Goh CT: Aung San Suu Kyi "Is Part Of The Problem" In Burma
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http://www.dvb.no/english/news.php?id=2781
Democratic Voice of Burma, 7 Aug 2009
Goh says Suu Kyi ‘is part of the problem’
Aug 7, 2009 (DVB)–Aung San Suu Kyi “is part of the problem” in Burma’s political crisis because she still believes she is the government, said former Singaporean prime minister Goh Chok Tong yesterday.
The comment, reported yesterday in Channel NewsAsia, was made during the inaugural Asia-Middle East Media Roundtable in Singapore yesterday.
Goh Chok Tong, now a Senior Minister in Singapore, had previously urged the ruling junta in Burma to hold free and fair elections next year following a meeting with Senior General Than Shwe in June.
The comments have stirred unrest among Burma observers, with the foreign affairs coordinator of the National League for Democracy-Liberated Areas, Nyo Ohn Myint , saying he was “very upset” by it.
“She has been under house arrest for 14 years and has never had a chance for dialogue or to show her ability to reconcile with the junta,” he said.
“[Goh] should have a look at the real problem, which is not the democracy icon, but is the military junta.”
Singapore is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, and follows the ASEAN policy of non-interference in internal matters of member states.
But, said Nyo Ohn Myint, the relationship runs deeper than straight diplomacy, with Singapore a significant investor in Burma.
“I think Singapore is protecting its business interests,” he said. “Singapore, and ASEAN countries, always try not to side with the opposition but stick with the ruling generals.”
Burmese political analyst Aung Naing Oo said however that the problem is “a conflict between idealism and pragmatic action”.
“[Singapore] wants the country to move forward, and they see Aung San Suu Kyi as the obstacle, mainly because the military is not moving,” he said.
“In a conflict that is not going anywhere, it is normal for anybody to look for alternatives. From a moral idealisitic point of view, then Goh Chok Tong is not right, but from pragmatic thinking he may be right.”
He added that the comment symbolizes the conflict between Eastern and Western countries on what action to take on Burma, with the likes of China and India refraining from condemnation while the United States and European Union hold tough sanctions on the regime.
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Brainless giraffe! - so this is what u get - stupid and divisive statements.
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gct of course said such of her, don't forget he belongs to leechgime, leechgime supports the junta of myannmar
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Do singapore have nuclear powers?
Do singapore have economic ability to hold sanctions on other countries?
Answer is no to both.
Then who are we to be a moral idealist?
If SG were to throw their weight to support Aung San Suu Kyi verbally, loudly and clearly, who do you think will be at the losing end when she don't manage to topple the junta? SG!!!
If SG throws everything to support Aung San Suu Kyi, what do you think happen to the business interests in myannmar? The Junta will do some funny thing and end of the day, the same Moralistic forumers here will come in and complain abt our gov losing money in myannmar investments.
Powerhouses such as China had also chosed to keep quiet. Who are we to stand behind Aung San Suu Kyi and critise the junta?
In this world, money and power counts. Only fight when u can afford to lose.
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gct is also part of the problem in singapore.
he and lky and lhl should be get rid of than singapore will not have anymore problem.
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GCT actually said that "Aung San Su Kyi is part of the problem - because she still believes she is the government" -
It seems that the PAP ways of re-writing History is again revealed in GCT ignoring the fact that Aung San Suu Kyi had led her National League for Democracy Party to an election victory in Myanmar's last election held in 1990.
Mynamar's Military Junta simply ignored the election results and arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and placed her under house arrest ever since.
With GCT and the remaining PAP leadership in a state of self-denial over historical fact, how will they lead Singapore to be a signatory to ASEAN's upcoming Human Rights Charter.
This is going to be another wayang party led by the experts from the Singapore PAP Political Leadership.
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Is he not interfering in the affairs of another country? Wonder how he would take it if a minister of another country were to say something unsavoury of him.
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Originally posted by Fugazzi:
Is he not interfering in the affairs of another country? Wonder how he would take it if a minister of another country were to say something unsavoury of him.
What's there to say, he is just a eunuch seat warmer.
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Granted that we ought to preserve our economic rights in Burma, and that the world is an unsavory place. But given this stark reality, shouldn't we be a little careful about the things we say, lest we allow others to cast a magnifying eye across our unsavory interests?
