Barack Obama fails to raise issue of “political repression” in Singapore during meeting with PM Lee
Written by our Correspondent
U.S. President Barack Obama had failed to raise the issue of “political repression” with his Singapore hosts during the APEC Summit.
A White Paper released last week by law firm Amsterdam & Peroff, which was given extensive publicity in the United States, had called on President Obama to address concerns that the Singapore government is oppressing its political opponents and critics back home.
On the contrary, during their meeting held at the Istana, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Obama had a good discussion on a wide range of issues.
Both reaffirmed the excellent bilateral relations between Singapore and the United States, said a statement from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Singapore is a key strategic ally of the United States in the region. PM Lee’s father, the indefatigable MM Lee Kuan Yew recently called on the United States to stay active in Asia to “counter” the rising influence of China.
Though U.S-based NGOs such as Freedom House and International Bar Association have constantly expressed concerns about Singapore’s political system and judiciary, official circles have refrained from criticizing the Singapore government so far.
Dr Chee has gone on a series of talk shows in the United States to highlight the political repression in Singapore. His interviews were not even reported by the Singapore media.
While the foreign media has portrayed him as an opposition “leader”, Dr Chee can hardly be considered as one in Singapore’s weak and divided opposition.
The three opposition MPs in parliament have chosen to distance themselves from him and his method of lobbying the west to exert pressure on the Singapore government has won him few fans so far.
Unlike his predecessor, President Obama appears to be a pragmatic leader who is more interested in diplomacy than realpolitik. He had refrained from meeting with exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama at the White House out of fear of offending China.
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x12831 on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 6:45 pm
Be realistic. Don’t expect US to raise the issue of ‘political repression’ with the govt. Singapore is of ‘no’ interest to US because
- it is a tiny speck, a tiny red dot
- there is no oil in Singapore, so no impact on energy supply to US, so why bother
- better to have Singapore on its side
- the PAP has done their public relations exercise
Political SalesMaN on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 7:28 pm
Somebody in the previous article ask Obama for help;I already said If U pump in Billion money in their economy, they will help.PAP has pump Billion of Dollar in US. They will side whose ever pump in money.Everybody all over the world wants money at this crisis stage.In Chinese proverd said: Tian Xia Wu Nan Xi, Sze Par Mei U Chian,
megakids on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 8:14 pm
Come on..have some self-awareness fellow Singaporean…Obama zoomed in and out of Singapore, already cutting short of his Japan trip…all he is interested is to come and meet Chinese President 胡锦涛 and say HI, and see you in Beijing. Don’t bother him with a tiny state problem. Singapore is a faithful watch-dog 看门狗。。LKY has performed what he was asked to do, i.e. to visit US, pretend to “advise” Obama and thus legitimized Obama’s new APEC policy. Face it, that’s politics and world order.
citizenofSG on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 8:46 pm
Its foolhardy and outright disturbing for people to think that other countries will come to aid the people of Singapore. May I tell those who harbor such thought to stop sleeping and wake up to face the harsh reality.
So long as you drag your feet on the matter, hoping someone else or someone will rise up to make things right, we are in for trouble for a long long time. Not that it would not happen or could happen, while it is yet to happen, we are to do our best to make the situation conducive for change to happen.
What am I actually talking about?
Start voting opposition or be a opposition, get yourself in a opposing movement to help shape Singapore democracy. Make sure there is sufficient opposition in Singapore to shift power away from the PAP and distribute it to other political parties. That will create a more even distribution of power and ensure that no one single power has all the say in deciding for you and me. For starter, we must vote for opp parties.
Once the necessary work is done, the necessary talents will float and Singapore will truly enjoy a healthy political shape and we the people will benefit.
anon on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 8:48 pm
Do not even expect the US president to address the issue in Singapore.In fact,US needs the incumbent government’s help for the bailout and to extend its influence in the Asia-Pacific region.Hence I do not see the reason why US is interested in the current situation.
If we really want to resolve this issue,we,as citizens,should vote the incumbent party out,albeit a long shot.
Yes to citizenof SG on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 9:14 pm
Totally agree with citizenofSG 8:46 pm.
Why talk about “political repression” when you cannot even vote PAP out?
I’ll propose a easier way of what citizenofSG had suggested.
For those people that claimed to fight on the oppositions side, you don’t have to join the alternative parties. If you can convert 10 PAP supporters( not the fence sitters though), be it your friends, relatives or colleagues, to vote against PAP, I’ll say you had done a good job.
I bet you’ll than know what kind of opponent you’re fighting against and see how good support the PAP have.
