Lee Kuan Yew Relaxes In Godzone

by Don Carson

The Prime Minister of Singapore is currently paying an unofficial visit to New Zealand. One of the topics which he will he discussing with government leaders will be New Zealand's continuing contribution to what Norm Kirk used to call 'peace and stability' in the region.

The nature of the People's Action Party (PAP) administration in Singapore has rarely been the subject of intense scrutiny by New Zealanders. While the regimes of Thieu and Marcos for instance have always been at the very least suspect Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore was seen as something different This has been a significant factor in the maintaining of New Zealand troops on the Malay peninsular by the by the Labour government after the remaining contingent had been brought home from Vietnam.

This bon homme attitude arises partly from Singapore being a fallow member of the Commonwealth and probably more importantly for the Labour Party, the avowed socialist policy of the PAP. Lee, along with government heads such as Schmit of Western Germany and Rabin of Israel is a member of the Socialist International. Singapore is held in very high affection and esteem by many government members, ranking not for after the 'white' friends of Australia and the UK' Kirk and Lee were personal friends, sharing long term visions of a world they wished to shape into a social democratic mould.

The once shiny product of this mould has become rather tarnished as of late. Unemployment figures in Singapore are at 10% and inflation has climbed to 35%. The crises of the developed capitalist countries has hit Singapore hard largely because of the dependency of Singapore on trade; which has fallen drastically, along with another dependency; tourism.

Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew

The multinationals in this area have been only too quick to exploit this situation The prime tool of operation has been a policy of retrenchment of workers. The Singaporean government entices new enterprises into Singapore by offering them five years of 'pioneer status'. This means that the new factories or whatever operate without paying any taxes for five years. The PAP argument goes that if such incentives were not provided then the capital investment would go elsewhere and job opportunities would be lost.

How this arrangment works in practice is shown by the case of National Semi-Conductors. In July last year National Semi-Conductors laid off over 2500 workers claiming the economic downturn was the cause of this. The Singaporean daily New Straits Times carried an advertisement the following month for workers to fill the 'fast expansion' of National Semiconductors in Malacca in Malaysia. The salient point in the whole story was that Singapore's National Semi-Conductors pioneer status was to expire in October, after which they would be required to pay taxes. National Semi-Conductors branches in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were still enjoying their tax exemptions.

The problem of retrenchment of workers was exacerbated by the manner in which the massive layoffs were conducted by the multinationals. Often very little notice was given, there was no severance pay and there was no consideration for those with family responsibilities.

These actions against the workers were carried out quite openly because the emasculated trade union leadership in Singapore is prepared to allow such abuses. The National Trade Union Council (NTUC) is well integrated into the PAP and collaborated with the government in formulating legislation 'in the best interests of all Singaporeans.' Secretary-General C D Devan Nair had made a number of pronouncements about 'belt tightening' to enable companies to survive. Criticism of the retrenchment policies by the trade unions would have begun an examination of the multinationals and their real intentions which differ so markedly from that portrayed by the PAP.

The Government reaction was swift. Tan was hauled into court on blatantly fabricated charges of rioting arising from an incident in which workers approached the Pioneer Industries Employees Union (PIEU) to attempt to resolve a retrenchment problem with American Marine; builders of pleasure boats. After a 47 day trial Tan was convicted and sentenced to a year's jail by Judge Sinnathury. Two other defendants were given a month each. The trial, widely publicised throughout Singapore was obviously a fraud. Melbourne barrister Frank Galbally covered the trial and reports that "the account of riotous incidents as given by the prosecution witnesses lacked credibility", and that Tan "is not obtaining any real measure of a fair trial". PIEU functionaries stood outside the court clapping in the prosecution witnesses.

The end result of the trial was Tan joining a number of other opponents of the government in the jails of Singapore. Some political prisoners have been there since 1963. 35 people described as members of the Malayan National Liberation Front were arrested last June. Lee Kuan Yews deliberate policy, as one correspondent put it is to "get them before they get me". Another example of Lee's paranoia was a speech he made at a recent Commonwealth Prime Ministers' conference in which he was critical of military aid going from the United States to Thieu. He believed it constituted a long term threat to the PAP in Singapore. The activists of the USSU and Singapore Polytechnic Students' Union he believes are also threatening him.

Lee has in the past said such things as "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." With the deepening crisis and the rising clamour of the critics the Lee of old has changed — the "in principle" qualification has become larger. A recent book by T. J. S. George, political editor of the "Far Eastern Economic Review" — "Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore" strongly criticises Lee. George cites a statement by Lee that "We have over a hundred political detainees, men against whom we are unable to place even an iota of evidence."

Others have also been outspoken. Ian Buchanan describes Singapore as "a garrison state in which it is considered essential to regiment society".

When such descriptions are made of compradorial puppets like Lon Nol they are often accepted and lived with. For Lee Kuan Yew they are generally dismissed as exaggerations. Lee's dual mission to ensure the quietitude of Singaporean students studying in New Zealand and the continued presence of New Zealand forces in Malaysia is likely to fail on the first count. The second will probably be successful.

It is no accident that this visit comes just prior to the Labour Party conference when once more our overseas military commitments will be reviewed. The UK forces will be out of the area by the end of the year and Australia's presence is down to two air bases. New Zealand's contribution is still substantial and Lee is here to ensure that it remains so. It must be hoped that this time an examination of who New Zealand chooses as its friends and in what way they wish to help such people will lead to a disappointing visit for the Prime Minister of Singapore.