COI report: Reactions from the Internet
Posted by theonlinecitizen on April 22, 2008
Breaking News: PM Lee says ministers shouldn’t be automatically removed for lapses down the line. More from Channel NewsAsia.
The following is an aggregation of reactions from the Internet to the Committee Of Inquiry’s report and DPM Wong’s statement on Mas Selamat’s escape.
Diary of A Singaporean Mind – Mas Selamat: 3 steps to freedom
“Shame on you conspiracy theorists – Mas Selamat did not die, Mas Selamat did not have insider help, Mas Selamat did not go through the toilet bowl. He simply climb out of the toilet window and jumped over the fence. That’s it! Nothing to it – simple….THE END…THAT’S ALL FOLKS….”
The Daily Bactrack – What a circus
“The whole situation screams “cynical humour” and I applaud parliament for not giggling while in session.”
Singapore Democratic Party – A tour de farce
“Can the COI confirm that reports show that Mr Selamat was still alive on or before 27 Feb 08?”
The Sun Shines On – Blame the guards, window and fence
“Will the political masters be equally forthcoming tomorrow about responsibility in the escape?”
Where Bears Roam Free – That still doesn’t explain how he vanished into thin air
“It’s quite a tall story really. A high security detention centre has no grilles for toilet windows? Urinals have doors? How is it the very coincidentally, the security cameras were upgraded and were not recording his David Copperfield-like escape?”
Utopia – Shallow report from COI on Mas Selamat
“May i ask why is DPM announcing the findings? isn’t this report from the INDEPENDENT Committee of Inquiry? how independent.”
Unfortunately Singapore – COI report: A litany of blunders, a culture in need of change
“We have to remember that ultimately, the ISD is a government agency; one that is in need of a culture change.”
Military Life – For lack of a widow grill, a JI terrorist was freed
“So there it is, a report that for those of us cynical male citizens who went through 10 years of reservist liabilities plus 2.5 years of State enforced conscription know would be an exercise in basically stating the obvious and assigning blame to the most junior plus a few levels up.”
Small Friend – Uniquely Singapore
“In other countries, when there are massive securities lapse, such as the escape of the most wanted terrorist, the minister who’s in charge will usually take responsibility in one way or another.”
The Void Deck – COI hoot ISD
“Go pangjio can close door, the fierce Gurkha shy to see Mas Selamat KKJ! The window soooo besar dat Moses Lim can climb thru oso not grilled! Then the high tech CCTV not working – see la gahment, buy things ai pee ai chee ai dua liap nee but dowan to pay! Fence like not fence even Mas Selamt can squat jump over like frog! Why liddat???”
Pseudonymity – No LIVE Broadcast By CNA Of COI’s Findings On Mas Selamat’s Escape
“We deserve better but unfortunately we’re pretty much stuck with propagandists masquerading as journalists.”
Aidilomar – Physical weakness
“It is very troubling. It is even more disconcerting that no one offered to resign or made to hold accountable. It seems, for some especially amongst the ruling elite skin can be thicker than an armored car and sorry seems to be the hardest word.”
My Sketchbook – Security lapse as claimed
Mr Brown – Mas Selamat COI report is out
“It was just an ungrilled window, a closed door, and 7 rolls of toilet paper.”
Mr Wang Says So – No CCTV. No Grilles. No Guards. No Dogs. No Barbed Wire. Just One Big Open Window, And A Lot of Toilet Paper To Cushion Impact.
“Overall, the security just seems so lax. Jurong Bird Park keeps its birds under tighter security.”
Extra Scoop – Like Pilate, DPM Wong washes his hands clean
“DPM Wong has been irresponsible to absolve himself of the blame. He seems eager to point the finger on “slacking” within some individual units, all the while dismissing the notion that strategic oversights have led to the escape.”
Blueheeler – ‘enforcing discipline’ or ‘enforcing a culture of forgiveness for higher-ups’?
“So why are the junior officers to be chastised/punished, when the Director of ISD who has rightly admitted fault gets to stay on the job? Not only does the Diretor ISD seem to be in the clear, he appears to be tasked to punish those who allowed Mas to escape. So why is the Director absolved from any oversight in this case?”
Singapore Sojourn – Mas Escape
“To the government’s credit they have been as candid as they can in this matter and clearly security is going to be a lot tougher for detainees from this point on.”
