tamils. He is not ethinic cleanising. He is anti rajapaksa cleaning.
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Jim softy / August 13, 2013
LEE KWAN YU’S WORK; THIS IS ONLY A VERY SMALL PART.
“The Hotel Properties Limited episode that sparked off a political storm in Singapore in 1996 has been buried alive by the PAP. But its ghost will continue to haunt those involved.
It all started when the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) censured a publicly listed property development company called Hotel Property Ltd (HPL) for not seeking shareholders’ approval for the sale of some of its condominium developments at a discount price.
Dr Lee Suan Yew, Lee Kuan Yew’s younger brother, was on the board of directors of the company. He had purchased a unit in a condominium project developed by HPL called Nassim Jade.
Shareholders of HPL had been grumbling about the way business was conducted in the company especially when it came to dealings with the Lee family. Many of the shareholders were waiting to buy units at the said project. When the launch of the property never came to pass, the shareholders saw red and demanded an explanation.
The stock exchange authorities quickly announced that HPL had breached regulations. One day later, Lee Kuan Yew and his son, Lee Hsien Loong, publicly revealed that they too had bought HPL condominiums. The story made headlines and started tongues wagging. The story was then traced back to one Ong Beng Seng, a property tycoon in Singapore, and Managing Director of HPL.
Ong had developed two condominium projects at the choiciest districts of Singapore. One was the abovementioned Nassim Jade situated where opulent and expansive embassies and mansions were located around Nassim Road. The other, Scotts 28, was at the heart of Singapore’s shopping and tourist district Scotts Road. Both projects consisted of condominum apartments valued at millions of dollars per unit before the property slump.
More red faces
It was also revealed that not only had Lee Kuan Yew, his brother and his son purchased these apartments, they were offered substantial discounts to boot. The apartments were due to be put on sale on the open market on 17 April 1995. Three days before the official launch, HPL conducted a “soft launch” where a select group of potential customers were invited to have first go at the apartments. This was not exactly an unheard of practice amongst property developers. The problem was that because HPL was a publicly listed company, it had shareholders to account to. Rules under the SES Manual Listing stated that approval had to be sought for transactions involving “connected persons” of the company involved and those persons’ associates. The HPL did not seek the permission of its shareholders. Suan Yew, Lee’s brother, was a non-executive director of the company.
At the soft launch, Madam Kwa Geok Choo, chose an apartment to buy. She was quoted a price of $3,578,260 (or $1,583 per square foot) for the apartment. This was a seven percent discount on the list price. Buyers at soft launches are usually given only a five percent discount.
Later, Kwa Geok Choo contacted her son, Hsien Loong, and told him of the Nassim Jade apartments upon which he called Aunty Pamelia Lee, wife of Uncle Suan Yew, and said that he and his wife, Ho Ching, were interested in buying the property as well. Aunty Pamelia then later came back to her nephew and offered him an apartment for $3,645,100 a discount of 12 per cent or $437,412 on the asking price. The Deputy Prime Minister accepted the offer.
This was not all. On the Scotts 28 condiminiums, similar offers and purchases were made. Lee Kuan Yew and son bought two more units and paid $2,791,500 and $2,776,400 respectively for them, each bagging a five percent discount.
All in all, Lee Kuan Yew received from HPL a total of $416,252 whilst Lee Junior got $643,185 in discounts. All the purchases amounted to more than $10 million and were carried out without mortgages and loans.
It must be remembered that all this while, decisions of sales and the discounts were carried out at the directors’ level which involved Lee Suan Yew. None of the shareholders nor the SES had the slightest idea of what was going on.
And yet, this was just the tip of the iceberg.
It was later found out that Lee Kuan Yew’s entire family was in on the purchases. Daughter Lee Wei Ling, a medical doctor in a government hospital; sister Lee Kim Mon; and his two other brothers Freddy and Dennis; Kwa Kim Li, a niece of Lee; and Gloria Lee, Lee’s sister in law, all bought the condos at hefty discounts. Wei Ling bought two apartments at Nassim Jade and was reported to have sold one off for a tidy profit. Again, all these transactions were carried out without the approval of the shareholders of HPL.
“
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cholan / March 27, 2015
No one care about your comments…don’t waste your time and space
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Jim softy / August 13, 2013
READ THIS;
“Singapore. The secrets of Lee Kuan Yew’s criminal legal system
Ladies and Gentlemen,
You may not believe what I am about to say but sadly every word here is true, a report I am writing not only as a lawyer who had practiced in Singapore for 10 years after having been admitted to practice in England, but also as one who was personally a victim of the system.
Firstly Singapore’s criminal legal system is designed for one purpose alone, to arrest criminals and others who are a pain in the neck such as political opponents and punish them. To say it another way, the moment you are arrested, your conviction and sentence is certain.
Although at first reading you may say surely every legal system in the world intends the same result. True but not entirely.
Western jurisprudence, both the Anglo Saxon Common Law system and the Roman Dutch Code system among which which the world is divided requires not only that criminals be punished, it also requires that the state ensure criminals (I use this word for ease of reference only) are given certain rights, such as the right to silence, the right to be free from self incrimination and free from illegal searches and seizures, to ensure that the innocent are protected.
NO INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY: All judges in Singapore are selected for their loyalty to Lee Kuan Yew and his government. In other words, they double as PAP politicians. Their purpose is to administer, Lee’s way of thinking, which is, rid the streets of criminals thugs and other miscreants. The manner in which this is done is totally irrelevant. Their other very important duty is to punish political dissidents such as Chee Soon Juan, one his his victims who will painfully tell you this. Ask him.
NO JURY TRIALS: Singapore does not have jury trials. Every case is decided by judges who have been specially selected by the government to decide cases as the government wishes. Very often the rich and connected are never arrested for their crimes. The poor ordinary citizen doesn’t stand a chance under these government hand-picked judges.
THE SINGAPORE CONSTITUTION IS JUST GARBAGE: Singapore has such a thing as a Constitution like most other countries. The words in there are very nice to hear, but with only one difference. It is only words. None of what is said in there is ever enforced.
CITIZEN NOT TOLD WHY HE IS BEING ARRESTED: When the police go out and arrests a citizen he is not told why he is being arrested. If the arrested person were to ask, he is merely told something like this “We are arresting you under Section 49 of the Penal Code”. Nothing more is said. Since most people are not aware of the contents of the Singapore Penal Code, the citizen is literally kept in the dark as to why this is happening to him. This works on his mind psychologically to his disadvantage causing fear and confusion.
IN SINGAPORE, THE CONSTITUTION IS THE BEST KEPT SECRET: Most people in Singapore do not know anything that is written in the Constitution, in fact the vast majority of Singaporeans don’t even know that such a thing exists. It is not taught in schools, it is never spoken about and never written about.
