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The following is an aggregation of reactions from the Internet to the Committee Of Inquiry’s report and DPM Wong’s statement on Mas Selamat’s escape.

Diary of A Singaporean MindMas Selamat: 3 steps to freedom

“Shame on you conspiracy theorists – Mas Selamat did not die, Mas Selamat did not have insider help, Mas Selamat did not go through the toilet bowl. He simply climb out of the toilet window and jumped over the fence. That’s it! Nothing to it – simple….THE END…THAT’S ALL FOLKS….”

The Daily BactrackWhat a circus

“The whole situation screams “cynical humour” and I applaud parliament for not giggling while in session.”

Singapore Democratic PartyA tour de farce

“Can the COI confirm that reports show that Mr Selamat was still alive on or before 27 Feb 08?”

The Sun Shines OnBlame the guards, window and fence

“Will the political masters be equally forthcoming tomorrow about responsibility in the escape?”

Where Bears Roam FreeThat still doesn’t explain how he vanished into thin air

“It’s quite a tall story really. A high security detention centre has no grilles for toilet windows? Urinals have doors? How is it the very coincidentally, the security cameras were upgraded and were not recording his David Copperfield-like escape?”

UtopiaShallow report from COI on Mas Selamat

“May i ask why is DPM announcing the findings? isn’t this report from the INDEPENDENT Committee of Inquiry? how independent.”

Unfortunately SingaporeCOI report: A litany of blunders, a culture in need of change

“We have to remember that ultimately, the ISD is a government agency; one that is in need of a culture change.”

Military Life – For lack of a widow grill, a JI terrorist was freed

So there it is, a report that for those of us cynical male citizens who went through 10 years of reservist liabilities plus 2.5 years of State enforced conscription know would be an exercise in basically stating the obvious and assigning blame to the most junior plus a few levels up.”

Small FriendUniquely Singapore

“In other countries, when there are massive securities lapse, such as the escape of the most wanted terrorist, the minister who’s in charge will usually take responsibility in one way or another.”

The Void DeckCOI hoot ISD

“Go pangjio can close door, the fierce Gurkha shy to see Mas Selamat KKJ! The window soooo besar dat Moses Lim can climb thru oso not grilled! Then the high tech CCTV not working – see la gahment, buy things ai pee ai chee ai dua liap nee but dowan to pay! Fence like not fence even Mas Selamt can squat jump over like frog! Why liddat???”

PseudonymityNo LIVE Broadcast By CNA Of COI’s Findings On Mas Selamat’s Escape

“We deserve better but unfortunately we’re pretty much stuck with propagandists masquerading as journalists.”

AidilomarPhysical weakness

“It is very troubling. It is even more disconcerting that no one offered to resign or made to hold accountable. It seems, for some especially amongst the ruling elite skin can be thicker than an armored car and sorry seems to be the hardest word.”

My SketchbookSecurity lapse as claimed

Mr BrownMas Selamat COI report is out

“It was just an ungrilled window, a closed door, and 7 rolls of toilet paper.”

Mr Wang Says So – No CCTV. No Grilles. No Guards. No Dogs. No Barbed Wire. Just One Big Open Window, And A Lot of Toilet Paper To Cushion Impact.

“Overall, the security just seems so lax. Jurong Bird Park keeps its birds under tighter security.”

Extra ScoopLike Pilate, DPM Wong washes his hands clean

“DPM Wong has been irresponsible to absolve himself of the blame. He seems eager to point the finger on “slacking” within some individual units, all the while dismissing the notion that strategic oversights have led to the escape.”

Blueheeler – ‘enforcing discipline’ or ‘enforcing a culture of forgiveness for higher-ups’?

“So why are the junior officers to be chastised/punished, when the Director of ISD who has rightly admitted fault gets to stay on the job? Not only does the Diretor ISD seem to be in the clear, he appears to be tasked to punish those who allowed Mas to escape. So why is the Director absolved from any oversight in this case?”

Singapore Sojourn – Mas Escape

“To the government’s credit they have been as candid as they can in this matter and clearly security is going to be a lot tougher for detainees from this point on.”

East Coast Life – Mas Selamat’s Escape : Amazing 11 minutes!

“My jaws dropped as I listened to the full details of Mas Selamat’s escape, I find it so incredible and dramatic, just like in a movie. 11 minutes was all it took for Mas Selamat to escape via the toilet’s ventilation window, which was not secured properly.”

Uncle YapI saw more than a dozen PAp MPs asleep in parliament today

“I am warning the people of Singapore, there is HUGE SLEEPER CELL OF TERROR found inside the parliament. Watch Out for Rep of Singapore, we are facing great risk. I am not joking.”

The States Times – Debrief Of Mas Selamat Kastari

“DPM Wong already told parliament he knows him for many years, kawan-kawan, so he will probably have a CEO post in a GLC lined up. Did you know the guy in the Istana was a ISD director once..”

Singapore Kopi Tok – The COI Report – Simultaneously Fair and Frustrating to Singaporeans

“The government at least had a hope of redemption if they captured Mas Selamat but they couldn’t, so now they have to live with this scar.”

