Tag Archives: singapore

Singapore: Execution of Chijoke Obioha violates international law – Amnesty International

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Reacting to the executions of Chijioke Stephen Obioha, a Nigerian national, and Devendran Supramaniam, a Malaysian national, by the Singapore authorities, Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said:

“The Singapore authorities have brazenly violated international law with these shameful executions. The death penalty is a cruel and irreversible punishment that most of the world has turned its back on. Singapore continues to remain an outlier, executing people for crimes that do not meet the ‘most serious’ threshold to which the death penalty must be restricted under international law.

“The executions took place secretively, with some details only emerging at the eleventh hour. When a person’s life is involved, the authorities must be fully transparent about their actions, to ensure that everyone has a right to a fair trial and due process is followed, allowing the families and the public at large can have easily access to all information on the case.

The death penalty is never a solution. It will not rid Singapore of drugs or serve as an effective deterrent.”

Singapore: Execution of Chijoke Obioha violates international law – Amnesty International

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Reacting to the executions of Chijioke Stephen Obioha, a Nigerian national, and Devendran Supramaniam, a Malaysian national, by the Singapore authorities, Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said:

“The Singapore authorities have brazenly violated international law with these shameful executions. The death penalty is a cruel and irreversible punishment that most of the world has turned its back on. Singapore continues to remain an outlier, executing people for crimes that do not meet the ‘most serious’ threshold to which the death penalty must be restricted under international law.

“The executions took place secretively, with some details only emerging at the eleventh hour. When a person’s life is involved, the authorities must be fully transparent about their actions, to ensure that everyone has a right to a fair trial and due process is followed, allowing the families and the public at large can have easily access to all information on the case.

The death penalty is never a solution. It will not rid Singapore of drugs or serve as an effective deterrent.”

FLASH: Chijioke Obioha, Nigerian who smuggled drugs into Singapore has been executed.

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A Nigerian, Chijioke Stephen Obioha who was arrested for smuggling 2kg of Cannabis into Singapore was hanged to death on Friday.

 

A member of the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign group, Mr. Ravi who was on the case revealed this on his Facebook page.

 

He wrote, “This morning, at 6am, the execution of Chijioke Stephen Obioha took place. I am not even sure if his family from Nigeria were able to attend. Soon it will be all forgotten together with Chijioke’s name, but for the many of us who fight and campaign to eradicate this barbaric practice of death by hanging, and for those of us who challenge the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking in Singapore, our work will go on. And it must.”

 

Ravi later said he is making arrangements for a proper burial for the deceased.

 

“I’m currently arranging with the Roman Catholic Prison Ministry ( RCPM) to claim the body of Chijioke from the Singapore Prisons Service for a proper funeral in accordance with his religious beliefs.The funeral will take place either today or tomorrow depending on how soon the SPS could release the body. Will keep you posted,” he wrote.

 

The Singapore Court of Appeal had dismissed an appeal filed against his death sentence.

Planned execution of Nigerian in Singapore heartbreaking – Dabiri-Erewa

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The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has described the planned execution a Nigerian, Chijioke Obioha, in Singapore on Friday for drug-related offences as heartbreaking.

 

Dabiri-Erewa said this is happening despite repeated calls for Nigerians to desist from criminal activities such as drug peddling.

 

In a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, in Abuja, Dabiri-Erewa said since Singapore is determined to enforce its laws as a deterrent to drug trafficking, which has reduced as a result of its stringent capital punishment, there was nothing that can be done except to continue to appeal.

 

“While we regret the death sentence passed on the Nigerian, we once again appeal to Nigerians to avoid crimes like drug trafficking with most countries especially in Asia declaring zero tolerance for drug trafficking,” Dabiri-Erewa stated.

 

She reiterated her appeal to Nigerians to avoid drug peddling in their host countries as laws of countries, whether acceptable or not, will be difficult to influence.

 

Obioha was caught in Singapore trafficking in hard drugs on April 9, 2007 with his execution slated for November 18. Obioha was arrested with more than 2.6kg of cannabis, surpassing the statutory amount of 500 grams.

 

Anything higher is presumed as drug trafficking in Singapore. Amnesty International had called on Singapore to immediately halt Friday’s planned execution of Obioha.