East Coast Life – Mas Selamat’s Escape : Amazing 11 minutes!
“My jaws dropped as I listened to the full details of Mas Selamat’s escape, I find it so incredible and dramatic, just like in a movie. 11 minutes was all it took for Mas Selamat to escape via the toilet’s ventilation window, which was not secured properly.”
Uncle Yap – I saw more than a dozen PAp MPs asleep in parliament today
“I am warning the people of Singapore, there is HUGE SLEEPER CELL OF TERROR found inside the parliament. Watch Out for Rep of Singapore, we are facing great risk. I am not joking.”
The States Times – Debrief Of Mas Selamat Kastari
“DPM Wong already told parliament he knows him for many years, kawan-kawan, so he will probably have a CEO post in a GLC lined up. Did you know the guy in the Istana was a ISD director once..”
Singapore Kopi Tok – The COI Report – Simultaneously Fair and Frustrating to Singaporeans
“The government at least had a hope of redemption if they captured Mas Selamat but they couldn’t, so now they have to live with this scar.”
Yawning Bread – The great hunt: more management failures than guards’ lapses
“I thought Wong’s equal apportionment of blame was incorrect. It’s always easy to point to how people on the spot didn’t do their jobs properly at the time in question. Instead, I was left with the strong impression that the supervisory, management and policy-making levels had been both sloppy and tunnel-visioned, and Wong failed to put sufficient emphasis on this.”
The Bosonic State – A Disappointing Report on Mas Selamat’s Escape
“The non-working CCTVs is something new, though. However, the summary does not go into details of these non-working CCTVs. For example, is it clear to any persons who see the CCTVs that they are non-functioning ones? And how widespread is this news of non-functionality? Do the guards know? Does Mas Selamat know?”
Singapore Patriot – Protecting their own kind
“He put up a stout defence for his Home Minister and Director ISD, saying they are “ultimately accountable” but “were not to blame”. This is a contradiction in itself. If you are accountable for something and that something goes wrong, you are to blame. That is what leadership is about.”
Blueheeler – Nevermind the kudos, but will you face the music on your own?
“Take a long hard look at your next 6-figure paycheck and think who pays that to you, and what kind of responsibilities come with that kind of amount…”
Blueheeler – The Mas(k) of PAP’s accountability: one sets himself free from prison but two sets of standards
“Dear PM Lee, going by your magnanimous gesture of forgiveness, why then are those officers to be ‘replaced‘, and also ‘disciplined and penalised‘, while Minister Wong and Director of ISD stay untainted?”
Melvin Tan Sg – Not taking heat, so take heed
“In my view, PM Lee failed to see one point: Singapore ministers are the highest paid in the world. Logically speaking, the echelon of accountability has to be higher in tandem, no?”
Xeno Boy Sg – Politics, Gladiator, Praetorians and a Missing Fugitive
“Rather than exploiting the interstices of this ISD cock-up, the Opposition wastes the political opportunity pursuing dead hypotheses or demanding accountability knowing that accountability will always be provided for that group of conservative stoic Singaporeans who are the electoral bedrock of the regime’s survival.”
Diary Of A Singaporean Mind – Why Minister Wong Kan Seng should not resign!
“It was also necessary to use this escape to remind Singaporeans not to be complacent and think they can actually survive without the PAP.”
Hardhitting – Odd report
“I’m afraid the report did not answer most of our questions on the escape, and may have in fact raise more.”
My Singapore News – The Parliament Glare
“At the rate that it is going, the glare will be so blinding that Parliament need not switch the lights anymore.”
Simply Jean – Er… a highlight in Parliament (Mr Low Thia Khiang self-pwned?) ?
“Your father’s sister’s husband’s sister’s husband’s brother failed to look after their Rott Weiler and one of them escaped (and possibly going around and biting people) and your father asks you if you think that his sister’s husband’s sister’s husband’s brother should be kicked out of the family clan…”
Udders – Cronyism at best.
“So the lesson to be learnt, ladies and gentlemen, is that in Singapore, it always pays to be friends with the people at the top.”
Palmmist – A sketic’s view on Mas Selalmat COI(we can’t be complacent)
“We definitely cannot be complacent this time and allow the COI to report things that are not accurate.”
