November 29, 2009 by admin
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Written by Our Correspondent
A Thai expatriate living in Bangkok by the name of John Symons
has written an article to Thailand English Daily – “The Nation”
expressing his doubts at Singapore’s recent ranking of 3rd by
Transparency International.
The Singapore media labels Singapore as the “3rd least corrupt
nation” in the world based on the rankings which was described by
Mr Symons as “somewhat surreal.”
Mr Symons questioned the accuracy of the rankings on the basis
that Singapore lacks a free and independent media – a crucial
component of an open and incorrupt society:
“One of the main precursors for an open and incorrupt
society, as I understand it, is a strong, independent and free
press that is not afraid to undertake investigative journalism to
expose wrongdoers so that they can be prosecuted and tried in fair
and unbiased courts.
Singapore’s press, however, is ranked 133 on a world scale
of 175 for freedom, languishing beneath such paragons of virtue as
Bangladesh, the Central African Republic, Cambodia and
Nicaragua.”
Mr Symons also took issue with the latest defamation lawsuit
launched by MM Lee and PM Lee against “well known and respected”
Far Eastern Economic Review which saw the Singapore court awarding
damages in excess of $400,000 to the two leaders.
He felt that the picture presented by Transparent International
on Singapore is incomplete as whistle-blowers against corrupt
officials are not protected in Singapore.
“Where those who are the first line of defence in the fight
against corruption are bound and gagged and live in constant fear
of law suits on a whim, I doubt we are seeing anything that equates
to a full and clear picture of the “cleanliness” of
Singapore,” he wrote.
The Singapore government has always insisted on paying its
leaders astronomical salaries to curb corruption.
The Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, is paid more
than 5 times the annual salary of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Singapore’s founding father and octagenarian leader MM Lee Kuan
Yew boasted unashamedly in the state media lately that he could
have earned much more in the private sector.