 

Obioha’s family was informed that his appeal for clemency has been rejected.

 

Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s Director for South-East Asia and the Pacific, said: “The Singapore government still has time to halt the execution of Chijoke Stephen Obioha. We are dismayed that clemency has not been granted in his case, but remain hopeful that they won’t carry out this cruel and irreversible punishment against a person sentenced to the mandatory death penalty for a crime that should not even be punished by death.

 

“The death penalty is never the solution. It will not rid Singapore of drugs. By executing people for drug-related offences, which do not meet the threshold of most serious crimes, Singapore is violating international law.”

 

Under Singaporean law, when there is a presumption of drug possession and trafficking, the burden of proof shifts from the prosecutor to the defendant.

Singapore to hang Chijioke Stephan Obioha tomorrow morning for drug crime.

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Nigerian national set to be hanged at dawn tomorrow for trafficking of Cannabis after Apex Court dismisses last ditch appeal.

Chijioke Stephan Obioha, a Nigerian graduate who first came to Singapore for a football trial, is set to be hung at dawn tomorrow after the Court of Appeal dismissed an Urgent Criminal Motion filed by his lawyer, Mr Joseph Chen. Chijioke was first arrested in 2007 and sentenced to the Mandatory Death Penalty in 2008 after being found guilty of trafficking more than 2kg of Cannabis

His execution tomorrow will bring and end to what the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign member Mr Ravi calls ‘possibly the longest delay between sentencing and execution.’ Chijioke has spent almost 8 years on death row and more than 9 years behind bars. The contention that arose from the urgent criminal motion that the Court of Appeal heard at 5pm earlier today was whether the ‘unprecedented mental anguish’ Chijioke experienced contravened Article 9(1) of the Constitution in so far as it amounted to cruel and inhumane treatment.

Mr Ravi who also recently wrote a piece which argued that the ‘unprecedented mental anguish’ that Chijioke experienced in his 8 years on death row amounted to a ‘violation of human rights’ in itself. He stated that, to his knowledge, the delay in Chijioke’s execution is ‘possibly the longest in Singapore’s history.’ In addition to International Human Rights instruments, he also cites the Privy Council Case of Pratt and Morgan v Attorney-General for Jamaica, where it was held that ‘the delay of 5 years and 6 months which had elapsed since an accused’s conviction amounted to cruel and unusual punishment and breached his constitutional right not to be deprived of life.’

Mr Ravi, who is assisting Mr Joseph with the research for the case, shared that Singapore’s Apex Court had dismissed the motion in a Facebook post. The post was published at 7pm, about 2 hours after the Court begun to hear the case. The Judges dismissed the appeal, ruling that the issues had already been settled in the case of Yong Vui Kong, Mr Ravi’s client.

“The court of appeal has dismissed Chijioke’s constitutional challenge on the ground that Article 9(1) of Singapore’s constitution does not prohibit cruel and inhuman punishment and degrading treatment as previously held in the case of Yong Vui Kong in 2010. The court was not prepared to review its previous decision despite changes to the mandatory death penalty regime in 2012 and failed to consider the evolving standards of customary international law that prohibit cruel and inhumane and degrading treatment. We have to live with another judgement that says that the Singapore constitution allows cruel and inhumane punishment and degrading treatment.

Mr Ravi also noted that the Court questioned Mr Joseph on why the application was made at the 11th hour. This is despite the fact that the Mr Chen was only instructed yesterday and the case was only brought to the attention of the local Anti-Death Penalty groups last week.

What was most disturbing was despite the court having put on notice that Chijioke’s counsel was only instructed yesterday, The court repeatedly kept asking why this application was made at the 11th hour.”

His imminent execution drew condemnation from International Organizations and local civil society groups. As this article went to press, the United Nations, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the European Union, Amnesty International, Thinkcentre, We Believe in Second Chances and the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign, to name a few, have all released statements calling for the Singapore Government to halt his execution. Most, if not all, statements raise the issue of the unprecedented amount of time spent on death row and the fact that Chijioke had consistently maintained his innocence – to the point that he initially turned down a chance for re-sentencing for fear that it may be perceived as an admission of guilt. Some have also raised the issue of Chijioke being executed for Marijuana – a substance that is being legalised, for both medicinal and recreational purposes, in many cities and countries around the world.

