Has our Prime Minister gone missing too?
Posted by theonlinecitizen on March 5, 2008
By Andrew Loh
Mas Selamat Kastari is the most wanted man in Singapore right
now.
He is the number one terrorist threat to Singapore.
A massive island-wide manhunt is on the way to find him.
Malaysia and Indonesia are also on the lookout for the
escapee.
Interpol has put out a worldwide warrant of arrest for the
man.
The international news media has reported on his escape.
Singaporeans, both on the internet and in the mainstream media,
have given their opinion on the matter.
It seems that the only person missing from all of these is the
prime minister himself.
Perhaps we should start asking: Where is prime minister Lee
Hsien Loong?
Not a squeak from the PM
The PM has not made any public statements or even commented on
the matter of the so-called “Limping Terrorist” or the massive
manhunt to look for him the entire week.
The person who has been trying to reassure Singaporeans is Home
Affairs minister Wong Kan Seng. Though it is expected that Mr Wong
would do so, the escape itself has cast doubts and raised questions
on his credibility as Home Affairs chief. Thus, it would be better
if his boss, the PM, did the reassuring instead.
Conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theorists would undoubtedly have a few colourful – or
wild – take on the missing PM. Perhaps the PM does not want to add
more pressure on Mr Wong Kan Seng, they might say. Or the PM does
not want to distract the security forces from their work – catching
the JI leader.
Still others may say that the PM and Mr Wong cannot get along
and the PM is letting Mr Wong carry the buck himself, as it were.
Or it could simply be that the prime minister is actually the one
running the show behind the scenes.
I am sure there are many other theories.
Whatever it is, there doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason
for the PM to keep quiet – especially when it’s been one week since
the “prison break”.
Leadership
I think Singaporeans have the right to expect leadership from
our PM in a time like this. His continued silence is jarring – and
conspicuous.
A nation is anxious, to say the least. We are the focus of
attention worldwide. All that the media here is reporting is the
manhunt that is going on.
One hopes that someone in the media (and the Prime Minister’s
Office) will do the necessary job and yes, hunt down the prime
minister for a comment, in the very least.
For if the prime minister seems disinterested in the biggest
story in Singapore’s history, why then is he the prime
minister?
His leadership at a time like this is crucial.
Sadly, a week of silence is deafening – and worrying.
Has our prime minister gone missing too?
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