EVERY SINGLE PROVISION IN THE CONSTITUTION IS VIOLATED: Although the Constitution is an excellent document to read which gives Singapore citizens their human rights like other civilized countries, in reality they have no rights at all.
LACK OF EDUCATION DENIES JUSTICE: This denial of citizen’s rights is worsened by the fact that most people arrested have little or no education. They do not know that they need not incriminate themselves, and the police make every attempt to capitalize on the citizen’s ignorance by forcing them to confess.
NO RIGHT TO COUNSEL: In Lee’s Singapore, even though the Constitution requires due process of law and the right to counsel, in fact you have no such right. What happens is this: After the police arrest you, they detain you at the police station for many days. During this time you are denied access to a lawyer and are therefore for several days completley at the mercy of the police. They interrogate you over this period, day and night. In almost all cases, the citizen eventually “breaks” or confesses, at which time they get a signed confession, after which they promptly release him on bail to retain a lawyer. Any fool can tell you that by this time, it is too late for any lawyer to do anything. He has already confessed.
POLICE TORTURE: During the time the police detain the person, they extract a confession under torture. The torture is usually not physical but mental. It could be prolonged sleep deprivation, it could be repeatedly waking him at odd hours of the night for repeated interrogation sessions, it could be threatening him and his family members with harm or a combination of these until the victim eventually “breaks” and then they have got him. The police have a nasty habit of taking the prisoner’s statements at 3 am in the morning, waking him up when he is fast asleep and demanding a statement. This is done repeatedly at short intervals throughout the night. Having gone through this, the poor citizen would be prepared to sign anything given to him, just to stop this torture.
NO RIGHT TO SILENCE: Although the Constitution mandates the citizen’s right to silence and to be free from self incrimination, there is no such right. There is a provision in the law which says that when a person remains silent, the court can infer that he is guilty. So whenever the citizen refuses to give a statement, the verdict of guilt is a foregone conclusion.
SINGAPORE POLICEMEN ARE SELECTED FOR THEIR LACK OF EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING: Many Singapore policemen of the lower ranks are Malay and of other races who have no education beyond a rudimentary stage. They have no idea about the Constitution or the laws or that the people are supposed to have rights. They will do exactly as they are told and their main intent is to please their superiors. Their superiors too have very little education, themselves taking orders from the top as to whom to arrest and whom to leave alone. In fact the likelihood of your getting into trouble depends a lot on who you are. If you are a political opponent, the likelihood of your being in trouble is great, regardless of whether you have done anything wrong.
NO RIGHT TO BE FREE FROM ILLEGAL SEARCHES AND SEIZURES: The Constitution does provide for the right to be free form illegal searches and seizures. But in practice, this is never complied with. The police can stop anyone anytime, without any reason, demand a right to check your car, your belongings and your home without any reason at all, or ask you any question they want anytime anywhere. If you refuse, you will be arrested and they will do it anyway. In other words, it is a police state. And every police action is justified and allowed.
LIMITED DISCOVERY: Although the Constitution demands due process, which means, a citizen arrestee is entitled to complete information of the prosecution’s case including prosecution witness statements, except for a list of witnesses, the police don’t provide any statements from anyone except your own, meaning, for the first time in court, you will hear what they say. In any other jurisdiction which has the rule of law, the citizen is provided with prosecution statements so that he is appraised with what he has facing.
NO FAIR TRIAL: The citizen stands no chance at the trial. His confession is produced as evidence of his guilt. He finds himself in a bind, if he now claims that the confession was involuntary while the police officer testifies otherwise. With a judge determined to show the government that he is doing his job by putting “criminals” away, the poor citizen stands no chance.
ONE LAW FOR SOME, ANOTHER FOR OTHERS: As I have said some get away Scott free because they are connected in high places. When a crime is obvious such as beating up a taxi driver, they have no choice but to arrest this VIP. But after that many ingenious procedures are adopted such as bringing a doctor’s report that the assailant was suffering from diminished responsibility and other imaginary ailments plucked out of thin air, the VIP is convicted but released anyway either with a small fine or probation. This sort of special justice only happens with the select few who are connected in high places. For ordinary people such tactics will not work. In his case, he will go to jail and for a long time.
EVEN WITH THESE FEW SAFEGUARDS ABOVE, WITH CORRUPT SINGAPORE JUDGES ACCEPTING THEIR DISGRACEFUL ROLE AS AGENTS OF LEE KUAN YEW AND THE STATE, CITIZENS WOULD STILL CONTINUE TO BE UNJUSTLY PUNISHED SINCE THEY ARE NOT BOUND BY ANY LAW BUT LEE’S LAW. IN THE END, IF THERE ARE THESE LEGAL PROVISIONS, IT IS MERELY TO HOODWINK THE IGNORANT INTO THINKING THERE IS THE RULE OF LAW. IN FACT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE BETTER IN TAKING AWAY EVEN THESE TRIFLING RIGHTS GIVEN TO THE POOR SINGAPOREAN BECAUSE IN TRUTH, YOUR FATE DEFENDS NOT ON THE LAW, BUT ON THESE GOVERNMENT APPOINTED JUDGES.
SINGAPORE’S HELPLESS LAWYERS: In Singapore, lawyer Subhas Anandan is considered the best. He claims to have defended over 1500 major cases including dozens of murder trials. He has even written a book. He has practiced for about 40 years. Yet throughout this time, under these disgraceful legal procedures, all his clients were never given a right to counsel except after they had all confessed under torture; he has lost almost every single case, and if he has won anything, it would not be more than managing to reduce the sentence from a serious charge to lesser charge, usually because his client is well connected.
The following a video clip where this man, supposedly Singapore’s best criminal lawyer spoke about his experiences:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ0YjjbZwTA
What is a tragedy for Singapore and this man is this. For supposedly the best criminal lawyer in Singapore, for 40 years he knew that his clients were denied counsel in violation of the Constitution but he did nothing to protest this except to complain to the Minister.
For 40 years he knew that many of his clients were even executed because they were denied counsel, yet he does nothing except to complain to the Minister.
For 40 years he knows that his clients have suffered police brutality by repeated police interrogations and deprivation of sleep as a result of which they have been executed, yet all he does is to complain the the Minister.
For 40 years, he knows Singapore has no rule of law but a bunch of corrupt judges but he does nothing but to complain to the Minsiter.
Yet all the while, if he did complain to the Mister, he already knew that Lee Kuan Yew’s sidekick, the Tamil Minister of Law, K Shanmugam, is not going to do anything but to tighten the law even further, if at all this is possible.