Desperate Beep – I could drop Dead tomorrow
“How can we have reached this stage when our entire system is dependent on a very small minority? More importantly, how did this situation come about in a nation that was brought to independence by a man obsessed with succession planning?”
Fresh Brainz – Seven rolls of toilet paper
“Why was Mas Selamat carrying a large pack of toilet paper on his way to a family visit? Note that he was blindfolded before being led to the Family Visitation Block.”
Lijmes – Stupidest toilet design ever
“Then our dear guard went to inform the 2nd guard outside he suspects something and THAT guard told the female ISD officer that the 1st guard suspects something. And she, being a woman, in all her wisdom (these are the people that help run Singapore), decided against entering the male toilet and decided to inform a male ISD officer that the 1st guard told the 2nd guard who told her that the 1st guard suspects something (I’m being SUPER long-winded to stress my point) and that shes a woman and she can’t go in so he has to go in. WAH LAU!!!!!! They playing ‘broken telephone’ ah? I’m surprised the final message that arrived in the male ISD officer’s ear wasn’t “The Queen of England has arrive in the toilet”.”
GFelicity – Discipling the officers? This is BS
“When something goes wrong, you blame everything else except yourself. When something goes right, you take all the credit and say, “Thanks be to ME.””
Arch Blood Writes – The Mas Selamat Conspiracy Part 3
“Really, dear readers, if you want to make sense of the plot holes, you should read my previous take on the story, regardless how stupid it may sound. It does not take a lot to judge the truth of DPM Wong’s denial of insider job on the part of ISD officers.”
Thinking Better Thinking Meta – ISD: Unintelligent intelligence unintelligible
“I guess accountability is all about getting the lower ranked pawns to take the fall, take one for the team.”
Under The Willow Tree – Wong Kan Seng Off the Hook? Not So Fast. The Game Has Just Begun!
“Wong Kan Seng is the overall man in charge here. Wong will bear ultimate responsibility for a failure to capture Selamat.”
Rachel Absinthe – Oddly enough eh
“Why should I accept the COI as an independent inquiry? If it is, then why was WKS presenting it?”
This page will be updated periodically.
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theonlinecitizen 
aygee said
now…
during the elections, they can pull out CCTV recordings of James Gomez not putting in his papers.
So this time round, the CCTVs were unmanned. Sure, this could happen from time to time.
BUT…where is the recorded footage of him climbing out the window and the fence? Surely there’ll be clips of it. Let us see it then. Make it public.
aygee said
when u beat a red light, or speeding on the highway, they can bring up pictures and video clips of your committing an offence.
Mas Selamat climbs out a window and jumps over a fence, not a single video clip for us eh?
hmm…maybe it will appear on World’s Most Shocking Videos soon…stay tuned.
SimplyGab said
I really have to question the Ministry’s budget allocation. Equipping cctv cameras with motion detectors most definitely does not come cheap.
But you can argue that it would be money well spent.
What really bugs me is that if you gonna spend so much to upgrade the surveillance systems, why be stingy with backups or redundancy systems??
Couldn’t the old systems remain active while testing new ones?
Sai Kor said
The whole debacle is shocking and most of the reactions from the Internet are rightly and expectedly angry. To take a step back and look at the whole debacle, we are angry because the escape is so silly and so easily preventable. The irony is that the government’s honesty on the escape has made us more angry. They poured petrol on the fire.
Clearing the air of angry criticisms and cynicism, we should objectively look at the issue of governance by the present government, and not the escape and ground incompetence per se. Is the malaise deeper in the government? Where do they stand now after the escape and the management of the escape? Have they reinvented themselves with an aura of openness?
Weijia said
reading Uncle yap’s blog post makes me even angrier. and demoralised.
our “leaders” don’t even care. and the speaker, president, pm dpm etc can’t even be aresed to wake them up.
the party whip has contributed to this. listen in parliament for what? in the end my vote is decided already. work so hard for wad? in the end my grc also walk over.
Dear Sai Kor… i’d say the malaise is MUCH deeper in the government.
WonDer said
You only install the ventilation fan when the windows cannot be open.It don’t make any cow sense to install the fan yet the window is openable???
Expected Analysis said
After a long explanation, the main questions are still unanswered, unlikely to be answered anyway. Herein are the questions for us to ponder over and which demand answers from the govt.