The United Nations

Under international law, the death penalty may only be used for “the most serious crimes” which has been interpreted to mean only crimes involving intentional killing. Drug-related offences do not fall under the threshold of “most serious crimes”. Furthermore, under domestic law, the death penalty is not mandatory for drug-related offences.

“The death penalty is not an effective deterrent relative to other forms of punishment nor does it protect people from drug abuse,” said Laurent Meillan, the acting regional representative of the UN Human Rights Office. “The focus of drug-related crime prevention should involve strengthening the justice system and making it more effective.”

The European Union

The EU, Norway and Switzerland hold a principled position against the death penalty and are opposed to the use of capital punishment under any circumstances. The death penalty has not been shown in any way to act as a deterrent to crime. Furthermore, any errors – inevitable in any legal system – are irreversible. The EU, Norway and Switzerland will continue in their pursuit of the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.

FIDH

FIDH, a member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP), reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty for all crimes and in all circumstances. FIDH calls on the Singaporean government to reinstate the moratorium on executions that was lifted in July 2014, and to make progress towards the abolition of capital punishment for all crimes. FIDH also urges Singapore to vote in favor of the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution – due to be voted on in December 2016 – that calls for a moratorium on executions.

SADPC

“Following legal advice that he would not qualify as a “courier” under the amended laws, Chijioke withdrew his application. This led to the lifting of the stay of execution on 24 October 2016 and the setting of the execution date. His family has also been informed on 16 November 2016, two days before his scheduled execution, that his second clemency petition has been rejected by the State. They have been unable to make their way to Singapore over the years and are heartbroken by the news.”

We Believe in Second Chances

“We also note that Chijioke has endured a very long period of 9 years in prison, much of it on death row. He is very far away from home, and has not been able to see his family in this time. We understand that death row inmates are kept in their cells for 23 hours a day, with only about a hour of ‘yard time’. We cannot underestimate the extreme psychological toll of being stuck on death row, facing imminent execution in such conditions.”

Chijioke’s family, who have not been able to visit him since 2007, will not be in Singapore to collect his remains tomorrow. His younger brother shares the ordeals his family members went through during Chijioke’s incarceration.

Chijioke Stephen Obioha is like a twin to me even though he is my elder brother. A whole part of the family has been missing since that date in 2007. He is a brother among all my brothers that loves to help, makes sure people around him are fine and would help as much as he can to assist friends and family.

Hard working and industrious, our family miss that brother, son and uncle who always love to see our family united and happy. Educated brother and skilful in playing soccer, which was one of his dreams in Singapore. It was an unforgettable shock for the family to hear of his link to such case. I have always been in constant contact with him since his stay in prison and he has always kept to his stance of innocence.

A lot of both financial and physical effort has been made by our family towards his defence in previous years but due to lack of fund and restricted access to Singapore, it was difficult to carry on with his desire towards a defence lawyer. He carried on with a lot of government appointed defence counsel even though he was not satisfied with their efforts and we, the family, were not satisfied as well with the level of communication between us and his defence team. We were put in the dark for a very long while. We resorted to the voice of the public via Amnesty international, which I contacted from United Kingdom. My brother deserves to live. His life is precious to us.”

Singapore set to execute Chijioke Obioha for drug possession.

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Amnesty International, Wednesday, called on Singapore government to immediately halt Friday’s planned execution of a Nigerian indigene, Chijoke Stephen Obioha for possession of drugs.

Despite his pleas for clemency, the country insists on serving the young man corporal punishment tomorrow, Friday November 18.

Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s Director for South-East Asia and the Pacific, said: “The Singapore government still has time to halt the execution of Chijoke Stephen Obioha.

“We are dismayed that clemency has not been granted in his case, but remain hopeful that they won’t carry out this cruel and irreversible punishment against a person sentenced to the mandatory death penalty for a crime that should not even be punished by death.

“The death penalty is never the solution. It will not rid Singapore of drugs. By executing people for drug-related offences, which do not meet the threshold of most serious crimes, Singapore is violating international law.

“Most of the world has turned its back on this ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It is about time that Singapore does the same, starting by restoring a moratorium on all executions as a first step towards abolition of this punishment.”

“Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the method of execution or the crime for which it is imposed, and believes that there is no credible evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect.