Yawning BreadThe great hunt: more management failures than guards’ lapses

I thought Wong’s equal apportionment of blame was incorrect. It’s always easy to point to how people on the spot didn’t do their jobs properly at the time in question. Instead, I was left with the strong impression that the supervisory, management and policy-making levels had been both sloppy and tunnel-visioned, and Wong failed to put sufficient emphasis on this.”

The Bosonic State – A Disappointing Report on Mas Selamat’s Escape

“The non-working CCTVs is something new, though. However, the summary does not go into details of these non-working CCTVs. For example, is it clear to any persons who see the CCTVs that they are non-functioning ones? And how widespread is this news of non-functionality? Do the guards know? Does Mas Selamat know?”

Singapore PatriotProtecting their own kind

“He put up a stout defence for his Home Minister and Director ISD, saying they are “ultimately accountable” but “were not to blame”. This is a contradiction in itself. If you are accountable for something and that something goes wrong, you are to blame. That is what leadership is about.”

BlueheelerNevermind the kudos, but will you face the music on your own?

“Take a long hard look at your next 6-figure paycheck and think who pays that to you, and what kind of responsibilities come with that kind of amount…”

BlueheelerThe Mas(k) of PAP’s accountability: one sets himself free from prison but two sets of standards

“Dear PM Lee, going by your magnanimous gesture of forgiveness, why then are those officers to be ‘replaced‘, and also ‘disciplined and penalised‘, while Minister Wong and Director of ISD stay untainted?”

Melvin Tan SgNot taking heat, so take heed

“In my view, PM Lee failed to see one point: Singapore ministers are the highest paid in the world. Logically speaking, the echelon of accountability has to be higher in tandem, no?”

Xeno Boy SgPolitics, Gladiator, Praetorians and a Missing Fugitive

“Rather than exploiting the interstices of this ISD cock-up, the Opposition wastes the political opportunity pursuing dead hypotheses or demanding accountability knowing that accountability will always be provided for that group of conservative stoic Singaporeans who are the electoral bedrock of the regime’s survival.”

Diary Of A Singaporean MindWhy Minister Wong Kan Seng should not resign!

“It was also necessary to use this escape to remind Singaporeans not to be complacent and think they can actually survive without the PAP.”

HardhittingOdd report

“I’m afraid the report did not answer most of our questions on the escape, and may have in fact raise more.”

My Singapore NewsThe Parliament Glare

“At the rate that it is going, the glare will be so blinding that Parliament need not switch the lights anymore.”

Simply JeanEr… a highlight in Parliament (Mr Low Thia Khiang self-pwned?) ?

“Your father’s sister’s husband’s sister’s husband’s brother failed to look after their Rott Weiler and one of them escaped (and possibly going around and biting people) and your father asks you if you think that his sister’s husband’s sister’s husband’s brother should be kicked out of the family clan…”

UddersCronyism at best.

“So the lesson to be learnt, ladies and gentlemen, is that in Singapore, it always pays to be friends with the people at the top.”

Palmmist A sketic’s view on Mas Selalmat COI(we can’t be complacent)

“We definitely cannot be complacent this time and allow the COI to report things that are not accurate.”

Desperate Beep I could drop Dead tomorrow

How can we have reached this stage when our entire system is dependent on a very small minority? More importantly, how did this situation come about in a nation that was brought to independence by a man obsessed with succession planning?”

Fresh BrainzSeven rolls of toilet paper

“Why was Mas Selamat carrying a large pack of toilet paper on his way to a family visit? Note that he was blindfolded before being led to the Family Visitation Block.”

LijmesStupidest toilet design ever

“Then our dear guard went to inform the 2nd guard outside he suspects something and THAT guard told the female ISD officer that the 1st guard suspects something. And she, being a woman, in all her wisdom (these are the people that help run Singapore), decided against entering the male toilet and decided to inform a male ISD officer that the 1st guard told the 2nd guard who told her that the 1st guard suspects something (I’m being SUPER long-winded to stress my point) and that shes a woman and she can’t go in so he has to go in. WAH LAU!!!!!! They playing ‘broken telephone’ ah? I’m surprised the final message that arrived in the male ISD officer’s ear wasn’t “The Queen of England has arrive in the toilet”.”

GFelicity Discipling the officers? This is BS

When something goes wrong, you blame everything else except yourself. When something goes right, you take all the credit and say, “Thanks be to ME.””

Arch Blood Writes – The Mas Selamat Conspiracy Part 3

“Really, dear readers, if you want to make sense of the plot holes, you should read my previous take on the story, regardless how stupid it may sound. It does not take a lot to judge the truth of DPM Wong’s denial of insider job on the part of ISD officers.”

Thinking Better Thinking MetaISD: Unintelligent intelligence unintelligible

“I guess accountability is all about getting the lower ranked pawns to take the fall, take one for the team.”

Under The Willow Tree – Wong Kan Seng Off the Hook? Not So Fast. The Game Has Just Begun!

Wong Kan Seng is the overall man in charge here. Wong will bear ultimate responsibility for a failure to capture Selamat.”

Rachel AbsintheOddly enough eh

Why should I accept the COI as an independent inquiry? If it is, then why was WKS presenting it?”

This page will be updated periodically.

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