1. COI’s findings are inconclusive in the actual escape route out of the camp. Escaping from the toilet is plausible but not escaping out of the camp. With double fencing and with mushroom-top barbed wire, etc, this is illogical logic.
2. The perimeter fence converging with the covered walkway at certain point is definitely factored with the necessary security measures. This cannot be a mitigating factor. Only an independent COI’s findings that comprises one civil servant(representing the govt), one opposition MP plus one distinguished member of the law society, can be truly accepted as proper.
3. The reaction time lapse and the subsequent chain of events is simply incredulous. Even a naive child would have knocked on the door for response if left to wait for a couple of minutes outside. It’s incredible that the woman officer had to get another officer to come and check out the cubicle when the gurkha guard was there to do so. How to believe this tale when we have such well paid and supposedly intelligent ISD people???
4. The explanation surrounding the CCTVs is pure nonsense given that WRDC is supposed to be a high security compound. This ridiculous excuse is probably a case of not being able to produce a recording that shows the escape.
5. WKS conveniently forgot to touch on his responsibility and liability in this issue. Instead, he revealed that the director of ISD has assumed responsibility for this matter. This is another classic example of PAP’s ministers taking only credit but not liability. The officers involved will be removed or disciplined. Netizens should vote decisively online that WKS, as MHA’s chief, should shoulder responsibility as well. PM will have to decide on the penalty for WKS to showcase true govt accountability and not just excuses.
To expect Singaporeans’ acception of WKS’ explanation is as good as chicken and duck talk.
Cannot understand, so cannot accept.
MadDog said
I get all the credit, you get all the blame…. Civil servants are the one that make Singapore great not PAP !!!!
Singapore Resident said
Why the urinal cubicle got door?
Probably ISD bought 1 door & got 1 FREE – might as well use it lah…don’t waste taxpayers’ monies mah
Haha said
Re the toilet window, what’s this “had handle sawn off” BS? This type of handle are attached to the frames using either screws or rivets.
Alan Wong said
The report smacks of a cover up.
No one in his right mind would believe it to be true.
They think we are morons or what ?
Hulk Hogan said
Just my opinion on the COI,
The photo looks like the toilet was recently renovated, because if I do remember correctly in all toilets, the last room is suppose to have the WC and the urinals on the other side due to the fact that shitting requires additional ventilation for the smell to be channelled out of the toilet.
Furthermore, the window with the handle sawn off don’t make sense, unless it’s to be welded dead shut which only Superman can open. If you look at the pictures on today’s Straits Times, the one showing the back view of the toilet shows recent renovation works on the piping, which is the toilet that Selemat escapes, while the toilet beside is not altered. Note also the blue paint on the pipes, it starts from the toilet that Selemat escapes too.
A bag of seven rolls of toilet paper? Haha…No logic.
Scaling the walls or fence? I think Tony Jaa may even need a couple of practice to get it done right.
Running away from the centre? If he were to go straight to PIE, who can he call? Macdonald?
And they take 2 months to come up with this findings?
Too much thoughts in my mind, if I were to carry on, it’ll be much longer. Sigh…..
Singapore Resident said
>>PM Lee says ministers shouldn’t be automatically removed for lapses down the line
Applicable only to those from a particular party or across the board?
Gary Teoh said
Then why Lee asked Low TK to be responsible when the James Gomes saga happened ? why the double standard, is it bcos Wong KS is his relative?
Daniel said
Oh my God ! All the crucial procedures are currently not followed ! There is no check and balance at all. Now, the million question is :
WILL THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO TEMASEK AND GIC ? Perhaps one day when money is unaccounted for and disappear overnight, the reasons might well given similar to Selamat’s debacle.
1. No people to record down transaction
2. People come and go hence hard to check
3. Money lost in investment but no one know why and it take 52 years to find out
etc
If we accept such a reason and nothing happen to ministers ? We ask will there be any responsibility and accountability at all ?
Daniel said
Given that the government has shamelessly promote themselves claiming to be equipped with the best world class security infrastructure and staff, and that in the end, Selamat could just easily escape through toilet’s window and climb the fence without resistance ? Come on, who are they trying to kid ? You means all the billions spend on security could just compromise with a child’s play ? Are you seriously joking the world ? We can laugh at US, but yet our security is worse than US’s detention centre
They justify their pay and yet they fail to deliver their good and nothing happen to them ?
