Locke,
This is exactly what I have been trying to explain to Chin in another thread about the abysmal lack of political nous by Dr Chee, Ghandi Ambalan and SDP in general. What a crock indeed! This Ghandi Ambalan is making a fool of himself writing such distorted drivel. By and large on balance and based on written records the Maria Hertogh Affair or Nadra as she was known to the muslims was a sad tragic and unfortunate episode that highlighted race/religious divide during a tumultous period in Singapore's communal history.
This Ghandi Ambalan is pathetically trying to link his anti ISA/PAP tirade to any tiny morsel he can find real or apparent. Also seen in his/SDP's blog over the BN govt's recent use of ISA against Raja Petra, Teresa Kok and the chinese journalist, where Ghandi Ambalan just could not resist making reference to ISA in Singapore, when in fact the PAP govt does not appear to have used the ISA against any local political dissidents since the bizarre purported Marxist Conspiracy in 1987.
I won't be surprised that Dr Chee and Ghandi Ambalan which just love the PAP govt to use the ISA against them. Then Dr Chee would have a real moral righteous cause to finally prick the conscience of the majority of Singaporeans who have thus far been uninterested in Dr Chee's cause. Fat hope Dr Chee and Ghandi Ambalan, PAP govt may be many things but they are not that stupid, if not it would have already used ISA against James Gomez in 2006.
Cheers
What a load of absolute bullshit and crock. Granted they felt aggrieved when the verdict for Maria went against muslims, granted they felt that the colonial courts were biased against them, but what was the basic issue at stake ? Was it about political rights or was it about a "race issue" ? Were they rioting because they wanted to throw out the british and wanted more civil and political rights or were they rioting because they felt aggrieved that they had lost something that was an affront to their religion and had become a symbol for the religion and race ? A look at the history and emotions behind the case one would see that the underlying motivations were race and religion not some noble cause like fighting for political and civil rights.
PM Lee was commenting about the ISD and its role. Granted I personally would replace the ISA with something of a differing nature but we would still need an ISD full stop in one form or the other. He can't tell the "frakking difference" between the ISD and the ISA and would rewrite history to make his point.
Locke