Obioha was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilogrammes of cannabis in April 2007, surpassing the amount of 500 grammes that triggers the automatic presumption of trafficking under Singapore law.

Under Singaporean law, when there is a presumption of drug possession and trafficking, the burden of proof shifts from the prosecutor to the defendant. .

Chijioke Stephen Obioha graduated in Industrial Chemistry from Benin University in Nigeria. He moved to Singapore in 2005, seeking to join a football club.

His family members, who currently live in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, have been unable to travel to visit and had limited ability to assist him.

Amnesty International Moves To Stop Nigerian’s Execution In Singapore

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Amnesty International (AI) has called on the president of Singapore to intervene in the case a Nigerian, Chijioke Stephen Obioha, who is facing death sentence in the Asian country.
A statement emailed to Daily Trust by AI’s Media Manager in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said the execution of Obioha has been set for 18 November after he was convicted of drug trafficking.
The statement added that the convict has applied to the president of Singapore for a new clemency after an earlier one was rejected in 2015.
AI urged the president to immediately halt Obioha’s execution and grant him amnsety, saying drug-related offences do not meet the threshold of the “most serious crimes.”
Obioha, a graduate of Industrial Chemistry from University of Benin, was convicted on 30 December 2008 after he moved to Singapore in 2005, seeking to join a football club.
Credit: dailytrust

The Magic Of Positive Manifestation Out Of Lack: A Tribute To The Great Lee Kuan Yew? By Adebayo Taiwo Hassan

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The division of the world into the two hemispheres – North and South – at the equator also represents a common way of explaining economic and political inequalities and gap that separate the rich and poor countries. On one hand, the global North comprises the vastly developed and heavily industrialized market economies of Western Europe, North America, Australia and Japan while on the other hand, the global South involves poorer and perhaps, emerging economies mostly found in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The South is long-disadvantaged, united by common history of colonialism, underdevelopment and integration into the international capitalism as periphery. The disparities between the North and South is further accentuated through the international politico-economic system that is not only fundamentally skewed and structured by deliberate policies of the richer countries of the North, but also the exclusion of the interests of the disadvantaged economies of the less developed South, Femi Mimiko, an Ife Professor of Comparative Political Economy says.

Yet, some of the countries – Brazil, United Arab Emirates, China, South Korea, Singapore – in the global South have swum against the tide and climbed up developmental stage so tremendously that they now even compete with the West in terms of income and development. But others, particularly in Africa like Nigeria have refused to develop while continuing to present signs of underdevelopment, forming standing embarrassment to all right-mannered patriots. While the stories of other Newly Industrialised Countries, e.g. UAE, India, China are understandable and not so surprising, given availability of human and material resources, the story of Singapore is a sort of magic. Positive manifestation out of lack!

Nobody had given Singapore any chance. It lacked almost everything and all odds were against it – no material resources, industrial capitalists, land. It had, and still has, miniscule population, about 2 million at independence. It also had national psychological trauma of being ejected out of the Federation of Malaysia in 1965. But today, Singapore is not just truly developed; it has some of the best and most efficient economic infrastructures in the world, with broad capacity to meet the needs of the citizens. Also, Singapore has one of the world’s best business and macro-economic environments, explaining reason why its investment inflow is larger than the whole of Africa’s. In Singapore, poverty is a rarity, with unemployment rate of about 1.8%; social safety nets like Public Assistance Scheme and Elder Care Services; and home ownership reaching 90% in 2009 from 29% in 1970 and deep housing crisis at independence. One man performed the magic – Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore and arguably the greatest leader that led any country in the 20th century.

Between, 1959 and 1990 that Lee ruled Singapore, the country underwent the magic of transformation, albeit autocracy, thanks to the leadership of a man whose single-minded commitment to accomplishment of one of the history’s most noble and wonderful transformational tasks created a paradox of modern economy and medieval politics simultaneously. Like the Chinese, Lee showed liberal democracy is after all not the only and automatic precondition for development. Good governance, discipline as well as leadership, defined in terms of courage, vision, character and delivery capacity is it. Lee intentionally created an authoritarian state. He might not be perfect but had to do what was necessary at that time. Influenced by the conservative ideology that citizens could hardly be trusted with rational decision making, conscious of transformation he had envisioned, Lee set up an authoritarian “nanny” state, disallowing dissents and enfeebling civil society to maintain a degree of stability, unity of purpose and direction conducive for economy development. Lee and his comrades might have understood the importance of political stability in economic development drive, given the early stories of India and Sri Lanka.

