TR EMERITUS

It doesn’t matter if it’s non-justification or justifying the unjustifiable. The cycle of justification has to go on. From COVID-19 to corruption probe, they find ways to spin justification. The virus was used to justify why Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong could not meet his target to step down – he had to steer the country... 

Of late, we have gotten into the habit of using Parliament to exonerate politicians of perceived wrongdoings. In 1996, the late Lee Kuan Yew defended himself admirably in parliament over the Nassim Jade saga, even telling opposition Members of Parliament to “grow up” as businessmen won’t give popular politicians “extra... 

The Iswaran case reminded me of the importance of independent institutional checks. The more robust and resilient our institutions, the more reliable and effective they are in smoking out or preventing corruption. For a careful man watches himself carefully. But a wise man allows himself to be watched by others even more carefully. I...