And if you see the video, he even has the audacity to say that he has no regrets about practicing law in Singapore.
What he should have done, or any other decent lawyer in any other country would have done, is not just to complain to the Minister, when he knows the Minister will do nothing, but to actually occupy, picket, demonstrate and protest outside the Minister’s office until he corrects these injustices which are murdering his clients.
Knowing Singapore, you would not be surprised why Lee’s state controlled media proclaims him as the best criminal lawyer. After all he has never really defended any of his clients in the real sense, and in fact he does the work of the government by going through the motions of a legal practice. If such is the quality of the best criminal lawyer in Singapore, why do you need lawyers anyway, tell me that.
This poor fellow, I mean as a human being, is suffering from various ailments and from reports takes a daily cocktail of medicines to keep alive. I am sorry for him. As Edward Rice Murrows, the famous CBS reporter once said of people who do unconscionable things to make a living “I don’t think he likes the look of his face in the mirror in the morning”.
SECOND RATE CITIZENS WHO WILLINGLY LIVE THEIR MISERABLE LIVES: With criminal laws such as this, it does not say very much about Singaporeans who accept such lives. For one, they have to be ignorant of such things as human rights. Or Second, they are those without principles who work for Lee Kuan Yew and paid huge salaries. Or Third, they are foreigners there temporarily, without concern for such things as rights. Either way, not a population which anyone can be proud of.
Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law “
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BBS / March 28, 2015
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Jim softy / August 13, 2013
THIS IS REAL LEE KWAN YU: ONLY A PART OF THE STORY.
“While we can all condemn Amy Cheong for the unthinking racism of her remarks, we should wonder whether they just reflect the tone of institutional racism that is projected from the very top of the government. Her crime was perhaps that she took her cue from the frequent racist utterances from of our former Minister Mentor which instead of being condemned are labelled “hard truths to keep Singapore going.” Recently even the Australian PM praised MM Lee for his “straight talk” from three decades ago and said “We never forgot his warning that without reform we would be the “White Trash of Asia”
She obviously did not realise that the latitude accorded to the gods do not apply to mere mortals such as her. The PM was quick enough to jump on the bandwagon of condemnation from PAP ministers but has been noticeably silent about his father’s remarks. That surely ranks as hypocrisy or double standards to say the least.
She undoubtedly violated her corporate code of conduct. However she was dismissed without being given a chance to defend her actions by going through the company’s usual disciplinary procedure. Should not a reprimand or a written warning have been the first stage as she had already issued an apology? It was a salutary reminder of how few employment rights Singaporeans have. As Subra points out in his Article 14 blog (http://article14.blogspot.sg/2012/10/race-responsible-speech-and-hasty.html) it is particularly shocking, or would be to a naive observer, that a so-called government trade union should dispense with due process.
The question of whether she should be prosecuted is another matter. Most countries ban hate speech directed at an individual or group on the basis of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc. The US is perhaps alone in protecting hate speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution dealing with the right to freedom of expression.
One must be careful not to curtail free speech rights just because they give offence to a particular group (for example fundamentalist Christians would no doubt wish to stop the teaching of evolution theory on the grounds that it is offensive to their beliefs). However against the belief in an absolutist right to free speech there is an important argument that hate speech undermines a public good which Waldron (“The Harm in Hate Speech”, reviewed in the NYT, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/the-harm-in-free-speech/) “identifies as the “implicit assurance” extended to every citizen that while his beliefs and allegiance may be criticized and rejected by some of his fellow citizens, he will nevertheless be viewed, even by his polemical opponents, as someone who has an equal right to membership in the society. It is the assurance — not given explicitly at the beginning of each day but built into the community’s mode of self-presentation — that he belongs, that he is the undoubted bearer of a dignity he doesn’t have to struggle for.”
To quote Waldron again, “In its published, posted or pasted-up form, hate speech can become a world-defining activity, and those who promulgate it know very well — this is part of their intention — that the visible world they create is a much harder world for the targets of their hatred to live in.”
But postings like Amy Cheong’s do not occur in a vacuum. It is no accident that we get these numerous instances of hate speech in Singapore. There is not only Amy Cheong but also Shimun Lai, Sun Xu and Jason Neo. A few years back there was the case of Chua Cheng Zhan, the PSC scholar, who made racist remarks about Indians dominating the Singapore association (perhaps he could not stand the competition!). Yet he was allowed to apologise and let off whereas Amy Cheong was sacked for saying something much milder!
Before that there was the case of MP Choo Wee Khiang who said in Parliament that “One evening, I drove to Little India and it was pitch dark but not because there was no light, but because there were too many Indians around.” Surely, if they had not been protected by parliamentary privilege, his remarks could have been construed as inciting racial violence. They are qualitatively in a different league from Ms. Cheong’s. I myself have had to endure an onslaught of anonymous online postings calling me “ape-man” and “son of Ah Meng”.
It is because of a climate of institutional racism that is fostered from the very top and that is explicit in the racist attitudes and utterances of Lee Kuan Yew himself. If every citizen should have an implicit assurance, as Waldron puts it, that he will be viewed as someone who has an equal right to membership in the society, then this is lacking in the case of minorities in Singapore, and in particular in the case of the Malay minority. The latter have always been viewed with suspicion as potential fifth columnists. Many Malays were excluded from national service or when they were enlisted assigned to low security classifications or part-time service. This served and continues to serve to stigmatize them in the eyes of employers.
Similarly the Ethnic Integration Act treats minorities as second-class citizens by denying them the right to live where they want. It also penalizes them economically because they are often unable to sell their property to the highest bidder if the quota has been filled.
The proportion of minorities who are selected as government scholars is also so much lower than their share of the population (and many of those classified as minorities are new immigrants or children of mixed-race parentage). From 2002-2010 the proportion was 5.8% (http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/government-scholarships-a-case-for-greater-representation-of-minority-races/) but of these only 2.3% were Indians and 1.2% Malays. Surely in any country that wanted to portray itself as not institutionally racist there would be an inquiry and steps taken to either remove cultural bias in the selection process or remedy deficiencies in the education system. “
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Javi. / March 28, 2015
Jimbo,
Nair wanted his type of people to open `one meter tea shops` all over which is an eye sore so he thought he could get away. But Tamil lawyers are the best there and at New Zealand so just hang that pinnata seuvra round your neck like a satakya.
Did not Goota try to imitate Singapore when he got rid of shanty towns??
He did of course.- so sitting on ice cream.
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thiscantbhappening / August 13, 2013
very likely most of the deranged anti LKY comments emanate from one office.
