• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Kenneth’s questions to PM Lee matter – here’s why

by Howard Lee
13/07/2015
in Commentaries
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0

PM Lee and Roy ngerng

By Andy Wong

The separation of public power and private benefit is essential for transparent, effective and honest governance. The Chairman of NEA cannot ask his staff to go and clean his kitchen, or the premises of his sister’s hawker stall, when it gets dirty. The Commissioner of Police cannot ask his officers to set up a road block at the end of his street because he finds the traffic too noisy. The Minister of Community, Culture and Youth cannot just instruct a local museum to display his daughter’s art work.

So can the Prime Minister ask a civil servant to write letters on his behalf, and in his support, on the very personal topic of his defamation case against Roy Ngerng? This question matters, and it is the reason Kenneth Jeyaretnam of the Reform Party is quite right to seek a full accounting of public funds spent on a case the PM has clearly stated he is bringing in his personal capacity.

Take the examples above in turn and we can see a use of public office for private gain. The Chairman of NEA probably has a kitchen in his home, but it is his private space and he should clean it himself or pay for it to be cleaned out of his own pocket. His sister may operate a hawker stall, but that would be her own private business and she should arrange for it to be cleaned herself. Neither should get their cleaning for free, just because the Chairman of NEA asked his staff to help out.

The Commissioner of Police may not like the traffic noise outside his flat, and the Officers under his command may sometimes be in the business of setting up road blocks, but they certainly can’t set one up at the end of his street just because he felt like asking them to do so. He should instruct those officers only as part of his official duties in line with agreed policy.

And while a local museum is obviously responsible for displaying art, they should choose for themselves what to display, why and when. If the Minister’s daughter happened to be very talented, then perhaps she would earn a place in a local gallery, but certainly not just because her father asked for it.

Lee hsieng loongIn each case, public servants are not necessarily doing something they would not ordinarily do – be that setting up road blocks or displaying art. The questions are why they are doing it and for whose benefit. In each case, they are doing it for the personal and private benefit of someone powerful in government who has asked them.

The Chairman of NEA would gain personally by not having to pay cleaners to come and take care of his kitchen. The Commissioner of Police would gain by having a more peaceful environment at home. The Minister with a penchant for art enjoys the prestige of seeing his daughter’s work displayed in a fine museum or gallery.

Should this be allowed? The answer in all three cases above has to be no. Government officials should not gain privately or personally from the power or influence of their positions. Public servants should carry out their duties only in alignment with objective policy goals.

Which brings us to the case of PM Lee’s Press Secretary. She is a civil servant, paid for by the public presumably to assist in the smooth operation of government, and who has been writing to international media in support of Lee Hsien Loong’s case against Roy.

However, Lee has been very clear from the start that he is bringing this case against Roy in his personal capacity, not as Prime Minister. This distinction is crucial, as it brings us to the question of public power and private benefit.

Not everyone is powerful enough to be awarded a Press Secretary paid for by the state, but the office of Prime Minister enjoys one. If Lee is not acting as PM when he sues Roy, then the role of his Press Secretary should really be irrelevant to the matter. But yet Lee seems to be enjoying the personal benefit, in the context of a personal legal case, of having supportive letters written for him by this publicly funded member of staff. If LHL needs letters writing to his media critics overseas, he should pay for his own lawyers or public relations advisers to write them. He shouldn’t get them written for free by his government staff.

Lee Hsien Loong has made a mistake. It would be wrong of him to allow public funds, staff or resources to be used in support of his personal and private business. Even if he has not allowed that to happen, it is wrong that a situation has been allowed to develop where it appears that he may have done so. He should clarify immediately, answer Kenneth’s questions and reassure Singaporeans that state resources have not been used inappropriately on a private matter.

Lee’s case against Roy in the first place was over a supposed allegation of misuse of state funds. It would be a particularly dreadful irony if people were left with the impression that PM Lee had misused state funds in support of the case.

This article was first published at andyxianwong.wordpress.com.

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status
AFP

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

27/01/2023
AFP

Two years after Myanmar coup, UN says situation ‘catastrophic’

27/01/2023
Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health
Community

Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

27/01/2023
Philippines to appeal ICC resumption of drug war probe
AFP

ICC grants new inquiry into Manila’s deadly ‘war on drugs’

27/01/2023
Minister refutes claims of Malaysia consulting Singapore on housing policy due to its inefficient civil service
Housing

Minister refutes claims of Malaysia consulting Singapore on housing policy due to its inefficient civil service

27/01/2023
457 civil society organizations call on ASEAN to move beyond the Five-Point Consensus
AFP

Myanmar junta sets out tough new rules for political parties

27/01/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

27/01/2023

Two years after Myanmar coup, UN says situation ‘catastrophic’

27/01/2023
Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

27/01/2023
Philippines to appeal ICC resumption of drug war probe

ICC grants new inquiry into Manila’s deadly ‘war on drugs’

27/01/2023
Minister refutes claims of Malaysia consulting Singapore on housing policy due to its inefficient civil service

Minister refutes claims of Malaysia consulting Singapore on housing policy due to its inefficient civil service

27/01/2023
457 civil society organizations call on ASEAN to move beyond the Five-Point Consensus

Myanmar junta sets out tough new rules for political parties

27/01/2023
Thai ruling party names deputy PM as main election candidate

Thai ruling party names deputy PM as main election candidate

27/01/2023
Mrs Teo says SG continues to invest in training local talent while MNCs transfer staff to work in SG

Mrs Teo says SG continues to invest in training local talent while MNCs transfer staff to work in SG

27/01/2023

Trending posts

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
35

...

Ho Ching breaks silence over Temasek’s write down of its US$275 million investment in FTX, says it “can afford to be contrarian”

US regulator questions VCs’ due diligence work prior to investing in FTX; Ho Ching says Temasek can afford to be contrarian

by The Online Citizen
24/01/2023
28

...

Indian rupee falls 60% since signing of CECA while Singapore becomes top investor in India

by Correspondent
25/01/2023
55

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
23

...

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

by The Online Citizen
26/01/2023
46

...

Kenneth’s questions to PM Lee matter – here’s why

by Howard Lee
13/07/2015
0

...

July 2015
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Jun   Aug »
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz