From Martyn See’s blog, Singpore Rebel:
Below is an excerpt from the newly-published The Fajar Generation.
The Barisan Sosialis was then the strongest political force in Singapore and its leadership united and staunchly anti-colonial in their outlook. That was the reason for the alarm. That it believed in democracy and constitutional struggle and was expected to win in any free and fair election was the reason for repressive action. The PAP was afraid of the odium that would go with repression while the colonial power was still around, afraid of going the Lim Yew Hock way. But the PAP leadership desired repression to save itself; thus its neurotic behaviour.
In a conversation with Selkirk, on 28 July 1961, at time of the formation of the Barisan Sosialis, Moore reported Lee Kuan Yew’s tactics in the following terms:
He went on to suggest that in order to avoid the Communists taking over, he would create a situation in which the UK Commissioner would be forced to suspend the Constitution. This might be done either by the Singapore Government inviting a Russian trade mission to Singapore thus forcing a constitutional crisis, or by instigating riots and disorder, requiring the intervention of British troops. I did, however, form the impression that he was quite certain he would lose a general election and was seriously toying with the thought of forcing British intervention in order to prevent his political enemies from forming a government (CO 1030/1149, p. 95, para 3).
Read the full post on Martyn’s blog.
Hi #48) WORM:
Here is my answer to SZ on his topic on “Egoism in New Media ”
Hi SZ
No offences, there is a logic I can’t understand after reading your articles.
If TOC is capitalizing on XiaXue blog, then what would SZ follow-up on both of the above-mentioned articles become? Are you too capitalizing?
Moreover, I think you got the whole point wrong. TOC by itself have already attract alot of hits (and if you follow-up carefully on their content, you would know why).
Don’t forget, you are part of the New Media, Egoism? Your this articles sound like one.
when i first came across this article title on my rss reader, i totally skipped it. it was “its old news” , “nothing new, its same old same old story”…
and didn’t bother to read it
~~
then i read about that janet wee email, and lo and behold, the streisand effect took place, so I actually read the article..
seditious? big fcking deal, i think the typical singaporean is so disillusioned by the govt and totally apathetic,
can’t be bothered.
1/6 of the population is communist, and this is not red scare. I really don know what is. And to think America was worried about Red scare in the 60s… we are just living our lives with 1 in every 6 communist traitors preparing to take over our lives, jobs, money and country opss city…
so does this also mean chinese communist are not as dangerous and singapore communist that even 1 singapore communist needs to be imprisioned while hundred of thousands of chinese communist roam the streets, toilets, hotel rooms and what not?
if , theoretically discussing only, if there is a change of gonmin,
would the new gonmin be able to use the same power to …… ?
if so, is that not scary?
so, what does this tell us ?
To 56) Kolkernutthan on December 29th, 2009 9.19 am
if , theoretically discussing only, if there is a change of gonmin,
would the new gonmin be able to use the same power to …… ?
>> Yes, if you give them full endorsement; which explains why multiple political parties in the Parliament are always better than a single party dominating. It’s the same concept of business; for consumers, competition is good, and monopoly is bad. It’s just a simply theory, which the dominant party will try to advise you otherwise, as it is against their interests.
so, what does this tell us ?
>> Take responsibility. It’s every citizens’ responsibility to take back what belongs to ours and our children as stated in the constitution.
if so, is that not scary?
>> Imagine the ignorance of the voters not able to see such a simple truth. Isn’t it more scary that these people are brainwashed so easily?
Singapore shouldnt fight for independent and will be better under British Rule until 2010. If we have our independence in the year 2010 instead, we would have saved ourselves 60B a year on budget.
Imagine this, after 5 years, we would have 300B, more than GIC and TH holding combined lol.
Not only that, thousands of lives lost and ruined during national service will also be saved and our creativeness will even exceed that of HK and China.
It is so wasteful to pour so much good money to the elites, instead of helping the poor.
Victor – King
Loser – Bandit
The King writes the official history! Nothing to argue about.
What should be done is to vote in more opposition into parliament to check the gov. That is the most practical action to do!
38/39
So, what are we now?
Identity crisis looms?So too singapore identity.It is a brand to do business.Use it .People are good ,but system create this crisis.this even lee kuan yew cannot answer.fake identity is failed identity.
Some so called lobang screw other people to get ahead elites or some clown who never serve NS believe they are intelligent because of paper qualitifcations [uniquely in singapore] or their grades they get from burning plenty of midnight oil.
The problem is this is not a measure of true intelligence…especially when one DOES not have the wisdom to go with it or the ability or capability to learn real intelligent experiences from the real world.
One should learn from others mistake or from the past always then learn it one self.
Haiz
Some so called lobang screw other people to get ahead elites or some clown who never serve NS believe they are intelligent or because of paper qualitifcations [uniquely in singapore] or their grades they get from burning plenty of midnight oil.
The problem is this is not a measure of true intelligence…especially when one DOES not have the wisdom to go with it or the ability or capability to learn real intelligent experiences from the real world.
One should learn from others mistake or from the past always then learn it one self.
Haiz
The commentor lockeliberal is a WP member. Do the comments he makes to this topic reflect his party’s stand?
Dear Fae
Actually it reflects my own views. I do not believe the party I belong to has a view point of events in the 1960′s
Do try reading My Side of History by Chin Peng
Locke
Politics is never pretty and clean.. its the “capability” of the party who is able to win the seats. Losers are losers no point whining now and talk abt what tactics were used. (Btw would Dr Poh share the dirty tactics used by his party ?? ). Its politics hello!! Its the same for office politics !! Anyway .. whoever takes charge it is better than the communists !!!
Dear Locke,
Thank you for clarifying, I hope that not all the other views you express on local online forums are not your party’s (WP’s) views as well.