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Udari / August 13, 2013
This is what is happening to sri lanka beucase of the GREEDY AND DUMB RAJAVASSA GOVERNANCE. THERE SHOOULD BE DEVELOPMENT. BUT BEFORE DEVELOPMENT YOU NEED TO PROTECT the ENVIORMENT. You get help from china you are in trouble.
http://news.yahoo.com/air-pollution-takes-toll-chinas-tourism-070442471.html
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LankaMatha / August 14, 2013
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
But equally true that Power blinds those who enjoy it
and make them deaf, dumb and blind to the world.
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sanjay wijeywardene / August 14, 2013
Sri Lankan Should Support its president over any other leader of any country.
I have been to singapore just last week with my family and have lived in singapore 8 years ago to see its real face.
Singaporeans has no regard to subcontinent, africans or arabs and they only respect australians, newzealanders, americans and europeans.
This is the last country i want to live and lee Kuan Yew should take a walk in little india to check and see how tamils live their lives and do business rather than worry about sri lanka.
Tamils in Sri lanka will agree with me who ever has been to singapore the most advanced city they called themselves with so much of racists in singaporeans who carved out a country out of malaysia.
I am living in Dubai, UAE and find the difference of singapore over its racists nature, I love dubai and its rulers who has no discrimination and nearly 200,000 sri lankans live here over less than 10,000 sri lankans in singapore.
Lee has no right to comment about sri lanka and rather look at his own country on how ethnic tamils live in singapore cleaning streets, bathrooms and blue color jobs. i had seen the discrimination to my own eyes and i respect the gulf countries and middle east as more respectfull towards sri lanka and its citizens.
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Wyatt K / August 14, 2013
I don’t like the current leadership. I hope M.A. Sumanthiran becomes president and then you will see a change in the right direction because he will be the president for ALL Sri Lankans.
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Samson / August 14, 2013
We know that you and me would respect the values of Sumanthiran and the like candidates. But he has a long Journey to go, dont you think so ? There are also good sorta candidate in UNP too, perhaps in SLFP and JVP too. But right at the moment, from the recently held speeched by Sumanthiran, he made crystal clear that he is a great candidate, that would focus all facets by giving adequate references. But the question is: have any of theose speeches happened to move them (the leaders or other authorities)to the right direction ? Absolutely not… This means, not only great candidates like Sumanthiran, something else that should be powerful above everything should put pressure on the current regime. Latter can be the people´s power, foreign power, or the both.
I wish, all the CW members could come forward before the summit and explain the gravity of HR violations that the rulers deliberately go on – not considering the democratic rightsand values of the Island´s nation.
People in Weliveriya, protested for clean water, but police autohrities accepted – thoese people´s fears against water contamintaions cause almost all walks of people to join the protests. But as usual, GOVT accuse the opposition politicians of abusing weliweriya people for their political agenda – fishing in mud waters. Latter is comparable that the Govt´s reasoning for any criticisms as – NGOS and Dollar earning funding bodies that would dont respect the govt ´s progress. Or the western imperialists intend to harm our sovereign rights. But anyone with sanity would feel, sovereign rights of the nation(common people) are being destroyed by THE RULING GOVT today not ANYONE else:
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sach / August 14, 2013
A man doesnt do everything he tells and he doesnt tell everything he does———-sumanthiran is a man like that….so dont have much hopes
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Tamil from the north / March 27, 2015
@Sach, I was wondering where this racist fuc& went all these days. Sach, I know you amounted to nothing. Probably somewhere in Europe cleaning some toilets and some or other bought a computer with a keyboard. So it is time for you to hammer away with all that racist muck in your filthy head. So please take my advise……..go and screw yourself you little vermin.
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S Mahinda / October 10, 2013
My foot – K Wyatt seems to be suffering from a high dose of delusion.
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Javi. / March 28, 2015
You are Coconut Head Pol Beepan.
He is Pal(mynha)Head Kallu Kuddi.
No common sence to set the pace just jumping the gun
Chicken in the PEN. No Banana on Palms just Beepan la.
NaMo
jai iHind
Hanuman haI
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Matilda Ellepola / August 14, 2013
Hello Snajay
As someone worked in Singapore and rest of East Asia will hard to take all of this you have mentioned over here.
There will be some racist Singaporeans though there are too many SL professionals in very top positions in Singapore.
Its true about Little india with some of the south indian or Bangadeshi workers are transported in open trucks for work like in horticulture etc, I may think these guys are uneducated and lowest segment in the society like the toilet cleaners in Sri Lanka are mostly estate tamils.
After seeing the inhuman attitude of Middle east employees for the poor housemaids like inserting nails into the body etc – I would say Singapore is 10 time better than Middle East.
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sanjay wijeywardene / August 14, 2013
Hi Matilda,
I must disagree on your comments about singapore and middle east.. middle east consist most of the proffesionals from sri lanka holding high positions with a total migrant work force over 1 million srilankans of which 70% consist of house maids. Apart from isolated incidents sri lankan house maids generaly highly regarded and we as proffessionals are well recognized in the arab world. Fyi, i remember singapore where they dont sit next to you in a bus and also called sri lanka as another state of india. It disgusted me much that i requested my company transfer me out from singapore. infact last week i have seen how the taxi drivers spoke to my kids such as boy and girl which realy put me off and to tell them to watch their mouth !, also the immigration officer who remarked at my wife for not having a disembarkation form for two kids below 5 ! which was never mentioned to us in the first place ! You should come to dubai and check it out to see how europeans, indians, srilankans, pakistani’s bangladeshi’s, arabs and americans live, work and develope the country. Dubai has gone far ahead of singapore and hongkong with better livings standards, tax free life and consistent cost of living.. sri lankans should respect the arab countries for the employement opportunities provided for over 1.5 million people. People such as LKY will never allow that in their countries except for few distinguished sri lankans such as rohan gunaratne seeking PR in singapore. tks
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Sama / August 15, 2013
But the SLGO or the counterparts from Dubai (and other countries) seem to be doing not enough for those housemaids for various reasons being camped in Dubai and the other countries. Even after the brutal state murder of Rizanna, nothing seem sot have changed. I have listened to audio/videos passed on these issues, many of them living on those camps are being abused by srilanken authorities. Those women that have gone there for housemaid jobs are partly illiterate,no education at all. Sexually abusing them instead of helping them atleast enabling their return to srilanka, is inhuman from the side of the govt.
I wish I could offer enough funds to allow the return home of those poor housemaids not being double punished by sexually abusive lanken authorities that have been sent to those embassies without properly checkin their credentials
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Assad Ali / March 27, 2015
“Apart from isolated incidents sri lankan house maids generaly highly regarded and we as proffessionals are well recognized in the arab world.”
