Harbans Singh has reincarnated.
Please do not talk about that Singh. I have many Singh friends who are intelligent and successful in their careers. many of them hold top positions in the Civil Service and private sectors. The are a proud race and able to co-exist, despite their different physical appearance in wearing turbans and sporting beards.
I am sure the Singhs of Singapore wants to distance themselves from the likes of Harbans Singh. He is nothing compared to the Grecian-featured Singhs.
I remember that Harbans wanted to make the maximum bus fare to 5 cents only in the 80"s, when he, as a lawyer stood and lost miserably against Teong Eng Siong, a coffeeshop-owner of the PAP in Sembawang.
Harbans political manifesto was as follows, that on the day when his party formed the government, he would pull down the highrise flats in Sembawang and give the flattened land back to the farmers to plant ubi kayu, kang-kong and chye-sim, rear pigs and milking cows. He also wanted to "rejoin" Singapore with the Malaysian Federation. There was many more things in the manifesto, but I am shy to mention it as people may think that I am an insane person too.
Harbans had a son, Munjeet Singh who stood against Lau Ping sum and lost miserably in Yio Chu Kang. Finally, the duo had a loyal supporter, one Ms Ang Bee Lian who stood with them till the end. I dunno where are they now. Maybe retired or enjoying their pensions from their CPF. I am sure they had enough money because they were never charged for defamation leading to bankruptcies. They even called the then CID chief a kidnapper and gangster. Defamatory words though, but they were never charged in our Courts. What a joke.
In conclusion, I will always remember Harbans Singh as a "political joker", as I had many a good laugh at his "unbelievable and preposterous" suggestions for the "future" of Singapore. Neither will I ever forget Messrs Vetrivelu, Seow Khee Leng and a certain "hair-restorer" by the name of Professor Zeng Guo-yuan who suddenly loved wearing baju-Melayu. This are people who brought much laughter to the lives of frustrated and politically-sick Singaporeans. Made my bones tickle. Movies like the 3 Stooges are certainly no match to these people.
If there were Academy Awards for best performing "political comedians", it would certainly go to the likes of these "skillful" politicians. Maybe some big organisation should take the lead and make it an annual affair. Our national TV station should also ask their producers to make such films on such people entitled, "True Blue Politicians Without Any Clue of What To Glue". Though, poor, I don't mind donating money to such "worthy" schemes, for they will make our future generations remember that there was a time when such people trod the sacred Earth of Singapore.
Those our age, had seen foreign invaders, experienced racial strife, lived through an era of communalism, communism and gangsterism, experienced pain when our young Nation was "kicked" out of Malaysia (not forgetting the antics of those "wonderful people" mentioned above).
Today, our opposition politicians are a different lot. They are intelligent and talk sense and many of us value them for the manner in which they are trying to bring about a change. The opposition today is gaining ground. Respect for them is increasing. Any stooge in the political arena today is speedily identified. We are not that stupid as certain people may think us to be.
Let us always remember the likes of Harbans and The Lot.
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