Men In White — Another example of PAP’s “managed dissent” strategy

September 17, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Current Affairs, Political Discussions 

Written by Ng E-Jay
17 Sept 2009

The mainstream media, notably the Straits Times, spent a full week earlier this month aggressively promoting Men In White, touted to be a definitive and objective account of the history of Singapore’s ruling political party.

Commissioned and published by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), and officially launched on Sept 8, Men In White seeks to fill a void in Singapore history and unravel many of the mysteries, puzzles and questions surrounding the PAP story, or so we are told by none other than the official mouthpiece of the Government.

Men in White was written by three Straits Times journalists: Sonny Yap, Richard Lim and Leong Weng Kam, and supported by a seven-person project team headed by former SPH editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng, and subsequently, after Mr Cheong’s retirement, by Straits Times editor Han Fook Kwang. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew penned the forward to the book, in which he said: “This is an SPH endeavour to muster all sources and cover the views of all who opposed the PAP.”

But glancing through the 692-page book and reading the endorsements printed on its back cover by Barisan Socialis leaders like Fong Swee Suan and Lim Chin Joo (the brother of Lim Chin Siong), both of whom had suffered many long years of detention by the PAP under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), I cannot help but wonder if this monumental work is yet another milestone in PAP’s “managed dissent” strategy.

In the article From stifled dissent to managed dissent, I wrote that the “hard repressive” tactics adopted by the Lee Kuan Yew regime has been slowly replaced, though not completely, by the “soft authoritarian” strategies of the Lee Hsien Loong administration. Stifled dissent is now increasingly being replaced by managed dissent. Features of Singapore’s political landscape like the opening up of Speaker’s Corner for demonstrations and the increase in the number of NCMPs in Parliament give the semblance but not the substance of liberalization. Opposing views can now be aired, but always in a controlled manner under terms dictated by the PAP.

Men In White is yet another grand project designed to allow Singaporeans to satisfy their growing curiosity about the history and inner workings of the PAP, but without actually leading Singaporeans to ask the truly hard-hitting questions about the PAP, like why a party that claimed to be rooted in democratic ideals resorted to mass imprisonment of its political opponents, or why laws are enacted to take away our Constitutional rights such as the freedom of peaceful assembly.

A book researched and written by SPH journalists and personally approved by MM Lee Kuan Yew who signed off on the draft first? How objective and fair can this book be? Will such a book examine the part of PAP’s history that Singaporeans should really know about?

Lim Chin Joo, in his endorsement of Men In White, wrote that the book “acknowledges the contributions of people who had shared a common cause and made sacrifices but were forced to depart from the scene for one reason or another“. He was obviously referring to the group that broke away from the PAP in 1961 to form the Barisan Socialis which became the main Opposition to the newly elected PAP. Many of them were detained as political prisoners under Operation Cold Store in 1963, and again in a broad-sweeping crackdown in 1966.

Dr Tony Tan echoed similar sentiments at the book launch at Old Parliament House on 8 Sept when he said: “In some ways, belated as it may be, the book has accorded recognition to their (the leftists’) roles and contributions in the political development of Singapore“. (Straits Times, “Friends and foes under one roof“, 9 Sept.)

What sweet words. What polite rhetoric.

What truly sends a chill down my spine was how the mainstream media, and indeed some of the leftists who had been interviewed at the book launch, downplayed the human rights atrocities associated with the mass detention and prolonged imprisonment of PAP’s political opponents.

I wonder how ex-detainees like Said Zahari, Lim Hock Siew and Poh Soo Kai feel about having the darkest periods of their lives discussed by the media, by the PAP, and even by some of their ex-comrades as something almost commonplace in politics, as if it is almost routine for politicians to get locked up for their beliefs and for standing up for the people.

I wonder the ex-detainees feel about the likes of Lim Chin Joo who now appears to be cozying up to the establishment despite himself having spent the best years of his life behind bars as a prisoner of conscience.

The cavalier attitude displayed by the media, by journalists and by the establishment towards the human rights abuses of the PAP is truly shocking. It is their way of diluting the immense significance of what has happened and their attempt at white-washing all the sins of Lee Kuan Yew’s administration. Let us not be fooled.

During the book launch, none other than MM Lee rallied his former political adversaries together for a group photograph. There was nothing but smiles and sunshine as the architect of Singapore’s dictatorial regime gently cajoled and shook hands with those men whose rights he had blatantly abused a few decades ago.

It was, as the media reported, a “Kodak moment”. It was also the finishing touch to yet another attempt at having Singaporeans believe that our Government is progressively opening up when in reality the ruling elite is merely building new facades to hide the sad truth and to allow themselves to remain unaccountable for their past transgressions.

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Comments

9 Comments on Men In White — Another example of PAP’s “managed dissent” strategy

  1. Anon on Thu, 17th Sep 2009 11:06 am

    2. Lim Chin Joo is Lim Ching Siong’s brother, just like Philips Jeyaretnam is JBJ’s son.

    I don’t know why they didn’t just decline the invitation, but went to “the other side” to give them credibility!

  2. Somebody on Thu, 17th Sep 2009 4:25 pm

    3. If you can’t beat them, join them? (And beat up the rest)

  3. Tian Jing on Thu, 17th Sep 2009 4:32 pm

    4. excellent analysis, good read

  4. Anil Balchandani on Thu, 17th Sep 2009 11:07 pm

    5. A great piece of citizen journalism.

    We’ll have to wait for the sequel, Whiter than White, to find out who sold out.

  5. The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 17 Sep 2009 on Sat, 19th Sep 2009 11:18 am

    6. [...] In The Wind: Men In White: Read it at your own risk, it’s hard to put down – Sgpolitics.net: Men In White — Another example of PAP’s “managed dissent” strategy – TOC: Passion And Patriotism (PAP) – Rachel Zeng’s blog: Just for [...]

  6. jonathan choo on Wed, 23rd Sep 2009 7:37 pm

    7. There is nothing great about this piece of political news. Why other old guards do not have this type of news? Only he?

  7. Amy on Sun, 27th Sep 2009 12:13 pm

    8. the sequel “Whiter than white” will be out post-lky.

    the SPH writing team will write it privately,
    based on the flip side of the interviews published
    and unpublished. they will also write about those
    who refused to be interviewed…like Lim Kit Siang…
    opposition leader from the Malaysian DAP. Kit was formerly
    political secretary to Devan Nair, first PAP MP in Malaysia
    Bangsar KL.. Kit has a lot to say about LKY’s excesses
    during that period which caused Singapore to be booted
    out from Malaysia.

  8. Whiter than white on Mon, 28th Sep 2009 4:10 pm

    9. The sequel will be out sooner rather than later. Post LKY is round the corner.

  9. leesjuanpat on Sun, 4th Oct 2009 1:39 am

    10. Men in White personified the greatest fiasco of another of PAP’s publication in cahoot with SPH. Comrade humming the same tune.

    It is sad that LKY without mercy imprisoned those political dissidents and wasted the best years of their life. And with great show of ‘magnanimity’ invited them for the launch of Men in White.

    The few remaining former dissidents should have boycotted the launching. The irony of our times. Strait Times captured the moment in great aplomb on the front page of it.

    Has LKY really changed? With his record of persecuting all oppositions and sueing them bankrupt and some have to live in exile.

    That moment when captured in picture was the most hypocritical fiasco of the history of Singapore. Seemingly, the prosecuted standing in glory with the prosecutor. That should never have taken place at all. LKY scored another political victory !!

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