tell me about it

“Let us get down to fundamentals. Is this an open, or is this a closed society? Is it a society where men can preach ideas - novel, unorthodox, heresies, to established churches and established governments - where there is a constant contest for men’s hearts and minds on the basis of what is right, of what is just, of what is in the national interests, or is it a closed society where the mass media - the newspapers, the journals, publications, TV, radio - either bound by sound or by sight, or both sound and sight, men’s minds are fed with a constant drone of sycophantic support for a particular orthodox political philosophy? I am talking of the principle of the open society, the open debate, ideas, not intimidation, persuasion not coercion…”

- Lee*Kuan*Yew, Before Singapore’s independence, Malaysian Parliamentary Debates, Dec 18, 1964

“If it is not totalitarian to arrest a man and detain him, when you cannot charge him with any offence against any written law - if that is not what we have always cried out against in Fascist states - then what is it?… If we are to survive as a free democracy, then we must be prepared, in principle, to concede to our enemies - even those who do not subscribe to our views - as much constitutional rights as you concede yourself.”

- Opposition leader Lee*Kuan*Yew, Legislative Assembly Debates, Sept 21, 1955

as compared to:

“We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don’t do that, the country would be in ruins.”

- Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, 1986

“But we either believe in democracy or we not. If we do, then, we must say categorically, without qualification, that no restraint from the any democratic processes, other than by the ordinary law of the land, should be allowed… If you believe in democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of free speech, of free publication.”

- Lee*Kuan*Yew, Legislative Assembly Debates, April 27, 1955

This from the man who now advocates the stringent regulation of politickal blogs and banning of politickal podcasts.  Compare to:

“I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn’t be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters - who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.”

- Prime Minister Lee*Kuan*Yew, Straits^Times, 20 April 1987

Perhaps then this is the strongest case for why we should not vote the opposition in. Doubtless they too will change their tune if they come into power. And maybe they will hang around in the government until they are 83 years old and refuse to relinquish the reins.

And then they will sue the pants off anyone they like.

All italics are my own.