TR EMERITUS

Demonstrators are gathering in front of the Israeli parliament and government buildings. A three-day protest has been launched outside the Knesset in west Jerusalem. Thousands of people are calling on the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign.    Read More →

The name PJ Thum may not be strange to readers, maybe not the younger generation. Following the liquidation of the Communist United Front after 1963 there followed a vacuum of nationalist manifestation.and out of this undercurrent patriotic rejuvenation emerged a group of powerful crusaders headed by a dynamic commander PJ Thum to seek justice for the deprived and down-troddened in such an all embracing cataclysm that rattled the powers that be to the core. I first knew PJ Thum as an Oxford undergraduate writing his thesis for a doctorate degree and gave him an interview to enable him to do it. After that I never heard from him until recently when he appeared to present me with his tome the Nationalism an decolonisation in Singapore.I think the book is a whit highbrow in view of the litany of academics who featured in the book but it nevertheless does not detract from the magnificient comprehensive narratve of Singapore's history and security even to the extent of some revolutionary incident quite remote to be remembered. PJ showed exceptionally remarkable insight into Singapore history, especially on the Chinese students' resistance against national service and the colonial intrigues behind the foundation of Nanyang University which Special Branch had predicted would be a major security problem. As it turned out the Special Branch was spot on when it had to deal with NU students' agitation and rioting inspired by pro-communist elements. Nu had the full support of the Chinese community but lukewarm response from non-Chinese and English-educated Chinese. I think PJ, like most Western historians, may nor be able to capture the pivotal role of Lim Chin Siong in the anti-colonial struggle efficiently to show His dynamic personality which could have changed the history of Singapore. The MCP Central Committee issued an October Resolution in 1951 to form a second front to complement its armed struggle and Lim Chin Siong emerged out of the blue to become the undisputed commander of the Communist United Front. He would fit into the most outstanding freedom-fighter with a charisma that mesmerized the Chinese masses. Lee Kuan Yew was simply no match in any electorial contest with Lim Chin Siong. Lee even introduced Lim as the future prime minister of Singapore to his guests at a social gathering. This was where God intervened and it was Special Branch with the imprimatur of Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock who put paid to the political ambition of Lim Chin Siong and his communist allies and prevent Singapore from coming under communist rule. This PJ narrative is worth the pleasure reading by Singaporeans to just think how near they were to come under a communist regime.   Yoong Siew Wah      Read More →

“Singapore’s success arises in no small part because of its policy in upholding the rule of law and adopting a zero-tolerance policy to corruption. Both are necessary factors and our zero-tolerance policy must be upheld in a manner that complies with the rule of law,” so says our Minister Indranee Rajah. It’s reassuring that this has been the case for Singapore. The hauling up by CPIB of our former transport minister is a good example. That’s zero-tolerance, even if you are part of the cabinet. It inspires public confidence. But the multimillion-dollar bribery case of the six former senior management staff members of Keppel Offshore & Marine some years back left many scratching their heads. They were issued a warning, because the evidence was insufficient. It boiled down to securing witnesses abroad, even when one of them has entered into a plea bargain. Doesn‘t that involve some admission? And don’t they all goes back to the same country, Brazil? Anyway, I guess that’s water under the Hercílio Luz bridge (FYI, that’s the longest suspension bridge in Brazil). But this morning, the ghost of Keppel’s past pops up again. It’s Singapore-listed Seatrium this time. Seatrium was formerly known as Sembcorp Marine. And like all cases before, it goes back to Brazil. Unsurprisingly, it involves payout of millions of dollars to secure lucrative contracts about 15 years ago. I trust many individuals were rewarded in this dragnet. I also presume those giving out bribes received a fat bonus or a fast track career promotion, or both? But unlike the six former senior management staff members of Keppel Offshore who were slapped with a warning due to lack of evidence, two individuals were charged for corruption. And yes, for them, there’s no lack of evidence. The managing director of Jurong Shipyard, Wong, and senior GM, Lee, Lee, were charged with paying out more than $50m in bribes between 2009 and 2014. Wong was at that time Sembcorp Marine’s president. They are liable to go to prison and/or pay a hefty fine. As for Seatrium, she has to pay US$57m to Singapore authorities. AGC gave Seatrium a hair cut from US$110m, just “to take into consideration what the group would have paid the Brazilian authorities as part of that total amount”. Lesson? Just one. It’s about zero tolerance. As a general observation, it seems like that word is no more than an ideal expression and its application in the real world is far from ideal. If a metaphor helps, you can’t stay dry when you dash across a street in a downpour. If you risk the street, you risk being drenched. The observation of our former AG (Walter Woon) offers a more grounded perspective. “Despite Singapore's supposedly squeaky clean image, corruption does still exist, even among government-linked companies... Eradication of corruption requires that the humans responsible for the offences account for their misdeeds, no matter how influential or well connected they may be. If we want to have standards, we must be willing and able to defend them." I believe zero tolerance is only as far as it goes. For the majority of us, it works. It keeps us from straying away from the OB markers, and the society from descending into disorder and chaos. But for those outside the OB markers, tolerance is a very elastic word, and subject to power, especially institutional power. He who controls the infrastructure controls how it applies to him. For some people are more tolerated than others. This is most evident in a dictatorship. Putin and Kim come to mind. You will need a revolution to pull their impunity walls down and expose them. Even if you are rich, a billionaire, like Jack Ma, you are still an economic means (or pawn) to the powerful’s end (or hands). I believe every social contract hides an exclusion clause, and it is not necessary those who sign it who can claim it. It’s always more than meets the eye. That is why the strings of the puppet are designed to be concealed, even if some of us already know how it works. As for the rest of us, life goes on. None of us are above the law, because we are not positioned high enough to be above it. We thus labour for the good of society, and leave the rest to the rest. For didn’t Thucydides say, “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer or tolerate what they must”? That is the fate of society, based on zero tolerance. I harbour no illusions of how it works. It’s essentially survival of the fittest, for as long as they can get away with it. And the lucky ones get an honourable burial.   Michael Han * The author is a lawyer and blogs on Facebook.    Read More →