No regrets over 17-year political detention: Poh Soo Kai
Former political detainee and assistant secretary-general of the Barisan Sosialis, Dr Poh Soo Kai. Photo: Nicholas Yong
He spent a total of 17 years in detention under the Internal Security Act, together with many of his political comrades. He almost died while in prison, due to an emergency operation that went wrong. And his long detention was to ultimately cost him his marriage.
But former political detainee Dr Poh Soo Kai, 84, said he has no regrets. And his story seems to be resonating with Singaporeans. His political memoir “Living In A Time Of Deception”, launched more than a week ago with a print run of more than 1,000, is almost sold out, said publishers Function 8.
The book, which covers much of Singapore’s history in the turbulent 1950′s and 1960′s, seeks “to explain and debunk the official Singapore historical narrative”.
Poh played a significant role in the modern history of Singapore as former assistant secretary-general of the Barisan Sosialis, the breakaway faction of the People’s Action Party. On 2 Feb, 1963, Poh was among 113 left-wing politicians and union leaders detained under Operation Coldstore.
Authorities have maintained that those arrested were communist subversives who posed a threat to Singapore. Poh, a founding member of the PAP, insists that Coldstore was a political exercise aimed at opponents of the late Lee Kuan Yew.
Feisty, articulate and with a sharp mind for details, Poh was lively throughout his conversation with Yahoo Singapore.
In your book, you write that you are “still defiant”. Why is that?
I’m defiant because you feel you have been done wrong. There was no reason for your arrest. They claimed that we were communists…which is not. We were arrested not for security, but as a political opponent. And this (book) I’ve written from the archives proves our case. It is a way of putting my case out, for people to understand.
The Director of Special Branch and his assistant told me: “Dr Poh, we will release you if you make this security statement.” Everybody coming out has to confess, say they are wrong. And the problem is, when you do say that, when you come out…some part of you is broken. You can’t hold your head straight up. You have to falsely implicate friends, so that you can’t talk to them later. And therefore you feel that you have to draw a distinction between what is right and what is wrong. And therefore you are defiant.
Was it very difficult for your family? Did they ever ask you to sign the security statement?
For my family, economically, the burden is not heavy. But the psychological pressure is there. My father says, ‘You are old enough to decide, but I just want you to graduate and become a doctor.’ As for my wife, she knows that I will never accept the condition. [Poh writes in his book that his wife was also arrested and interrogated. Their divorce was finalised in 1992: “Grace and I were both too badly hurt for our marriage to survive.”]
Dr Poh autographs copies of his book. Photo: Nicholas Yong
Do you think that young people will be interested in events that took place half a century ago?
When they launched the book, it was a very responsive crowd. Surprisingly, I would say more than half were younger people. When I launched The Fajar Generation in December 2009, I think most were grey haired (laughs). Encouraging, very encouraging to see the younger people getting interested in their history. I think people will be interested in their history. To quote Sukarno: History is important, if not, we will be like monkeys running around in the dark.
What about Singaporeans in general? With more pressing concerns like the economy and terrorism, will they care about things that happened so long ago?
I think they do care, but whether they will take action is a different matter. They would like to know what happened, but whether they will take any action…that is a different matter. It is a big step from caring to taking action.
Do you wish that Lee Kuan Yew was still around, so that he could respond to your book?
My book was planned quite early. Some of the things I’ve said have been said earlier (in my previous books) So I think Kuan Yew knows very well what I’m going to say. And it so happened he passed away. We didn’t know he was going to pass away.
Photo: Nicholas Yong
What was your detention like?
They didn’t even ask me questions, believe it or not. When I was put into Whitley, I was just locked up in an air-conditioned, very cold room. You’re in a singlet, and you sit there from morning till midnight 12 o’clock. And the inspector will say: “Dr Poh, you see this here, 12 o’clock, you go back.” No questions asked. So I ask him, why don’t you ask me questions? Inspector Lim, he says: “Dr Poh, we can’t ask you questions. If we ask you, you will know what we know.” It’s quite fantastic, you know (laughs). This went on every day, until they transferred me from Whitley Road to Changi.
You spent 17 years in detention. Do you think it was worth it?
I don’t regret it, because I’m determined not to sign. Whether it’s two years, 20 years, or like Chia Thye Poh, 32 years. You just can’t sign, that’s all. It’s signing your whole future away.
How do you hope to be remembered in Singapore’s history?
I don’t think that enters my mind. I don’t think I am thinking of being remembered. When I die, just cremate and stop. A man goes, he goes. (There will be) no wake.
I will continue to speak to young people. I find it difficult to keep up to date, here. But I am much firmer, stronger in my history – my views of what it was before. With the present, I feel like a fish out of water.
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