DID THE GOVERNMENT GAVE US A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY ?
Now, the government tell us that they have check and balance in their Temasek and GIC and having the best brain to run them. This is worse than Selamat because Selamat’s escape is transparent and accounted for ? How about billions that shroud in secrecy and unknown for other to coffers ? Is the same happen to our billions of reserve ?
Again,
DID THE GOVERNMENT GAVE US A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY THAT OUR RESERVE ARE WELL-HANDLED ?
Daniel said
Yes, suspect things are not so simple. COI make everything look simple but I believe it is not. The most important clue is how the fuc#@$king hell no camera is working at all when Selamat escape through the fence ? Don’t tell me that Selamat jump out of the fence. It takes sometimes for Selamat to get out of fence. Most importantly, why is there not any fuc@$#king guard dog around ?
Is the dog complacent and sleeping and not doing its duty ? Talking about the dog remind me of Nathan. How is it that Nathan not explaining but now busy himself with cutting ribbon and attending social function ?
Daniel said
We are in grave complacency from the government after reading Yawning bread’s post.
“Nominated Member of Parliament Gautam Bannerjee asked a good question: Was the system ever stress-tested? Wong admitted, no. “There were plans, but there weren’t exercises like this.”
Security plans and reviews are largely paper exercises, where somebody looks at the drawings and written procedures, at most doing a walk-around. A stress-test is a completely different thing. It is one in which an independent antagonist team is put together to try to defeat the system.
However, Wong assured the House, “From now on, they will make sure that they will conduct such tests and exercises.” (You mean there is no such check and balance to ensure the security ? WTF !)
http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2008/yax-867.htm
All the world-class procedure that we assume that the secretive ISD will execute and ensure DID NOT MATERIALISED AT ALL ! There is lackluster control, planning and organizing.
Now, just imagine the same thing happen to Temasek, GIC when the government investment ‘scam’ is exposed, the minister-in-charge says
“However, Minister assured the House, “From now on, they will make sure that they will conduct such audit and check.”
But for goodness sake, billions are already been gone and worse, nobody take responsible and be accountable for just like the JOke Lee says “No minister is at fault”. Of course, we know that this joker is foremost protecting himself.
We should demand accountability and responsbility from the gahmen over our reserves, CPF, etc right now and not let stone unturned. Don’t wait till LKY and LHL go to hell, and ‘Worldcom’ exposed that they admit failure of fake ‘check and balance’. Don’t wait till then because ‘NOBODY IS AT FAULT AND NOONE TAKE RESPONSBILITY ALTHOUGH THEY ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE GAHMEN IN THE WORLD’.
We should learn the lesson and brutal truth from Selamat’s incident. DO NOT TRUST THE GOVERNMENT, AND ENSURE PROPER CHECK AND BALANCE FROM INDEPENDENT PARTY AND NOT THEIR OWN YES-MAN.
John kew said
The PAP has succeeded in showing us how dishonourable they’ve become. They deserve absolutely no respect whatsoever. Do they really think that we’re so stupid that we’d believe the rubbish that they spew out? They just love to insult our intelligence.
Daniel said
Take a read at
http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2008/04/with-lky-who-needs-coi.html
“MP Inderjit Singh, Ang Mo Kio GRC, asked: “Can I ask who audits ISD (Internal Security Department)? Do they audit themselves and therefore create the weaknesses within the system?”
In reply, Mr Wong pointed out that as with all systems, once they are operated by humans, the systems can only be as good as the people who operate them.
He said: “We can have all the systems in place. But if the people don’t follow them, I think some day, something will happen.”
Now WongCanSing can twist around and sidestep the question, but we are smart to detect his idiotic answer. People are asking him if complacency and lack of security is due to the fact that there is no audit, the joker answer give a generalised answer that has no relevant to question at hand. Instead the blame is SHIFTED TO HUMAN NATURE ! WCA, if you want to talk like saint, then go become monk, and don’t shift the blame to all human. I wonder how you can graduate with flying color. Did you paint your own grade and buy your way through ?
Alan Wong said
The conclusion that I can make out of the whole blunder :-
WKS is our World Class Joker while our PM is the World Class Clown Prince.
