Who are answerable for the latest boo-boo in our security?
This is the second or third times within 3 months some shameful blunders cocked up in our home land security?
When Mas Selamat escaped through the openly inviting toilet window and
vulnerable fencing, people have asked for accountability by the man at the top receiving millions of salaries for such major systemic cock-up.
PM Lee told the people we cannot ask the minister in charge to be answerable for such blunder either systemwise or operational like before in the case of major highway collapse with the whole top government machinery shielded from blame again and again.
So true enough the juniors took the rap - the guards and juniors and at most second-line officers (not permanent secretary, not parliamentary secretaries, not second-minister or first minister) got sacked.
Now after letting PM have his way because this has been the way how our top guns run the business of government, we are seeing more and more such-like fundamental problem lin various ministreis with failures explained away and covered up, where so we go from here?
Should we the people who pay them their millions in salaries accept yet another escape of prisoner as seen happening since the last Leng How or Richard and Phey Yew Kok great escapade and more. It seems it has become quite a habit now for great escapade of such nature without any higher officers or ministers answering for fundamental problems raised by committees of inquiries.
What is PM Lee's answer now? Is there a system cock-up or just
another operational problem. If there are many operational problems of
such nature, is that also a systemic problem.
Surely someone with knowledge or responsibility like the Ministers, and whole string of assistant Ministers and whole cohort of franking mentors and senior parliamentary secretaries or senior
civil servants have to help us take charge of such
systemic or operational problems not yet defined in our protectionist meritocratic culture.
Who should be made answerable for such problems - PM and
Ministers and Ministers or who?
The MPs now came out again to give a good show. They said they were shocked
with the latest escape of yet another prisoner - oop two - despite all
the inquiry finding that plugging of the complacency and incompetency
among the lower rank.
How many of our MPs
dare to go against the ministers' wishes and all the self-congratulated and
self-praised success stories in every ministry?
If finally the MPs still cannot do so, it can only be concluded
that their presence in parliament make no difference to solving of
problems of such nature and let some other entities of greater
accountability and responsibility take over.
If the MPs, Ministers and PM make no more move to solve such
complacency problem, then all of them should consult the mentor and
mentor surely can mentor them what to do in such a situation.
The parliament is the highest authority in our Westminster
democracy. MPs are the people's voice of conscience with specific role
to ask for accountability by the executives namely the ministers and
PMs if not MM and SM.
Will our MPs now do their job or will there be more cover-ups as
has persisted in the former NKF for years due to their meek acceptance
of all the self-congratulatory replies and pretences.
Just ask themselves this question : If MPs accept all the ministers' look-good replies and there are still repeated escapes and cock-ups in various ministries are MPs prepared to offer their resignation to let there be by-elections to put up better MPs to solve problems or form the next government.
Let there be some direct and frank soul searching by all our MPs to
such issues and problems so that we still have some kind of westminster
democracy working for the people.
Should we make the Westminster work for us the people or should we again accept same self-praising cover-up protectionist replies.
(NB: My emails to all MPs
elicited one reply only - to give the views of establishment why land acquisition for public use was not put to public use for 20 years without interest to answer people's concern)
the PM should have directed the question on the resignation to WKS instead of LKT. I truly believe that other than the PM, WKS is the most appropriate person to answer the question rather than the PM bulldozing the answers with "no answers, that settle it.
I believe that finally the citizens must remain actively promoting accountability in government including if necessary organizing peaceful protest to demand resignation of ministers in cases of such protectionist cover-ups of their own incompetencies and complacency.
I don't think Law and Order or Rule of Law or Integrity of the politicians or Judiciary is any higher than this key issue of accountability of government to resigning or answering for their own big failures.
Let all the intellectuals including the MPs, Ministers and Elites tell us citizens have no such right to demand collectively accountability of ministers' wrongfulness or incompetencies.
If Gopalan or Chee Siok Chin or Chee Soon Juan is arrested for defending citizens of such rights of citizens, then citizens must have the courage to stand up tall and support them for doing the right thing.
If citizens do not have such moral courage to do their duties or what is right behaving like Gazelle who now change name to some other animal then it is too bad they have themselves to curse at every corner of Singapore.
Righteousness holds up the heaven. It is higher than hypocrisy or rule of law or Judge's integrity as new law minister Shamu put it in the case of Gopalan.
Think citizens. Exercise your divine right to demand justice, and express indignation at wrong doings of government including covering up of big mistakes like Mas Selamat or Subordinate Court's prisoners' escape.
PM Lee? Is he ever competent? Don't place hope on this "excellent', "kind", "capable" PM to do any good job. WKS being his cousin-in-law, you think he will want him to be accountable.
PAP gahmen will not allow any citizens to hold them accountable for any matters, issues, policies and whatsoever. They consider themselves perfect so they will not accept any talk about them to be accountable. Since the people have chosen them so they take the liberty to do what that please them and what they think is best for their interest and the "interest of the people".
Robert,
your points said it all what many of us are feeling deep inside. That is why it is so important that we have dual-party representatives in parliament.
Only then will the issue of accountability be fully addressed, only then will the voice of the common man be heard, only then will the ruling government takes the people seriously.
In one word, PAP hegemony must end and balance of power created.
People must be politicised.
Independent media industry must be created.
Civil society institutions must be strengthened.
The kiasee outlook caused by Lee Kuan Yew's lawsuits must be changed.
That is the task that all concerned singaporeans must carry out.
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:In one word, PAP hegemony must end and balance of power created.
People must be politicised.
Independent media industry must be created.
Civil society institutions must be strengthened.
The kiasee outlook caused by Lee Kuan Yew's lawsuits must be changed.
That is the task that all concerned singaporeans must carry out.
Poh, what you mentioned is possible only when PAP is not in existence.
I think it can be achieved on the condition that Lee Kuan Yew is removed as a factor in Singapore politics.
That is only possible when Lee Kuan Yew is a dead man.
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:I think it can be achieved on the condition that Lee Kuan Yew is removed as a factor in Singapore politics.
That is only possible when Lee Kuan Yew is a dead man.
I don't agree. lky has laid his foundation in the PAP well and I believe he has planned for all in all how PAP should function after his death. Thus as long as PAP exists there is no possibility what you stated will take place. The bottom line is get rid of PAP.
We need to build up a strong power against the PAP.
Originally posted by SevenEleven:the PM should have directed the question on the resignation to WKS instead of LKT. I truly believe that other than the PM, WKS is the most appropriate person to answer the question rather than the PM bulldozing the answers with "no answers, that settle it.
Citizens have the duty to check on wrong doings like this type of irresponsibility on the part of ministers. The root cause might lie with LKY because he was too proud a person to admit his mistakes or his ministers' mistakes as we know him from many incidents in the past 40 plus years. He was probably born this way too afraid to lose face. He has avoided answering to mistakes and incompetencies by his ministers.
If the leader is of this calibre then he would naturally have produced ministers of this type too shameful to offer resignations for big mistakes. If for whatever the outsome, whether inquiry will excuse him or PM will think of something to save him if WKS has the character of leadership today PAP and LKY may still preserve their standing and reputation.
WKS apparently was too afraid to shoulder responsibility so he has to push away responsibility of this systemic failure and blunder to his juniors.
Talking about excellence or world-class leadership, the world is quietly laughing behind us all the Singaporeans for having this type of leaders.
Now we know his lack of leadership and self-esteem for he has been too afraid to take responsibility.
Even PM Lee who has tried to save him and let his juniors to take the rap might well come across as lacking the quality for leadership.
If WKS has offered his resignation whatever the outcome or even if PM Lee might save him he would still not be too bad.