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Originally posted by Quincey:
Granted that we ought to preserve our economic rights in Burma, and that the world is an unsavory place. But given this stark reality, shouldn't we be a little careful about the things we say, lest we allow others to cast a magnifying eye across our unsavory interests?
Actually we have no business to be inside Myanmar - with the santions already imposed for quite a long while.The commercial interests of the Singapore PAP Government takes precendence over common sense in what is human principles in differentiating right and wrong.
When the UN and ASEAN placed sanctions on Vietnam for invading Cambodia in the late 1970s, the Singapore Government owned APB and Intraco was already operating in Vietnam - even as Singaporeans were prevented from pursuing any commercial interests from private initiatives.
This is the PAP hypocrisy at its best, and carefully crafted to a low profile status.
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Aung San Suu Kyi “is part of the problem” in Burma’s political crisis because she still believes she is the government, said former Singaporean prime minister Goh Chok Tong yesterday.
But Aung San Suu Kyi won the 1990 elections, but the military refused to give up power, that is why she considers herself the legitimate government.
Goh, do you understand me on this point?
General elections were held in Burma on 27 May 1990. They were the first since 1960, after which the country had been ruled by a military dictatorship.
The elections were won convincingly by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, who took 392 of the 492 seats. However, the military junta refused to recognize the results, and have since ruled the country as the State Peace and Development Council.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_general_election,_1990
Aung San Suu Kyi “is part of the problem” in Burma’s political crisis because she still believes she is the government, said former Singaporean prime minister Goh Chok Tong yesterday.
Actually, Goh, Chok Tong, I also consider you to be part of the problem in Singapore; step down as PM but still in cabinet, take million dollar salary.
Why is that so Goh Chok Tong? You are taking up space in government.
By the way Goh Chok Tong, I want to ask you whether the PAP rigged 1963 elections, Robert Ho has made an allegation. Thanks.
In the 1963 GE, LIE KY cheated again. The Barisan was leading by a landslide in the counting, in >30 constituencies out of the ~50. Then, PM LIE KY caused an electricity ‘blackout’ around the City Hall counting centre, ordered everyone out, and changed the votes. After 6 hours, when electricity was ‘restored’, LIE ‘won’ by a landslide. Go to the National Library and check the microfilms of all the Chinese and English newspapers then...
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The Asean have a consitution of not bothering each other domestic issues. We should not bother or get into other Asean countries politics or domestic matters, this had been understood by all members of Asean.
The main reason why Mr Goh is speaking on the side of Junta is for the sake of Singapore. But he is not condenming the democrat leader of Burma, he is saying that it is a problem, nothing else. So, please dun add salts and peppers to it.
You all should know whose Burma's Big Brother is...our govt knows how to do the networking ya
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I dont understand why should other people care about the Burma politics.
It's their internal matter....and when I say that, it's not to quote some principle...it's really my sentiments...it's their internal matter.
And I dont like the "NGOs" and other groups operating from overseas and trying to recruit foreigners to their side.
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And I dont like the "NGOs" and other groups operating from overseas and trying to recruit foreigners to their side.
Some of these "NGOs" have a hidden agenda of destabilising the target countries.
see:
Cuba: USAID making ever-higher investments in subversion
THE U.S. offensive against progressive Latin America is now being intensified in terms of the countries of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA). In Cuba, Washington’s pro-annexationist investment has increased and intensified via new technologies.
That is confirmed by the Venezuelan-American researcher Eva Golinger, who analyzes in an interview how the current U.S. administration is still making "investments in destabilizing the Cuban Revolution" via USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)...
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/agosto/mier5/33usaid-ing.html
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All the above points are valid
The heart of problem is that we have allowed a large and siezable number of Burmese to migrate into Sg.
If you can remember, they broke our law with mass protests and demostrations, despite advices and warnings from the Police to not do so and to respect our law.
Repeated warnings from the Police and repeated protests and finally three of their gang leaders were expelled from Singapore. And they have the cheeks to protest again the expulsion.
They wrote to our Foreign Minister and pressured him to meddle into Myanmar's internal affair, despite the fact that Myanmar and Singapore are sovereign states.
