DPM Wong Kan Seng addressed all issues except his own culpability

May 27, 2008 by admin
Filed under: JI escapee 

By Ng E-Jay

On 21 Apr, DPM Wong Kan Seng gave an update to Parliament on how Mas Selamat Kastari escaped, and on Monday 26 May, he explained to Parliament the various disciplinary measures taken against those deemed responsible for the escape. In the interim period, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also given periodic updates on the latest developments in the ongoing search and investigation.

So far, all aspects of the saga have been explained or elaborated on except for one crucial facet: DPM Wong’s own culpability in the matter.

The Committee of Inquiry has maintained that there were no department-wide systemic mistakes or policy failures that led to MSK’s escape.

I find that statement most onerous.

Whatever information released by the Committee of Inquiry so far has not proven in any way that there were no systemic failures.

MSK’s escape was attributed merely to an unfortunate series of lapses on the part of individuals. In the absence of further information, I am extremely skeptical that is the whole story.

The COI executive summary that was released in Parliament, for instance, leaves many questions unanswered. For example, how is it that a limping man is physically able to scale a perimeter fence, climb onto the roof of an enclosed staircase and walkway, and jump over the converged inner and outer perimeter fences, all in record-breaking time?

Even ignoring MSK’s limp, it is obvious that something must be seriously wrong with the operational procedures at WDRC that allowed MSK to make such an outlandish escape completely undetected. A likely explanation is that the COI executive summary that was released did not tell the full story. The truth is out there.

I believe that there are indeed system-wide failures present in ISD’s Operational culture, contrary to what the COI executive summary would have us believe. At the very least, there has been widespread complacency. Surely this point cannot be in doubt.

DPM Wong Kan Seng has been Minister of Home Affairs since 1994. Having served in that capacity for 14 years, it is logical to conclude he is responsible for letting complacency seep into ISD’s Operational culture.

Hence, my opinion is that DPM Wong should also be considered culpable, and must be disciplined. At the very least, he should be stripped of his ministerial post, transferred out of MHA, and not serve as a minister ever again.

In Parliament on Monday, DPM Wong also said that the Director of ISD should not be blamed as that would amount to placing an “unreasonable and overly onerous burden” on him, given his broad responsibility over the actions and performance of the whole organisation.

DPM Wong further added, “‘It was not shown that the Director of ISD was aware of any of these lapses but took no action to rectify them. Neither was it shown that he ought reasonably to have known of these lapses.”

To me, all this are excuses to shield the higher-ups from blame. My point again is that complacency was clearly shown to be widespread, with the possibility of systemic failures and lapses, and these in turn imply that the entire chain of command including the Director of ISD up to the Minister himself must be held accountable.

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Comments

8 Comments on DPM Wong Kan Seng addressed all issues except his own culpability

  1. MyFoot on Tue, 27th May 2008 9:25 am

    2. One thing that still bewilders me up to now is the absence of any report or mention whatsoever with regards to MSK’s family’s reaction. It was reported that the ISD had asked them “a lot of questions”, but what is the outcome of that? SInce MSK’s escape supposedly happened when he was led to see his visiting family members that day, shouldn’t the press be interviewing them.

    Why do we not see or hear anything about the family on this matter? I know there are reasons that would forbid revealing too much information on his family, but it would be more convincing if reports had including simple statements such as “his family members’ reaction was ….”, or “after interviewing MSK’s family which includes his wife,..etc”, or “Although his (sons/ daughters) missed him dearly, they…” , or “his family members who were present at the WDRC that day, included his (wife/father/mother/son/daughter???)”

    Can’t we even know how many family members was there to visit him that day? Were they shocked, scared, happy, bewildered, sad, or what? Are our press so stifled that they are not even allowed to write about the emotions of the family members? Or are the family members no even allowed to talk to anyone at all (aren’t they innocent)? Or do they even exist?

  2. The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 27 May 2008 on Tue, 27th May 2008 12:07 pm

    3. [...] Fallout – Sgpolitics.net: DPM Wong Kan Seng addressed all issues except his own culpability – HWZ: Whitley Road Superintendant [...]

  3. Helicopter Vision on Tue, 27th May 2008 1:12 pm

    4. Quote from CNA reports:

    http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori…350057/1/.html

    Mr Wong said the ISD’s command director, whom the superintendent reported to, has also been relieved of his duties on April 24.

    Although the command director was neither directly nor indirectly linked to the lapses of specific officers down the line, and he was not at fault over the lapses, Mr Wong said he was formally the apex of the supervisory and management chain of command overseeing the detention centre. – CNA/ac

    ——————————————————-

    If the ISD’s command director has been punished because “he was neither directly nor indirectly linked to the lapses of specific officers down the line, and he was not at fault over the lapses”, BUT “he was formally the apex of the supervisory and management chain of command overseeing the detention centre”, why not this same rationale be applied upon Director ISD as well as the Minister of Home Affairs himself?

    Do we see the flaw therein in his explanation of the whole issue?

  4. Helicopter Vision on Tue, 27th May 2008 1:14 pm

    5. Quote from CNA reports:

    ttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori…350057/1/.html

    Mr Wong said the ISD’s command director, whom the superintendent reported to, has also been relieved of his duties on April 24.

    Although the command director was neither directly nor indirectly linked to the lapses of specific officers down the line, and he was not at fault over the lapses, Mr Wong said he was formally the apex of the supervisory and management chain of command overseeing the detention centre. – CNA/ac

    ——————————————————-

    If the ISD’s command director has been punished because “he was neither directly nor indirectly linked to the lapses of specific officers down the line, and he was not at fault over the lapses”, BUT “he was formally the apex of the supervisory and management chain of command overseeing the detention centre”, why not this same rationale be applied upon Director ISD as well as the Minister of Home Affairs himself?

    Do we see the flaw therein in his explanation of the whole issue?

  5. admin on Tue, 27th May 2008 8:31 pm

    6. Helicopter Vision:

    Well said. This precisely shows the upper echelons evading their OWN LOGIC in avoiding culpability for themselves.

    E-Jay

  6. Singapore’s JI leader Mas Selamat arrested in Malaysia : Sgpolitics.net on Fri, 8th May 2009 12:44 pm

    7. [...] SEE ALSO: In Parliament, DPM Wong Kan Seng addressed all issues except his own culpability [...]

  7. Accountability, not celebration, needed in the Mas Selamat saga : Sgpolitics.net on Fri, 8th May 2009 3:31 pm

    8. [...] ISD were not made to shoulder any responsibility for what happened. In an article entitled “DPM Wong Kan Seng addressed all issues except his own culpability” posted on 27 March 2008, I wrote that: “complacency was clearly shown to be [...]

  8. Accountability, not celebration, needed in the Mas Selamat saga : Ng E-Jay’s domain on Thu, 14th May 2009 6:52 am

    9. [...] of ISD were not made to shoulder any responsibility for what happened. In an article entitled “DPM Wong Kan Seng addressed all issues except his own culpability” posted on 27 March 2008, I wrote that: “complacency was clearly shown to be widespread, with [...]

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