Asian values or apeing the West? Part 2

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Tuesday, 29 November 2011

Singapore Democrats

In 1987, the Goverrnment accused Mr Francis Seow of colluding with the US through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to set up an opposition in Singapore presumably to topple the PAP. For that Mr Seow was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Of course, we all know that that was not true - on both counts. First, Mr Seow was not colluding with the CIA. Second, and more significantly, the US has always been supportive of the PAP regime and would not advocate, much less work for, its fall from power.

For in reality the PAP has been good for America, more specifically corporate America. This is because the PAP has been the US' leading cheerleader when it comes to the practice of neoliberal trade policies and market fundamentalism.

At the heart of neoliberalism is the belief that markets across the world should be opened up with the lowest possible tariffs and the least amount of interference in the operations of private business. Such an ideology was, of course, championed by big Western corporations constantly on the lookout for new markets and cheap labour.

The USSFTA - a quick passage

Goh Chok Tong and George W Bush signing the USSFTA in 2003

Goh Chok Tong and George W Bush signing the USSFTA in 2003

Singapore was a willing advocate for the neoliberals. On 6 May 2003, then prime minister Goh Chok Tong and former US president George W Bush signed the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA) which, among other things, made it even easier for US multinational corporations (MNCs) to set up shop in Singapore.

Singapore became the first country in Asia, and one of the few in the world to sign such a pact with the US. Behind the scenes American corporations worked hard to ensure that the US Congress passed the deal.

The charge was led by the US Business Coalition formed by conglomerates like Boeing, ExxonMobl, UPS, GE, Federal Express, and Lockheed-Martin. It roped in US Congressmen Curt Weldon and Solomon Ortiz to push for the FTA's quick passage through the US legislature.

On the Singapore side former foreign minister S Jayakumar wrote to Weldon and Ortiz to encourage the US legislators to push for the resolution of the USSFTA.

The SDP tried to weigh in by calling for the inclusion in the FTA the strengthening of Singapore's labour laws to protect workers here. Dr Chee Soon Juan visited the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisatioons (AFL-CIO), an umbrella movement of trade unions in the US, to get the US side to include provisions in the Agreement that would protect Singaporean workers.

(When Mr Lee Kuan Yew found out about this, he accused Dr Chee of undermining Singapore's interests.)

The AFL-CIO subsequently wrote a letter to members of the Congress urging a rethink of the FTA with Singapore and Chile:

If the Chile and Singapore agreements are enacted, working families in the US stand to lose even more ground through job displacement and an increased US trade deficit, while workers in Chile and Singapore are likely to face widening income inequality. The labor provisions of the Chile and Singapore FTAs will not protect the core rights of workers.

Given the might of the corporate interests in the US, however, concerns for the welfare and rights of workers were brushed aside and the USSFTA was quickly passed by the US Government.

Pandering to MNCs

Singapore...of, by, and for the rich MNCs, being the entities that they are, are on the constant look out for low tax regimes and cheap, plentiful labour. The PAP Government dutifully obliged. Many multinationals operating in Singapore enjoy generous tax holidays.

And as far as cheap labour is concerned, the PAP takes care of that by introducing its notorious immigration policy, indiscriminately flooding our population with foreign workers.

It is clear how the USSFTA works to the advantage of big business in America. How it benefits Singaporeans is another story. The problems Singaporean workers face with the widening income inequality, suppressed wages, housing price inflation, etc have stemmed, directly or otherwise, from the PAP's immigration policy which, in turn, has come about because of the demands of MNCs in Singapore.

On the other hand, wealthy foreigners love what's been done for them. It is not by accident that Singapore is ranked by expatriates as the number one place to live, play and do business in.

Buying into the fiction

It is important to note in all this that the US Government's policy towards Singapore is driven almost exclusively by cooperation in trade and security arrangements - a policy that benefits the US and the PAP. The reality is that America has little interest in wanting to see democracy and human rights develop in Singapore.

Such an approach has become even more pronounced since the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York. The PAP has been championing the use of the ISA with the approval, tacitly at least, of the US Government.

Supporting our own oppression In contrast, other than the perfunctory annual Human Rights Report the State Department compiles, the US has shown little appetite for the development of democracy in Singapore.

And yet the PAP has skilfully and successfully portrayed the West as seeking to undermine the sovereignty and interests of Singaporeans by "foisting", in Mr Lee Kuan Yew's words, its democratic system on us. The story of the CIA employing Francis Seow is but one case in point.

Unfortunately many Singaporeans have bought into this fiction and through a misplaced sense of nationalism and Asian-ness, rejected "Western-style demoracy" to our own detriment. For in truth democracy is not a Western idea but a universal concept.

In the ultimately analysis, it is not American-democracy versus Asian values, it is not East versus West. Rather it is about the divide between the dominators - both in the East and West - and the dominated; it is about the rich and powerful wanting to own more and more, leaving less and less for the rest.

The PAP has every reason to support the Western neoliberal agenda in order to maintain the present system in which it derives all of its power and glory.

Democracy is our one weapon that enables us to break out from the authoritarian control and secure for ourselves a better and more secure future. By rejecting the democratic system, we are in fact supporting our own oppression.

Read also Asian Values or apeing the West? Part 1

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Comments (14)

Tue 29 Nov 2011 9:29 PM | BryanT

On balance, the FTA is advantageous to both countries and among all the clauses, SDP should be happy that Singapore subscribed to 12.3.(2)

"(e) Singapore shall take no action or attempt in any way, directly or indirectly, to influence or direct decisions of its government enterprises, including through the exercise of any rights or interests conferring effective influence over such enterprises, except in a manner consistent with this Agreement. However, Singapore may exercise its voting rights in government enterprises in a manner
that is not inconsistent with this Agreement.

