Climate of fear and intimidation

Someone sent a warning to me that I may be a risk of being sued for defamation - because I organise a petition to ask the Government, especially the Commercial Affairs Department, to conduct an investigation into the credit linked securities.

He reasoned that this petition implies that there were wrong doing by the parties involved in the credit linked securities, and they may consider that I have defamed them.

I rejected this reasoning. But a few other people seem to think that this is a possibility and advised me to "be careful".

This reflects a very sad state of affairs in Singapore. There is a climate of fear, even of speaking out against injustice and wrong doing. It is so easy for big business and powerful people to intimidate the weak with the threat of lawsuit.