Asia Sentinel

Singapore again ousts the editor of the Asia Sentinel

You can say one thing for Singaporeans. They have long memories. And if you think the place is loosening up, think again.

In 1988 — 21 years ago — my projected three-year stint as the Asian Wall Street Journal's correspondent in Singapore ended two years early when the Singaporeans refused to grant me another work visa, and I was forced to leave the island republic to its own devices. Singapore does not now take kindly to the practice of independent journalism, and it didn't then. The media watchdog organization Reporters Without Borders ranks Singapore 140th out of 167 countries surveyed in terms of freedom of the press. The country has been kicking foreign journalists out for writing critical articles about the republic since the early 1970s.

Fast forward through three jobs and several countries to March 17, 2009 – Tuesday – when I flew to Singapore for a one-day stopover as a formality to getting a new visa for Indonesia. The bullfrog-faced woman at the country's immigration counter, an office that is among the world's fastest and most efficient – stiffened visibly when she entered my US passport into her computer, and immediately called for backup. Twenty-one years later, I was being bounced out of the country again.  The Burmese general Thein Sein was luckier. The junta member got a warm welcome and an orchid named for him. Perhaps there was a mixup, or perhaps he banks there. 

Seconds after the woman passed my passport through her scanner, I was shepherded away from the usual scrum of passengers headed out into Singapore's tropical sunlight, and into a facility where a stone-faced immigration officer apparently busied himself making telephone calls. When I attempted to ask to inform a colleague on the same trip that I had been detained, he shooed me back into the facility, where I sat watching a couple of football teams contend for a half hour or so.

After what appeared to be a series of telephone calls to bureaucrats somewhere, ultimately, I was led away and into the upper reaches of Changi Airport. Changi is a great airport, with an array of stores that would cause envy to some of the world's best department stores. But there are parts of Changi that you probably aren't ever going to see. One of those parts was a barren room with a quote on the wall from J.M. Barrie, who created Peter Pan, that "it is more important to like what you do than to do what you like." It was equipped with a couple of racks of bunk beds and two television sets, where I sat with a half-dozen Chinese hookers who watched a Martha Stewart cooking show with considerable interest, considering that none of them spoke English.

An couple of hours later, a wholly polite and accommodating immigration officer acceded to my request and paroled my passport from other officials so that I could go to duty-free and liberate a couple of bottles of gin to take back to nominally dry Jakarta. He showed the passport to the duty-free lady to endorse the purchase, then took the passport back. Finally I was herded to seat 64D on SQ958 – the very last row next to the toilets. I wasn't to get my passport back until SIA officials escorted me to Indonesian immigration, where I, my passport and my duty-free liquor were liberated.

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The Contraband
written by willie_tan , August 10, 2009

I agree with Gordon. He should have tasted the contraband. Imagine the number of copies of a magazine that would have been sold with a title like " I fu**** a woman at Changi Airport ." Or " Termina Sex at Changi Airport." Every editor's dream.

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Master
written by Harry Lee Kuan Yew , June 04, 2009

Oi.... uggh... oooh.... ahhhh

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Database
written by Brown , March 20, 2009

LKY clanmen can learn from UK in maintaining a database to keep the pesky Journalists out.

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Journalist Hubris
written by Eugene , March 19, 2009

In 1988 — 21 years ago — my projected three-year stint as the Asian Wall Street Journal's correspondent in Singapore ended two years early when the Singaporeans refused to grant me another work visa, and I was forced to leave the island republic to its own devices.

Now this is an utterance of a typical journalist swamped with a huge dosage of hubris. Poor you, you thought you could change the world. There's godd reason why the Burmese general is treated better. He has real power to change lives. You could only bawl.

Yes, Singapore (and the world) are going through a bad patch but isn't that caused by your countrymen and their liberal values?

May they check their computers at the checkpoint again 21 years from now.

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...
written by Somebody , March 19, 2009

"The PAP won 67% of the OVERALL POPULAR VOTES at the last election."

Considering that 1/3 of the population never votes for the PAP and 50% of the total population never got to vote in the election, coupled with the ingrained fear of the PAP in the Singaporean psyche and decades of living on a politically sterile island awashed with pro-PAP propaganda, 67% is truly a laughable figure. Statistics are meaningless when you can manipulate them.

"We wish them well. It has indeed served Singapore well for the last 45 years! What more this is bad times these days - the GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN. Who can we trust IF NOT THE PAP?"

The PAP prostituted the entire nation to US imperialist interests and foreign MNCs in exchange for quick money. They are responsible for creating the strong dependence on foreign investments that produced an economy so vulnerable in the first bloody place. They also mismanaged state funds by pouring tens of billions ot dollars into UBS, Barclay, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup when it was plain to the whole world that writedowns were inevitable.

Then what does PAP do to help tide ordinary Singaporeans through this recession arrives? Absolute bare minimal.