Faced by the challenge of absence of indigenous industrial capitalists, unlike Hong Kong and South Korea that witnessed exodus of industrialists to their shores from communist China Lee embarked on pro-FDI economic policies, while de-politicising and de-radicalising the trade union statutorily.  Singapore just had to collaborate with foreign capital, since it lacked wherewithal to invest in infrastructures and human capital.

Lee’s legacy teaches us the importance of the state in driving economy. Lee never allowed the economy to be left to the market alone, contrary to the liberal free market ideology. One of the significant peculiarities of the country under Lee, and of course till now, was avoidance of Western political and economic dogmas. Lee was pragmatic and the way for him was developing policies that run in consonance with Singapore realities. He had to impose regulated wages on the labour to make the country attractive investors to accumulate funds needed for investment in infrastructures and human capital. Yet, at a time full blown market economy policy was a condition the third world needed to get strategic attention and “assistance” of the West, Lee introduced a state-controlled, guided market economy.  

Justifying Singapore’s authoritarian regime, the country’s pioneering economic architect, Goh Keng Swee, likened the country to ?sampan? (Malay word for small boat) which has to be manoeuvred through rough waters. If a few monkeys are allowed to run around, the sampan will capsize and sink. The implication of this analogy is that Singapore’s leadership deliberately established Hobbesian Leviathan authoritarian state to guard against opposition, dissents and criticisms capable of causing instability and divisions which in turn are disruptive of development drive. Ethnic riots, violent politics, bloodsheds, instability, dissents and criticisms in new states like Sri Lanka and India could have taught Singapore leaders the importance of political stability for economic progress. Before Le died, Singapore, had been witnessing advancement democratically.

Before the death of Lee on Sunday at 91, Singapore had become more steadily tolerant, open and democratic as evidenced in the 2011 parliamentary elections at which the opposition led the Workers’ Party had unprecedented 6 members of parliament (MPs); and open criticisms of the government in the social media and the academia.

If it is by quality leadership and legacy of magical success, Lee Kuan Yew would should have a ball in his honour by the angels and automatic access to the heaven without questioning by God.

 Adebayo Taiwo Hassan, Is A Journalist With Premium Times.

 

As Singapore Mourns Lee Kwan Yew, Here’s A Recap Of The Famous Quotes By Author Of From Third World To First

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Singapore plunged into mourning and world leaders united in tribute Monday after the death of Lee Kuan Yew, the iron-fisted politician who forged a prosperous city-state out of unpromising beginnings.

His son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, issued a statement before dawn announcing the passing of his 91-year-old father at Singapore General Hospital following a long illness.

He declared seven days of national mourning until the former leader is cremated on March 29.

“He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another like him,” the prime minister said in an emotional televised address.

Onlookers chanted “Mr Lee, Mr Lee” as a white hearse carrying his remains entered the Istana state complex at midday for a two-day private family wake before lying in state at Parliament House.

At the entrance, Singaporeans, some teary-eyed, left personal tributes and signed a condolence board.

US President Barack Obama led world leaders in hailing Lee, who turned a small territory lacking its own natural resources into a world player in finance, trading and shipping — all the while with a heavy political grip that was long decried by rights campaigners.

“He was a true giant of history who will be remembered for generations to come as the father of modern Singapore and as one of the great strategists of Asian affairs,” Obama said in a statement.

China lauded Lee’s “historic contributions” to their relationship after the Communist leadership embarked on dramatic economic reforms from 1978.

President Xi Jinping said Lee was “widely respected by the international community as a strategist and a statesman”.

Tributes also came in from a host of international leaders including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the prime ministers of Malaysia, Britain, Japan and Australia.

we capture the quotes by Late President of Singapore, Lee Kwan Yew…

“I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn’t be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters – who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.”
Lee Kuan Yew

“To straddle the middle ground and win elections, we have to be in charge of the political agenda. This can only be done by not being beaten in the argument with our critics. They complain that I come down too hard on their arguments. But wrong ideas have to be challenged before they influence public opinion and make for problems. Those who try to be clever at the expense of the government should not complain if my replies are as sharp as their criticisms.”
Lee Kuan Yew, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000.