Burmese who are here have to understand that they are not above Singaporeans and our law. Don't like it here, think they can out-smart, out-smug, outwit our law and people - they can fuck off from here. -
Barrier for Myanmar to achieve democracy: Singapore and the sham organisation called Asean.
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Originally posted by deepak.c:
What's there to say, he is just a eunuch seat warmer.
Ahaha,so true!!!!
And probably LKY threaten GCT:"Hey Eunuch Goh,if u dont talk something in favour of the Burmese Militia,i am going to slot my Big Cork into your Tight @ss....So u better be smart!!!"
So the next day,we see GCT brainless comment on the Burma situation.LOL!!!
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During the National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, Mr Goh confronted his wife, then the patron of the NKF, “horny you made a mistake in your comment... ”. Mrs Goh earlier commented "T.T. Durai salary S$600,000 in charitable organization, a year is peanuts" while Singapore GDP below S$60,000.
Now is Mr Goh’s turn to regret for his own statement he made about Aung San Su Kyi and Burma. First of all Singapore and ASEAN do too little in Myanmar’s democracy process, Mr Goh may not deserved at this position to make unfair statement of what he think about Burma. Singapore Government’s own already-flaw-ridden policy of “non interference” is contradicting with his statement.
The whole world know that in this era of globalization, “non interference” policy is not practical and obsolete long past in 20th century. Sad thing is politician especially in Asia are afraid of admitting this even though fundamentally no choice but accepting the fact.
Mr. Goh should have gone deeper to the issue of fair and legitimate election in 2010, more than a word, what are the actions? The first national elections in Cambodia was administered by United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia (UNTAC) in July 1993. Should that had been your opinion to convey message to Mr. Ban during meeting in Singapore? If Mr Goh believed western view on Aun San Su Kyi and Myanmar is flaw so that ASEAN should form an independent elections committee for Myanmar?
Is ASEAN and Singapore government ready to admit that “non interference” policy is not working? The result of “non interference” had served as “regional ignorance” policy that allows Myanmar’s rough government led to nuclear ambition state.
Now is time ASEAN to get together in Myanmar’s politics for the sake of regional stability and security. Mr Goh statement should not stop there and lay further foundation to tackle the issue as responsible leader in the region.
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u dun be stupid lah, u think Uncle Goh is stupid ar??? there is a hidden agenda in the way he spoke about mynamar. Open yours eyes and look at the nos of mynamar influx into singapore, it is increasing, an bear in mind, no other countries take in mynamar except singapore ok,...if yes also illegal ones.
Now, what is our govt looking at?? that hidden agenda, can mynamar natural resource such as natural gas...can be rice..etc etc..
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Originally posted by Atobe:
Actually we have no business to be inside Myanmar - with the santions already imposed for quite a long while.The commercial interests of the Singapore PAP Government takes precendence over common sense in what is human principles in differentiating right and wrong.
When the UN and ASEAN placed sanctions on Vietnam for invading Cambodia in the late 1970s, the Singapore Government owned APB and Intraco was already operating in Vietnam - even as Singaporeans were prevented from pursuing any commercial interests from private initiatives.
This is the PAP hypocrisy at its best, and carefully crafted to a low profile status.
I am not sure how much this is being weight.
The Geopolitics of Myanmar particularly a region either side with Asean or PRC .
Myanmar is also the only gateway via land to get into SEA.
China has viewed it as a strategic gateway into the indian ocean.
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One of the important interests of China in Myanmar is the pipeline from the western coast of Myanmar to Yunan.
China begins lying a gigantic 1,100 km long gas and oil pipeline to Myanmar in September; the official media said a day before the visit of Burmese leaders beginning Wednesday. It will cut transportation costs by shortening the journey for crude from the Middle East and Africa.
It will transfer 20 million tonnes of crude oil to China from the Middle East and Africa annually. The natural gas pipeline will be extended by an additional 1,700 kms to transport it from Yunnan to Guizhou and Guangxi Zhuang provinces to move 12 billion cubic meters of gas.
