Campaign to Have a State Funeral for JBJ

And this time, I am referring to the real JBJ, not the president of a fictional environmental organisation. But then, if I were to write a completely unauthorised sequel to Eleanor Wong’s play, I might be referring to a fictional character after all.

As most of you will be aware, JBJ passed away yesterday morning of a heart attack, in his sleep, quiet and swift. It is of course, a great loss to Singapore. Thus, my Campaign to have a State Funeral for the man who, even though you don’t know it, contributed greatly to the Singapore political landscape.

He is the reason we no longer have appeal to Privy Councils, the reason why our judiciary is so independent of foreign interference. He is the reason we no longer have an Anson constituency, and indirectly responsible for the wonderful GRC System we have today, which makes it easy for young people to join the PAP and get an easy victory. He showed our glorious leaders that defamation suits were the way to go in order to protect their reputations – where would Singapore be today, if our leaders did not sue dissidents? How could we possibly respect them, if they did not win these suits? He is the man who showed Singapore it was not right to discharge bankrupts early.

Most of all, through all these years, he is the man who showed us that it is pointless to speak up, pointless to resist, if you wanted a normal life, if you did not want to be sued left and right, if you did not want to be bankrupted. He is the man who showed us that there is no use joining opposition political parties, and if you wanted to contribute to Singapore at all, the only recourse was to join the PAP.

Yes, people, he was a great man. Without him, would we have learned all these important lessons? Would Singapore be what it was today? No, not at all.

So, if you want a State Funeral for our beloved JBJ, say aye!