Mr David Marshall

In view of the tribute paid to Mr David Marshall in Strait's Times recently, I think it's nice to re visit Dharmendra Yadav's interview with Mr David Marshall which they did on 5 May 1994.

Highlights of the interview includes:

"But I am seen as a critic and I am a critic. I am frankly terrified by this massive control of the mass media, the press, the radio, television, antennae, [and] public meetings. You can’t write a letter to the Straits Times; if there is a shadow of criticism, it’s not published. And the Chinese press follows suit. It’s a very dangerous position because experience proves that no one group of human beings has got all the wisdom in the world."

and

"You know $96,000 a month for a Prime Minister and $60,000 a month for a minister. What the hell do you do with all that money? You can’t eat it! What do you do with it? Your children don’t need all that money."


If only Mr Marshall knows it's even more expensive getting good help these days. It's no longer the measly sum of $96,000 of 1994 when Goh Chok Tong was PM. They are still at it and it's $308,000 a month for Lee Hsien Loong today!


I was a young boy when this exchange took place.

"Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack.

All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface.

Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they're conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict."

- Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956

How true! The intimidated press and government-controlled radio and (now TVs) can sing PAP's praises and people are made to forget.

52 years later, it's same shit, different time!

Pot calling the kettle black?

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