If PAP is so confident of its economic credentials, why this perpetual need for electoral trickery and pork-barrels? And what of LKY's threat to involve the army should PAP be defeated at the polls?

Old man is dying, and the entire party is so subservient to this one man they cannot survive without his political acumen. PAP politicians do not understand politics and cannot understand the general suffering. They have been brought into parliament without serious challenge, riding on untested academic credentials and coattails of more "experienced" Ministers. They hold million-dollar cushy positions and live in their own world. Anyone who dares intrude on their ivory tower is swiftly dealt with by the police. That is all to their politics. Malaysian politics may be ugly and messy but at least the players understand the game.

Everyone knows LHL is a just a puppet like his predecessor.. The entire PAP is dependent on LKY. LKY to PAP is PAP to Singapore. By your own logic, I can ask the same question. Who can we trust IF NOT LKY? One can only trust PAP only as long as the old man lives. Once he passes, why should anyone vote for PAP?

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sickening sycophants
written by intact merlion , March 19, 2009

Here comes the sycophants again! This is where our money goes to - to pay these spineless ball carriers. These balless idiots must know that good governance is everywhere in Asia, eg. HK, Japan, Taiwan, S.Korea. LkY does not have the sole monopoly. But what monopoly he has is to seek to keep his own island as if it were his personal dukedom. That no one else in Asia is doing. Suing everyone is merely drawing attention to his rotteness to the core. Without the intimidation, etc, he will be nothing - no better than Mas Selamat.

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Will you stop giving trouble?
written by Abdullah Badawi , March 19, 2009

I see Mahathir is shooting off his big mouth again and meddling in the domestic affairs of Singapore.
Is Malaysia not big enough for him?

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...
written by Mahathir , March 19, 2009

I told Lee that he shd also convert and then he could be a "Bumi" like me so that he and his family could enjoy all the privileges and perks bestowed upon us "Bumis" in Malaysia rather than sweat it out and only pay us taxes. He was so stubborn we had no choice but to eject S'pore out of Malaysia then. Well, in my heart I really respect that fellow lah. He's no turncoat for sure.

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One-family state
written by Tangueray , March 19, 2009

One needs to be reminded that Singapore is not a one-party state, but a one-family state. Before the current scion became PM the leadership was known as The Father, The Son and the Holy Goh. The lightning strike on the Merlion was an omen, the tragic 70s invented icon having the first evil IR as its main outlook. Blowing the back off the Merlion's head was God's warning that all is not well in Harry's Happy Holiday Isle. Sinners repent!

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Don't fear, the day will come
written by turtle , March 18, 2009

John B should have anticipated the way LKY works. There is a reason for all his "madness" or "dementia". Besides good governance which every government is duty bound to do, there is this dysfunctional behaviour of LKY - intolerance of disagreement, proneness to intimidation and political thugery etc. If you knew his history and the way he has risen to great wealth and power you will understand why.(This applies also to Dr Mahathir who has seen it fit to write a paragraph here) Self preservation is the survival instinct of everyone, especially LKY. When you have a one party state, then self preservation is THE only instinct to have. The DAily Telegraph says LKY is one of the richest men in the world and Li Kah Sing is reputed to have said that the richest man in the world is in Singapore. I leave it to your intellect to sort that one out. Self preservation means exactly that - to preserve your status at any expense. Of course he is not gifted with perpetual life. As he has recently wondered aloud - after the coffin lid has closed, then you will know what people REALLY think of you. My guess? People will throw s**t on it.

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Full stomached Westerners
written by Dynas Tee , March 18, 2009

There is generally a phobia of full stomached Westerners taking pot shots at Asian aristocracy.

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A human touch
written by Gordon , March 18, 2009

In spite of the awful treatment afforded the scribe by the immigration folks in Singapore, they showed an entirely human side by allowing the poor hack to purchase a bottle or two for his travels.
I also think watching a Martha Stewart cooking programme with a bunch of Chinese hookers in a crowded room has to be one step away from an Asia Hand's wildest fantasy. I would have been tempted to broach the contraband.

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And they are complaining about me and Malaysia!
written by Mahathir Mohd , March 18, 2009

I read your very interesting article and I liked the part about the Judges who made mistakes and those that didnt in Singapore.Our Judges in Malaysia alos suffered from the same disease.
I sacked them or had some speacial classes for them.You see we Asians dont think the Western styled democracy is good for us ( us , I mean Lee and Myself).When you give Asians a long rope they will climb onto your head and that is when you have problem like Karpal and Jeyaratnam.I dont know whether its a ethnic problem.But anway when they complained about me -now they can see that the Lee Family controls everything! They also make happy deals with China and Burma and had a cheap price for Taksin 's phone company.
Singaporeans are condemed with their single political party. Strange that an educated population like that continues with the mascarade of a democracy!

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