Accountability of the PAP government

00011000 SG

Mas Selamat escape not only is a serious lapse of our security, it has long term implication on our security, safety and in foreign investment.

Some of you forumites asked, what Selamat escape got to do with WKS?. Everything I said. Why?

1) For those who have studied public governance, management, corporate affair etc, you will know this - accountability flows downward but responsibility flows upward.

In other words, the Gurkha who failed in his/their duties should be accountable for his/their act but responsibility for such blatant, unimaginable incident should be shouldered by the leader. In this case, the authority, ie WKS or the PAP government. Why?

WKS or the PAP government may not physically guarded over Mas Selamat. But they are responsible for the formulation, implementation, and most importantly, the approval of the ISD security plans. The responsibility should not lies solely on the shoulders of some ISD officer or Gurkha officer. The ISD officier or Gurkha are merely the executer and not the executive.

2) Because every month we pay millions of dollar for the PAP government to do a good job. We don't pay peanut but good money and we expect good return on our investment.

To add salt to the wound, LKY appeared on the media to say we are not infallible. As if we are a bunch of kids, not knowing the better of it. Infallible. Why not infallible in the first place? Because they screwed up on the security in the first place.

LHK also appeared to say "what to do, it has happened". To give such statement is as good as not giving it in the first place.

If we are paying them top dollars for the job, we should expect better than these.

Is this all that our leaders are capable of doing in a crisis? Is saying sorry so hard?

All the boosting about Singapore being number one in this and that, attracting top investment from here and there, are being unravelled and turning into thin air. INVESTOR WILL RUN IF MAS SELAMAT IS NOT CAUGHT. IT WILL BE WORSE THAN THE SARS AFFAIR.

Yet no one has spoken out on this issue. The opposition is quiet, the public is quiet. Why? Are we so numb that we are scared of voicing issue –issue that concerns our very own life?

robertteh SG

I fully agree with your view on how ministers should be answerable for the security plans and the lower rung officers be penalised for sheer negligence in execution.

If there is any defects in the security plans the responsibility and accountability should fall entirely on the shoulders of the ministers. If there is poor overseeing of the security plans the prison superintendent and supervisory officers who are paid 5 figures should also lose their jobs.

However I am afraid based on the public statements of our MM Lee and PM Lee the government minister and PM will excuse themselves from such responsibility and accountability and say that a mistake has been made but what can they do.

They will try to attend to other issues and distract citizens' attention to this issue and suggest at other time that their job is to worry over the bigger policies and oversight of the entire goverment and they should not be pinned down for some minor oversight at the lower rung which may be inevitable.

One wonders why in giving themselves the million dollar salaries they did not tell us citizens that they would defend to the last any attempt to make them take responsibility for any major policy fiasco as has happened with giving of wrong surpluses to justify GST increase or big screw-up in ERP.

So the snakes slither off once again each time they were caught in the noose.

areusure SG

my opinion is some1 will be taking the rap. but this may not be publicly shown as i believe singapor is stll a nation that do not wash linens publicly.y

as to having senior personnel being held accountable, fat hope because since when is this country political sys ever resemble that of others where public fugures sorry publicly and then announce resign.

Its to me already a big consolation taht apologies have been made public.

dont push luck.

4getmenot SG

what i dun understand is,y does it take a month for the inquiry commission to find out what happen..???

00011000 SG

my opinion is some1 will be taking the rap. but this may not be publicly shown as i believe singapor is stll a nation that do not wash linens publicly.y

Its to me already a big consolation taht apologies have been made public.

dont push luck.

Oh common, poltiician do wash dirty linen in public. Sg never wash dirty linen? How was the Davan Case? Ong T C case? all smelly and dirty linens out in public.

Fat hope for personal accountability? Than why Teh Chang Weh committed suicide. He committed suicide with banned toxin. Toxin so hard to get in sg and even all over the world.

00011000 SG

my opinion is some1 will be taking the rap. but this may not be publicly shown as i believe singapor is stll a nation that do not wash linens publicly.y

Its to me already a big consolation taht apologies have been made public.

dont push luck.