Rush of Blood Two

I can imagine that some readers of this blog will be compelled to ask me: "Why are you so unkind to Mr LKY?"

My answer: You surely must have learnt that he himself did numerous unkind things to many people. I will not dwell on the ones he kept locked up without trial or others hounded into exile.

Specifically , I prefer to deal with the egregious wrong he did to 200 of us who worked to produce the Singapore Herald for all of just 10 and a half months -- AND the thousands who wrote to us in the last eight days, declaring that they supported our struggle to stay alive and pleading with LKY: "Why are you doing this, Mr. Prime Minister? You have laid charges against this paper, but have produced no proof. Show us proof."

We printed these appeals to LKY only if the letters were couched in temperate, even courteous, language. As editor, I decided NOT to print any rabid, inflammatory letters -- for obvious reasons.

Yet when LKY was in Helsinki addressing an International Press Institute audience just days after withdrawing our publishing licence, take careful note of what he thought of these caring Singapore citizens. Remember that his words were for foreign consumption -- his audience had no access to the facts.

He described our 10-day struggle for survival as "a riotous fortnight ... vicious, asinine and peurile attacks" on him. Again stumbling in a hyperbolic haze, he miscounted 10 days as a fortnight. But he left no doubt that he didn't give a hoot for the feelings of those citizens who asked for simple answers, who did not condemn him.  His words betrayed a contempt for his electorate, concerned citizens who stood up to be counted when our paper was exercising its right to defend itself against unfounded charges.

Now, note that in retelling the story of his National Day rehearsal blunder, I ask whether it was a rush of blood to the head that triggered that rare lapse in judgment.

In our law courts, you can even get away with murder if it can be proved that you were of unsound mind, legally speaking, at the time. LKY would understand the use of the Latin words: Non compos mentis. A rush of blood to the head amounts to about the same thing. I was being kind to LKY, you see?

So that morning, on seeing our published picture of the marching column blanked out, and on reading Francis's words, what do you think he did? Nothing! No more orders from City Hall to this defiant newspaper! (Former Straits Times editor-in-Chief  thought we were "gutsy.") I guess LKY crawled into a corner to lick his wounds.

But he never made the same mistake again. Give him credit for this. In the following year and on every subsequent National Day, the rehearsals for the big day were never blanked out. The Press and national TV went to town on stories and pictures of those rehearsals, even when some poor parachutist lost his life, if I remember correctly, on one occasion.

It is curious that LKY has declared publicly that he has his reasons why he has no great respect for journalists in general. Apart from his strictures on "those timorous editors" he has been quoted as saying that when Singaporeans cannot pass exams to become doctors, etc. they turn to journalism. Yet he corralled a gaggle of journalists to help edit his sanitised versions of Singapore history entitled "LKY's story" or his memoirs. He acknowledged this in the credits
printed in these books.

Note also that he co-opted several journalists to promote the PAP, notably Rajaratnam (who started working as a journalist in London), Othman Wok (Utusan), Lee Khoon Choy (S.T. reporter), Chan Chin Bok (down-table S.T. sub-editor, who went on to distinguish himself as super salesman marketing Jurong to multi-national companies).

Turn back the pages of history and you can find other events when LKY very likely suffered from the same affliction, i.e. a rush of the blood to the head.

(To be continued -- editing this blog).

Pushing someone's buttons: It is pretty well known that when you push someone's buttons, accidentally or with malice aforethought, you can usually predict that person's response.

For example: You are on a first date, and at dinner she gets a wedge of spinach stuck in her teeth -- and she smiles and smiles. Horrors! And she wonders why you did not kiss her goodnight!

For me, towards the end of a romantic evening, if she engages in a converstional gambit with something, anything quite banal --  I experience what is known in Bahasa Melayu as "koro."  (To be continued).