Comments on: Should Wong Kan Seng be sacked? Tough question.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:37:09 +0000

To know who are responsible for Mas Selamat’s escape, e.g. whether he has any help from supporters or insiders and whether WRDC staff were involved thru astronumerology, where only a person’s Date of Birth and gender is required. One can also know anyone’s characteristics and their positive and negative traits as well. So anyone want to know more please email me.

By: CChua

CChua — Sat, 10 May 2008 07:26:01 +0000

I think we are asking the wrong question. If we only asked the question whether WKS should resign on account of Mas Selamat’s escape, then I agree that on balance, he should not because it is unreasonable to expect the leader to be accountable for such lapses as you have explained.

But if we were to ask whether WKS should resign on account of failing to apprehend Mas Selamat, a man acting alone, who had maybe 10 minutes headstart, with no money, even with the largest manhunt in Singapore’s history, then I think the answer is yes. Because the failure to apprehend Mas Selamat after his escape under the circumstances shows a clear lack of competence.

By: ticktick

ticktick — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:10:02 +0000

WKS should go for the sake of accountabilty. Lee related or not, this time there is no excuse, otherwise, PM and his cabinet will lose all credibility!

By: SimpleMe

SimpleMe — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:23:10 +0000

The findings from the investigations were pretty lame as far as I can see.
1) Renovation works not done due to poor communications with contractors
2) Officers who allow Mas Selamat to close the door in the urinal

Is that how things are supposed to function in ISD? Yes, it is not Changi Prison, but does the people acknowledge the potential danger of the people housed there?
I think such lax attitude should call for a parliamentary reprimand, as mentioned above. As a record.

It is true - PAP has hounded the opposition for errors etc during elections. Isn’t this some kind of double standard when it is their own internal people?

True, the Director ISD should take most of the blame. But being Minister, the leader should be accountable and answerable eventually.

The fact the PM Lee gave such a short time for Low to respond before he walked off from the parliamentary stand is also a show. Who could have responded in such a short time? Perhaps he should have directed the question not just at Low, but at the Parliament in general. Looking at the short vodcasts, I can sense many of the MPs themselves cannot buy such an explanation to the escape.

By: Derrick

Derrick — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:02:20 +0000

It just hit me.

Will we be led on to enforce^n (enforcement).

We need an anthropologist here.

By: Derrick

Derrick — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:51:27 +0000

Hi Neo,
Policies are set with very utopian mindsets. Further guidelines to policies serve to preserve the original intent of such policies.

The problem doesn’t lie solely on the Gurkhas. It is more of an unfortunate culmination of factors. Complacency, as the government puts it, is very much at work here. And as I have mentioned, there definitely are guidelines about the physical security of prisions or in this case, dentention centres - which probably resulted in the ‘planned’ installation of window grills etc. That is why enforcement is so critical yet lacking here.

The question here, really, is whether there are yardsticks or measures to enforce enforcement.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Who will guard the guardians? [Socrates] - Plato’s The Republic

By: Bedside Teddy

Bedside Teddy — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:24:08 +0000

I still don’t understand how a fat man could have gotten through that tiny window.

By: Neo sg

Neo sg — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:04:04 +0000

Hi Derrick,

If you say that it is not the fault of the policy-makers and that the problem lies with the enforcement of such policies which you actually mean the gurkha guards did not perform their jobs properly. Then may I ask who set the policy to employ them? Please answer?

By: Derrick

Derrick — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:30:35 +0000

Hi Aaron,

I believe that it is not the fault of the policy-makers (WKS) here. Instead, the problem lies with the enforcement of such policies. Very much like in the Army, how many directives are actively followed or strictly adhered to.

It is the people down the line who are at fault.

Then again, why should WKS be worried about getting the sack. He would be able to command the 2.2million outside should he leave. RIGHT? haha

By: Derrick

Derrick — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:30:11 +0000

Hi Aaron,

It is the people down the line who are at fault.

Then again, why should WKS be worried about getting the sack. He would be able to command the 2.2million outside should be leave. RIGHT? haha