Singapore’s police yesterday stopped a protest march by an opposition politician – just after Lee Kuan Yew, the state’s founder, had publicly bemoaned the weakness of political opposition.
Chee Soon Juan, secretary general of the Singapore Democratic Party, had attempted to march from Speaker’s Corner, in a park in central Singapore. He was not arrested but was prevented from marching, following a speech taking the country’s leadership to task for, among other things, lack of democratic freedom. Chee arrived at 11 am and spent half an hour with several colleagues registering at the nearby police station for the right to present at Speaker’s Corner, a requirement under Singapore law. He had invited World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz and IMF managing director Rodrigo de Rato to attend his protest, but neither appeared.
The previous day, Lee Kuan Yew had taken a swipe at Chee during a debating session at the Raffles Forum, saying: “You have seen the opposition candidates. If they become the government I think Singapore will collapse.” But he surprised many in the audience by suggesting Singapore was diminished by its lack of credible opposition. “The day we produce an opposition of the same quality as us, that day we are in a safer position.”
Lee, hardly known for welcoming dissent, continued: “We are at a very odd stage. The people want the PAP [People’s Action Party, Lee’s party, which has been in power for over 40 years] to win the elections, but they want an opposition in government, to squeeze us and say: don’t up the bus fares, don’t up the electricity bills, give us more. That’s all right. But if they become the government that’s real trouble.
“Our problem is how do we get the electorate sufficiently wise and sophisticated to understand these are the limits?”