(f) Singapore shall continue reducing, with a goal of substantially eliminating, its aggregate ownership and other interests that confer effective influence in entities organized under the laws of Singapore, taking into account, in the timing of individual divestments, the state of relevant capital markets."

But of course, SDP being what is it, will ignore anything that is good for Singapore because it is blinded by partisan politics.

http://otexa.ita.doc.gov/pdfs/matrix/US%20Singapore%20FTA%20full%20text.pdf

Tue 29 Nov 2011 9:45 PM | komodo - outpost by and for the West

Suharto was the first to accuse Singapore for being an outpost for the West. In return, LKY got the best publicity a lap dog can get. He got accolades from the Western Press, as though he is the most brilliant person in the world. People have forgotten how he was belittled by an unknown journalist called Adele Koh in the World Socialist Congress in Brussels in the early '70s. The PAP got expelled from the World Socialist Movement. Since then he has been humbled by Francis Seow, JB Jeyaratnam and Chee SoonJuan. So, what is LKY without the backing of the US/europe? What is the PAP without the ISA? Now with him on the way down(literally), all we see are green horns in the PAP, fearful of a political challenge from CSJ,etc. I will bet the ISA will be used again, no doubt about it. That is the only way for the PAP to stay in power, and hide its skeletons some more.

Wed 30 Nov 2011 12:03 AM | quantum

BryanT:
You owe your existence here by the grace of SDP, and yet you don't seem to realize it.

Wed 30 Nov 2011 2:24 AM | Buwakasha

I think it is articles like these that dampens the support for the SDP, at least from my perspective. There are 2 different issues here that I think the SDP mistakenly tied together. One being the oppressive and undemocratic nature of the PAP, the other being the "neoliberal" agenda. These are 2 very different issues and totally unrelated, but yet somehow this article tries to imply that the "neoliberal" agenda is the PAP's agenda of oppression, authoritarian control and a rejection of democratic principles. That is not true. I quote from the article,

"At the heart of neoliberalism is the belief that markets across the world should be opened up with the lowest possible tariffs and the least amount of interference in the operations of private business."

How can one consider our PAP's companies as "least amount of interference" and they are certainly not private business.

There is nothing wrong with neoliberalism the way the SDP defined it. The problem is that we are not getting that, we are getting fascism instead.

Wed 30 Nov 2011 3:53 AM | Robox

Two points of note:

1. Even while we denounce 'The US' on this or any other matter, it would make things clearer if it was specified that it is almost always The US under a Republican administration that has acted detrimentally to Singaporeans' interets in collusion with the PAP; it is abundantly clear to me that it is the US Republican Party - especially its far-right faction - that the PAP is most in sync with ideologically.

I'm quite sure that if it were the Democrats who were in power at the time of the signing of the USSFTA, they would have acceded to the SDP's intervention aimed at 'the strengthening of Singapore's labour laws to protect workers here'.

2. "...wealthy foreigners love what's been done for them. It is not by accident that Singapore is ranked by expatriates as the number one place to live, play and do business in."

Perhaps conducting similar worldwide surveys with the lowest paid foreign workers in every country surveyed as participants might be the way forward on this score. We'll find out if Singapore is just as Number One to them as it is to the expatriates with their typically indulgent lifestyles in the duration that they are Singapore.

Wed 30 Nov 2011 8:55 AM | quantum

Robox:
Fascinating.
The Republican is known for being anti-science and anti-intellect.

Wed 30 Nov 2011 10:25 AM | Buwakasha

Robox, your claim that only the Republican party is far right is bogus. No, if what you mean by far right is the collusion of Wall Street banks with government, then both parties are as deep in as they can be. Just look at Jon Corzine, ex CEO Goldman Sacs, ex Democratic Senator, ex Democratic Governor, ex CEO of MF Global. John Kerry, ex US presidential candidate, Democrat, current Senator, strongly supported all the FTA agreements too.

Wed 30 Nov 2011 11:00 AM | Clear eyed

Now I understand why members of the Familee are regularly being handed medals, awards and titles such as "No xxx Most Powerful Woman in the World" by US and its organisations.

Wed 30 Nov 2011 9:49 PM | Buwakasha

quantum,
please don't make statements like that, i.e. Republicans are anti-science and anti-intellect. I'm not sure if you are part of the SDP, but such statements will harm the SDP politically. Saying that the Republican party is anti-science and anti-intellect is like saying that the SDP is Marxist, Communist and anti-capitalism. No, the US has a different system. Parties are just political action committees, they are made up of individual people and candidates with their own ideas and policy. Unlike the PAP and SDP, it is not just one voice, one view and one opinion. Every member has their own opinions and they debate their opinions rigorously.

Sat 03 Dec 2011 6:05 PM | quantum

It is well-known that the Republican is ciimate change denier, evolution denier, vaccine denier etc.
They are anit-science. It is well known in the whole world.

Sun 04 Dec 2011 4:25 PM | Buwakasha

quantum,
I grant you that there are some members of the Republican party that are like that, but you cannot make a general statement like they are all like that. The majority of Republicans are center right and are not extremist. You cannot generalize all Republicans to be anti-science, that's just not true.

Tue 06 Dec 2011 5:23 PM | quantum - Republican are pro-business, pro-religion but anti

You might be interested to read this material in connection to the discussion:-

http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2011/12/planet-at-mercy-of-politics.html

Wed 07 Dec 2011 1:09 AM | quantum

This is hilarious!
http://www.sciencedebate.org/media20111026.html

Wed 07 Dec 2011 12:51 PM | Buwakasha

quantum,
citing an opinion piece and a political satire is not scientific and does not constitute evidence that the Republicans are anti-science. They are also not pro-business or anti-business, pro-religion or anti-religion. It all depends on the person you are talking to. Some are, some are not, others have different opinions.