Exercise ur rights! on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 10:06 pm
Vote PAP out if you deem necessary…
~kuku
fpc on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 10:35 pm
This only shows that the US president is only interested in the US people.
US is now bankrupt.
He cannot afford to irritate another donor to their economy.
JUST4FUN on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 10:48 pm
OBAMA are very grateful to HO CHING as she have lose money to support the US BANK. SO in return, obama needs the PAP to run this tiny island for many many years.
JUST for the coming election, the PAP sure win and makan all the voters, as those opposition are waiting to be sue in courts and going to enter jail during the election period.
THERE are no more opposition party to contest in the election.
THE PAP are going to buy over all the voters as the PM LEE have say so, for the opposition, they being there to show the world that singapore still have one or two opposition only.
Michelle Chun, on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 11:44 pm
Do you really expect US to initiate regime change? From LBJ to Obama, from U Thant to Ban Ki Moon, not a single Western leader has ever said anythingbad about singapore which is a bastion for US neo-liberalism and US Strategic interests. Please brush up on your IR.
fair and square on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 11:52 pm
THE BLIND CAN’T SEE…WE CAN UNDERSTAND.
THE DEAF CCAN’T HEAR,WE CAN ALOS UNDERSTAND.
BUT IF HE HAS RECENTLY WITNESSED HOW THEY GIVE THAT
RARE AWARD TO MM LE AND YET DON’T GET THE NUANCES,
MUST BE RATHER HOPE”FOOL”!
MONEY TALKS AND BIG MONEY TALK BIGGER STILL…
WE MUST SPEAK OUT AND UP FOR OURSELVES…IF OBAMA CAN’T,AT LEAST IN SINGAPORE,WE MUST HELP OURSELVES BY SUPPORTING
“THOSE WHO CAN”…YES,WE CAN???
Sensible Senses on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 11:54 pm
Would a well honoured visitor embarrass his host during such an important and prominent occasion in the likelihood that others may perceive him as lack of decorum and statesmanship?
As far as the US Govt is concerned, whether Democrats or Republicans are in power, the human rights problem in Singapore is only a mere tickle of itchiness not even comparable to a mosquito bite.
Opposition political parties have to do much better than that in order to strike home the point. As a first step, they have to get their acts together and get them right, as soon as possible, i.e. Unite as a single force. Unity is strength.
PAP, like the British, knows how to divide and rule. And the Opposition parties are allowing that to happen. Where is their strategy to counter this divide and rule strategy of the PAP?
VOTEWISE on Mon, 16th Nov 2009 12:13 am
BY the way,what did CANADA PM do for us?
hope CANada CAN! if “YES-WE-CAN-OBAMA” CAN’T?!!!
I cannot blame OBAMA,he probably gathered from our
wolrd-class POLITICAL orator(and now also think) that
Singapore is a role model ASAIN DEMOCRACY?
Let’s see whether the CANadians think the same?
hope some guys here CAN tell US?
Roy on Mon, 16th Nov 2009 12:31 am
From the US point of view, they’ve already got their hands full right now as it is. Obama has a lot of domestic issues to attend to, and with the shootings at Fort Hood, his arrival is already delayed.
Given that he is arriving late to the forum, and that he has little time to spend over here, as well as the fact that the PAP government is quite close to the US administration, there’s no reason for him to raise this issue in such a well-watched forum, and embarrass the US’s ally while the latter is playing host to such an important economic forum, where more pragmatic discussions about the future development of the world are way more constructive.
fpc on Mon, 16th Nov 2009 1:20 am
I don’t know why people think this APEC is important.
It is just a pack of sand
Old Guy on Mon, 16th Nov 2009 2:09 am
obama so happy with the food and stay in singapore
where got mood to say bad about singapore gov..?
for singapore on Mon, 16th Nov 2009 2:46 am
guys,this is expected!
after being voted the PRESIDENT OF THE USA on a DEMOCRAT TICKET,mR BARRACK Obama,has recently converted to being
a REPUBLICAN,and follow BUSH’s example seeking advice from
their GRAND-UNCLE from Singapore…so it is the same old
game,nothing new.
anon on Mon, 16th Nov 2009 4:10 am
Barack Obama only promises much more than he could deliver.Before the 2008 Presidential Election,he promised the electorate that he would end the war and implement some other policies.On the contrary,he is still adopting the Bush adminstration and still refuses to withdraw the troops from Iraq and Afganistan.It is not surprising that the US government continues to borrow money from China and indirectly from some other countries,like Singapore for the bailout and to fund for US occupation in Iraq and Afganistan.
Hence it is of no interest that Barack Obama will address the human rights issue in Singapore as US needs Singapore’s incumbent government to extend its influence in the Asia-Pacific region and so far the Singapore’s incumbent government has never failed to serve the US interest.
