August 2005

Many Happy Returns With Golden Taps To A Country ‘Not In Pursuit Of Correct Politics’

Big shocking news in The Straits Times’ front page on July 12, 05: “National Kidney Foundation CEO’s $600,000 pay revealed in court” along with his high-flying travel perks. Wah-lau. That kind of annual salary… and he’s not even a State Minister, how can? At least, a State Minister earning such high pay or more is justified, cos…. Well, the newspaper said it is justified. So I oso agree, lor.

One Dr. George Khoo was quoted in the ST two days later, saying: “I find it difficult to believe that there was no evidence of remorse on the part of the NKF CEO. Had the NKF board been open, apologized for the mismanagement, Singaporeans would be more forgiving.” Firstly, I marvel at Mr. Khoo’s innocence. But considering that it’s really Dr. Khoo, it’s a scary sign. Singaporeans are so straight-thinking, I fear for their thinking cap when pitched against our win-win system. I, for one, was not the least bit surprised by the lack of remorse. To show remorse is to admit guilt. To admit guilt is to avail oneself to punishment. Singaporeans may be forgiving, but what about Big Brother – He of “honest mistakes”?  In this case, we all know there’s so much more to it than meets the mouth. 

Quoting my ‘me-all-good-no-bad’ –self here, “if I give way to you, others will take advantage”! So, how can Big Brother justify this kind of un-nation-building transgression? Scapegoats are made for a very good nation-building reason. Otherwise, what’s transparency for? All I can say is the NKF CEO T.T.Durai, who had worked so closely with Big Brother, surely understands who is and isn’t entitled to ‘honest mistakes’. Honestly, he must have believed he’s right!!! That’s why he didn’t want to step down from his post at first. Then, finally on Jul 15, he relented.

“I have been running NKF for 37 years and I think it’s time that a new leadership takes over because I strongly believe in change… a new style.” Don’t you just love the sound of that notion! See, he really knows how to say it the national way! You think maybe he’s just (as the Cantonese saying goes -) picking up sand and being thick-skinned? You mean you know picking up sand and thick-skinned?

But really, not wanting to step down initially was such a smart move. Now that his ‘transgression’ is brought to light by the ST and his own undoing of a lawsuit against the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) for outting his extravagant lifestyle (he had water-taps of gold in his office-washroom), the public is out for blood in the name of justice. But really, it’s all just in name only. How very Singaporean! What they want is retributive punishment. And they think they got it when Durai finally has to step down; that’s how facile their sense of retribution is. 

Was justice really meted just by the man stepping down? Imagine if he’d stepped down at the very start! Why was there a media expose of his ‘transgression’, instead of the graft unit breaking through with the facts? We are about facts and figures, aren’t we? For the thick-headed public, a lashing has been dealt and that’s all that matters. (And you thought I’m the only one who loves to vent.) After all, Big Brother always has a way of deciding on “honest mistakes” and when to move on for us all. The Minister for Community Development Youth & Sports urged people not to over-react in their backlash against the leading charity organization, while “police warn against any protest march” (ST, Jul 15). Hey babe, Mr. Durai is still a millionaire (he had received $1.8 million in salary and bonuses over three years)!

My siow friend thinks that the only truth that erupted from the furore was the Senior Minister’s wife Mrs. Goh Chok Tong saying that Durai’s pay is “peanuts”. I think my friend is right. And Mrs. Goh was absolutely right too, just that our brain-dead hoi polloi was too obsessed with ‘scapegoat’ justice to dare challenge the ‘peanuts’ truth.

From a more spiritual perspective, I think it is that Khoo number who, sadly, will have much to struggle with someday. Hopefully Durai will be humbled by this whole episode. Dr., leh! Such is the Singaporean scariness.

Doubly scary when Big Brother’s authoritarian ways have softened to a benign open-society demeanor. It was reported that Jul 15 that Durai and the NKF board had gone to consult the Health Minister about the public outcry over mismanagement of funds, and was told “the status quo would not do”. So it’s not as if Big Brother simply took the NKF chief to court. This is scary because, aiyoh, what happens if… if…, pardon my old-school mentality, people start taking that demeanor for granted! How then can we uphold kiasu-ism for the sake of nation-building? Hmmmph!

So annoying. Some ex-civil-servant dude has beaten me to the punch in thinking out of the box. Look! City-planner/architect Liu Thai Ker (also the chairman of the National Arts Council from 1996 ‘til this June) was quoted on July 12, 05 in the ST: “Singapore is actually one of the few nations in pursuit of good ideas, not correct politics”. Wah-piang. Not that that is his National Day-treat of a speech. (Or is it?) So, I gather that the ice has been broken and it’s alright to state from hereon that our Govt. has not been pursuing “correct politics”. Hopefully, that’s just part of a grand national-propaganda to propagate the idea that sounding politically incorrect is so righteously du jour in Singapore now! I say hopefully because - yes dear, I, too, love to feel validated from time to time. Thanks, Liu. Love your quote that’s well contextualized in nation-building. Or, is that nation–planning? Same difference. As the quotes from Liu elaborated themselves forth….

“It’s not just about art, it’s about society. We’ve no curiosity to know our fellow Singaporeans. If we know and value each other’s culture, and explain to outsiders who we are, we will have strength and solidity.” Well, curiosity, I have. Hence I ask - wonder why Singaporeans have no curiosity, hah? Someone said it killed the cat. All I know is that it’s killed Martyn See’s film-making career and FOCAS’ big-sounding credo ‘Dissent Is Democracy’ for now. “Each other’s culture”? Where got? We are one-look, one-style, one-choice…I mean, one-people, one-nation, one-Singapore, mah! All same-same, what different culture?

As for strength and solidity, I beg to differ. I’m sure that all my Channel 5 & 8 brothers & sisters will oso rally behind me to say that we have implicit faith in Big Brother’s strength to compound art, economy, commerce, finance and industrial peace (you get the list of what I mean). Cue his politically incorrect–looking stance… Wow, it’s about art motivating life! Put my money on the gesture right away, babes!

But sincerely, I do wish this for our nation’s birthday – may all thinking Singaporeans be as vocal and politically ‘incorrect’ as Liu (that’s the whole plan, isn’t it?). But please don’t follow in the footsteps of See or FOCAS’ “cruel” clemency plea, hor. There’s thinking out of the box Liu’s way, and thinking out-out-out of the other box. The latter just makes you go out with an ‘ouch’! Hopefully, someone will top Liu’s “not correct politics” rhetoric. My pen is shaking with anticipation. And my implicit self can hardly wait… to be validated, what else!

Coming back to the NKF expose, just remember this. It was the national press that dished the dirt on Durai. O, the power of our national press. “How NKF vs. SPH turned into the people vs. T.T. Durai” (Sunday Times, Jul 17, 05). Oh, how feebly Singaporeans wonder! Above all, Big Brother must have concurred that SPH’s Business Times did the expose so as to allow the public to decide on the issue. He could’ve come right out to denounce… But He didn’t. You say open society or not?

“Overnight, thousands of outraged Singaporeans called for Durai’s resignation through online petitions, letters to newspapers and calls to the media.” (ST, Jul 15,05). And the band plays on. - X’ Ho