I think this man is smoking pot. The truth is way beyond his imagination. Sri Lankan housemaids generally highly regarded? Hic, hic…Even professionals employed there have differing salary scales based on colour, and country of origin.
/
ahmad / August 14, 2013
interesting
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Alan / August 18, 2013
sanjay wijeywardene ,
But in Sri Lanka Sinhala Buddhist say gulf is full of Racism and fanatics…….Even in parliament speech i have seen many times……..Why don’t you go back to Sri Lanka and live peacefully with your sinhalese ancestors?
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janz rajendra / January 24, 2015
mate
Singapore is better for tamils than lan ka or india
lee kuan yew himself has praised Ceylonese tamils on their hardwork and merit
I know people who live good lives there
the president was sr Nathan and many beauracrats are tamil
the speaker is a tamil
tamils are one of the wealthiest and educated communities in lanka
get your facts straight next time
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Sumir Khan / March 27, 2015
“….and i respect the gulf countries and middle east as more respectfull towards sri lanka and its citizens. “
Sorry Sanjay, but I think you are under some sort of delusion. You simply haven’t grasped the utter disrespect for SriLankans and Asians in general that the Arabs and Gulf nationals have. Of course, Filipinos and white-skinned Easterners like the Japs and chinks are treated by them with a lot more respect than the other Asians, especially from the sub-continent. Just see how they treat our SriLankan housemaids. They are made to work shift hours non-stop and transferred from house to house even help their relatives when the masters hose work is done.Mules and work horses will be treated better.Then they have to prepare the meals, wash their cars and also their lavatories. Not to speak of their extra-curricular duties in satisfying the human urges of their masters.They get abused and burned by their mistresses for the slightest misdemeanor and are constantly watched with suspicion for possible theft and misbehavior. Simply put, they are treated worse than animals.Im glad that your employer treats you with the respect that you claim. But yours is a very special case and out of the norm.To an Arab, there are two things you need to qualify in to earn their respect as a human being. The first is, you need to have a white skin and the second is you need to be rich.Im a SriLankan Muslim who has worked in the Middle East for several years and talk through first hand experience.Im often ashamed that our govt allows our respectable womenfolk to be sent to the middle east to be treated they way they are by these dirty Arabs.
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cholan / March 27, 2015
It is very clear that that problem is not with Singaporiens but with your and your background…ask a direction or a road on street they will come with you to make sure you have reached the right place ….this type of culture they have developed….this is why tourists from alpa over the world flock in Sinagapore very safe..clean, order ….
During the rule of Murderpakse many tourists were butcherd and raped.. miracle of Asia …not a single culprit was punished to this day
Under Muderpakse & Co ., Sri Lanka became a heaven for drugs,prostitutes,child abuse,rapes so followers of Modapakse can’t swallow the comments from Lee…
Today standard of living in Singapore is almost like Switzerland …a multi racial and multicultural land should be governed with strict rules and regulations moreover with discipline ..
Finally if a Chinese attack a Malay or Indian… Police won’t look other side in Singapore in Sri Lanka land blessed by Buddha 3 times security force will support looters,murders and rapist latest example is Aluthgama
Punishment for drug dealers is death in Singapore…in this buddhist land drug dealers are VVIPS
Don’t bark anymore …. Lee was right about his comment about Murdearpakse
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amin / March 28, 2015
“I have been to singapore just last week with my family and have lived in singapore 8 years ago to see its real face. “
So, Sanjay, even after eight years of ‘seeing the real face of Singapore”, you decided to visit the country you hated so much. That too, with your family. Why the change of heart? Looking for another job? Maybe winds of change from the desert sands gave you the feeling that Singapore after all was the better of the two evils?
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citizen / August 14, 2013
You see, this is the bottom line of the history of Sri Lanka. Both people and leaders of Sri Lanka do not have embarrassment or SHAME for what so fever. If either once has the feeling of embarrassment or SHAME, MR won’t the president; Gota the goon won’t be the Sec of Def; Army won’t shoot the innocent people who asked clean water. Shame on you people and you absolutely deserve this kind of treatment as you elected these ghosts who do not have the simple GCE A/L qualification to think what are human rights. Do you think even after reading PM Lee’s comment things will change. Never, or ever things will change in this land as you both do not have “SHAME”
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Samson / August 14, 2013
I think the fault lies on the voters and the mahajanya in general.
If you talk to people of different categories, you will be able to realize this. Many would not even guess the danger before them, if the rulers would govern to the manner it has been sofar. There are all kind of comparable legal authorities in SL, but none of them would come forward and react adequately whatever the issue it is. For an incident such as WELIWERIYA incident, entire lankens should come to the streets for weeks long protests asking leaders to let them know whether the country is millitary govt. But howmany of among the professional bodies would have guts to do so ? University academics should go on strikes not only about their issues, but also issues common to GENERAL public in the country. They and the lawyers can lead opening the eyes of the common masses.
Then only napping idiots in the ruling bunch would perhaps grasp the gravity of their decisions against the own folks that they should rather be grateful. The mothers that lost their innocent children in those protests, would feel similar to what Rizanna ´s felt after the girl was beheaded. For no reason the young girl was killed out, if the authorities had worked on the issue adequately, Rizana´s life could have been saved. Yesterdy by listening to a YOU TUBE video in which one senior officer detailed about the grave shortcomings of the ministry of foreign employment, said, if the govtand authorities were genuine, Rizana´s and similar common cases could have been mstered properly.
He pointed out how important to introduce better system for the benificience of those families whose lovely ones leave here for middle East for foregin employement. He said, we the nation should be very grateful to those who brought foreign exchange to the country. He is aboslutley right. But why does not funtion the bodies as expected ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QLFOYX_8K8
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Wyatt K / August 14, 2013
“In the aftermath of war, much is being said about ‘uniting’ the country. We are also keen that this country be united, and that all its peoples live in harmony. As President Obama often says ‘E pluribus unum’ – out of many, one. But one of the natural corollaries of unity is that when one is affected, all are affected. You cannot strike my brother, and not hurt me. You cannot take away my sister’s liberties, and not take mine. If we are all connected, we will all rejoice together, and suffer together.” – TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran in December 2011.
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PresiDunce Bean / August 14, 2013
Jim softy must be getting paid quite a hefty sum from the Rajapassas. :)
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sach / August 14, 2013
why dont u try to debate him and dispprove his points?
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LMAO / March 27, 2015
He do not need to. Because they are not his points. that hopeless idiot (like you) is copy pasting someone’s writing.