XIIIblackcat on Mon, 16th Nov 2009 8:32 pm
He already received his Nobel peace prize. What other higher achievement can he still receive other than a Nobel prize? It just serve Obama no strategic purpose into raising the issue of political repression in Singapore.
And even if he did say… those words will probably not be mentioned in our mainstream media. In other words… we can only rely on ourself.
x12831 on Mon, 16th Nov 2009 11:02 pm
The power lies in the hands of Singapore citizens. Don’t expect external help!
Matt on Tue, 17th Nov 2009 7:00 am
Look I’m sorry but in terms of so-called ‘dictatorships’ Singapore is about the lowest state on the list. Obama has to be practical – there are governments in Central Asia, Africa and South America who are utilising one or more of the following to stay in power; blatant and brazenly rigging elections including the stuffing of ballots and utterly falsified turn-out figures, encouraging supporters to take up arms against opponents supporters, boiling to death political opponents, making it impossible for people to speak their minds even in private, using the army to seize power.
He’s got to be a realist. Singapore for all it’s ills is a relatively liberal country in the grand scheme of things – you might be made bankrupt if you take Mr Chee’s position but you aren’t going to be carted off in the middle of the night to your certain death for merely speaking out. The Singapore election system whilst heavily skewed is clean in terms of vote counting and does allow the possibility to vote out the PAP (although of course it would need a massive public mobilisation) and the Singaporean government isn’t getting MORE repressive – if anything very very very very small changes are happening such as at Hong Lim Park. You’ve got to try and find ways to take down the biggest abusers of human rights first (and that requires a number of tools) Singapore is too small, too liberal and too loyal for Obama to cause a row. Sorry but it’s up to Singaporean’s to vote out the PAP. I’m sure Obama sympathises behind closed doors.
Look at Cambodia for an example of a country where I’d be getting seriously worried if I was a democracy-activist. Singapore’s government is not stupid enough to ever try and pull any of that sh*t – it knows if it started acting up like Hun Sen the U.S would be forced to make public criticism which would be bad for Singapore’s tourist and business reputation. There’s an unspoken pact there that is unlikely to ever get broken – the U.S refrains from criticism because Singapore ‘ain’t that bad’, and Singapore avoids embarassing the U.S (and also protecting it’s own reputation) by using ‘clever’ and what would be semi-legal tactics in the U.S to maintain it’s rule. People should realise this and stop fearing the PAP – they’re never going to shoot you down in the street for all the rhetoric.
loyal dog don't step on its tail on Thu, 19th Nov 2009 11:04 pm
Singapore backed US militarily in Afghanistan and Iraq the way NATO is doing. Even Chinadaily reported added further military strength recently.
Japan and South Korea, two of US closest allies. are no longer assisting the US political interests there and OBAMA needs as many foreign flags flying his dead shit sure lose cause in either client states, so his human rights options are constrained by US geopolitical self-interests – whatever his private feelings may be.
Even human rights agenda in China has downgraded of valued discussions with the Chinese in his visit to Beijing. Singapore is less strategically relevant to Obama’s political mapping, so he probably treated Singapore ( and his coincident visit) as politically “non-existent” except as a necessary host to APEC and a part-time loyal faithful dog of at least some use in supporting his war prosecution in Afghanistan.
We want change, we have to vote for change.
After that, he might clap, clap, clap us and still benefiting from our military assistance in Afghanistan. At least, he can cite Singapore as NON-NATO but NATO-like of loyalty and demanding more from his trans-atlantic alliances.
Defining dictatoship what is your measure on Thu, 19th Nov 2009 11:26 pm
Matt on Tue, 17th Nov 2009 7:00 am
…. blatant and brazenly rigging elections including the stuffing of ballots and utterly falsified turn-out figures, encouraging supporters to take up arms against opponents supporters, boiling to death political opponents, making it impossible for people to speak their minds even in private, using the army to seize power….
From this colourful description, how much of harm caused is enough to qualify for ‘dictatorship” and where is its starting point – by your measurement??
I cannot see a difference between locking up someone for 18 years of solitary confinement for political thoughts than one that could have the victim cut up and deep fried in oil for pleasure.
Give us your objective measure of justifiable quantification to give your post a hint of credibility, will you???
dsi r4 on Mon, 23rd Nov 2009 3:14 pm
Hi,
I like this article but..
Can someone tell me about Barack Obama?
I know that he is a serious candidate for ‘08, but I would like to know where he stands on the issues. I checked his site but nowhere can I find the info. i am looking for.
so please tell me…