The effusive praise President Barack Obama has for former Singaporean Prime Minister and now Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is another gesture that has led many to wonder where the present administration sits on human rights issues. The forthcoming APEC summit in Singapore presents an opportunity for the president to set the record straight.Asia is vital for the Obama Administration for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the imperative that even perceptions of democracy must be judged against not just American values, but universal values. Amnesty International recently released an open letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling attention to this very topic. In it, the organisation urges him to uphold Canada's reputation as a human rights supporter while attending the APEC summit by addressing ongoing human rights concerns in the island nation. Among these concerns is the case of Dr. Chee Soon Juan, one which President Obama would be well-advised to consider.
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