The Xinhua news agency said the oil pipeline can reduce the transport route by 1,200 km as compared to ocean shipping besides reducing China's reliance on the risky Straits of Malacca for oil import.
http://www.siasat.com/english/content/china
The Strait of Malacca, linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans, is the shortest sea route between the Persian Gulf and China. It is the key chokepoint in Asia. More than 80% of all China’s oil imports are shipped by tankers passing the Malacca Strait. The narrowest point is the Phillips Channel in the Singapore Strait, only 1.5 miles wide at its narrowest. Daily more than 12 million barrels in oil supertankers pass through this narrow passage, most en route to the world’s fastest-growing energy market, China or to Japan.
If the strait were closed, nearly half of the world's tanker fleet would be required to sail further. Closure would immediately raise freight rates worldwide. More than 50,000 vessels per year transit the Strait of Malacca. The region from Maynmar to Banda Aceh in Indonesia is fast becoming one of the world’s most strategic chokepoints. Who controls those waters controls China’s energy supplies.
http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/Geopolitics
The upcoming exercise in the Bay of Bengal is the 13th in the ongoing US-India Malabar series of naval exercises. It has been "extended" to include other countries, Indian officials have said. This is the first time a Malabar naval exercise is being conducted on India's eastern seaboard.
"The purpose of the Bay of Bengal exercise is to develop naval interoperability among the participating fleets," said Lawrence Prabhakar, associate professor at the Madras Christian College and visiting fellow at the Singapore-based S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. The exercises will include offensive and defensive missions, surface and submarine warfare, maritime interdiction, and operations to counter piracy and terrorist acts at sea.
The exercise will be held between Visakhapatnam, headquarters of India's Eastern Naval Command, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands - not far from the strategic Strait of Malacca. Drawing attention to the significance of the site of the exercise, Prabhakar told Asia Times Online that the Bay of Bengal lies at the confluence of seas with the Indian Ocean on one side and Southeast Asian waters on the other. "It is at the tapering end of waters through which oil traffic coming out of the Strait of Hormuz pass before entering the Strait of Malacca."
The Strait of Malacca connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. This narrow waterway is crucial to maritime trade - it is one of the busiest ocean highways in the world. Its traffic density is projected to increase from 94,000 ships in 2004 to 141,000 in 2020. A quarter of the world's oil shipments pass through this waterway every day. Half of China's imported oil and 95% of the oil shipped to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan pass through the strait.http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IH14Df01.html
China Nervous About Growing India-Japan-US-Australia Alliance
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In the end, no matter what other countries say, its all just talk. Criticising can only do so much when the govt doesn't care about sanctions
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that is why i said, the big brother china is more important hor, u think SM Goh gong gong one meh?? He is smart Alex ok
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This man is really a disgrace to Singapore! Aung San Suu Kyi is actually the rightful govt of Burma: Ruled by the British from 1886 to 1948, the Burmese people went through great hardship during the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945. The infamous Death Railway was built over River Kwai during that time, at the costs of countless lives. After the Japanese surrendered, Aung San, Suu Kyi's father, became the deputy chairman of the executive council of Burma, a transitional government in 1947. But in July that year, political rivals assassinated Aung San and several cabinet ministers. On Jan 4, 1948, the nation became an independent republic, named The Union of Burma. In 1961, U Thant was the first Asian to be made the secretary-general of the United Nations, a post he served for 10 years. He made many Asians proud. Among the Burmese who worked under him in the UN, was a young Suu Kyi. In 1962, democracy died in Burma when General Ne Win led a military coup and took power for 26 years. In 1990, the military government held the first free general election for the first time in nearly 30 years. The National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Suu Kyi won 382 of the 489 seats. The military junta refused to yield power and annulled the election results. In 2006, The International Labour Organisation ILO announced it would seek prosecution of the military junta at the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity – specifically for forced labour of 800,000 people in the country. Nearly five decades under military dictatorship has taken its heavy toll on the people, while the generals get fat on the gems and natural resources, as well as from the drug trade gushing out from the Golden Triangle.
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I noticed Singapore is still seeing politics much like business. Singapore government and leader are wise and way-forward. But, people views are still lagging behind. In long term view looking only in natural resources and rice will get back-fired. That was what happened before world war II in Europe. What if now Burma’s nuclear planning becomes reality? Mr Goh seems aware of the future regional threat and he is thinking out aloud now. Politics is much more than rice and natural gas.