Francis T. Seow (former solicitor general of Singapore)

Francis T. Seow
former Solicitor General of Singapore
Reviews
Escape from Paradise

“ ... your book deserves to be widely read ...”

Your autobiography, as I had intimated, is well penned, and what is more it has all the ingredients of a successful soap opera, including the storied idiosyncracies of the Aws, the intrigues and the grossièreté of the parvenu Chungs. Its other fascination lies in the fact that it occurred in the main in an allegedly squeaky-clean state with hypocritical values. It out-Dallas Dallas, save that it is grounded in historical truth and experience.

The States could be a major market but it is not easy to crack it because of its insularity. As I see it, your book is Asean-centric and Singapore, in particular. Your readers, in my view, lie in that direction, and which by virtue of its contents will have the greater impact. Even so, your book deserves to be widely read, especially by Singaporeans, many of whom, I daresay, are still ignorant of or are mesmerized by the glitter of Lee's paradise.

No one, however, has written so well of the other side of paradise. Your observations on the Singaporean ethos, the educational system, among others, are insightful emanating as they do from the perspective of an ordinary Singaporean and a mother. Your hands-on experience with the legal and judicial system is revealing and represents the tip of a nasty iceberg. The Hongkong-based Perc and the Geneva-based World Economic Forum would do well to take note and investigate more closely the judicial system instead of only surveying top foreign CEOs for their yearly assessments.

Francis T. Seow's Ordeal

In May 1988, Francis Seow was arrested in accordance with Singapore's Internal Security Act (ISA), which permits Singapore to detain anyone indefinitely -- without trial, judicial review, or explanation. Under the ISA, Chia Thye Poh, a member of Singapore's Parliament, was detained for twenty-three years, from 1966 to 1989.

Singapore arrested Francis Seow, claiming he had been a "willing partner to acts of interference in Singapore's internal affairs by representatives of a foreign power.” That “foreign power” was the United States. Soon after Mr. Seow's arrest, Hank Hendrickson, First Secretary of the US Embassy in Singapore was expelled from the island for “meddling in Singapore politics.”

Francis Seow was imprisoned in a small windowless cell, for 72 days with only a raised concrete platform topped with a wooden plank for a bed. During his interrogations, he was forced to remain standing, on one occasion, for sixteen hours!

Francis Seow is an eloquent speaker with a charisma rarely found (or encouraged) in Singapore. In addition, he had decided to run for political office and was a fitting rival to Singapore's ruler, Lee Kuan Yew. This was Francis Seow's "crime."

Francis Seow was lucky, he was released from detention after seventy-two days.

Mr. Seow left Singapore to become a visiting fellow at Harvard Law School. He now lives in Boston.

We are honored to have Mr. Seow review our book so generously.

Other Critics of Singapore's Ruling Party

In the 2001 elections, opposition politicians to Singapore's ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP) won just 2 of 84 seats in Singapore's Parliament.

CHEE SOON JUAN

The Singapore Democratic Party chief was jailed twice in 1999 after refusing to pay $2,200 in fines for holding public rallies without a permit. In 1993, he paid $300,000 in libel damages and costs in relation to comments he made following his dismissal from a university teaching post.

BENJAMIN JEYARETNAM

Singapore's longest-suffering opposition figure was declared bankrupt and lost his parliamentary seat in 2001 after defaulting on a defamation payout. In a 30-year career, Jeyaretnam has paid more than $900,000 in damages and costs

TANG LIANG HONG

The lawyer and Workers' Party politician fled Singapore, citing death threats after losing a bid for Parliament in 1997. He was sued for $2.9 million after he accused Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and ten other ruling party members of lying. Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and other ruling party members sued Tang for damages in the Singapore High Court and were awarded a record S$8.08 million (US$5.6 million) in damages. Tang has fled from Singapore.

ROBERT HO

Robert Ho Arrested for Posting to an Intenet Newsgroup

Singapore prosecutes anti-government critic under new Internet curbs

SINGAPORE, Nov 30 (AFP) - A crtitic of the Singaporean government has been made to undergo psychiatric tests and post bail for his provisional liberty after allegedly posting messages on the Internet urging voters to defy the law.

In the first known case of its kind, Robert Ho Chong posted bail of 5,000 Singapore dollars (2,778 US) Friday after being charged with an offence punishable by up to three years in jail.

The 51-year-old former journalist is in trouble for posting articles before the November 3 general elections on an Internet newsgroup forum and a website set up by a group called Singaporeans for Democracy (SFD).

Ho alleged that ruling party stalwarts led by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong broke the law in the 1997 elections by visiting polling places without authority.

"Thus I would encourage all good Singaporeans, who feel indignant about this breach of the law and the subsequent obstruction of justice, to break the same law," he wrote.

Police found the opinion piece on October 24, five days after Ho posted it from home, and classified it as an attempt to incite violence or disobedience to the law that was likely to lead to a breach of peace.

"He was remanded for psychiatric examinations after he was charged about two weeks ago," a police official told AFP outside the court, calling Ho a "madman".

This is the first time a person had been charged for posting unfavourable content online after the government imposed Internet campaigning rules to regulate the use of the web in the run-up to the recent elections.

The rules ban non-party political websites registered with the industry regulator Singapore Broadcast Authority from carrying items which constitute campaigning for any political party or candidate.

It also banned opinion polls and online advertising during the elections that saw the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) sweeping 82 of the 84 seats and extending its unbroken rule since 1959 by another five years.

Ho refused to enter a plea in court Friday. The case has been adjourned for another two weeks but Ho told the judge that he had no plans to engage a defence lawyer.

The arrest has prompted an outcry from Singapore political groups and Internet commentators.

An SFD press statement released in Sydney said: "This is a first case for new draconian internet laws implemented by the government recently."

"Mr. Ho is a well-known web-based political commentator ... his politically lucid and poignantly brave articles have obviously made him a political target," SFD added.