(OK, after a few days, I finally mustered up enough courage to post this.)
Dear Mr Gopalan Nair,
In this post, you called for Singaporeans to “stand up like a man, and live like a man”.
When you were recently incarcerated in Singapore, due to the charges brought on to you, you pleaded guilty. However upon your return to the US, you retracted your public apology, citing it was due to a “desire to get out of prison as soon as possible”.
How is this standing up like a man and living like a man? If you had taken your own advice, you would probably still be in prison, “sticking it to the man”, refusing to retract every statement that you have originally made, with the belief that what you had said and written is the truth. If you had believed that what was made against you wasn’t fair, I would expect a person who is bold enough to put words on a public blog, to stand by his own words.
Yet you chose to take the easy way out. To get away from Singapore and return to your new home, halfway around the world.
I am not saying that what you did was wrong. Or that it was bad. I’m just criticizing the fact that from what you put in your blog, you seem to have Singapore’s best interest at heart, but when the talk required the walk, you decided to eat your own words (on record, I might add), turn tail and run home. If you seem proud to be an American, why bother coming here or writing about Singapore at all? As you have stated, you have made your choice. So have we, Singaporeans.
Ever since I started earning my own income, I have been trying to understand the Singapore political situation. You were one of the few sources of opposing political views that I have managed to find on the Internet. However, your last actions proved to me that you are no Dr. Chee Soon Juan, the late Mr. J. B. Jeyaratnam or the currently popular Mr. Tan Kin Lian. Those people are good examples of political opposition in Singapore. You, sir, are just another rabble rouser.
I’m sorry, but you are no longer credible in my eyes. I do sincerely hope that you will be happy in the United States Of America. Just remember to pay your share of the U.S. National Debt.
Regards,
Mart
