Singapore’s great
escape
by Jufrie Mahmood
Singapore Democrats
27 Mar 08
It is exactly one month today since Mas Selamat Kastari escaped
from the Internal Security Department (ISD) Whitley Road Detention
Centre. While we await the findings of the Government appointed
"independent" Committee of Inquiry.
I have not stopped wondering how the escape could have taken place.
It is next to impossible for any detainee at the centre to escape.
And I am saying this from personal experience.
I was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) sometime in
1979 for an offence I did not commit. I was then a translator
attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Prior to
my transfer to the CID I was serving in the same post in the ISD. I
was unceremoniously transferred to the CID after being accused of
having pro-opposition sentiments.
I had privately voiced out my disagreement towards certain
government policies which I felt was discriminatory and against the
spirit of multi-racialism. I was only being honest about my disgust
for such policies. I was, of course, found not suitable for the ISD
and thus transferred to the CID.
Not long after working in the CID, I was arrested and detained
without trial. The authorities said that they had "found" some
anti-government petition circulated to many organizations. The
petition, I was told, was some sort of protest against the
detention of a group of university students and had contained
information about the ISD.
The Government's immediate response was to arrest me. They thought
I was responsible for drafting and circulating the petition.
Actually the petition was drafted and circulated by a colleague, a
fellow translator in the CID, who got so worked up over the
detention of some of his friends, many of whom were university
undergraduates.
Among those rounded up was Mr. Ahmad Khalis Abdul Ghani, an ex PAP
MP who stepped down during the last GE. The ISD found out after I
was already detained that the author of the petition was indeed my
colleague, now deceased, and that I was not aware of its existence
because it was drafted and circulated while I was on leave and
absent from the office.
Nevertheless, I was charged under the Official Secrets Act for
revealing ISD operational methods to the my colleague and sentenced
to nine months imprisonment. After some two months in Whitley Road
Detention Centre I was moved to Queenstown Remand Prison. I was
released after six months for good conduct.
So as I had said, I am giving a first-hand account about the tight
security at the detention centre. All movements in the centre are
closely monitored. When a detainee needs to move from one station
to another within the compound for further interrogation or for
other purposes, he is physically escorted. The gurkha guards will
hold the detainee’s hands tightly while moving from one station to
another. When he goes for a toilet break the guards would stand
guard outside the toilet entrance. And since toilets are not
situated near or abutting the perimeter wall/fencing, escape is
practically impossible.
That being the case I can think of three possible reasons that
could have led to the escape – that is, assuming the escape really
took place:
1. Some party or parties were in cahoots with, and assisted, Mas
Selamat in staging his escape. If this is the case there seems to
be a breakdown in the system of screening security personnel. This
is indeed a very serious development.
2. For reasons only known to the powers that be Mas Selamat was
deliberately let loose.
3. Mas Selamat has magical powers which he may have acquired
through long hours of meditation during his solitary
confinement.
In the meantime the Minister-in-Charge Mr Wong Kan Seng should take
full responsibility for this embarrassing episode. I do not detect
any signs of regret in his demeanour when making public statements
concerning the case. He appears to be as cocky as ever.
Ministers who are quick to claim credit for Singapore’s
achievements must also be as quick in taking the blame for any
shortcoming. The economic costs resulting from the delays and
traffic jams at the causeway will easily run into tens of millions
of dollars.
Thus far the response by our security officials have been less than
assuring and lacks professionalism. If the government is to be
believed, Mas Selamat is a very dangerous individual. He is not a
petty thief. But the immediate response to his escape smacks of a
tidak apa (the devil may care) attitude.
If I remember correctly it took the authorities four hours before
they decided to inform and engage the public, one whole week before
telling the public what clothes Mas Selamat was wearing and another
few days to release information that his limp would only be obvious
when he runs.
I wonder at what point of time was the Home Affairs Minister
informed of the "escape", and having been informed, what his first
reaction was and what directions he gave to his officers. This is
very important because Singaporeans need to know the true quality
of their leaders which is only evident in times of crises. After
all, we citizens have been forced to accept the argument that our
ministers are world class and should be paid handsomely.
I would like to suggest that the Minister for Home Affairs
volunteers to have his pay cut by $1,000 for every day that Mas
Selamat is not caught. And since the cabinet claims to take
collective responsibility, other cabinet ministers can join him and
have their pay cut as well.
The longer Mas Selamat remains free, the more money will be
accumulated which can then be used to help the poor. This can also
serve to mitigate PAP policies where the Poor Also Pay. Yes that
has always been the PAP philosophy - the Poor Also Pay.
Coming back to Mas Selamat, if he is rearrested the Government
should put him on trial. Let the world hear his side of the story.
Let him defend himself in court. If after due process of law the
evidence shows that indeed he is guilty, then let the law take its
course.
In my opinion it is not that simple to seize a plane, pilot it over
a distance and crash it into a building. According to information
supplied by the authorities Mas Selamat is only a trained mechanic.
Since when can a mechanic, acting alone, pilot a plane without
first undergoing any formal or informal training. If the
authorities have information on Mas Selamat’s flight training
lessons, they have not told the public. We only keep hearing the
mantra that “Mas Selamat tried to crash a plane into Changi
Airport”. The people who crashed the planes into the world trade
centre on 9/11 underwent months of training to learn to fly the
planes.
Let Singaporeans hear the truth - on how he managed to do the
impossible of escaping from the Whitley Detention Centre, the whole
truth - including how he was going to fly a plane to crash into
Changi Airport, and nothing but the truth - from the man himself
and not some Committee of Inquiry.
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