Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew will be celebrating his 86th birthday on September 16. And he can still be as provocative as a tabloid journalist.
"Our Constitution states expressly that it is a duty of the Government not to treat everybody as equal," he told parliament yesterday (full text here).
Shocking? But he made it sound so reasonable.
"The Constitution of Singapore enjoins us to specially look after the position of the Malays and other minorities," he said and cited Article 152:
(1) It shall be the responsibility of the Government constantly to care for the interests of the racial and religious minorities in Singapore.
(2) The Government shall exercise its functions in such manner as to recognise the special position of the Malays, who are the indigenous people of Singapore, and accordingly it shall be the responsibility of the Government to protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote their political, educational, religious, economic, social and cultural interests and the Malay language.
"As Malays have progressed and more have joined the middle class with university degrees and professional qualifications, we have asked Mendaki (the Malay self-help group) to ask them to agree not to have their special rights of free education at university," he said but added:
So we’re trying to reach a position where there is a level playing field for everybody but it’s going to take decades, if not centuries, and we may never get there.
So, contrary to what other ministers and officials say, Singapore doesn’t have a level playing field – and may never have one.
His plain speaking did not end there. About the Pledge taken by Singaporeans – to be "one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress" – it’s just an "aspiration", he said.
"Will we achieve it? I do not know. We’ll have to keep on trying. Are we a nation? In transition."
These are telling words, coming from Singapore’s first prime minister, whose son is now prime minister.
Curiously, I couldn’t find the word "democracy" while searching the Singapore constitution online. "Sorry, your query produced no results," it said. I could find "republic" and "freedom" but not "democracy".
"Singapore shall be a sovereign republic to be known as the Republic of Singapore," says Article 3.
The word "democratic", however, could be found in the Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965, signed by then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. It says:
Now I LEE KUAN YEW Prime Minister of Singapore, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM AND DECLARE on behalf of the people and the Government of Singapore that as from today the ninth day of August in the year one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five Singapore shall be forever a sovereign democratic and independent nation, founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of her people in a more just and equal society.
The freedom of expression, assembly and association are recognized as fundamental liberties by the constitution. But it adds these can be restricted by parliament for reasons of national security, public order, morality, any laws relating to labour or education, and to "protect the privileges of Parliament or to provide against contempt of court, defamation or incitement to any offence".
Article 14 says:
(1) Subject to clauses (2) and (3) —
(a) every citizen of Singapore has the right to freedom of speech and expression;
(b) all citizens of Singapore have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms; and
(c) all citizens of Singapore have the right to form associations.
(2) Parliament may by law impose —
(a) on the rights conferred by clause (1) (a), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof, friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of Parliament or to provide against contempt of court, defamation or incitement to any offence;
(b) on the right conferred by clause (1) (b), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof or public order; and
(c) on the right conferred by clause (1) (c), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof, public order or morality.
(3) Restrictions on the right to form associations conferred by clause (1) (c) may also be imposed by any law relating to labour or education.
Singapore minorities vis-a-vis African Americans
Mr Lee compared the position of the minorities in Singapore with that of the African Americans who, he said, received no special treatment under the US constitution.
It was news to me when he said:
In World War I, the blacks did not carry arms, they carried the ammo, they were not given the honour to fight.
I remember African Americans fought in the American Civil War. That was shown in the film, Glory.
So I looked up Wikipedia and this is what it says:
The 93rd Infantry Division was a "colored" segregated unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. During tough combat in France it soon acquired from the French the nickname Blue Helmets. This referred to the service of several of its units with the French Army during the Second Battle of the Marne. Consequently, its shoulder patch became a blue French Adrian helmet, to commemorate its service with the French Army during the Spring Offensive.
The division was reactivated as infantry on 15 May 1942 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and shipped overseas in 1944. Most of the division did see service in the Pacific Theater during World War II, but the division’s regiments were mainly utilized as construction units and in defensive operations. In 1945, the 93rd Infantry Division was inactivated, though the lineage of several of its units are carried on by the Illinois and Maryland Army National Guard.
The main American Expeditionary Force (AEF) refused to have African-American soldiers in combat (in World War I), as did the British, to whom the division was originally offered…
The regiments fought in several battles alongside French troops, who were already used to colonial North and Sub-Saharan African "colored" soldiers (noirs). All regiments acquitted themselves well and received unit citations from the French. Numerous individual soldiers exhibited extraordinary heroism and were highly decorated by the French. …Total casualties from all regiments were 3,534 (killed-in-action 467; wounded-in-action 3,067).
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