Journalism of Courage
Days after Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that almost half of the lawmakers in Lok Sabha have criminal charges pending against them and suggesting a decline in the country’s democratic polity from “Nehru’s India”, India on Thursday summoned Singapore’s High Commissioner Simon Wong and conveyed its displeasure.
Sources said the Ministry of External Affairs conveyed to Singapore’s envoy that the “remarks by the Prime Minister of Singapore were uncalled for”.
Singapore is a key strategic partner for India, and there have been close ties between the top political leadership. While it is unusual for New Delhi to summon envoys from close strategic partners, it has been extremely sensitive about comments about India’s internal affairs.
The PM of Singapore had invoked India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru while arguing how democracy should work in the city-state during a passionate debate in Parliament on Tuesday. “Most countries are founded and start off on the basis of high ideals and noble values. But more often than not, beyond the founding leaders and the pioneer generation, over decades and generations, gradually things change,” Lee said during the debate on the Committee of Privileges’ report on complaints about untruths told by former Workers’ Party lawmaker Raeesah Khan.
“Things start off with passionate intensity. The leaders, who fought for and won independence, are often exceptional individuals of great courage, immense culture, and outstanding ability. They came through the crucible of fire and emerged as leaders of men and nations. They are the David Ben-Gurions, the Jawaharlal Nehrus, and we have our own too,” Lee had said.
“Nehru’s India has become one where, according to media reports, almost half the MPs in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges pending against them, including charges of rape and murder. Though it is also said that many of these allegations are politically motivated,” he had said.
In his nearly 40-minute speech, the Singaporean prime minister talked about how a democratic system needs lawmakers with integrity and invoked India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to stress how democracy should work in the city-state.
Elaborating further, he said: “Many political systems today would be quite unrecognisable to their founding leaders. Ben-Gurion’s Israel has morphed into one which can barely form a government, despite four general elections in two years. Meanwhile, a stream of senior politicians and officials in Israel face a litany of criminal charges, some have gone to jail.”
“What is to prevent Singapore from going down the same road? Nothing. We are not intrinsically smarter or more virtuous than other countries. Modern Singapore does not come born with a fail-safe mechanism,” he added.