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Tamil from the north / March 27, 2015
@Sach, only a fool like you will argue with a fool like Jim Shitty. I believe “PresiDunce Bean” has a brain in his scull as opposed to some cow dung you have in yours. So he will argue with people with intelligence…….that will certainly leave you and Jim Shitty out. Hey Sach, why don’t you start a newspaper called; News for the numbsculls, chief Editor Sumanasekeram, Deputy editor dumb [Edited out]; Sach.
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abhaya / August 14, 2013
for all I know This Thiru is a fag with a man crush on LKY or he is a transexual from Grylang
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Thiru / August 14, 2013
ABhaya,
Thiru is none of your imaginations.
I am a compassionate human being.
Buddha would have liked to see me in Sri Lanka,
not the miss-guided so-called followers of his.
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Tamil from the north / March 29, 2015
@Thiru, don’t worry too much about Abhaya. His wife left him for his neighbour, he is a Tamil man. So Abhaya is pissed off and looking to consummate his wild imaginations with a ponniah. Let him have his moment, aids will catch up with him soon.
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ponnalingam / March 29, 2015
“looking to consummate his wild imaginations with a ponniah”
I take it you were all too happy to accommodate him then?
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Tamil from the north / March 29, 2015
@Ponnalingam, I told him that a guy who enjoys it so much has named himself after the actual act of bending over, his name is Ponnalingam and he is looking for blokes like Abhaya. So, please go ahead and have a wonderful evening with each other. Ponnalingam, what a fitting name for a guy who bends over.
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ahmad / August 14, 2013
I don’t think MR is a Sinhala Extremist – he is just a backbone less puppet of Sinhala Extremists for the votes
The problem is with the people unfortunately. If we don’t embark on a radical change in minds of the majority community, we will be for ever cursed with MRs even after this one leaves.
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Eric / August 14, 2013
Well, first Mr. Lee Kwan Yew should give democracy to Singaporeans before talking about leaders of other countries! Still the Singapore government is ruling with an iron fist because of this guy.
Why doesn’t he talk about the next door Malaysian leaders who are so racist? Afraid he will lose the benefits from them?
MR is also doing the same thing Mr. Lee did: Develop the country, multilanguage policy, national security etc etc. But, since Sri Lanka is a much bigger than Singapore and is much much more democratic than Singapore ever was, he had become quite extreme to win the war by taxing the majority Sinhalese. Now, the taxes are more as he is developing Tamil areas with the best facilities.
Are the Tamils complaining? Go find out first hand from people in the streets of Jaffna not the TNA!
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Thiru / August 14, 2013
Instead of looking at matters superficially on an ad hoc basis, I think we need to look into the feeling/thinking of different communities in Sri Lanka to get to the root cause of ethnic/religious problems:
The ruling elite and a substantial part of the Sinhala intellectuals think and or feel that Sri Lanka belongs to them: Buddhist intellectuals would go one step further and say it belongs to Sinhala Buddhists only.
Tamils of the North-East think and feel that North-East is Tamil speaking people’s traditional homeland, that includes the Muslims. Muslims of the East definitely think/feel that it’s their homeland.
Tamils, Christians and Muslims in the island think/feel that they must have equal rights like Sinhalese in Sri Lanka.
The conflicting thinking and feelings above are the causes of ethnic and religious disharmony which has escalated to a peak in the recent years.
To find an acceptable solution the international community must intervene and find an equitable solution: The solution may even entail the solutions found for the former Yugoslavia.
Many people might not agree with me, but it seems to be a rational way to proceed:
This is urgently needed to prevent the genocide of Tamils/Muslims/Christians, especially in light of the 145,000 innocent Tamils massacred by the armed forces in 2009 in the latter stages of the war.
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S Mahinda / October 10, 2013
Thiru, u are not a compassionate human being but just a nutter who like to ignore reality by fabricating stories like North is the homeland of Tamils and east is the home land of Muslims. So, Tamils have Tamilnadu which is TWICE the size of Sri Lanka but that is NOT big enough for the compassionate human being for he wants to carve out another chunk as a second homeland in addition to Tamilnadu from the ONLY homeland that Sinhala people who built Sinhale (Sri Lanka is a misnomer – Mrs B wanted the first two names of her political party to be the name of the country but under the 1815 Kandyan Convention the name of the country was Sinhale which the British mis pronounced as Ceylon). This same nutter Thiru thinks the East of Sri Lanka should be the homeland of Muslims when they have 57 Muslim majority countries in the OIC. While we are blissfully giving away chunks of land that the Sinhala Buddhists built, why stop with Tamils and Muslims? Why not give away chunk of land to the Catholics (probably Wattala to Negambo)and another chunk to Malays, parsees, etc,etc
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cholan / March 28, 2015
There were no Muslims in the East before the arrival of Portugese…all Eastern province towns and villages where muslims live today have got pure Tamil names….
Most muslims in East are converted Tamil Hindus
Know the history before parade your ignorance
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ponnalingam / March 29, 2015
There were no Tamils either, except a few stragglers from defeated armies the Sinhalese didn’t bother to kick back across the Palk to their homeland [Edited out]
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cholan / March 29, 2015
you are another Modaya coward hiding behind Tamil name ….in a village called Kathiravelai in Batticaloa they have found evidence showing Tamils lived here 2000 years ago ..
Trico was a big town when Kandy was a forest …..and Thabalagamam was ruled by King Kulakottan still ruins are there …to prove this
There are enough Tamils lived in Eastern province even before your Malayali origin Sinhalease colonized this country
dont parade your ignorance with fake..fabricated ..Mahavamsa comic book knowledge
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Native Vedda / March 29, 2015
cholan
“There are enough Tamils lived in Eastern province even before your Malayali origin Sinhalease colonized this country”
Ah, you don’t have anything like Mahawansa.
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AMLadduwahetty / August 14, 2013
I would add one more descriptor to my earlier descriptors of why Mr LKY… resorted to this strange commentary that belies his reputation in the region. I had said that ” Senility, ignorance, and some jealousy probably still bugging the old man especially as he sees Sri Lanka’s ports becoming a serious challenge to Singapore???”
In addition he is clearly a “Racist”. His blatantly racist remark that the Sinhalese people are “less capable” than the Jaffna Tamils reeks of this underlying flaw.
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Rama / August 23, 2013
oi lddawahetty, what a load of bollocks you are talking about. lee is right in saying that jaffna tamils are more intelligent and capable than the sinhala modayas. anyway we know that too well. however, lee an intelligent and capable man knows what he is talking about. i suppose his observations are based on success stories of jaffna tamils in malaysia and singapore. he put jaffna tamils above his own chinese.
oi stick your hambattanttattota port up you black ass. shit lanka can never be a singapore in a million years. send more maids and toilet cleaners to the middle east to be successful.
