Credibility, competency go hand in hand to make you trust worthy. The leadership must show its determination and desire to uphold its highest standard. Any respectable leader who fails will own it up instead of shifting blame. Not to say that there were at least 8 reported failures (by Copyman June 24):

2004 – Huang Na’s killer escaped on toilet break under police custody.
2006 – Tan Chor Jin (One-Eyed Dragon) escaped to Malaysia, allegedly on a fake passport.
2006 – NKF Richard Yong managed to flee to Hong Kong.
2008 – Mas Selamat Kastari – toilet break again.
2008 – Two detainees’ attempted escape frorm Subordinate Court.
2008 – Ng Ting Hwa, the employee who siphoned almost S$2m from his company, fled to Malaysia when he’s under investigation.
2008 – Gurkhas’ scuffle over salary.
2008 – A retiree unintentionally bypassed Changi Airport’s security using his son’s passport.

Singaporeans opened their mouths ‘wa’ ‘oops’ on every such occasion but after a while, fall back to inertai and silence. And we vote or’ forced to vote via walk-over’ for another term by the same team. My lament: when do we actually learn from our own mistakes of inertia, non-involvement and keeping muted; leaving status-quo.

It is actually our own mistake and responsibilities.

Easy pay and easy job. How wonderful!

More irresponsible acts will be in the making. Just watch and see.

The purpose of a contract , example 3 to 5 years, is actually a probation in the long term sense, for the CEO to evaluate a person’s performance. It is also a “means” to terminate or move the person to another department because the CEO has another person in mind who is only available at a later date. The CEO in the mean time has to make do with the best that the company can hire.

The potential of any company is generally decided by the type of people it hires. Talented people will be selective of the company they intend to work in. It is important to have real talent at the helm to attract talent.

Otherwise, any amount of job rotation will not have a positive impact because there was a lack of talent in the first place.

Singapore is run like a business and the objective is profits. The people have to accept full responsibility for giving this government the mandate for 40+ years.

The people have to ask themselves, is WKS competent in the first place ? even though we know he is complacent. Are there other incompetent ministers like WKS ?

I believe there are many senoir staff in the different ministries who have been bypassed for promotion over the years. How did people like Ng Eng Hen, Vivian B, Raymond Lim, Lim Swee Say, etc,etc, get selected over those very senoir staff ? Surely there has to be a psychological impact on them and the rest of the organization. I see this problem in my company when several dubious talents parachute-in and assume control.

Can we actually believe that Hen, a cardio specialist all his life and probably managing less than 10 staff , can be talent spotted to take charge of the MOM with hundred thousands of jobs at stake. In the first place , many of us have not heard of him, even when he was a cardio specialist. What about Vivian B ? An eye specialist. How many of you actually know who he was before his engagement in politics ? I will leave it to other netizens to carry on with the other so called ‘talent’ in this government.

Do you see anyone with inspiring leadership qualities ? Or did I miss something ?

I read all that with the analogies, the logic, the stuff and ya da. I like the idea that all it takes is just one incident, but there are lots of cases that go through the net that no one is aware of.

What do we do about them, should we hold someone accountable for these? How systemic are systemic faults? For someone that gets caught trying to smuggle himself or herself in, there might be others that didn’t get caught.

Not suggesting that the someone shouldn’t take responsbility, but I like to know your stand or opinion on WKS or whatever because I didnt seem to see so in the few posts

wanted to carry on the conversation you had about rotation of personnel at the top.

i think it was Cherian George who wrote about Singapore’s model of rotating 2nd-tier leaders (minister of state, deputy ministers, etc) and its impact on the government, in his book, “Singapore – The Air Conditioned Nation”. What he wrote echoed the thoughts of my company’s global CEO.

My CEO dont believe in putting 3-year contracts, or rotating leadership within the organisation. He felt that it will lead to – the first year, the leader will just be doing a handover, second year of keeping “the lights on”, and third year, the process of handing over to the next person.

it will lead to, according to him, complacency and maintaining status quo. There will be no sense of ownership, responsibility and wanting to change things for the better. Senior execs must be given a permanent post, they must lead, given ownership, and a set objective of achieving improvement.

This is where i think our system failed. the various dept heads in MHA tend to be anonymous. much lower ranks are not empowered to make decisions. They just do what they’re told – and wont go beyond what is expected of them. Decision making is always pushed up. No reward system – but there is a drastic punishment system.

This is the root of all these issues. If the public calls for WKS to resign, there shouldnt be any surprises. Because he has structured his Ministry to be like the way it is. He didnt motivate his people to be highly responsible and having ownership of their departments.

I guess it leads back to complacency – and very clearly – complacency on WKS part, and the whole rank and file of leaders under him.

Pack and go where ? Go west – you are 2nd class? Go East – you are despised ?
The ugly Singaporean image from top down is well reported in Asia.
Go and it may be good ridden for you – foreign parent babies are making their impact here already.
Fight to change the mindsets of the Govt – for a better deal for all Singaporeans – it will be very sad indeed when common Singaporeans are relegated to 2nd class in their own country.
Start by supporting the TOC; the present opposition is disappointing so far, what else? Do not go away and let foreigners take your rightful place; FT are already beginning to like this place so much that their numbers are swelling , soon to be in millions. Do not give up. This is your home.