Daniel said
Another question is :
Consider that everything happen at board daylight, why isn’t guard at tower notice Selamat climbing the fence (Let’s not kid ourselve, it take time to climb wall and escape from double fence ?) Please be reminded that all prison or detention centre of some sort generally has a high tower to oversee board activities happened at ground. Why hasn’t the tower guard survey the ground ? Is he playing PlayStationPortable ?
WongCantSing , don’t you dare tell us that the guard in Tower is sleeping like you too ?
Frankly, I smell of coverup and false report.
Expected Analysis said
Requiring a month to come up with COI’s findings is already rather fishy. It is likely a case of how best to concoct a virtual story fit for complacent fools who do not think beyond the call of nature.
The fact that COI’s findings cannot conclude the actual escape point (which they believed to be where the perimeter fence converge with the walkway) suggests that it is beyond human ability (unaided) to escape from there.
The COI probably couldn’t find any clues to support an escape theory in the first place. Therefore, the CCTVs cannot be termed operational.
Daniel said
Yes, they trying everything to make the incident look pure simple and make sure everything fit beautifully and ‘stupidly’ so that we will not question them too much. Look at all the photos. How is it that everything play nicely and so vulnerable ? It look as though it is meant as a escape camp not the detention centre at all. Did they purposely degrade the camp so as to move on quickly ?
The government is kidding us with childish story and fable. How immature those COI’s report is. Are gurkhas really that stupid or are we stupid to be taken by expensive coffers ?
Seeking Salvation said
The short ass of the wong cun sing should be put in Mas Selamat cell to replace him till the guy is found
Hannibal theory
Vote the joker out
He can’t talk He cun sing He can only talk cock sing song
and punish us with taxes to feed his million dollar lifestyle
guess who is sponsoring their million dollars lifetstyle
u guys so better wake up the complacent 60pct singaporeans
and do the necessary get them out of your sight the next election
Wolf-Class said
When Smart Selamas escaped he must have consulted his God when is the confluence of all factors were working for him then he can limped to freedom, I salute him for his simple faith in his God.
Secondly, a great Smart Selamat had the 6th sense to know (or praise to his God) when he limped to freedom, the 1st class security cameras wont be filming his escape adventure.
This can be entered into the Genius Work Book of Records – a great secretive denetion centre where the PAP’s
strongest opponents who are detained without trial and yet can facilitate the easiest greatest escape of all time in just a moment of toilet piss. And it also can be entered that a Smart Selamat as poor as a church mouse (a detention centre mouse) can outwit million-dollars guardians of his, not one but several, mind you.
Merdeka Smart.
patriot said
Hi;
We all share the same doubts, questions, theories and suspicions of cover-ups, officials shielding each others and lacks of integrity and conscience.
But we must also sincerely ask ourselves how long should we tolerate the above-mentioned flaws and how are we going to rectify their persistent occurrences. We are ranting, cursing and hurting our hearts, heads and spirits and all our leaders do is to treat us like morons and pariahs. They rough-shod over us at will, no regards and concerns of our wellbeings and yet we are powerless and hopeless to take any action to protect ourselves.
At the end of the day, many of us screwed up ourselves thinkng about all the issues without any solution in sight. Many ended up with mental and medical problems and we see people swearing, cursing loudly in buses, at void decks and other public places. Oh! it is so pitiful and soul wrenching. And should they end up in hospitals(mental/medical), their families have to foot the hospital bills.
I am sorry that personally, I am unable to help much. I am an unemployed 57 year old, lower secondary educated folk. The most I could contribute is to lend a voice to confirm that what most have alleged in the Blogoshere are true and also to add my personal experiences. I do believe that there are calibres within the population that are able to call for vote of no confidence or even at least a collective written letter of protest to the Leadership.
There is no need for suggestions in the above Paragraph if only the Opposition Parties are able to perform the task. Unfortunately, they have done nothing so far and I do not foresee them doing it anytime soon. Maybe, I should not go further now.
Yours faithfully: patriot.
Tang Li said
I think the opposition should be shot for not jumping all over this issue and hounding the government until they sued. Seriously, being sued has to be an honour in Singapore – it shows you must be onto something ;).
Anyway, let’s be fair to them. This year SG$100 million will be spent on anti-terrorism facilities, which compares with SG$93 million of prevention of illnesses. And yet, they can’t afford a simple window grill at SG$500 incl of GST and workmanship. It takes talent to work out the arithmetic.