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Fathima Fukushima / August 18, 2013
Lee Kuan Yew is a Chinese extremist!
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gamaya / August 18, 2013
LKY, He is among very early supporters of pheelam. Only to save his small land,s interest and to please his toilet washing voters. LKY was American and British back side kisser and became the man in ASIA. MR is clearly not LKY, what ever said and done, LTTE is almost over, only LKY and few other dreamers dream that will emerge as they would like this country to be at troubles all the time. LKY and Singapore is bit nervous now as even with 30 year war SL never had catastrophic economic disaster. Today no wonder India, Singapore are worrying. Now its time MR to be clever and appoint true patriots to the top jobs and cut down corruption. If that happen, if all sinhala majority think as one and think bigger rather than divided just for a packet of rice. All sinhala majority stop worshiping whites and west.. Sri lanka will be a place 3 times better than Singapore. So LKY could kis MRs back side…before he RIP.
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Rama / August 23, 2013
gamaya, your waffle exposes your inferiority complex.
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S Mahinda / October 10, 2013
Brilliantly said Gamaya. I also like the comments of Hela – they make me proud to be Sinhala at a time when every single politician in S Lanka has taken us for a ride.
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Hela / August 19, 2013
The racist policies enacted by LKY in Singapore in order to ensure continued Chinese ethnic hegamony is well documented.
Similarly, the autocratic model he presided over and it’s detrimental impact on minorities and dissent is also well recorded.
Does anyone propose such a model for Sri Lanka under MR?
The biggest positive in that model that helped Singapore was (apart from Western backing) the establishment of law & order through harsher methods whcih coupled with subjugation of dissent and absence of pluralist democracy enabled LKY to achieve political stability over a long period under his autocratic rule.
Those who rejoice LKY comments must then support MR in establishing a similar model in Sri Lanka.
LKY’s disquiet can be understood from the perspective that Sri Lanka with it’s ambitious infrastructure development programme and with it’s geographic location advantage may become a serious competitor to Singapore.
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Javi. / March 29, 2015
“”Those who rejoice LKY comments must then support MR in establishing a similar model in Sri Lanka.””
MR is fit for the ZOO he is a zebra eating crocodile- tsunami hora minimaruva (Thief murderer) then throw the key away and save the security for a former president.
NINETY PERCENT OF SINGAPOREANS OWN THEIR OWN HOMES TODAY, AND MORE THAN 80 PERCENT LIVE IN GOVERNMENT-BUILT RESIDENTIAL UNITS.
MR was stupidly great sarong karaya satayaka- bulath heppuva. (sarong, and beetle_juice) Anyone like mervin can do better than MR that way but LKY is a genius who made things that you can touch and live-
every woman needs a home – not sex slave in the medival middle east,
hela sihnhal prostitution is what you love???
It’s every mothers childs ambition to be an auto pilot- its a dream come true.
LKY was a genius who stole the show in the world with what he left a legacy of 1st class housing in a first class sovereign nation- only his culture can do that- you are thirinsanyo puta- with drugs prostution of young boys in mags , sex for sale in the medival middle east as long as its not your mother- have 50 dead bodies arrive weekly from there… all narkadiya9 Total hell from a village buffalo from hambantota.)
Great men Copy, Geniuses Steal MR was neither he lost his power as a stupid goon before even his 2nd term ended.
While LKY was power even after his death.
:-) smile
(-:
How Singapore Fixed Its Affordable Housing Problem
A 1965 newsreel looks back at a public-housing initiative led by late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew—one that continues to influence high levels of homeownership today.
By the time Lee Kuan Yew—who passed away Sunday at the age of 91—and his People’s Action Party (PAP) took control of Singapore in 1959, the city was nowhere near solving its persistent affordable housing crisis, nor its increasing racial strife.
Singapore’s population grew steadily after World War II, but living conditions for the city’s lower and middle classes failed to improve while tension between Chinese and Malay communities plagued the city. (Race riots in 1964 left 36 people dead and over 500 injured.)
Under British colonial rule, Singapore had its first public housing initiative, the Singapore Improvement Trust. Formed in 1927, it ultimately failed to better integrate the city’s neighborhoods or put a dent in its housing shortage. Lee, Singapore’s first prime minister, and his party replaced SIT with the Housing and Development Board in 1960. With that change came a new goal: 51,031 new housing units built within the program’s first five years.
The HDB’s first five-year plan is celebrated in the 1965 newsreel above, produced by the broadcast division of Singapore’s Ministry of Culture. With footage of new housing projects that would make the heart of any modernist planner sing, the clip boasts of the board’s accomplishment in exceeding its own construction goals and re-housing 400,000 Singaporeans—nearly a quarter of the city’s 1960 population.
Ninety percent of Singaporeans own their own homes today, and more than 80 percent live in government-built residential units.
The newsreel also shows a related exhibit, with Yew in attendance, displaying Singapore’s next round of ambitions in tiny model form. “This is how the new Singapore will look,” the narrator tells us on the same year the city was expelled from Malaysia. “Multistory blocks of apartment houses, commercial houses, restaurants, hotels, theaters, shopping centers, and markets. Roads planned so that traffic can flow smoothly even when the number of cars and lorries has increased fourfold.”
Fatal race riots took place once again later that decade, and the HDB determined in 1966 that 250,000 people were still living in squatter settlements in city limits—plus 300,000 in the suburbs. In 1968, Lee introduced a new measure that allowed those living in public housing to tap into their government pensions to buy their residences. According to Statistics Singapore, 90 percent of Singaporeans own their own homes today and more than 80 percent live in government-built residential units. The HDB also has an Ethnic Integration Policy that prevents racial enclaves from forming through the resale of public housing units.
Sri Lanknans cant even copy- its not cricket its culture of the doing and the doer
– just producing children (bestiality breed majority) creating majority capturing power – begging from the world and fooling is your birth right?? Burva Bas**rds
You folk are suckers go jump in the sea you have no self respect for your self or your mothers.
Your behavior is like the Hyena treating the dead but even the greatest for shelter the world has seen and may not reproduce again for ages.
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Benyamin / December 2, 2013
Sealing all above comments,
1) If a Muslim leader in a Muslim majority country does not show more favoritism & offers more security to the Muslim majority of that country or for that matter a leader of any particular country who belongs to the majority race or religion of that country does show favoritism to his or her race or religion which is the majority ,do you think they can ever expect to be elected as the ruler ? show me one country in the world with such a leader? at-least he will belong to the majority’s religion even if he is from a different race, look at Obama , his color may be black , but remember his mother was a white lady , and he is a Christian ,never mind how much the US opposition try to brand him a Muslim because of his father, people in control knows he is a Christian and they also know he will do what an American Christian president got to do to all that is favorable to America’s majority’s policy and that is that.
