SPEECH BY MR WONG KAN SENG, MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS, AT THE ISD INTELLIGENCE SERVICE PROMOTION CEREMONY ON THURSDAY, 3 APRIL 2003 AT 7.30 PM AT COPTHORNE WATERFRONT HOTEL, GRAND BALLROOM
Ladies and Gentlemen
The last one year will no doubt be remembered by many of you here today to be one of the most eventful years in ISD’s history. Obviously, ISD’s security operations against the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network would feature dominantly in our memory of 2002. The foiling of terrorist plots which would have killed many Singaporeans is reason enough for many of us to always remember this ISD operation.
But an analysis of the character of the security operation itself will, I believe, reveal also a deeper significance beyond the image of terrorist plots foiled and disrupted. ISD’s operation against the JI is unprecedented in the quality and range of resources deployed, drawn from across the whole organisation. Officers from the research, operations and field investigation, operational technology, surveillance, IT and liaison divisions, all worked as a synergistic whole. For instance, through a combination of IT forensics and data-analysis, research profiling and good old detective work on the ground, the identities of the bomb-maker, "Mike", and the Al-Qaeda operative, "Sammy" were quickly discovered in Dec 2001. This was critical to their eventual detention and arrests abroad in 2002.
To date, ISD has an operational data-base which contains hundreds of thousands of data entries on the JI investigation. This excludes the large amounts of JI materials such as the JI training manuals on assassination, bomb-making, para-military training and the strategic JI blueprint for its Daulah Islamiyah in the region, secured so far. The intelligence shared by ISD with its liaison partners was valuable to the identification of key operatives in the JI network in various countries. This included members of the Malaysian, Indonesian and the Australian JI networks. More recently, such close cooperation saw the detection and arrest of JI leader, Mas Selamat in Bintan. In Malaysia, the tenacity and perseverance of the Malaysian security forces to follow the trail of the 4 tonnes of ammonium nitrate which ISD had reported to be in Muar, eventually led to the recovery of the explosive material in a plantation in Muar.
What was unprecedented also was the approach taken to reach out to the various communities in order to address their concerns. I do not believe there has ever been an occasion where ISD officers visited and reached out to Muslim organisations and leaders even before the details of the operation were made public. Working closely with these leaders to establish understanding of sensitivities, to maintain calm and composure, ISD’s concern was on the larger issues of ethnic harmony at stake in such an episode. ISD officers also openly briefed an audience of over 1,700 grassroots leaders’ meeting with the PM, not once but twice. These collective efforts were worthwhile, as the outcome minimised the potential negative fall-out that the JI episode could have had on our society. This shows the sensitivity of ISD in handling security issues which can have serious implications on racial and religious harmony.
The shape and character of security operations of the future will, like the JI operation, be increasingly complex and multi-faceted. The ISD must not only be at the top of its craft and at the cutting edge of technology, it must also be adaptive operationally and must understand the pulse of the society it serves. A successful operation is measured not just in terms of preventing and neutralising the active security threat but also one which takes into account the larger living context of the community -- minimising anxieties and trauma wherever practicable and ensuring that the broader and fundamental interests of the society are not undermined or impaired.
There were occasions in the past and there will be occasions in the future when ISD’s role in averting a serious security situation will not be made known, for various reasons. Therefore, although such ISD operations may not be as open as the JI case, and Singaporeans become aware of ISD’s role in pre-empting what could have been a disastrous situation for Singapore, ISD officers can be quietly gratified that they play a very important role in the stability and security of Singapore.
Some people continue to be critical about the Internal Security Act. But for most Singaporeans today, they now know the value of the ISA. For the skeptics, I would tell them that without the ISA and ISD, and indeed the Home Team agencies, they would not have enjoyed this sense of safety and security today. Indeed, it is because of the Home Team that Singaporeans can sleep well at night, in the comfort that there are thousands of Home Team officers keeping watch for them.
Will there be a day when we do not need the ISA? I hope so. That is the ideal. Indeed, if we can work towards that day when the threats Singapore face in the world are low and when a level of national resilience and cohesion prevails so deeply among us that immunise us from the primordial vulnerabilities of race and religion, that may be the time to review the relevance of the ISA. But as we work at being a stronger nation, we must recognise realistically the current limits and weaknesses of our society and grow from there. We should continue to comply with the processes in the law under the ISA which place limits and safeguards against abuse and arbitrariness, subjecting all ISA cases to a full review by an independent board of private citizens under a Supreme Court judge. I understand that ISD has separate sets of officers dealing with the cases and dealing with supporting the review process in order to avoid any conflict of interest. I also learnt that senior ISD officers, including DISD himself, have been directly examined and questioned by the Advisory Board on the cases. These are important safeguards and ISD must stay committed to contribute to evolving and strengthening this review process.
Before ending, let me share with you one more observation. The year 2002 will also be remembered by many of you for reasons other than the major security operation which dominated the news. There is a saying that one should not get married, change job and move house at the same time. It would appear that the department did just about that; apart from being tied down to a major security operation and all its various attendant actions, ISD also found time to launch its Heritage Centre in March 2002 and also shifted into its new building in Jul 2002 without a hitch.
Finally, let me extend my congratulations to all the officers who have been promoted this year. All of you, including your colleagues who are not here this evening deserve a salute from all Singaporeans. I am proud of you.