Mikhail Khodorkovsky vs Toh Chin Chye

Khodorkovsky, CEO of Yukos oil company, was arrested at gunpoint in Novosibirsk on charges of fraud and tax evasion. The arrest was widely seen as politically motivated due to his funding of opposition parties. Yukos was later dismantled and its assets transferred to state-owned Rosneft.

Khodorkovsky was convicted of fraud and tax evasion and sentenced to nine years in prison. The trial was criticized internationally as politically motivated. He was sent to a penal colony in Chita Oblast, Siberia.

Khodorkovsky was pardoned by President Putin and released from prison after ten years. He immediately flew to Germany. The pardon was seen as a gesture before the 2014 Sochi Olympics, though conditions included not returning to politics.

From exile, Khodorkovsky relaunched the Open Russia movement, a civil society organization promoting democratic values, human rights, and political reform in Russia. The organization was later declared undesirable by Russian authorities.

Toh Chin Chye was a founding member and the first Chairman of the People's Action Party. He helped organize the party's structure and strategy, which led to its electoral victory in 1959 and subsequent dominance of Singapore politics.

Toh Chin Chye led the committee that designed the Singapore National Flag. The flag features red and white stripes with a crescent and five stars, symbolizing democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality.

Toh Chin Chye served as Singapore's first Deputy Prime Minister from 1959 to 1968. He oversaw the establishment of key institutions including the University of Singapore and the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation.

As Deputy Prime Minister, Toh Chin Chye played a key role in the merger of Singapore with Malaysia. He supported the merger as a step toward economic and political stability, though it ended with Singapore's separation in 1965.

Toh Chin Chye resigned from the Cabinet after a long career, citing differences with Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew over policy direction. His departure marked the end of an era for the founding generation of PAP leaders.