For me, that's less of an issue than his engagement of foreign interest groups and foreign media to put singapore down.
CSJ - most vocal in running down Singapore at overseas forums???
For years, 154 attempted to tarnish CSJ, alleging he try to run down Sg at overseas forums.
Lets look at the two greatest Nationalistic movement of 20th century, Dr Sun Yat-Sen (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen) and Mahatma Gandhi (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi).
Sun Yat-Sun did most of his nationalistic movement against Qing-imperial government in Japan, Singapore and UK-London. Indeed, his movement in Singapore is so important that we still have the Wan-QQing Yuan at Balestier area.
Sun's notability and popularity extends beyond the Greater China region, particularly to Nanyang (Southeast Asia), where a large concentration of overseas Chinese resided in Malaya (Malaysia and Singapore). While in Singapore, he met local Chinese merchants Teo Eng Hock, Tan Chor Nam and Lim Nee Soon, which mark the commencement of direct support from the Nanyang Chinese. The Singapore chapter of the Tongmenghui was established on 6 April 1906. Though some records claim the founding date to be end of 1905. The villa used by Sun was known as Wan Qing Yuan. At this point Singapore was the headquarters of the Tongmenghui.
Gandhi did his work in South Africa and UK.
Gandhi was 24 when he arrived in South Africa to work as a legal representative for the Muslim Indian Traders based in the city of Pretoria. He spent 21 years in South Africa, where he developed his political views, ethics and political leadership skills.
Indians in South Africa were led by wealthy Muslims, who employed Gandhi as a lawyer, and by impoverished Hindu indentured labourers with very limited rights. Gandhi considered them all to be Indians, taking a lifetime view that "Indianness" transcended religion and caste. He believed he could bridge historic differences, especially regarding religion, and he took that belief back to India where he tried to implement it.