If it was not the geographic position of Singapore which got Raffles attracted to developed into thriving International Seaport it is all these hundreds over years, I think a hundred Lee Kuan Yews will not be able to change anything here.

But, because of one Lee Kuan, the Fate and Destiny of this tiny land is showing and it seems reaching. Indeed your advice to pack and go is very sound for most Singaporeans and could be considered one of the most pragmatic option.

And, there are citizens who will stick with their ‘mother land’ comes what may and there are yet others, who will struggle for justices, to each his own. Wish You enjoy a happy life here.

patriot.

Go and read the “Singapore Miracle” book , can be found in Borders . If this book is bullshit, let LKY and the coffers sue it to no end. The fact that this book quote extensively from the MSM and ministers means that this book hold truth and critically analyse why we are ‘perceived to be successful’ and refute the fallacy that everything own to PAP. But be reminded that this book is a brutal truth to PAPpy Supporter. Read it before the government banned it.

precisely of your kind of people around that ordinary peasants like us get screwed and exploited by the PAP.

who are you to tell us borned Singaporean to get out of the country?

sick and tired of your kind ball-carrying pappy supporters who can’t convince people with reasons in a debate, started to spew nonsense and tell people ‘not happy, leave!’

Singapore belongs to ALL Singaporeans, not just you and your master PAP.

Debate…. by all means, Argue….. by all means, Convince….. by all means, but never ever used the ‘get out of Singapore’ statement as a concluding victory for yourself.

btw, my citizenship stated as Singaporean, what’s yours? PAPPY?

everyone commented in this thread I believed are Singaporeans and that make them Pro Singapore, be their comments negative or positive to the PAP government.

westin, remember….. we are Singaporeans and Pro Singapore when talking about the good, bad and ugly of this PAP government today.

you may tell me you are Pro Singapore too, I believe you, but don’t tell others that they are less Singaporean and thus should leave this country if they are not happy.

if you system were a failure, why are we the second most developed country in Asia? Why is that given our geographic position, our GDP, and most other indicators of development are much higher than the rest of the region?

This can only be attributed to the excellent leadership that our government has provided for these past 40 years… without them, disaster awaits.

Singaporeans don’t know what is good for them… they complain about everything… NS, FT, million dollar salary, erp… complain complain complain. but never do anything….

complain so much fer what? not happy just leave lor~~ i mean some people think we now have a “systemic failure” because of some random security lapse. So migrate la, dun even need your real passport now leh.

When the top dogs are paid multi-millionSIN Dollars, work for money, the security and law enforcers who are paid $900 to $2000(basic monthly average pay) to work at the frontlines of fires, how dedicated will they be? They too will also be working just for the miserly pays, will they be foolish to seriously discharge their duties to enforce the Laws and Regulations and get themselves stuck with investigations and procedurals with no overtime payments and having to stand as arresting officers and witnesses? Hence, work smart and not work hard is the motto prevailing right from the bottom to the top.

To say that a systemic failure exist is surely an understatement, the System is sick at its’ core because the hardest works get the lowest returns. The risks of dangers and overtime duties without pays simply do no justice. What with many of our enforcers comprised of foreigner workers, almost all are here because of our SIN Dollars. Will these people risk their live to protect a foreign sovereign? They surely will think that they are stupid if they do so. I would think so myself.

Hey! the more we think about it, the more hopeless we will feel!

patriot.

Now after claiming you have such a big head and failed trying to wear the big hat, what will you do?
1. Stop wearing the big hat?
2. Die die hold on to the big hat but look for excuses?

I know the PAP govt and their type will do the latter. LOL

This is not a sudden lapse but just a case of things going wrong and being found out.

Just to add on. Hey, we have a WORLD CLASS MINISTER getting a WORLD CLASS PAY. I must see a WORLD CLASS RESULT. I think Is this the a world class result? You know, if you dare to take so much money, and still have the cheek to say it is just a small mistake, there must be some problem with your personality.

One mistake is good enough to kill it does’t take 10. Take for example. If you are on a surgical table and the major doctor who has 40 years of surgical experience after finishing your operation said he is appalled at his junior doc for leaving a “tiny” scissor in your operated stomach and need to re-op again. How would that feel? When officers are trusted with responsibilities at the front line it is their duty of the day that counts. Not the 40 years of keeping us safe that counts. Everyday is a day itself. The reason why the complacency takes centre stage because for 40 years there is no major crisis in Singapore. Like 911, the MHA didn’t act only after the event happened. Any delay would have resulted in deaths. GOD was merciful to Singapore. It is no credit to MHA alone, our citizens also play a part as always when one limping terrorist escaped from toilet, whole nation is mobilize to find him. Give credit when it is due, but ask for accountability when it is due too.

FG