The Mas Selamat Saga - Closure? Far from it

At around 8pm on 27 February 2008, almost4 hours after the leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah network - Mas Selamat bin Kastari - escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre, one of the largest nationwide manhunt was launched in Singapore. It became the talk of the town; controversial issues were thrown about and almost everyone had something to say. This saga was an overnight sensation.

In fact, over the course of the last 3 months, probably every aspect of his escape had been discussed to some extent.

However, once the dust from all the speculation on how Mas Selamat managed to escaped (and I have heard some really unusual ones - for e.g. prior to his espcape, he was seen chanting like a bomoh and he had actually 'teleported' himself out of prison - and there are some who would fiercely stand by this version; and there is of course the king of all conspiracies - he never escaped! He was either tortured to death by the ISD or was extradited or 'renditioned' to another country for political reasons - granted, I heard this from mainly taxi drivers) had settled, there was only really one key issue to address - accountability.

This is where the local media steps in and had so far appeared to be trying to subdue the people's call for heads to roll (in particular, that of DPM and Minister for Home Affairs, Wong Kan Seng). I do recall an article written sometime back by Chua Lee Hoong, Political Editor of the Straitstimes, where she commented that "reading internet postings makes [her] blood boil" and she argued that the only loss suffered in this saga was a loss of face - mostly. In fact, she goes so far as to categorically state that Mas Selamat is not a homicidal maniac and impliedly concluded that he is therefore not a danger to the Singapore public. She then went on to proclaim that "Terrorism did not begin, and will not end, with Mas Selamat" (Well, well, well ... ladies and gentleman, please rise and show some appreciation for that astute observation - the world leaders, especially you, George, should sit up and take note of that comment. So remember, forget Osama! Because terrorism did not begin, and will not end with, him!). All in all, it appears that her main contention in the article was: People of Singapore, let this matter, which concerns a head of a terrorist organisation escaping, rest and move on - it is a trivial matter, so why must Wong Kan Seng resign over something so silly?

Are her views fair? Perhaps and perhaps not - some netizens were up in arms over this article and some went as far as to claim that she was formerly an ISD employee like her sister, Chua Mui Hoong (also a Straitstimes journalist), hence claiming that she was biased. Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that she was biased. But the immediate question is (taking into account the fact that her contrarian views are now documented) whether your views on the issue of accountability should now be riding off the essence of her arguments - i.e. would you now agree with her? Well, from my perspective, the simple answer to that should be, no. Why? Because, as 'persuasive' as her arguments may be, it does not detract from the fact that accountability dictates for our ministers to be held responsible to the very people who elected him into power. As much as we would all like to move on - the fact that Mas Selamat is still at large and there was a obvious deficiency in the system and protocols which has partially caused this decacle, would indeed make it difficult for us (the electorate) to put a stop to demands for accountability.

Accountability

And the issue of accountability has finally come to a .. let's just call it a momentary pause. In parliament on 26 May 2008 (Monday), Wong Kan Seng announced that the Whitley Nine were to be held accountable for this saga. And remarkably, as reported by the Straitstimes, some MPs and analysts believe that these penalties bring 'some closure'. For ease of reference, these were the personnel disciplined:

The 'Whitley 9'

- ISD Command Director and officer-in-charge of Whitley centre
Relieved of responsibilities

- Superintendent of Whitley centre

Dismissed form service

- Deputy Superintendent of Whitley centre
Demoted in rank and paycut

- Chief Warder
Letter of warning (for failure to consider security implications for the use of toilet)

- Technical Officer
Letter of warning (for failure to ensure CCTV was recording at the time of escape)

- Special Duty Operative's supervising officer
Letter of reprimand (for failure to obtain proper security assessment for use of toilet)

- Special Duty Operative
Dismissed from service

- The 2 Gurkha guards
Demoted in rank

Where Should the Buck Stop?

A special mention was made regarding the director of ISD and Wong Kan Seng unequivocally stated that it would place an "unreasonable and overly onerous burden" on the ISD chief to blame the latter for this matter. Of course - how convenient - no blame to be placed on the individual who reports directly to you (and possibly the PM) and, if blame was placed on the ISD chief, then the public would question why the buck conveniently stops one level below the Minister for Home Affairs. Or maybe not? Either way, the question of where the buck stops is still relevant. Should it stop at the Command Director of the ISD, the ISD chief, the Minister for Home Affairs or even (how dare we say it) the PM?

In fact, this was the point raised by the PM in parliament on 22 May 2008 (Thursday) - he asserted that if the members of parliament were to accept the public's argument that ministers (like CEOs in private sectors) should resign when there are serious lapses and take this to its "logical conclusion", "it should go all the way up to the prime minister". And that was his point - "that is NOT how this government works" (emphasis mine).

