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Mas Selamat escape cannot be true simply because the escape is so incredibly humourous or believing the audiance has lacking coherent and logical mental capacity. We should be reminded that this world is full of deception where truth is always not what’s heard or read. “IF” “OR” just speculate and complicate the issue.

As long as the truth is not at the forefront of the reported events, there is no use of making it as the accreditation for further discussion.

He’s dead and a cover up – Most likely. A commander at 2PDF involved in his search once said. If he’s not out of Singapore within 5 hours..He’s not getting out at all. So I gues he must’ve been dead. The govt cannot risk to report such security lapses to the public, esp. the ones in placed to guard terrorist…unless…

But please don’t compare him to freedom fighter or what sorts! That’s just crazy, man!

I don’t really understand your point. Put that way, anything and everything is more pivotal and more pressing that the Mas Selamat incident. It’s been 9 months, and we’re in the middle of a recession, so therefore we shouldn’t bother?

I disagree, for the simple fact that we must use the horror of the Mumbai attacks to remind us that anyone can be a target anywhere. So we must push for closure of the Mas Selamat incident. There is no “good timing” for anything like this – but we must push for what’s right. Relegating an issue to the background is simply a way to hide from addressing it – it is too easy to do that and never address it again.

bismarker,

Granted, the security apparatus isn’t completely broken, and we’re luckier in Singapore than in many other places. The trick with something like security is that you never know when we are successful (ie, does an absence of an attack mean we’re good on defence, or does it mean that no one has tried?), but it is very obvious when it fails.

The issue I have is still the dismissive way the Mas Selamat issue was handled, and that shock from the initial escape was only compounded by the next two security blunders that happened.

This article was not meant to be for policy recommendations, but rather as a general reminder about what happened with the Mas Selemat issue – are we completely comfortable with the government’s handling of that issue, and their response up until now? I personally am not – “We’ll get him one day” is not reassuring to me.

So briefly, what I think should have been done:

1. The Home Affairs Minister should have at least offered to resign. Whether the PM accepted his resignation is another matter, but I think there should have been some sort of acceptance of responsibility at the very top. I think the public would have seen that as something of showcase of remorse, and then after that we could have had a debate on the Minister’s good points, and why it might be better in the big picture for him to stay.

2. We need some reassurance that we have security plans and what our contingencies are. After the escape, faith has been shaken, and that confidence needs to be restored. The public should know, in a way that doesn’t compromise our security, that plans exist and contingencies are available and our security services are ready for them.

Can we plan for everything? Realistically, no. But if the story about how Ms Lo Hwei Yen was killed is true, then Singaporeans are more of a target than we may have previously thought. So we should be aware of that and be ready.

3. We need actual drills and preparation for what happens in the event of an attack.

Just some random thoughts about what should be done. But the point is that terrorism isn’t going to just go away, and I’d like some assurances from the government and our security services that they are doing everything they can to prepare and foil any attempts on us. The dismissive attitude and nonchalant “what to do” attitude doesn’t cut it.

and i would like to hear what kind of measures you think should be in place which the government has not been doing so far in terms of security and that would make your article more substantial i think

I meant the timing was not appropriate due to the fact that the hangover of the MSK incident where the public seems to have forgotten like a flash, the fact that recession has hit Spore pretty badly,people getting retrenched,wondering what is going to happen next,etc, as the govt always put it,” Bread & butter issues are more pivotal for the public,who really cares about the MSK fiasco?”

I’m not trying to justify the govt actions here,my opinion is very simple,people need a constant reminder of the MSK incident,time n time again!If the public chooses to secure a bright future, then i guess life goes on as usual.

James Michael Parthi.

Why would the timing not be appropriate?

How many ups will there be if there are a group of them?

patriot

I believe u must have done some extensive research about MSK before deciding to write this article,though i have to admit that the timing may be not be appropriate but that is not the issue here.

The real incident that happened @ Whitley Detention Center has left many bedazzled n bamboozled…..as for me,this is definitely unacceptable,as a NS Man who served in the army n serving as a reservist, i know for sure for a terrorist to escape the clutches of the law is beyond my wildest imagination….

For now,what we can do is keep our vigilance,dun let our guard down,be alert @ all times,but then again,aren’t we only human???!

I am a Singaporean university student. How about yourself? Care to provide a real name and some background?

Re: Your point about linking fear and a political issue.

Here’s my argument: Is it irrelevant for fear to be present when thinking about this issue? Because I think it is quite frightening, and therefore relevant. A terrorist who was intent on crashing airplanes into our airport escaped. And he did it in a remarkably easy way. A short, limping man? Able to jump out a window, scale a fence, and disappear for 9 months? Doesn’t that say something about our defences and security? Further, given that he is STILL MISSING and just today our PM says that “We don’t know whether he’s in or out of the country”

Let’s not pretend that Singapore is this vast sparsely populated Siberian outcrop where it is tremendously difficult to find people. We are tiny. We are heavily populated. We deployed 700 men to comb dense and built up Pulau Tekong when 3 convenience store robbers from Johor landed there by accident. Mas Selamat is still missing. And the implications if he’s left the country? I don’t think he is on holiday taking it easy. What does that mean for us?

We should be worried, and I am shocked that as a country we haven’t pushed for closure on this matter 9 months on. Yes the economy is bad, yes we have other “bread-and-butter” issues to worry about, but this is still serious.

Why? Because like in Mumbai, we cannot wait until something bad happens before we take action. I was talking to someone from India the other day, just after I wrote this, and she said something that concerned me deeply. She said that this is an even worse attack, because while India has had bombings and attacks before, it was usually in market places where poor people and the non-elite spend time. In other words, no one in her world reality was affected. But with the attacks on the Taj, Oberoi and others, people in her socio-economic level, social status, etc were affected.

And that is a tragedy. Because a bomb is a bomb, and it affects people, whether you live in the same sphere as them or not. Maybe these attacks will jolt the movers and shakers in India to demand some accountability and change. I hope so.

But WE CANNOT WAIT until something happens to us to demand accountability.

You say: “the fact of the matter is – nothing has happened to us that compares to Bali nor Mumbai (touch wood), and for that, i truly believe our Home Ministry is doing something good.”

I respectfully disagree. They screwed up. We cannot put this on a relative scale, because his escape may have deeper implications for us later on. Then what happens?

“Whatever he wrote wont change the situation – WKS wont leave, nor will anyone else take responsibility for Mas Selamat’s escape now. Its all been said and done.”

Again, I respectfully disagree. Even if it is the only thing we can do, we must keep reminding our elected leaders (especially such well-paid ones) we expect certain things from them. So keeping quiet is not an option. It never is in a democracy.

And we certainly should not be afraid. I said that in my piece. Do not be cowed, and don’t stop living our lives. But we must demand accountability, for both the good and the bad situations.

Harass him day and night like what MSD does to its innocent victims.

Do the same back to this joker – of the pack.

He should resign and that is leading by example.
WKS -wah – so thick skin to hang on.
You need money – I can share mine with you even though I am poor -old and jobless. Have half my crust of bread.

Rocky