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Did autocrat Lee Kuan Yew really need to lock up soft-spoken Dr Chia Thye Poh for 32 years?

COMMENT

By Kua Kia Soong

What I appreciate most about LKY is his choice of the unexpected response. Thus, when he was asked what he thought was the most important technological innovation by humankind, he answered: Air-conditioning.

Allow me then to give an atypical evaluation of LKYs achievements. We have read and seen the gushing tributes to LKY for making Singapore what it is today. He was, of course, all of these except he was no democrat.

The Malaysian Prime Minister seems to have picked up the wrong lessons from Lee, for soon after going to pay his respects to LKY, he confidently justified the use of the Sedition Act 1948 and other draconian laws by echoing Lee, saying there is no such thing as complete freedom to say or do as one pleases we cant be apologetic to some people who accuse us of being undemocratic. There is no complete freedom for anyone.

Najib Razak also touched on the Prevention of Terrorism Act, saying it too was necessary to reduce crime and curb the spread of extremist groups such as Islamic State. This was straight out of LKYs quotable quote of 1986: We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you dont do that, the country would be in ruins.

In fact, LKY used to say that Singapore will only have the ISA as long as Malaysia still uses the Internal Security Act. Surprisingly, squeaky clean Singapore has not kept its word to its own citizens and still clings on to the ISA even though Malaysia has repealed this draconian law, albeit transformed under different guises, viz. Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, Prevention of Crime Act and now the proposed Prevention of Terrorism Act.

But to be fair to LKY, his party never claimed to be a Democratic Party, only an Action Party. Boy, did he know a thing or two about swift action! The same cannot be said for Malaysias Democratic Action Party. In his tribute to LKY, the DAP Adviser Dr. Chen Man Hin said: Lee will always be remembered as a great leader, who not only upheld democracy, but was an icon both in Singapore and the region for the progress he brought

The DAPs deputy CM of Penang and former socialist Dr. P Ramasamy also paid to tribute to LKY. However Dr Ramasamy was not so much interested in LKYs democratic legacy as in name dropping about his encounter with a legend and how the great man had helped him in his academic career in Singapore!

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Everything but a democrat: LKY in memory

Ive been around a long time January marked the beginning of my 44th year at The Times and Democrat. I joke sometimes that I am still in my first job.

So how could I stay in the same job for 40-plus years? Its because its not the same job ever. We produce a product every day, but weve never produced the same product any two days.

By nature, a daily newspaper changes every day, and it is an exciting and rewarding place to work. The changes in technology and in communications in particular have been astounding, and these changes have been transformative to the newspaper business.

In the simplest of terms, we are an information provider, both news and advertising. We always have been. We deliver news and information to readers and we deliver audiences to advertisers.

Not too many years ago, we had one way to get you your information ink on paper. Today, however, our information is available on multiple platforms.

If youre like me, you use all of them. I want my news my way. I read the printed newspaper every morning, and I count on updates throughout the day on TheTandD.com. But if breaking news happens in The T&D Region, I want to know right away so I also get alerts delivered to my Smartphone. Thats what I mean by my news, my way. The options are open to you from the pages of The T&D or TheTandD.com.

And with these options, we have grown to reach the most audience in the history of the newspaper. We are the most comprehensive source of local information and we have more products to offer the customer.

Today, The Times and Democrat launches its new Full Access subscription. Now youll get all your content, every way we produce it, anywhere you want it. We call it CONNECT me LOCAL.

Well bring all the news and the days best deals to your doorstep as weve always done. But well make sure you have access on your desktop computer, tablet or phone to all the latest news, photos, videos and events. You can use up to five devices at a time, so you and your family can be connected 24/7/365. And for those who like the traditional newspaper look with the convenience of digital delivery, we have our electronic replica edition the E-Edition so you can see all the local coverage whether youre in Orangeburg, Orlando or Oslo.

And this is breaking news: We have a partnership with The Washington Post and as an added bonus, all activated Full Access subscribers of The Times and Democrat are eligible for 52 weeks of unlimited digital access to The Washington Post.

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Connect me Local: Journey continues along T&D information highway

Was the Liberal Democrat alternative budget a success?
Was the Liberal Democrat alternative budget a success? Who should you bet on to be the next Liberal Democrat leader? Why are Liberal Democrat MPs so cheerful? Dr Mark Pack on Radio 4 #39;s Week...

By: Mark Pack

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Was the Liberal Democrat alternative budget a success? - Video

Senate #39;s Top Democrat Harry Reid to Retire
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says he won #39;t seek re-election to another term. In a video he released Friday, the Nevada Senator said he doesn #39;t want to soak up campaign resources when he...

By: Angel Henry

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Senate's Top Democrat Harry Reid to Retire - Video

When Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) steps down from the Senatein early 2017, Mormonism will lose its highest-ranking elected official -- and the most high-profile example that yes, there is such a thing as a Mormon Democrat.

Mormons arethe most Republican religious group in America, and they are moving to the right. A2007 Pew studyfound about 66 percent identify with the party. By 2012, Pew found that figure had risen, and 74 percent of Mormons identifiedas Republican.

During anaddress at Brigham Young Universityin 2007, Reidtalked about what it was like being a Democrat in a deeplyRepublican faith.

"It is not uncommon for members of the Church to ask how I can be a Mormon and a Democrat," he said. "Some say my party affiliation puts me in the minority of our Church members. But my answer is that if you look at the church membership over the years, Democrats have not always been the minority, and I believe we won't be for long. I also say that my faith and political beliefs are deeply intertwined. I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon, not in spite of it."

It's true that Mormons haven't always been as Republican as they are today. Here's a chart fromSeeking the Promised Land: Mormons and American Politics by David Campbell, John Green, and Quin Monson (it's a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of Mormonism and politics) that shows how that's changed since 1896. It specifically tracks onlyUtahMormons, but it's telling.

When Reid was first elected to Congress in the 1980s, about 70 percent of Utah Mormons voted Republican. By 2012, that figure reached 90 percent -- though having a fellow Mormon on the ticket in 2012 certainly could be a factor in the record-breaking percentage.

Reid's prediction that Democrats won't always be in the minority in the church came several years before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would show it doesn't toe the partyline on some hot-button Republican issues. In 2010, the church backed immigration proposals that kept families together and focused on criminal activity rather than federal violations, and this year, Utah's LGBT and religious protections legislation was applauded by LGBT groups, while social conservatives were mostly unimpressed.

[How much influence can a church have over its members' political beliefs? A Mormon case study]

Mormon Democrats are more likely to be women and less likely to be white, mirroring Democratic demographics nationally, but unlike national trends, they're also more likely to be older. Mormons over the age of 65 are 51 percent Republican, compared with 69 percent of those under 30.

So while Mormons very well may one day becomemore Democratic, it just might take awhile for a new generation to start voting. Butby then, theywon't have the high-profile example ofReid to look to.

Originally posted here:
The Fix: Harry Reid and the increasingly rare Mormon Democrat