“I ignore polling as a method of government. I think that shows a certain weakness of mind – an inability to chart a course whichever way the wind blows, whichever way the media encourages the people to go, you follow. If you can’t force or are unwilling to force your people to follow you, with or without threats, you are not a leader.”
Lee Kuan Yew

“Mine is a very matter-of-fact approach to the problem. If you can select a population and they’re educated and they’re properly brought up, then you don’t have to use too much of the stick because they would already have been trained. It’s like with dogs. You train it in a proper way from small. It will know that it’s got to leave, go outside to pee and to defecate. No, we are not that kind of society. We had to train adult dogs who even today deliberately urinate in the lifts.”
Lee Kuan Yew

“I started off believing all men were equal. I now know that’s the most unlikely thing ever to have been, because millions of years have passed over evolution, people have scattered across the face of this earth, been isolated from each other, developed independently, had different intermixtures between races, peoples, climates, soils… I didn’t start off with that knowledge. But by observation, reading, watching, arguing, asking, and then bullying my way to the top, that is the conclusion I’ve come to.”
Lee Kuan Yew

“Supposing Catherine Lim was writing about me and not the prime minister…She would not dare, right? Because my posture, my response has been such that nobody doubts that if you take me on, I will put on knuckle-dusters and catch you in a cul de sac…Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no other way you can govern a Chinese society.”
Lee Kuan Yew

“Political reform need not go hand in hand with economic liberalisation. I do not believe that if you are libertarian, full of diverse opinions, full of competing ideas in the market place, full of sound and fury, therefore you will succeed.”
Lee Kuan Yew

“He took over, and he said: ‘If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it.’” – Recalling how former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping dealt with the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests”
Lee Kuan Yew

“Put it this way. As long as Jeyaretnam [Workers’ Party leader] stands for what he stands for — a thoroughly destructive force for me — we will knock him. There are two ways of playing this. One, a you attack the policies; two, you attack the system. Jeyaretnam was attacking the system, he brought the Chief Justice into it. If I want to fix you, do I need the Chief Justice to fix you? Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac. That’s the way I had to survive in the past. That’s the way the communists tackled me. He brought the Chief Justice into the political arena. He brought my only friend in university into our quarrel. How dare he!”
Lee Kuan Yew

“That was the year the British decided to get out and sell everything. So I immediately held an election. I knew the people will be dead scared. And I won my bet big-time. The gullible fools! ”

Lee Kuan Yew

“You know, the cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government. You get that alternative and you’ll never put Singapore together again: Humpty Dumpty cannot be put together again… my asset values will disappear, my apartments will be worth a fraction of what they were, my ministers’ jobs will be in peril, their security will be at risk and their women will become maids in other people’s countries, foreign workers. I cannot have that!” – Justifying million-dollar pay hike for Singapore ministers”
Lee Kuan Yew

“If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who’s very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine gun unit, that’s a very tricky business. We’ve got to know his background… I’m saying these things because they are real, and if I don’t think that, and I think even if today the Prime Minister doesn’t think carefully about this, I and my family could have a tragedy.”
Lee Kuan Yew

“When you’re Singapore’s leader and your existence depends on performance – extraordinary performance, better than your competitors – when that performance disappears because the system on which it’s been based becomes eroded, then you’ve lost everything… I try to tell the younger generation that and they say the old man is playing the same record, we’ve heard it all before. I happen to know how we got here and I know how we can unscramble it.” – On one freak election result ruining Singapore”
Lee Kuan Yew

“If Mr Mah is unable to defend himself, he deserves to lose. No country in the world has given its citizens an asset as valuable as what we’ve given every family here. And if you say that policy is at fault, you must be daft.” – when asked about a Straits Times report that cited keen opposition interest in contesting Tampines GRC, which National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan helms, so that they can raise the affordability of public housing as an election issue”
Lee Kuan Yew

“The task of the leaders must be to provide or create for them a strong framework within which they can learn, work hard, be productive and be rewarded accordingly. And this is not easy to achieve.”
Lee Kuan Yew, The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew

Credit  newswirengr.com