by Teo Soh Lung
On 21 May 1987, sixteen people were arrested and detained under the ISA. Paul Lim Huat Chye who resides in Belgium was named by the Singapore government as part of the marxist conspiracy to overthrow the PAP government using violent means. It was an false and absurd allegation against an innocent man who at that time was trying to finish his PhD thesis at the Louvain Catholic University. That allegation not only interrupted the completion of his thesis, it also led him to lose his Singapore citizenship.
Below is Paul Lim’s refutation of the Singapore government’s false allegation against him:
Paul Lim’s Reply to the Singapore government’s Allegations
I am disturbed by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ statement concerning myself carried by the Straits Times of the 27th May 1987. I am also concerned for the 16 arrested some of whom I know. This is a statement of clarification and refutation.
My first refutation of these allegations is that subtract “marxist conspiracy” and “marxist conspirators” from them, they described legitimate activities for a Singapore citizen exercising his political rights. “Helping” an opposition political party is legitimate, so is discussing party politics. Are we living in a democracy or not?
“Marxist conspiracy” is only a pretext to detain these 16. I venture to say that the real reason for their arrests is in view of a coming election in which the PAP fears that its majority and dominant position would be threatened. Without Operation Cold Store of February 1963 the PAP would’nt have won the September 1963 general election. The PAP, having tasted power since 1959, wants to remain in power indefinitely. It cannot even tolerate criticisms and feedback from feeble Church groups within the Catholic Church which is in a minority position in Singapore.
Secondly, the allegation of a plot or conspiracy from Europe is absurd. I believe that I have been brought into the Ministry’s fabrication of a conspiracy in order to link Tan Wah Piow to Vincent Cheng and the others as I was in Singapore physically at that time. The packaging with such words like “pass messages”, “Provide guidance”, “reminding Vincent Cheng about Tan’s instruction” etc is the only way as the PAP has no factual grounds to substantiate any conspiracy or plot.
The fact that the Straits Times was able to publish notes of Vincent Cheng and a table with my name on it shows that there was no secret conspiracy. Conspirators do not leave trace around nor do they discuss at the top of their voices as I do in coffee shops in Singapore within ear-shot of ISD agents.
Finally I never provided guidance to any of those arrested. Vincent Cheng and the others can think for themselves. They are not my or Tan’s puppets: neither am I at Tan’s bidding. They are civic-minded and upright citizens imbued by religious and humanist beliefs to be concerned with social justice for the less fortunate of society.
What the statement does not say is that in 1983 I was in Singapore for my PhD research at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. In this research I used the Straits Times library and interviewed PAP Members of Parliament, among them ex-Ministers and top civil servants. Will the PAP government now accuse me of conspiring with their own men against their own party? Will this revelation start the witch-hunting of those MPs, Ministers and top civil servants who met me? I have no intention of releasing the names of those people whom I interviewed for this academic purpose. I restate quite clearly that the research was the primary reason for my stay in Singapore.
This primary purpose of research does not exclude my right to meet up with friends among the 16. Why can’t I socialise with them? Why can’t I talk politics with them legitimately and lawfully? In fact to have their views on the political developments of Singapore is also part of my research.
What I am afraid of is that these 16, maltreated and tortured physically and psychologically, would confess to whatever their interrogators want of them and incriminate themselves and others including me. Only a court of law can determine the verity of a conspiracy or plot and this the Prime Minister himself has categorically refused. What has he to fear if he can provide proofs of the so-called conspiracy?
What does the PAP mean by this label of “Marxist” and “Marxist conspirator? The PAP knows very well that it cannot accuse Vincent Cheng, the others and myself of advocating the overthrow of the legitimately elected PAP government by force of arms to set up a Communist State nor can it accuse me of being members of the illegal Communist Party of Malaya.
So, what the PAP seems to say now is that reading Marx is also a crime and enough to make one a mortal enemy of the PAP. Does the study of Marxism in the seminaries around the world make all priests communists and Marxists? In my academic work, I had had to read Marxist literature and mind you, in a Catholic university. In fact this Catholic university had allowed me to come up with a more critical and matured view of Marxism by confronting it with other currents of socio-political thought. At the same time, I had also to take a course in theology which is compulsory for all students. I think a good academic is one who has all -round formation in different currents of thought.
Further, Vincent Cheng, the other Christians and myself are the products of Vatican II which opened the Catholic Church to the modern world, ending the separation of faith and life. To be a Christian is not just Sunday Church going but also bringing Christian values into daily living. Among these values is Christian justice translated as social justice for the poor and destitute. It is towards this “theology of justice for the poor” that Vincent and the others are striving. They are the prophets of social justice fulfilling the prophetic role of the Church.
In conclusion, I demand that I be removed from the wanted list of the ISA, that those detained be released immediately and congratulated for pursuing social justice for the disadvantaged in Singapore society.
SignedPaul LimFerme de Froidmont1330 Rixensart
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