Can Political Accountability be Achieved?

Well if that is the government's position, I say, fair enough. In fact, like most constitutional systems - our constitution provides for the tenure of ministers to only be revoked under only 2 circumstances: by the President (under the advice of the PM) or if the minister resigns. Certainly, we know the PM will not take such a bold move to advise the President to do so (we can glean that from his statement). So, the alternative will be for Wong Kan Seng to resign? Are there other alternatives enshrined in our legislations? Unfortunately, they are vague (there are no clear legislations on impeachment or anything similar) and they only provide for the Minister (as a member of parliament) to be expelled by the parliament invoking their "powers of expulsion". This, as we all know, will not happen as long as the party whip is still out there cracking.

That brings us back to the only other alternative suggested so far - Wong Kan Seng resigning. Yet again, it would take a man who is willing to stand up, raise one hand and put the other to his chest, look the public in the eye and honestly declare that "it is my fault". I highly doubt that would happen. There's just too much at stake - more than just "face" this time (right, Ms Chua?).

So, with the Whitley Nine punished, is there really closure? No, far from it. This is hardly even a significant milestone in this saga - there has to be accountability at the very top. And perhaps there is possibly a way for some sort of a closure and this strikes a chord with the very notion of accountability - and that is political accountability to the people who have voted you into parliament. As a nation, we must understand that elections are a direct way of holding ministers accountable to the public. The decision lies with the electorate - they hold the vote, they decide. That means even the PM is not spared (seeing that he was elected to parliament as well - thus making his "logical conclusion" as reproduced above all the more logical). Unfortunately, this method of holding Wong Kan Seng accountable is flawed in a number of ways and relies on too many assumptions along the process - one of which is that once he was elected, the public are unable to hold him accountable during his current term. And by the time the next election comes, this is an issue that will be long forgotten and buried. Besides, Mr Wong was elected as part of a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) - Bishan-Toa Payoh - which has not been contested since its formation in 1997. Even if the public wishes to vote him out of parliament, they may not wish the same fate to befall the other MPs in the GRC.

A Long Road Towards Closure...

To summise, we would only reach a significant milestone towards finding a closure to this issue once there is satisfactory accountability from the top. Is that possible? Maybe and maybe not - As I said - the issue of accountability would really only be settled by the electorate (and not by Wong Kan Seng or even our PM). The decision lies with the voters as always and when would we find such closure? Perhaps we will only know by 2011.

The Proverbial Introduction

Word: blog (noun)

Definition: an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log

Example: Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.

Etymology: shortened form of Weblog

Usage: blog, blogged, blogging v, blogger n

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Some would call a blog an online journal dressed up with a chic appeal. While it is sometimes used as a tool to update friends and family of your latest events in your life, it is also often utilised as an avenue to air your thoughts and view - the fact that no one can deny you your princely right to say anything you want (save for seditious comments) is a very charming proposition. It has developed somewhat over the years to include any bit of media expressed by the author on a personal website. That being said, a blog is fundamentally an online publication of one’s expression and thoughts - a modern and more sophisticated version of a hard copy diary or a journal. It provides the author with a whole host of tools, programs and features to express oneself – it goes beyond merely words and drawings, hence, its appeal. Just visualise the Diary of Anne Frank as a website with her personal thoughts, photographs and videos – and you’ll probably get the picture.

With that I shall begin penning my thoughts (which may occasionally come across as rants) on this blog. However, I do apologise in advance should I offend anyone (albeit unintentionally) whether through my boring or somewhat monotonous posts or through my uncharacteristically snide remarks (in any). Bearing that in mind and my learned associate’s advice, I do wish to categorically state that:

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All information and statements contained in this blog are for general information purposes (where applicable) and are purely my humble thoughts and comments (and those of the readers of this blog) only. I am under no obligation to keep any information up-to-date and correct, I make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to this blog or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on this blog for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will I be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of or in connection with the use of this blog.

If, through this blog, you are able to link to other websites, please note that these websites are not under my purview (unless otherwise indicated). As such, I have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply my recommendation or endorsement of the views expressed within them.

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Now - with that heavy load of disclaimers slipped discreetly into my first post, I shall begin sharing my thoughts, uninhibited by any factors (hopefully), because I believe that whilst a great mind can build a thousand cities, a great and free one can build a legacy that can last generations. So, as much as I will be expressing my thoughts, I will appreciate yours as well (if you ever do drop by for a quick read). As the learned Holmes once said - the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market. Thanks for reading.