OPINION: Free Amos Yee, by Roy Ngerng, 20 April 2015

Hello, this has been what has been happening over the last few days after I started posting on my Facebook to support Amos.

(1) Many Singaporeans support Amos. The postings on Amos have received several hundred likes each time.

(2) However, there is a group of Facebook profiles which have been putting out negative remarks against Amos.

(3) When I look at these profiles, all of them have posted photos of the black ribbon of Lee Kuan Yew or have posted messages in support of the PAP. All of these profiles are PAP supporters.

(4) Many of their negative comments focus on criticising Amos's character. They also insist that Amos should be criminalised and jailed for making his video.

(5) I have since deleted many of these comments which are personal attacks and blocked the profiles. These profiles do not want to add to the conversation but are intent on putting out a negative propaganda against Amos

Roy Ngerng (activist)

Why do I say so?

(1) It is known that in 2007, the PAP announced in The Straits Times that they would send out their members to conduct a "quiet counter-insurgency" online. They are known by many of us as the PAP Internet Brigade (IB) today.

(2) If you have been reading my Facebook postings on Amos over the last few days, you would have noticed that their comments have been very similar. Their comments are planned in advance before they are posted.

(3) Another evidence of how they are coordinating their comments is that as soon as I had deleted their comments or blocked their profiles, some others would come to my profile to comment that I have blocked the rest. So, there are back-ups. You can see that clearly, they are coordinating back end to launch an attack on Amos, and they know when someone is blocked and communicate this to one another. This is not their first time. When I was sued for defamation and along the course of the last few months, I have also been on the receiving end of these coordinated attacks. I have lodged a formal complaint to the United Nations about this, and about the defamation suit.

(4) In addition, these profiles would put out negative comments to say that because Amos had used vulgarities, spoke on Christianity and Lee Kuan Yew, they want him to be criminalised. However, when a PAP activist Jason Tan said that he would "cut off Amos's dick and put (it) in his mouth" and a report was made to the People's Association which the Singapore prime minister heads, none of these Facebook profiles of PAP supporters spoke up about it. Neither did the People's Association responded. Also, another ex-PAP member, Jason Neo, had commented on a photo of a bus with Muslim children and said, "Bus filled with young terrorist trainees?” A police report was also made four years ago, but there was no follow-up and again, none of these PAP supporters spoke up about it.

(5) It is very clear by now that the PAP supporters are coordinating a campaign simply with the agenda of attacking Amos. If PAP members commit the same "crime", the PAP supporters will remain silent on it. This happened first when Amos was arrested and charged within a few days of his posting of his video while the Jasons are still at large, and second where the PAP supporters would launch a coordinated attack against Amos but would not do so against the others.

(6) In addition, many of these profiles are new and not real. Each PAP IB can operate several accounts. Some of the accounts that I had blocked were just created this year, solely with the purpose of attacking. Also, these IBs operate in groups and at certain hours to coordinate their comments and to launch their attacks at similar timings.

(7) I am letting you know about what has been going on so that you can see that the PAP has been intentionally creating a campaign against Amos.

(8) It is clear that Amos's persecution is political.

Now, about the bail.

(1) First, Amos's bail terms have been made intentionally difficult. Amos is not allowed to post or comment on ANYTHING, whether directly or indirectly. Effectively, Amos cannot say anything, and as one person said, he cannot even post a picture of a cat. The bail terms are ridiculous. It is unjust in the first place.

(2) Second, the bail amount is high. It is $20,000.

(3) Now, many of these PAP supporters have taken to using the following strategy. They ask about why I have not bailed Amos, knowing that I am in Malaysia for a few days. Second, they say that the bail can be done without putting in the money, knowing it is difficult to fork out the money when it is needed.

(4) Their first intent is to mock the support for Amos in an attempt to stop the show of support. Pretty much, the PAP does not want anyone to show support for Amos so that they can persecute Amos the way they want it. But since I have been vocal, it makes me an easy target. There are a few of us activists who are speaking up. If there are many other people speaking up for Amos, it would be more difficult for the PAP to do so. Please speak up.

(5) Second, the PAP knows that the bail terms are difficult. It has been intentionally made so. The bail amount has also been intentionally made high. They know that when Amos is bailed out, there is no way he would be able to abide by the bail terms. No one would be able to. The bail amount might then have to be forfeited and this is why we need the money ready at hand. But the PAP has purposely made the bail conditions difficult and the bail amount high, with the purpose of stopping Amos from saying anything and with the purpose of letting anyone who bails him lose the bail amount.

(6) Again, you can see that this is political persecution. Why are the PAP supporters launching a coordinated campaign to criticise him? And why is it only the PAP supporters who are criticising him?

More importantly, why are the PAP supporters organising a hate campaign against Amos? Did the PAP not preach that it believes in being compassionate? Or was it all just pretense? 

If the law is applied fairly where PAP members face the same persecution, then perhaps this might be understandable.

However, it is clear that PAP members are allowed to go scot-free and are protected. However, Amos is facing onerous and unreasonable bail terms, and now locked up in prison, in remand.

Amos is a victim of political persecution by the PAP. He is also a victim of harassment from the PAP supporters and activists who have launched a coordinated campaign to discredit him and malign him.

This is unjust and wrong. The PAP has abused its power. Please speak up if you want to stop this abuse of power and to protect not only Amos but one another.

Please speak up. We cannot do it on our own. We cannot sit still while a fellow Singaporean is being persecuted. One day when we are the ones who facing trial, who will help us?

[This post was published here with the kind written permission of Roy Ngerng.] 

Poster in memory of Chia Thye Poh at SDP headquarters in Upper Thomson. Chia was detained without trial for over 20 years under the authoritarian ruling regime of Singapore. According to LKY this is the way to run a "Chinese society". To rewrite the lyrics of a song by the legendary English punk band The Clash, "ask the family of Chia Thye Poh what they think of voting PAP..."

SDP Youth cheer the announcement of the Workers' Party win in Hougang SMC on election night 2011 @ Quality Hotel Balestier, 7-8 May 2011.

The graffiti on this block of HDB flats in Toa Payoh showed that there is some community dissatisfaction with PAP and that some people are now willing to take extreme measures to express their dissatisfaction.