Dear Madame Ambassador

Given that it is the Fourth of July and American Independence Day, I thought it appropriate that I could remind Americans that many other countries do not necessarily share the level of freedom and civil liberties that their country enjoys. Thus, I have crafted a mock letter addressed to the US Ambassador to Singapore, HE Patricia Herbold as follows:

Dear Madame Ambassador,

I write to you on the occasion on the 232nd anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. To begin with, I wish to offer my heartiest congratulations to your country on this occasion, which is indeed one that is worthy of celebration. In many ways, it has never been a better time to be American (sub-prime mortgage crisis and the high price of oil aside). The US is the predominant power in the world, it continues to be a key engine of innovation that fuels the world economy, and it is likely that America will retain this preeminence for some time to come.

Yet, my letter is not just meant to be one of congratulation, but also serves as a plea; it focuses not just on American military and economic prowess, but the inspiration that America provides in extolling the values of liberty and freedom, and the belief that they are a birthright for everyone. This clarion call was never more clearly stated than in your founding declaration of independence and in America's victory in the fight against British tyranny that we celebrate today.

Even as you celebrate the anniversary of your own momentous struggle against repression, I urge you to take heed of the many individuals who do not enjoy the same freedoms that are promised to you as a birthright. More specifically, Madame Ambassador, I urge you not to ignore the situation in the very country to which your government has appointed you as her representative.

I would, if I had the opportunity, speak out openly in public, extolling the virtues of liberty and freedom and the American example, but as you probably know, Madame Ambassador, I am unable to do so. My government chooses to disregard the right to assembly for purely peaceful means, and has passed legislation such that any gathering of more than five individuals, of whatever kind, can be considered illegal. Theoretically, Madame Ambassador, I could even be arrested for hosting a birthday party for myself.

Then there is the issue of freedom of the press. My government has always maintained a tight control of the press, believing in quelling dissenting opinions by deeming that the publication of any viewpoint or comment critical of the status quo as a possible interference in domestic politics. The importance of being free to voice your opinions (as enshrined in your first amendment) has been central to America's definition of itself. Indeed, the example of the Federalists and Thomas Paine whose pamphlets and writings were instrumental in rallying the colonists against the British shows the influence and importance of the free dissemination of viewpoints to America's founding history.

Then there is the basic element of freedom of speech, which is a right that is dearly held by many Americans. Voltaire, the famous French enlightenment writer and philosopher, is attributed to having said "I disagree with what you have said, but I will defend, to the death, your right to say it", and that has very much been the American ethos. This freedom is tenuously held at best in Singapore, where there is always an existential risk of tripping over some invisible out of bounds marker discernible only to the government, with predictably dire consequences.

So Madame Ambassador, I hope that even as your celebrate the founding of a land of 'the brave and the free', you will do everything in your power to propagate the values that makes America so respected around the world, and voicing your support where freedoms and liberties are an aspiration, not a reality.

Sincerely,

A Singaporean Friend.