That is precisely what has happened in the latest cause celebre for civil liberties campaigners in Singapore, which has known only one-party government for the past 40 years.

Ho, 51, appeared in court last Friday for allegedly inciting violence during Singapore's recent election, won by the People's Action Party in a walkover.

A frequent correspondent to political chat groups, Ho has fallen foul of a crackdown to curtail use of the internet for political campaigning.

Ho's posting on October 19 to the Britain-based site of dissident group Singaporeans for Democracy, alleged that Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong broke the law in the 1997 elections by visiting polling places without authority.

``Thus I would encourage all good Singaporeans, who feel indignant about this breach of the law and the subsequent obstruction of justice, to break the same law,'' he wrote.

Describing Ho as a ``madman'', police classified the case as an attempt to incite violence. He was admitted for psychiatric examination and now faces a fine of $5000 and three years in jail.

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