Daniel said
Selamat escape from detention centre. No conclusion and no one to blame. Not even Selamat is to blame as the condition is concocted for the perfect escape. The perfect storm.
Billions of dollars escape from Temasek and GIC to aid frailing banks without accountability and responsibility. Same here. No conlusion and no one to blame cos they did it for your own good.
Gosh, care to add anymore example ?
Boy Scott said
A grille is not rocket science. Even a young mother knows that putting a window grille will prevent her little tots from getting out of the window.
Why put a door for the urinals? Even if you want to provide privacy, a half door will do the job of hidding little brother and showing the man.
A converging fence with a stairway shelter to its top is like providing a ladder up the fence.
Why the long chain of ground command – A tells B, B tells C, C tells D, and then D kicks open the door. This is more like a kindergartern passing the parcel game.
How does sawing a window handle off improve security? This one beats me.
Too many questions that are so fundamental that makes the ISD and the WRDC look like boy scotts.
KL Lim said
I read the news of the COI’s report with shock!
There are many questions still unanswer:
1. How can an important task of national security be sub-
contracted to other?
2. What stupid excuse that the CCTV was not working while work
in progress to upgrade the existing one? We are talking
about high security area and not some shopping complex!
3. ISD was a joke. You can lock up anyone without proof of
misdeed and yet do not provide sufficient security to ensure
that the person will not escape. This seems to me is abusing
of power!
4. Is staying in power for too long breed complacency? Or is
paying high salary too these “talent” civil servants breed
complacency?
5. Private sector will not accept such substandard security
management. The leadership will be sacked immediately.
Does complacency will ensure that the leaders responsible for
Mas Salamt’s escape will continue function as usual?
Gary Teoh said
The reply from the government made me more worry about our reserves in GIC and Temasex !!If there is one Lee Nikson in Temasex, all hell will go loose !!No body is responsible then
Zopposition said
Tang Li: Oppositioning in Singapore is a volunteer job. The opposition needs a volunteer to get sued and jailed. Dr Chee has been overused already, any more and he will die. You are welcome to take up the offer. Make sure you get sued and I’ll visit you in jail.
Dingo said
Yes Tang Li I will visit you too.
evad said
If it’s the truth that corporate chiefs take the rap for mistakes made, then by all means I think for a mistake of this magnitude the rap should be taken all the way to the top. Except that neither the ISD nor SPF/GC (on the whole more competent than their peers in the security or enforcement line) are actually part of the private sector. Oh ho ho ho…
CelluloidReality said
A simple analogy.
Mas Selamat’s escape = Microsoft inadvertently leaked the source code of their upcoming Vista replacement to the public through employee negligence or failure to secure server farms or R&D facilities, leading to industrial espionage and “leaks”.
I’m pretty sure the VP of Development and anyone in charge of data security and oversight would have to take the rap.
deadpris » Blog Archive » Wong Can’t Sing, Mas Selamat can… said
[…] this page for links to more Singaporeans bloggers’ reactions to Wong’s […]
Dingo said
Thats an interesting (and good) comparison, Celluloid.
kingfisher said
WKS should donate his whole year’s salary as a reward for the recapture of Mas Selamas until he is caught.
Me said
The CO of Dave Teo must be feeling really aggrieved right now, with his promotion being held back for “allowing” Dave Teo to escape.
WCS must be be feeling really relieved right now, with nothing happening to him because he has got nothing to do with MS’s escape.
Observer said
What is the total cost for the whole search for Mas Selamat – both in monetary terms and opportunity costs?
shingo said
I don’t really care about their report on toilet rolls , video cams not recording and squeezing out of the window..
The most amazing thing about this escape is
1) Mas selamat has got super navigation skills at the back of his head to know where he wants to go. after being locked up for so long.. no map, no compass, nothing
you can try out to see if you can do it.
2) Nobody actually see anyone like him before. when the media release the news. 4 plus escape.. in broad daylight.,.. with schools around..
3) The dogs probably lost their sense of smell if Mas took off his pants and hung it on the toilet door.
My personal comments is a big “WOW”
National reserves said
Next big thing will be our reserves.
Next reporting will be something like this
Manager forgot to lock the door
Vault was faulty
CCTV was being upgraded
No audit trail in the past
Guards were playing PSP