So I see nothing wrong in MR favoring the Sinhalese more as long as he makes sure the others are given what is their dues rights, that is to practice their religion, eat, dress & live what they like the way their religion & traditions have required them to , work and earn their living in a legal way and live where ever they want to in Sri lanka in peace & security.
may peace Prevail.
/
Benyamin / December 2, 2013
Sealing all above comments, 1) If a Muslim leader in a Muslim majority country does not show more favoritism & offers more security to the Muslim majority of that country or for that matter a leader of any particular country who belongs to the majority race or religion of that country does not show favoritism to his or her race or religion which is the majority ,do you think they can ever expect to be elected as the ruler ? show me one country in the world with such a leader? at-least he will belong to the majority’s religion even if he is from a different race, look at Obama , his color may be black , but remember his mother was a white lady , and he is a Christian ,never mind how much the US opposition try to brand him a Muslim because of his father, people in control knows he is a Christian and they also know he will do what an American Christian president got to do to all that is favorable to America’s majority’s policy and that is that. So I see nothing wrong in MR favoring the Sinhalese more as long as he makes sure the others are given what is their dues rights, that is to practice their religion, eat, dress & live what they like the way their religion & traditions have required them to , work and earn their living in a legal way and live where ever they want to in Sri lanka in peace & security. may peace Prevail.
/
Babbity / December 2, 2013
Wow, how did something racist like this get published? I’m not talking about MR. But some of the talking points LKY uses is disturbingly similar to ones purported by racist nationalist Tamils and the LTTE. First of all, Jaffna Tamils. All Tamils in SL are not Jaffna Tamils–did Hill country/Indian Tamils, Tamil-Muslims, and other Sri Lankan Tamils just disappear off the face of the island? There’s a bitter political debate about just when Tamil people arrived in SL, but the Jaffna kingdom came into being in the 12th century after a Magha invasion, and was a feudal part of the South Indian Pandyan kingdom. Of course, the whole politicization of the Tamil-Sinhala history only feeds into the racism. That’s why I’m amazed LKY would use such rhetoric. That and of course, Tamils being “more capable” than the Sinhalese. This of course purported by racists,descending from the fact that Tamils, while being a minority, used to hold the majority of civil service and similar posts, back when they were more educated and Sinhalese did not have access to education because of the colonists. Then came the racist remarks that Sinhalese were “stupid” unlike Tamils, sentiments on par with white supremacists saying Blacks were “too stupid” to be educated (no matter that Blacks used to be barred from even the most basic human amenities in Countries like the US and UK). It’s chilling to see such sentiments being invoked by a national leader, and the interviewer actually playing along. Who the hell is this Thomas Pate anyway? And the simple a$$-kissing in the last paragraph of the scanned page of his book is hilarious.
Say NO to ethno-politics people.Don’t give into old, outdated hatreds. Divided we fall!
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Sriyani Mangalika / March 27, 2015
Killing people is easy. Winning the hearts of people is extremely difficult since it could never be forced.It less incur money but should require senstivity towards people with no differentiation been prepared to listen to them and to have genuine concern towards soothing the aching hearts.
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dilip / March 27, 2015
What the Lawyer Mr Nair has stated in his long letter is absolutely true and fully endorse as a person who lived in Singapore for nearly 4 years. There is no freedom of speech in Singpaore and everyone knows how they discriminate Malays when offering jobs and housing loans etc. The government even go to the extent of looking in to the voters list in discreet way to find out who and who have voted against them in elections. The opposition is pushed to the wall and they have no right in expression of ideas. This is Singapore. What is wrong in President MR giving priority to the majority. He was not afraid of doing that in public unlike other so called politicians who bank on Sinhalese Buddhist votes and scratch the backs of Europeans and other traitors. He is a fearless leader who always fought for the country. A brave leader who will commence war when need arises unlike PM RW who is a timid person by character.Mr Nair very well written sir.
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InconvenientTruth / March 27, 2015
I wish CT did not highlight this article again. We are told not to say ill of the dead, but, LKY always considered Sri Lanka as a competitor to Singapore’s rising, and whether he actively took measures to eliminate that competition or not his words in this interview and in many other places was very clear, LKY considered a developed, peaceful SL would be eating into Singapore’s pie!
RIP Lee Kuwan Yew, everyone, even the the hardest hypocrites deserve a peaceful end and beyond!
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / March 27, 2015
Dementia is a bitch, as Mr Lee found out :D
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Javi. / March 27, 2015
Great planner the post graduate students of city planning heard or read about- may the man RIP he taught us much
While Sinhala Premadasa the Lankan thug who won an award in 1987 lied to the world that he was creating 1 million homes.
Ninety percent of Singaporeans own their own homes today, and more than 80 percent live in government-built residential units.
Lee Kuan Yew: One Man’s View of the World Publication Year: 2014
ISBN: 9789814342568
He was quite sane like anyone else and passed away peacefully one day like wijeweera you may be thrown into the crematorium- that is what happens in buddha land to islamist in the army.
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David alias Siva Sankaran Sarma the foot solider who raped the dead women of lanka is at it again.
David in your own words on CT you could never speak to your father about your sexual and sadistic problems.
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cholan / March 27, 2015
When Singapore Airlines was formed Lee has picked Mr.Pillai as Chairman and Mr.Kulasekaram as General Manager both are Sri Lankan origin Tamils …and never Singapore government interfere with SIA management today Singapore Airlines is one of the best in the world..and Changi airport elected as No:1 airline in the world this year also.
he he he in SL these jokers can’t run an Airline writing comments about Singapore …even jobs are given to unqualified Sinhalese while there are well experienced Tamilsat this airline are being ignored
Arabs are not racists he he he every month 40 bodies of house maids arriving from Middle East at Colombo airport….many .Sinhalese who are working in Singapore are in white color jobs he he he majority of Sinhalese in Dubai are housemaids…and cleaners and Arab treated these people as slaves…
Even though Tamils are 10% in Singapore population Lee has made Tamils as a official language …and Singapore national anthem is in MALAY while jokers here protest singing National anthem in Tamil a practice used since independence
Jayawewa SL is the best country in the world only fools praise Singapore
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Pushpa / March 27, 2015
Singapore ,a little red dot,is a much better governed country than Sri Lanka.Your leaders are interested in getting votes and dare not do what is right.Mr Lee did have unpopular policies for the good of the country.Look where Singapore is and where Sri Lanka is.Look at the world leaders who have come to pay their respect to our founding father.Our passports have so much respect.Doesn’t Sri Lanka want to follow the Singapore way?
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