Do try reading more as well, although there is no way for you to know for sure if what you are reading is the whole truth anyway.
Dear Fae
Actually I have read academics accounts of the 1960′s as well as Chin Peng’s own revealing autobiography. Firstly as an active forum member of sorts sometimes my own personal views do not agreed with the party’s. That said I am but a lowly member and would prefer to be viewed as an individual not a party member
The truth is somewhere in between the glorified justifications to history of all concerned participants, including Chin Peng, LKY, and the Fajar Generation.
I am concerned however with an inherent tendency of comments here to just treat LKY’s remarks as the devil and not to view them in the context of that time period.
Firstly the communist threat was real not the imagined bunch of jokers from the mid eighties. The threat might have died down by 1959 pre Baling as admitted to by Chin Peng but hence the Baling Talks, but even he viewed the decision to take up a political struggle as one borne of military necessity and he always wanted to keep the military struggle as a final point of return Secondly mid sixties as soon as he rearmed and was refinanced with CCP help he was more than happy to return to an armed struggle, ( again his words )
Secondly, Cold Store much maligned by all concerned was admitted by Chin Peng to have wiped out the communist underground in 1961( Chin Pengs words and I will supply chapter verse and paragraph if u wish )
Thirdly the Communist Underground was composed of both Communist Party Members and active supporters who knew who they were supporting but not members. In reply to a question whether LCS was a communist or supported communist activities in the sixties dear old Chin Peng replied that He was NOT A COMMUNIST party member. You will notice that similar reply was given by Dr Lim. As an example someone who knowingly ended up in China helping the MCP in revolutionary broadcasts was not even an MCP member.
I may believe that LKY was machivellian to the core but neither do I believe the Barisan of the sixties were angels, only marxists or socialist, not influenced by the MCP etc etc etc after reading Chin Pengs own words.
Locke
Even at crisis time US government and government all over use tax payer money to keep alive the capital market.If communism failed if it doesnot know economy,capitalism failed both in economy front and ecology front .So what we need to preserve is made more dangerous by people who have capitalist attitude(greed not need promote growth).So when earth die all will and those who have communist attitude(need approach)fail first followed by those with greedy approach.(capitalism).
Better keep quiet about Communism – our northern neighbour has quite a few MPs who are very sympathetic to Communism and its local commander in chief Chin Peng.
But hey whatever, all in the name of “racial” solidarity, even if Chin Peng would be found of guilty of war crimes in a fair trial today, who the PAP government graciously invited to the illustrious NUS for a seminar.
The Malaysian government had been extraordinarily gracious, I would strung him up in a public square which is no less than he deserves.
Mr Locke, when you read someone’s autobiography, it is not a unbiased historical retelling of events, you have to take that person’s account with a grain of salt. Whether or not Barisan Socalis had any ties with MCP on a personal level or a party level, it is beside the point. It was the fear that the common goal of BS was to have a socialist state aligned with the now defunct Soviet Union or the CCP of China back then and a staunchly anti-American state.
A lot of new voters today are too young to remember the Soviet Union, thus are too naive and thus believe the propaganda of an dead ideology waiting to make a comeback, notwithstanding the only socialist states today are Cuba and North Korea.
If PAP wishes to smear all Opposition as Communist, just point out they invited Chin Peng over for a talk in NUS.
“I guess LKY is not concern with communism. He is only concern whether he is the one calling the shots.”
Precisely. Remember he is the same person who was working for the Japanese in WWII. Funny how all the Mediacorp “historical” productions never featured a young LKY, soon to be leader of Singapore.
Dear Clement
The Young Voters of today have to remember the context of yesterday and take the actions and words of yesterday by yesterdays context and not todays.
How real was the fear and how closely tied was the Barisan of Old with the MCP in the fifties and sixties ? That was the question I was asking myself and trying to answer to myself and my answer was THEY were in BED knowingly to a large extent. and historically it WAS NOT A PAP SMEAR .
The insane marxist conspiracy of the eighties was a smear but no not the mid fifities and sixties
If you disbelieve what LKY said then read what Chin Peng had to say, I believe that at some point in time by reading both sides of history , one gets a clearer view.
Locke
Locke
I dont believe anything a communist terrorist has to say, I would find it hard to believe it is anything but a whitewash or downplaying of his responsibility of atrocities in Malaysia.
Please read my posts carefully. I cannot state my political viewpoint more clearly.
In the same vein, I will not read an autobiography from Osama Bin Laden.
Dear Clement
So what exactly do u believe with regards to the Barisan Socialist, LKY and well the MCP of the sixties ? So if you do not believe anything a communist has to say, would you believe everything that LKY has to say about the communist ?
Locke
Intolerance is bad attitude.Mirage of reality can be torn down by analysis.Nothing big has happened anyway to tell something is wrong while exploring history of singapore.
“So if you do not believe anything a communist has to say, would you believe everything that LKY has to say about the communist ?”
Neither. I am not a historian, I cannot devote time and resources doing interviews to sift through to get to the truth. Even now, some parties have spun Chin’s Peng surrender into a “Peace Accord” and celebrated as a 20th anniversary of reconciliation (when there is none since the commander in chief is still alive and has never been “rehabilitated” like former East German leaders), not a collapse of Communism worldwide and the absolute defeat of Malaysian Communism. Reminds me of the movie “Goodbye Lenin”.
The point being if Chin Peng had won his revolution, I am pretty sure someone with a track record of surrendering would have reconverted back into a socialist singing the Socialist Anthem once again to preserve his power.
socialism in us and socialism to all is humanity in itself and those who tried to establish that are genius since that is most difficult task a brain can ever do.for that no one need any explanation.