Thursday 17 April 2008

Mas Selamat

I normally don't blog during office hours, but this got me all excited. I just received a Notice Paper from Parliament (No. 85 of 2008) with the following contents.



NOTICE FOR THE SITTING ON 21 APRIL 2008

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

1. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs:

Committee of Inquiry Findings on Mas Selamat Kastari’s Escape.

2. Prime Minister:

Government Responsibility.



Unfortunately, I will be in Hong Kong for business next week, and have already applied for leave from the Parliamentary sittings next week. I've asked whether there will be a debate on the statements and when that will take place.

7 comments:

george said...

Dear Mr Siew,

Would it be possible that SOMEBODY has a copy of your work schedule?

ahblabla said...

Good day Sir,

The results of the inquiry are out - http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/342715/1/.html on channelnewsasia.

An interesting thing I noticed was that Mas Selamat was in civilian clothes at the time of his escape. Why then, were pictures of the ISD detainee garb circulated?

To throw the public off guard?

Liquidfuel said...

Somethings not right, Mr Siew. There are a lot of loopholes in the report:

1. The toilet looks damn clean and new. Newly constructed?
2. No grills in highly secured centre?
3. Only 2 persons to escort the highly dangerous terrorist? But a whole regiment to arrest Chee and his party protestors?
4. CCTVs not working? This is so absurd.
5. About 50 days to come up with this report? I'd thought it was some high level conspiracy stuff, where his cellgroup worked to free him. 50 days for this loopholed report?!! *shakes head in disbelief* No wonder there was so much time lost in the bureacracy, just like informing DO, following procedures. I mean it doesn't make sense? What can the DO do too?

There are so many questions popping into my mind. Can't seem to put them in place. So many missing elements...

Sorry if I sounded frustrated. Jus doesn't make sense. But what to do, it has happened.

Kaffein

Anonymous Craven (AC) said...

I felt that while the escape cannot be attributed to the direct negligence of Wong, the subsequent management of the escape was disastrous – of 3rd world standard.

Slow notification to the public - we only hear of it 4 hours after the escape; Uncertainty to whether Mas limps or does not - days after the escape we were told he did not limp unless when running, but the posters spread all over Singapore still proclaims that he walks with a limp; No proper description of the attire of Mas for more than a week - the COI mentioned that Mas discarded the Baju Kurong he was wearing, but added nothing else - did he switch to prison attire or did he manage to escape naked? Or did he switch to civilian attire, which points strongly to others helping him in his escape?

When questioned on the cost of the operation to apprehend Mas, Wong evaded the issue by stating that the resource that was mobilized was within his ministry’s operating resources. I would believe that Low’s question is the quantum of the resources utilized, as well as the estimated cost of the disruptions incurred as a result of the Mas manhunt. This is the loss that Singapore bears for the lapse that occur in Wong’s ministry during his watch – is he ashamed and afraid to let us know the quantum?

The failure of the COI report to address the lapses in management after the escape, points to either the complete oversight and hence incompetence of the commission members; the possibility that the commission members held back criticisms because of their close ties to the establishment. There’s also the possiblity that their report was censored to leave out the criticisms.

All the 3 scenarios look bleak, and speak very badly of the management’s handling of the crisis. I feel that our PM’s full confidence in Wong in the light of all these speaks of a towering optimism that has long lost touch with the ground.

On top of the COI’s advice of remedial action, Singaporeans must ask ourselves if we can accept our leaders taking credit when things go right and shrugging off responsibility when things go wrong – do we need to take remedial actions regarding our political status quo?

gbc said...

Singaproe is the only country in the world where political leaders belonging to the same party have no qualms in singly praises about each other when things are right (such as having a good airport, seaport etc) and paying themselves handsomely (like CEOs and owners of large private companies) but when things go wrong, the line is always drawn at ground level and it is always the fault and responsibility of lowerly paid guards and staff.

Overpaid 200 million S$ to Singtel - Honest mistake

Escape of a highly danagerous terrorists - Honest mistake

I hope people who are caught for drink driving could also put up the same arguement - Honest mistke and escape fine and license suspension

Honest mistake, Ha, Ha, Ha.

family man said...

It has happened - what to do? oh my - I await news of further ministerial pay rise to help find a new successor to LHL. I understand a 3rd one is coming...

TPG-iTec said...

To george: I think you give me too much credit :)

To others: See my post coming up. Thanks.